Pocket Knife

What a pocket knife is, and the one choice that matters first

A pocket knife is a knife with one or more blades that fold into the handle. You'll also hear jackknife and folding knife; they mean the same thing. Wikipedia puts typical pocket knife blades at about 2 to 6 inches, which covers everything from a keychain peanut to a big lockback that rides on a belt.

The choice that sorts every folding knife is how the blade stays open.

• Slip joint: no lock. A backspring snaps the blade open and closed and holds it there, but it will fold under enough pressure.
• Locking blade: something catches the blade when it's open, and you have to release it before the knife will close.

Most light-duty pocket knives are slip joints, and they tend to run smaller than locking folders. That's what Grandpa carried. It's still a good knife for feed sacks, twine, apples and the endless small jobs around a cabin.

Here's the thing. A slip joint works fine as long as you cut the way it's built to cut. The trouble starts when you lean on the spine or push the point into something hard. That's when a locking blade earns its keep.

The table on this page lists folding knives sold on Amazon US, shortest blade first. It shows blade length, overall length, weight, steel, blade shape, handle and opening method. The maker's numbers come first and the Amazon listing's fill gaps (marked as listing values), except weight, which is the maker's alone. When neither states a value, you get a dash, not a guess.

How to choose a pocket knife, one spec at a time

These are the specs that change from one knife to the next, in the order I'd look at them.

Lock type decides what jobs the knife can take

Benchmade's mechanism guide lays out the common locks plainly. My summary:

• Slip joint: spring tension only, noticeable stops open and closed, no true lock
• Lockback: a slip joint with a hook on the backspring; press the spine to release it
• Liner lock: a spring-cut liner inside the handle slides behind the blade
• Frame lock: the same idea, cut from the handle frame itself
• Crossbar locks: a spring-loaded bar across the blade tang, released from either side

Benchmade calls the frame lock stronger than a liner lock, with one catch: closing it means putting your hand in the blade path. Liner locks close one-handed easily. Lockbacks are the old reliable, simple and traditional.

Rule of thumb: slip joint for small, careful cuts. Any lock for work where the blade could get pushed back toward your fingers. The table's lock column says which you're looking at when the maker or the listing states it.

Blade count and pattern tell you what the knife was built for

Traditional pocket knives come in named patterns, and the name tells you the blade lineup. From Wikipedia's pattern list:

• Stockman: three blades (clip, sheepsfoot, spey), usually medium size
• Trapper: a clip and a spey, both hinged at the same end
• Congress: curved front, straight back, usually four blades
• Canoe: shaped like a canoe, typically two drop-point blades
• Peanut: small, a clip and a drop point from the same end
• Sodbuster: one blade, simple handle, no bolster

The Barlow, with its long bolster and one or two blades, has its own Barlow knife page.

More blades means more choices for the job and more weight in the pocket. A three-blade stockman lets you keep one edge sharp for the fine work and use another on cardboard. A single blade is simpler to clean and to keep sharp.

Blade shape decides how the knife cuts

Benchmade's blade guide covers the shapes you'll see on pocket knives:

• Drop point: spine slopes down to the tip, broad belly; their all-purpose pick
• Clip point: a cut-out on the spine near the tip for a fine point and detail work
• Sheepsfoot: controlled slicing without the risk of piercing
• Trailing point: spine curves up, long edge, good for skinning
• Tanto: angular, reinforced tip, mostly on tactical knives

The clip point shows up on most traditional patterns. The drop point is the better all-rounder if you only get one blade. The spey blade, the third shape you'll see in those patterns, rides along on stockmans and trappers, per Wikipedia's pattern list. More on clip blades is on the clip point knife page.

Steel type is a trade between edge and upkeep

The table shows the steel grade when it's listed, plus a simpler steel type: stainless, carbon, tool steel, powder steel or Damascus.

One traditional maker, W.R. Case, explains the basic split well. Its carbon steels are known for holding an edge and resharpening easily, but they tarnish and rust sooner than stainless when they meet air and moisture. Its stainless resists tarnish, stains and rust with minimal care. Case calls the choice largely personal preference. I agree with them, and I've had this argument at the cabin table more than once.

AKTI's maintenance page adds the fine print: even stainless can be harmed by water and some chemicals, and salt water is especially hard on steel. Stainless means "stains less," not "stains never." Patterned steel has its own Damascus pocket knife page.

Blade length, overall length and weight set how it carries

Three numbers in the table work together:

• Blade length: the cutting part
• Overall length: blade open plus handle
• Weight: in ounces, as the maker lists it

Closed length isn't always listed, but you can estimate it by subtracting the blade length from the overall length. That's the number your pocket feels. If ounces are your main concern, the lightweight pocket knife page sorts by weight instead.

