G10 and Micarta handles to compare
Choose G10 for a laminate Kershaw calls "extremely stable, unaffected by temperature changes," or Micarta for what Case calls "a softer feel when in hand." UltreX, which Norplex-Micarta produces, says "the primary difference is G-10 uses glass fibers," while the Micarta trademark, which Norplex-Micarta owns, describes composites reinforced with paper or cotton. CIVIVI says its own Micarta changes color as it ages.
Fiber is the line UltreX draws between these two laminates. UltreX, which Norplex-Micarta produces, says G-10 "is similar to other products/materials such as Micarta and carbon fiber" and that "the primary difference is G-10 uses glass fibers." Norplex-Micarta defines its G-10 glass laminate as fiberglass cloth in a non-brominated epoxy resin system, and calls Micarta its registered trademark for composites reinforced with paper or cotton, "usually phenolic resin, but also melamine and epoxy."
A spec table cannot say whose laminate a knife carries. Its Handle row repeats the product data's word, "G10" or "micarta," and the knife's maker is the source for whose laminate that is.
On heat, feel and color, each line below is its maker's own claim.
Each laminate's maker lines point at a different buyer. The G10 lines suit someone who wants a handle Kershaw calls unaffected by temperature changes, in the colors Norplex-Micarta describes; the Micarta lines suit someone who wants the softer feel Case describes, and CIVIVI adds that its own Micarta shifts color with age. None of these makers names a winner.
Cleaning both laminates is laid out in caring for a G10 or Micarta handle, and CIVIVI answers for its own Micarta in its FAQ. With carbon fiber or glass-filled nylon as the alternative, G10 against carbon fiber and G10 against FRN take up those pairs.