When I bought my first (Farmingdale) R9, in 2005, my FFL in NJ stated, prophetically, "the carbon fiber grips make the gun".
From what John states, CF is not benign, nor is it easy to work with. I accept that and am all the more grateful that my (2) R9s are both CF gripped.
Looking forward to the jury verdict on useage of exotic wood for R9 grips.