Questions tagged [knives]
Questions relating the the purchase, care, and/or usage of knives in the great outdoors. Questions about sharpening knives should use the knife-sharpening tag
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What is this tool on a Swiss Army knife for?
I have this tool on a few Swiss Army knives (though I think I've seen it on other multi-tools as well). What is it and what is it for?
On one edge, it has a sharp edge. It also only opens halfway (as ...
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How to test the sharpness of a knife?
In order for knives to be useful, they need to be sharp. If I am sharpening one myself, how do I know when I am done?
What would be a simple easy test of whether a knife is sharp enough?
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Knife as defense against stray dogs
Some places I travel to have stray dogs in the city. Can a knife be used effectively if attacked by one or more of them? I've had creepy close encounters.
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How to clean and refurbish a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife?
I have an old Swiss Army Knife on which I can only open one blade; the rest are locked in place. How should I clean this, and is there anything else I should do to refurbish it, like oiling, after I ...
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Buying a Backpacking Knife
I am a first-time knife buyer.
What should I look for in an all-purpose, lightweight backpacking knife?
I aim to use it for cutting trail plants and fish. My top priority is a knife that doesn't ...
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Can oiling keep tools from rusting?
Even stainless-steel can rust, and I've seen axes and saws that were visibly rusted. I've been told that wrapping the metal parts of the tools in oiled paper will prevent this.
Can oil really be used ...
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Canadian Law with respect to knives
I keep seeing slightly different answers for some of these questions.
In summary of what I know already, please tell me if I am wrong.
You can own any knife of any length, with the following general ...
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of a paracord knife handle?
Whenever I browse knife shops or online stores I see many fixed-blade knives whose handles are essentially just a piece of paracord wrapped around the tang. From my anecdotal experience this also ...
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Best technique to sharpen a knife using a whetstone?
I have a knife and a whetstone. One side of the whetstone is rough and the other is finely grained.
I occasionally sharpen my knife but I'm not 100% clear if I'm using it correctly. I normally move ...
user2766
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What is this sharp, curved notch on my knife for?
I recently bought a knife that near the handle end of the blade has a sharp, curved part:
I don’t think it’s a choil because it’s sharp. What is its use? I thought something to do with stripping ...
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What type of knife should I carry while rock climbing?
I carry a cheap folding knife with me while climbing, particularly if I know there is a chance of stuck ropes, grubby anchors, or we are in the backcountry. The knife is held shut with a loop of cord, ...
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How do you safely cut wood with a knife?
Several people have talked about having single edge knife so that you can cut down small trees. What is the proper way to cut or carve wood with a knife?
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How to safely carry a fixed-blade knife?
I worry about carrying a fixed-blade knife on my hip, because if I fall or wrestle my kids or whatever, I worry I could get stabbed. I've had pointy blades push through a cheap sheath before.
I stick ...
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Why do some knives have one-sided sharpening?
Although most knives I have seen have their edge symmetrical, others (often serrated ones) have the edge ground out only from one side (the side of the serrations). There are also some straight edge ...
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Why should I take a pocket knife for wild camping / hiking?
I've got the advice to take a pocket knife with me for 2 weeks of wild camping / hiking in Scotland (West Highland Way). However, I don't understand when I would need it.
I will take the following ...
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Folding versus fixed blade knives
Similar to Serrated vs flat-edge knives, I'm wondering what the strengths and weaknesses are of folding knives versus fixed blade knives?
What are fixed blades good for? What are folding knives not ...
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Will the benefit of an axe outweigh the drawbacks and win over a large knife?
I've hiked some in my life, and gotten used to carrying a small axe for chopping wood for the fire. But after I bought my self a large fixed-blade bowie knife, I find myself relying less and less on ...
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How to transport diving knives / shears?
If I am required to transport my diving equipment (in the UK and Abroad) what are the best practices of transporting my diving knife / shears?
If on a plane this can just go in the hold luggage same ...
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What is a good knife for survival in a forested environment? [closed]
What style/size of knife would be most useful in a survival scenario in the forest?
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Is it necessary to carry a knife sharpener?
Under the assumption that an emergency kit like the ones listed here are for the emergency of getting lost and being stranded for days, how necessary is a knife sharpener?
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Where can I find if a fixed blade knives is legal to carry around in a given country?
I am always uneasy at the idea of carrying around a fixed blade. For this reason, my backpack knife is a multitool (A fantastic Leatherman Blast, which saved the day already many times). I would like ...
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Where to carry a folding knife when hiking?
I'm not used to multi-day hikes, and soon I will be going on a 5 day hike and I thought it would be a good idea to carry a folding knife this time just to be on the safe side. I won't be needing it ...
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Restore knife to factory sharp condition
I bought an old knife, the previous owner botched up the blade. The sharpening was done so bad there are sections that look like a one sided knife blade and some that are sharpened on both. I can ...
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What are some simple tasks to teach knife safety?
My younger brother (14 years old) has recently expressed interest in joining my outdoor escapades (hiking, camping, backpacking, etc). As part of this interest, he has asked me to teach him how to ...
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Have mainstream knife steels improved in the last generation?
