The handles are aluminum with a good texture. The tools are actually really high quality to my experience. Have you tried one yet?
I had that issue with a few knives and tools over the years, and in many cases you really do get used to it after you put a few miles on a tool. The most prominent one in my mind (for me) was the Benchmade Panther. I really didn't like the square handle but eventually bought it simply because it was discontinued. After some use I found that I really liked it.Def