Pocket knives are a staple tool for any serious recreational outdoorsman (Sic. person). They have a variety of uses not specific to the great outdoors – there are documented cases of surgeons using them for emergency surgery and famously Aron Ralston cut off his own arm using a multiuse tool (I think it was a Leatherman, but can’t remember for sure). Although, how can you tell the wheat from the chaff when it comes to pocket knives? Surely not all are born equal and many are laden with tools and features that are never used. This brings me to my first point, if the knife comes packed with so many features that it is difficult to carry or hard to access any specific tool folded into the knife then it is probably not a great pocket knife.
Keeping it simple is the call of the day. If you just need a decent foldable knife then look for something with just a blade. Remember, a pocket knife if laden with other tools does anything else poorly. This even goes as far as jeopardizing the blade at the cost of including various other tools. The operative word when considering pocket knives is the knife part of the whole equation. If the knife is terrible quality then you have little more than a multifunction paper weight. Of course having a little extra functionality built into a pocket knife is a good thing – but this should not come at a cost that affects the actual blade.
Brand names are important. There is a reason Victorinox Swiss Army knives are so popular. They are a simple and well made product. Of course you are likely to pay quite heavily for something of this quality – however that doesn’t mean that you need to pay a lot of money for a decent pocket knife. This brings me back to my previous point; just get something that is going to fulfill your needs and nothing more. You can get cheaper and decent quality knives by sticking to the basics. You don’t need a thirty function multi-tool if all you are going to need it for is camping once a year. In this regard you will probably just want a good and reliable blade that can be stored easily.
The quality of the metal that is used in folding pocket knives or a multi-tool is also an important factor to consider when purchasing a pocket knife. If you get something like a Swiss Army knife or a Buck knife then you can be pretty sure of its quality. Otherwise you need to do a bit more research. Good metal for a knife is either high quality stainless steel that has been well tempered or spring steel. I personally recommend going with the latter if you can find an affordable spring steel knife. It won’t be tempered to the point where it is likely to shatter or crack and will still be quite flexible. Well tempered stainless steel can shatter or crack with heavy use – however it is much better than a softer metal. Going with stainless steel or spring steel will also make the metal quite resistant to rust. Rusty ones are a liability because they are hard to wield and fold out so if you get a high carbon one then you also need to take good care of it.
If you do need some sort of multi-tool then you shouldn’t really be considering pocket knives. There are a wide variety of multi-tools on the market that does multiple functions well. If you need a professional tool then don’t settle for multi-tools or folding blade. You are always better going with a tool that does one job well than a tool that does multiple jobs poorly. Pocket knives are really only good for emergency use and in this regard should only be used when you are left with no other option. If you need an easy to store emergency blade than make sure you pay close attention to the quality of the components that make up the hinge and blade.
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