A knife is the most popular tool people use. A regular knife has plenty of uses. Every household in the US has at least a few blades at their house.
It’s simple to get confused out of all the types of knives that exist today. There are some for self-defense, cutting bread, cutting tomatoes, and even cutting mangos. For this reason, it’s essential to know the differences between the knives and how to choose one that will fit your needs.
In my service in the military, they provided me with a pocket knife. Because I might encounter a situation where I need to use a close-range weapon, a knife was mandatory to have. As such, it’s crucial to understand why you need to have one to yourself.
In this post, I’ll cover the different types of knives. Moreover, the many uses and benefits they provide to the users. Lastly, which one you should buy, to best fit your needs.
Why do you want to own a knife?
For self-defense
Before buying a knife, you must understand the different types that are available on the market. In addition, I encourage you to ask yourself why do you want to own such a tool.
First, if your cause to own such a tool is for self-defense purposes, I recommend you get a pocket knife. A pocket knife is a foldable knife that can fit in a pocket. Moreover, it’s lethal and is capable of disabling a hostile.
Carrying a pocket knife is more comfortable than getting a gun. Such a weapon like a gun is a lot of work. Before buying one, you need the government to approve you and get a license. After doing that, finding one that is comfortable for you is next. To do that, you are required to visit a shooting range and practice shooting. If you don’t, the government will take your license.
That’s just the start. For these reasons, getting a pistol or a rifle can become a burden. Now, getting a knife is simple. The step you need to take is to order one online or buy one at a local store. That is the most simple action you can take. I ordered my first pocket knife out of Amazon, and it is still with me.
For utility and cutting
When we think about a knife, we think of a kitchen. If we make food, we want to cut it for various reasons. For example, making salad goes hand in hand with having a good blade that can cut vegetables. Therefore, having a sharpened edge is a must.
You won’t find Gordon Ramsey using a dull knife. Why is that? Because he is familiar with the difference between having a flat blade to a lethal one.
In addition, the risk of getting injured when using a dull blade is higher than using a sharpened one. As such, I encourage you to get a sharpening tool and to keep your knives sharpened. If you don’t want to, there are plenty of services online that can sharpen your knives for a low fee.
Lastly, if you’re an outdoor activist and you want to have such a tool on you, consider buying a multifunction knife. Such a knife is fantastic for survival, hunting, fishing, and any other hobby. For instance, I used such a tool when I was in the military. I was constantly performing actions that required me to cut or to saw. Therefore, getting such a tool made a difference for me.
To summarize, you can get a knife for both self-defense or any other activity. Before purchasing one for yourself, figure out why you want to get one. In the later sections, I’ll be covering the different types of blades and which one you should get.
What Type Of Knife Should I Buy?
As I’ve mentioned, there are different types of knives and before buying one you need to check your reasons. If you want a knife for self-defense, getting one like the pocket knife or the penknife is the best. On the other hand, if you’re looking for utility, the multifunction knife or a simple chef’s knife will best fit you.
In this section, I’ll cover the different types of knives and the benefits they provide.
Pocket knife
The pocket knife is the most popular one out of all the different types. In addition, it’s the most simple one. Overall, it’s a compact, foldable knife that is capable of injuring and disabling an enemy. People looking for a self-defense weapon that is not a gun will usually buy a pocket knife.
Most regulated countries consider such a tool to be a deadly weapon. Therefore, to carry one, you must have valid purposes. If local authorities catch you with one and find you to have malicious intentions, they can arrest you. For that reason, I encourage you to read my post about Internation Knife Laws. Lastly, before purchasing one, read your local knife legislation.
I own a few pocket knives. My experience in that matter is broad. As such, if you’re looking to buy a pocket knife, I encourage you to order these.
There are several ways you can carry a pocket knife. You can get one and keep it in your pocket. That will lower your reaction time and, you’ll suitably react when you need to. However, if you carry it in your backpack, the time it will take you to respond to a dangerous scenario will increase. As we know, that time is crucial and, you want to react as fast as possible. That way, you can protect yourself and others surrounding you.
It’s necessary to mention that you need to understand the consequences of carrying such a weapon. You will need to be constantly aware of your surroundings. Although you have it for yourself, you have a responsibility to protect others as well. Therefore, if you carry a pocket knife on you, stay aware of your surroundings and put yourself out there if you have to.
Kitchen knife
Every household in America owns at least a single kitchen knife. If you ever cooked a dish, you are familiar with the importance of having such a tool. It provides proper cutting and organization. As such, you want to own at least one.
