Choosing a Knife

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See also: Knife

This page gives an introduction to basic and general considerations when choosing a knife. It is suitable for first time buyers of a knife for outdoor use, but is also a worthwhile read for more experienced users. For more specific detail, see the pages in Category:Choosing a knife.

Contents 1 Type and Utility 1.1 Safety 1.2 Ease of Use 1.3 Fineness of work 1.4 Legal Issues 1.4.1 UK 1.5 Additional Features 1.6 Hooked Blades 2 Tang 3 Folding Mechanism 4 Steel 5 Grind 6 Price 7 Discussions

Type and Utility

The most important thing to consider when buying a knife is what you are planning to use it for. Keep this in mind all through the selection process - as with all gear nowadays advertising, brand awareness and other factors make it all to easy to buy something that you isn't really what you want, or isn't suitable for the task at hand.

It is therefore important to gauge how heavy the work you are going to be using the knife for is. If you plan to use it as a general purpose 'hiking knife' or for basic food preparation then a penknife, claspknife or multi-tool would be more than adequate, and their compact size means that you can carry it on you easily. A multi-tool, such as a leatherman, tends to be a good choice if you are looking for a general purpose piece of equipment.

If you plan on keeping a knife at a 'base camp', an 'old fashioned style' camp, or your permanent residence, or if you plan to use the knife for heavier jobs such as shaving, notching or working with wood, cutting rope, bone or coconut husk, then a sheath knife or similar is recommended. It must have a handle which fits snugly and fills up the whole hand in use. Folding designs are not recommended for larger knives.

If you see the knife regularly being used to chop wood, thick bamboo or similar, then a machete would probably be needed to prevent it being an excessively tiring task. However, you should consider whether an axe would be more suitable for the job, and possible get a smaller knife as well to deal with lighter jobs - neither an axe or a machete are particularly convenient to carry with you. A machete is a good choice if you need to cut though heavy tropical vegetation, however.

Once you have decided the minimum size your knife needs to be, a few other factors will help you decide whether a larger knife would be useful or inconvenient.

Safety

Many people consider larger knives to be more dangerous. However, while it is true that it is harder to control a heavier knife, and harder to judge where the edge of a longer knife is, there are other factors to be considered. Certain tasks can be carried out safely with any knife, if the correct technique is observed. For example, if string is gently looped over the edge of a firmly held knife, then pulled from behind the blade, it is at least as safe to use a sheath knife or even machete as it is to use a pen knife.

It is worth noting that it can be very dangerous to use a knife that is too small for the job. This can, for example, lead you to use excessive force, and control of the knife being compromised. See the section 'Tang' below.

Having said this, there are situations where a large knife is unsuitable. Carving with a lot of blade sticking out past the work piece, and trying to chop a woody, springy branch with a machete that could bounce back are examples of this. Do not think that a large knife will be suitable for everything. Using the right tool is the key. In one situation, only a smaller knife will be suitable, in another it may be that using a saw is the only option. A small sheath knife is probably suitable for the widest range of uses.

Ease of Use

Fineness of work

Legal Issues

UK

For a brief overview of the legal issues of carrying a knife in the UK, see Knife Law (UK). Of special note, when choosing a knife for use in the UK, is that if you intend to use it generally, rather than just for your outdoor activity, a folding knife of less than 3 inches is legal to carry in public. All knives can legally be carried for a purpose, provided they do not constitute an 'offensive weapon'. In practice this is a loosely defined term, and likely to be very subjective. As such, knives longer than 3 inches should only be carried to or from your home to the private land where you intend to use them, if possible.

Additional Features

Many knives have a serrated back, and some tools have a second edge on the back. Though it might look useful, will it really be suitable? The previous examples have uses, but will prevent you from from applying force to the back of the blade by pushing it with the hand or striking it safely, and may increase the likelihood of accidents. Consider carefully what additional features you would like to look for, and if you come across something 'extra', carefully consider whether you really need it, and if there may be drawbacks.

Hooked Blades

Of particular note, more common on machetes and larger knives, are blades with hooked ends. Though these knives may be suited to specific tasks, they are often considered much harder to work with and use safely when chopping or during general use. They cannot be brought down onto a flat surface, and constant attention must be given to the hook, which can very easily go where not expected. Other than for chopping vegetation and shaving/carving wood, avoid this type of knife.

Tang

The tang is the metal part of the knife that continues from the blade down into the handle. Certain designs of tang make the knife blade more likely to break off or detach from the handle. Therefore, a knife with a wide, longer tang will be stronger. For knives that will be used for heavy jobs, ideally look for a knife with a tang that extends down the length of the whole handle ('full tang'), and is as wide as possible. Also look for a handle securely attached, for example clearly bolted or screwed onto the tang, rather than just glued or pushed on.

Folding Mechanism

The equivalent to consider for a folding knife is the hinge or folding mechanism. This will almost always be the weakest part of a folding knife, and weaker than a solid tang.

When buying a folding knife, always check the way the blade is attached. Firstly check than when the blade is folded out, it is solid and does not wobble. Do not buy the knife if the blade seems slightly loose.

Also consider how easy the knife is to fold back, and where it has to be held. For example, a lot of knives have a a simple springy push-close mechanism, and have to be held where the knife closes to. Many of these also have pointed ends, however, the blade points cannot be used with any force, for fear of closing the blade over the fingers.

Check how strong the mechanism itself it - the weaknesses in many folding knives mean that they are often not advisable for tasks involving force. It is also worth trying to ensure that the mechanism is strongly constructed. If the knife will often be used for heavy cutting, it may be better to opt for a non-folding blade. Finally, check how easy the blade is to open and close - a very stiff blade can get annoying, and a difficult to use knife will be less safe.

Steel

Grind

Price

Discussions

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