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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19 votes
4 answers
20k views

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 ...
user avatar
13 votes
4 answers
4k views

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 ...
Mwigs's user avatar
  • 1,585
12 votes
8 answers
2k views

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?
wyocalboy's user avatar
  • 3,041
3 votes
1 answer
222 views

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/...
James Jenkins's user avatar
31 votes
13 answers
13k views

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.
amphibient's user avatar
  • 4,063
22 votes
4 answers
2k views

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 ...
themirror's user avatar
  • 1,779
22 votes
3 answers
30k views

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 ...
Henrik Hansen's user avatar
18 votes
1 answer
6k views

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 ...
Darren's user avatar
  • 2,433
17 votes
3 answers
19k views

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?
Russell Steen's user avatar
11 votes
4 answers
2k views

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 ...
Zach L's user avatar
  • 1,201
10 votes
1 answer
537 views

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?
Kevin's user avatar
  • 5,328
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

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 ...
Andrew.Wolphoe's user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
950 views

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). ...
Ricketyship's user avatar
  • 7,815
6 votes
3 answers
546 views

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 ...
Charlie Brumbaugh's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
513 views

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 ...
Loduwijk's user avatar
  • 3,526