I am unable to think of a reason for why one has never touched such a tool. It’s a remarkable tool that anyone needs to get. Once you move out of your parent’s house, you want to be able to cook your food. As such, I encourage you to purchase a kitchen knife if you desire to be independent.
It’s essential to mention the dangers of not sharpening your knives. Having a dull knife contradicts the benefits the blade provides. You bought it because it’s sharp. As such, you don’t want it to wear off. I recommend you to follow the tomato rule. If your knife is unable to cut a tomato smoothly, you need to sharpen it. In addition, experts recommend sharping any knife twice a year professionally.
Lastly, the pressure you apply when using a flat blade increases. Imagine to yourself the difficulty it takes for the knife to slip off and cut you. For these reasons, keep your blade sharpened all the time.
Multifunction knife
The multifunction knife provides the highest amount of utility. It fits particularly well for those who use a variety of tools daily. As such, if you’re an outdoor activist and your fish/hunt/hike or participate in any other hobby, the multifunction knife is for you.
Such a knife has many tools included in it. The most popular company that you have heard of is Leatherman. They’re the most prominent example I can come up with when it comes to manufacturing multifunction knives.
In my military service, I owned a multifunction knife by Leatherman. I performed various actions, from cleaning my gun to cutting wood. Therefore, I needed a tool that had a concentration of different beneficial blades.
A classic multifunction knife that Leatherman provides has the following blades.
- Needlenose Pliers
- Regular Pliers
- Premium Replaceable Wire Cutters
- Premium Replaceable Hard-wire Cutters
- Electrical Crimper
- Wire Stripper
- 420HC Knife
- 420HC Serrated Knife
- Saw
- Spring-action Scissors
- Ruler (8 in | 19 cm)
- Can Opener
- Bottle Opener
- Wood/Metal File
- Diamond-coated File
- Large Bit Driver
I believe I don’t need to explain the reasoning for you to purchase such a knife. The one I recommend you order is the RoverTac Multipurpose pocket knife (Amazon). It is a cheap option, and I would encourage you to start with this one.
Penknife
The penknife is a compact version of a classic pocket knife. People buy this type of knife for the main reason. They don’t want to stay as low profile as possible. Because the penknife is shorter than your average self-defense tool, it’s more manageable to keep it hidden. Therefore, people carry it concealed.
I am familiar with the feeling of being defenseless. I know what it feels like to be abroad alone and without any self-defense tool. Because of that, I wish to minimize that feeling. Therefore, when I travel, I carry a penknife on me.
Moreover, when traveling, you can leave your knife in checked baggage and travel with your knife anywhere you go. According to the TSA, it’s legal to travel with such a self-defense tool by airplane. As such, I can constantly have a weapon on me, even while traveling internationally.
If you are looking for a compact knife, I encourage you to check out Amazon or a local shop and get one for yourself.
Chef’s knife
Who doesn’t like cooking shows? They’re showing how to cook well-made dishes that will make you lick your fingers after you finished eating them. Have you ever wondered which knives these competitors use? They’re using an all-around knife that provides high utility and has many uses. As a result, they’re able to deal with their foods using only a single blade.
This knife’s blade is as sharp as ever and is ready to cut any food. If you like to cook, and you’re looking for a single tool that can do it all, consider purchasing a chef’s knife. There are many Chef’s knives that you can order online and start using immediately.
There are plenty of knives out there that are specifically for cooks. For instance, there are bread, cheese, and even tomato knives. Companies specifically design these blades to fit one type of food. If we think about it, you can’t own 14 knives. It’ll be unwise.
That is when companies and brands started to design and construct an all-around knife. This knife can remarkably cut any food. As a result, your cooking skills will dramatically increase with the quality of the blade. If the knife is sharp, you’ll see the quality of life it brings with ordering one.
To summarize, a chef’s knife is an all-around blade that provides high utility. Eventually, any respectable chef has one, and you should get one for yourself. You’ll find it to increase your quality of life, and I encourage you to look into the matter deeper.
Conclusion
There are plenty of knives out there. All serve a different purpose. Before purchasing one, you want to ensure it will fit suitably to your needs. Because of that, I encourage you to read the previous sections in this post to expand your knowledge of the different types of knives.
I carry a pocket knife on me at all times. As a result, I can defend myself anytime if I have to. Moreover, the weapon provides me with the ability to assist others in need. For this reason, I recommend you to have a self-defense weapon on you at all times, preferably a pocket knife.
If you wish to purchase a blade to improve your cooking experience, I recommend getting a chef’s knife. That blade is suitable to cut any food, all in one knife. That will increase your skills as a cook, even if you’re solely starting.