Longer blades reach across a sandwich or a deer's rib cage better. Shorter blades are easier to control on small cuts. Measure twice, carry once.

Opening method decides one hand or two

Traditional pocket knives open with a nail nick, a notch in the blade for your thumbnail. Boker's opening guide calls it the tried and tested opening aid on two-handed knives. Two hands, slower, almost nothing to break.

Modern folders add one-hand options: a thumb stud, a thumb hole or a flipper tab on the back of the blade. Assisted openers use a spring once you start the blade moving, and they have their own spring assisted knife page. The table's opening column shows which one a knife uses.

I'll say this for the nail nick. In all the years I have carried one, it has never once opened in my pocket.

Handle material decides grip, weight and looks

Benchmade's materials guide is useful even for traditional knives:

• G10: fiberglass laminate, doesn't absorb water, textures well
• Aluminum: notably lighter than steel or titanium, but feels cold in low temperatures
• Titanium: low weight for its strength, naturally corrosion-resistant
• Stabilized wood: warm, natural grip, resists warping better than raw wood
• Glass-filled nylon: low weight, holds its shape across temperatures

Traditional pocket knives often wear plastic, bone or wood scales over a steel liner. Plastic handles are light and shrug off water. Bone and wood look better and need a little more care. Pick what you can grip with wet, cold hands in November. Looks are for the other eleven months.

Edge type: plain or serrated

Spyderco describes a plain edge as easy to sharpen and suited to general use and precise cuts. Its serrated edge cuts fibrous material like rope faster. Most traditional pocket knives come plain. If you cut a lot of baling twine, a serrated section helps. If you sharpen your own knives at the kitchen table, plain is far easier to keep sharp.

Pocket knives versus a fixed blade for deer camp

My one opinion on this page: a pocket knife is a chore knife, not a field-dressing knife.

The reason is in the makers' own care pages. Benchmade says pocket lint, dirt, food residue and moisture build up on the blade and in the pivot, and that buildup can lead to corrosion. A fixed blade has no pivot and no lock to pack full of whatever came out of the deer. Benchmade's category guide also notes that fixed blades have no moving parts, so they're less prone to failure.

So I carry a folding knife every day and a fixed blade in the pack in November. If field dressing is the main job, start on the fixed blade knife page or the hunting knife page.

Who should skip a traditional pocket knife

• Gloved one-hand users: a nail nick is tough in thick gloves; look at everyday carry knives with a stud or flipper
• Hard-use cutters: if you pry, push or cut toward a stop, pick a locking blade
• People who want pliers too: a multi-tool carries a blade plus tools

A first pocket knife for a new hunter

A first knife should be simple enough to learn on. AKTI's first-knife advice starts with knowing how the knife works and practicing opening and closing it safely before using it. It also says to carry the knife with the blade shut, and to ask yourself where the blade will go if it slips.

That points toward a small knife with one or two blades, a nail nick and either a slip joint the new owner has been taught to respect or a lockback with an easy release. Fancy openers can wait. Picks sized for young hands are on the pocket knife for kids page. Some places, like schools, are off limits for knives, so go over that too.

Care: clean it, dry it, oil the joint

A pocket knife asks for about ten minutes a few times a year.

1. Look it over every few months, as AKTI suggests, and pick dirt and lint out of the handle with a toothpick.
2. Wipe the blade with warm, soapy water on a soft cloth. Benchmade says not to soak a folding knife.
3. Dry it completely, inside the handle too.
4. Put a drop or two of light oil on the pivot and lock, work the blade a few times, then wipe off the extra.
5. Store it closed and dry. Benchmade warns off damp basements and gloveboxes.

Sharpen more often than you think. AKTI's view is that a sharp blade is a safe blade, because it needs less force and is less likely to slip. That's a Saturday-afternoon job, and it's cheaper than stitches.

Open, use and close it safely

Keep your fingers out of the blade's path when you close any folding knife. AKTI says every quality folder has a bias toward closure, and the spring can snap the blade shut partway through its swing.

• Cut away from your body and from anyone near you.
• On a slip joint, never press the blade in the direction that would fold it.
• Close the knife before you hand it to someone, as Victorinox's rules put it.
• Never carry it open in a pocket.

Knife carry rules vary by state and by place. Check your state's rules before you carry.

That's the whole system. Pick the lock first, the pattern second, the steel third. Then keep it sharp and keep it dry. It'll outlast the pencil.