Pocket
knives date all the way back to the Romans of the first century, who found it
to be quite the reliable tool to have at hand at all times, especially on their
travels and conquest expeditions. However, they fell out of favor once other
kinds of knives gained popularity. A full fifteen centuries later, pocket
knives reviews gained favor once again as American men of every variety
realized just how useful it was to carry the best pocket
knife with them everywhere they went and how much it benefited them to have it
at hand.
What purpose do pocket knives serve in every day life?
There
are numerous occasions in your life when you have found yourself waiting to get
home, sift through your utensils draw or reach for your knife block in order to
aid yourself in performing a task that you could have done on the spot had you
had a pocket knife on you. Such situations include the following list which
truly define the versatility of a pocket knife
- Opening up a package; often we rummage for a cutter or a knife, but a pocket knife can be the ultimate tool at this point.
- Cutting off ropes and strings from any item.
- Cutting any sort of food, especially when you are on the road or out amidst nature.
- Opening up a letter that you may need to get to immediately.
- Pocket knives can be immensely useful for camping trips, where they can be used for a number of things from cutting rope for setting up camp, or for chopping up food to cook and eat.
- You can also use your pocket knife around the house for numerous minor repairs and fixings, that would otherwise require you to carry your whole tool box with you from one spot to another.
Choosing the right pocket knife for you
Each
person has their own requirements and preferences which makes one pocket knife
preferable over another. So, when choosing a pocket knife that is right for
you, the most important thing to consider is essentially what you are looking
for in a knife. When you venture in to buying a pocket knife, it is important
that you consider the features that you most want it to have, and then narrow
the options available on the market, based on these required features.
In
terms of design, there are three different categories in to which you can sort
all pocket knives including the jack knife, the pen knife and multi-purpose
knife. Going over their general characteristics will aid you in deciding the
which design and hence kind of pocket knife is the one you should be looking
for.
Jack Knife
The
jack knife is perhaps the simplest and the most basic version of a pocket
knife, which makes it also the most common and popular among the common man.
Its design includes just one hinge on one of the knife, which allows you to
fold or unfold the blade of the knife. This foldability is also a major feature
for this kind of pocket knife, thought it characterises all pocket knives as
well. The best pocket knife of the jack knife variety has mostly one, sharp and
efficient blade. However, depending on your personal need you can find
different makes of the pocket knife which come with plenty of different blades,
ranging from slim blunt ones to thick sharp ones so all the different uses of
the knife are covered. The jack knife is used most commonly by men of the out
doors, such as hunters, fishers and campers.
Pen Knife
The
key characteristic of the pen knife is the double hinge, which is to be found
on both ends of the knife. Each end then has different blades within it which
you can easily fold out as well as fold back in. The different blades of the
pen knife are meant to serve different purposes, and the double hinges allow
for there to be a variety of blades accessible for you. This kind of pocket
knife was designed initially as a means to sharpen pencils, but with the advent
of modern pencil sharpeners, the purpose of these knives has changed as well.
So, now it is used or sought out for occasions where you know that you would be
requiring several different kinds of blades at one time and it would be to cumbersome
to carry a whole knife block with you. The pen knife is also quite lightweight
and compact so you can actually carry in your pocket, if you so choose.
Multi-purpose Knife
The most defining
feature of the multi-purpose knife is the fact that it has a hinge on both of
its ends, which implies that you can fold out and back in different tools and
knives from each end of the knife. This in addition enables this knife to have
multiple features, and perhaps even adds to its weight. The multi-purpose knife
comes packed with features other than those of the basic blades of knives,
these include bottle openers, scissors, tweezers and screw drivers among
others. The Swiss Army knife is a very well known version of the multi-purpose
knife. The kind of features available in a multi-purpose knife are perhaps most
beneficial for a frequent camper or traveler, and on the reverse side, would be
a hindrance for someone looking for a basic version with a couple of blades.
