Modern knives have adapted to today's market and needs. Styles have changed away from the more natural materials to manmade materials with extreme durability and precision. Modern folding knives typically have a pocket clip and slip comfortably in the pocket. Modern fixed blades often forego the guard bolster in favor of a less expensive knife (but not always). Hard plastic and Kydex sheaths have become very popular for modern fixed blades. Modern handle materials include materials such as titanium, aircraft grade aluminum, carbon fiber, G-10, Micarta, Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon (FRN, sometimes GRN, is a very strong polymer nylon mixed with glass fiber), and thermoplastics. Some common examples of modern features on folding knives are flipper and thumbstud deployment systems, spring-assisted opening, and pocket clips.
