Pocket Knife - Why Should You Have One

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.