I have a lot of knives that are 20-30 years old, and I've never spent more than $100 on any knife.
Have there been appreciable advances in the steels or treatments applied to mainstream knives over ...
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What kinds of knives are allowed while camping in California?
I have read that California has some of the strictest weapons laws in the US. What types of knives are allowed when camping, hiking, or hunting? What should someone camping in California know before ...
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Hunting bears with a knife?
Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne (1876) describes how Siberian hunters used to hunt bears with nothing but a knife. This was ideally done with a single lethal blow, to damage the fur as little as ...
user9296
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1
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Serrated vs flat-edge knives
Each has their purpose, I'm sure. So for what activities is each better? When would I use one over the other? What about half-serrated blades?
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Is a Tanto or Utility knife best to carry when mountaineering?
I have been mountaineering for about four years now and one of the things I have learned is how important a good knife really is. A knife that is sharp, durable, and can take a beating can make a ...
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How can I disassemble a multi-tool with no screws on it?
I have a multi-tool and I want to disassemble it – not for any repairing just to take it apart and take the blade for other uses – but it has no screws.
How can I disassemble it? (See ...
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How do I clean my knife sharpener?
Pictured below is my knife sharpener. I’d like to sharpen my knives, but there’s so much metal built up on the stones that it won’t sharpen. How can I clean these off? Attempts with cloths and Q-tips ...
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Use of the V notch
I'm translating a book on bushcraft in English. There is a passage about the V notch that I am having a hard time understanding. It reads,
This notch helps lock a piece of cordage to the desired area ...
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How can I make an obsidian knife?
I have some obsidian and I know that it can be made into knives and other sharp objects such as arrowheads. Historically this was done for a long time in the United States before there were steel ...
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Should I grind the edge or the backbevel first when sharpening my knife?
I'm using a Spyderco Tri-angle sharpmaker to sharpen both a drop-point fixed blade and a folding tanto blade. It has 2 settings:
2 20 degree sides for a 40 degree working edge
2 15 degree sides for ...
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What is the use of the saw blade on a swiss knife?
I've been using the Victorinox Swiss knife for a long time now. One thing that has baffled me is the saw blade on most of their multi-tools. The saw is around 2-3 inches long (depending on the model). ...
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How to sharpen the line cutter/gut hook on a knife?
Some knives have gut hooks,
and some have line cutters,
Source
It basically the same notch just optimized for different purposes.
How exactly would one sharpen the gut hook/line cutter? Its not as ...
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How to sharpen a peculiar looking knife
Take a look at this knife:
Notice that the edge start very far away from the edge of the blade, if that makes sense.
The question I'm asking myself is whether, when sharpening this knife, do I need ...
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Tactical Folder vs traditional knife patterns for EDC
A lot of knife owners who have carried pocket knives for 30+ years talk very fondly of the traditional patterns, like Barlow, stockman, etc. However when it comes to explaining exactly why they carry ...
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What is this knob for on the blade of this knife
What is this knob for? When I open it I thought it’s to stop the blade from over-opening. But it doesn’t touch anything. So there must be some other use for it.
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How to follow an existing angle when sharpening?
This question was prompted by the advice to "follow the existing angles" in this answer on sharpening ice screws. I have heard the same advice when it comes to resharpening knives. Of course, there ...
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Are there any non-legal advantages of a non-locking knife?
In lots of places around the world, locking folding knives are illegal for everyday carry while non-locking folding knives are much less restricted.
Almost everyone I know who carries a knife daily ...
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Are there any large knife/saw multitools for pocket or belt use?
The little pocket-knife multi-tools sometimes come with tiny saws on them. Those saws are somewhat useful but extremely limited in the size wood they can be used for.
Are there any multi-tools ...
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What should I look for in throwing knives?
Inspired mostly by this answer, if I were to decide to buy a set of throwing knives for just for fun, what exactly should I be looking for?
I do realize that throwing knives are not legal everywhere, ...
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Can I use the blade of a multi tool as a spear point?
A recent question asks about disassembling a multi tool pictured below.
We have an existing question How do you fashion a spear with a fixed blade. All of the blades pictured are long handled and/...
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What is the best way to oil a wooden knife handle?
I've been trying to oil the handles of my condor bushlore to protect the wood from moisture. However, I notice that the knife's leather sheath absorbs all the oil off the handle within a few hours. I'...
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Is there an actual advantage of switchblade folding knives over any other method of opening a folding blade with one hand?
More states in the US are decriminalizing switchblades, yet there are many other methods of opening a folding knife with one hand such as studs on the blade or groove to make it easier to open.
I am ...
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Sharpening a drop-point knife using angle guides
I'm trying to sharpen a drop-point knife (benchmade griptilian). I use a work sharp guided sharpening system with angle guides and am trying to follow the 20 degrees per side recommendation. All the ...
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knives, how long a blade should I carry? [closed]
what size of knife should I carry to not make peoples eyebrows raise? what manufacturers would you suggest?
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What features should I look for in a mini knife?
I'm looking for a small or mini knife for when I don't have a normal sized knife with me. I don't need it for self-defense, but just for cutting things in normal day usage.
What features should I ...
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