All About Pocket Knives

Hey all, I’m fairly new to pocket knives, and I’d like to learn more about them. I’d also like to know what steel works the best, what you should look for in a handle, and I’d also like to know which pocket knives work best with hunting, gutting, fishing etc (brands) but nothing to o pricey, because I am on a budget. All help will be appreciated.

Welcome to AAPK. The answer to your questions, every one of them, is “it depends”. It depends on what you’re using the knife for and your personal preferences. You’ll get as many opinions as you do replies.

Do you like traditional style knives, or modern “tacti-cool”? Single or multi-blades, fixed or folding? Do you like natural handle materials (like stag, bone, wood) or synthetics. Do you plan to oil and care for the knife, or do you prefer “use and neglect”?

How good are you at sharpening and maintaining the blade edge? Types of steel are a trade-off - “holds an edge a long time” generally equals “difficult to sharpen”. Ease of sharpening depends on your sharpening skill level, and how much you’re willing to spend on sharpening gear. Stainless steel won’t tarnish or rust but good stainless is generally more difficult to sharpen than carbon steel which requires more care to prevent rust. Really good modern stainless steels are generally more expensive. 440C (not to be confused with 440A or 440B, or generic 440 which is probably 440A) is a good reasonably priced all-around steel, but even it is more difficult to sharpen than the good carbon steel commonly found in traditional brands.

You already said you’re on a budget, so you need to ask yourself do you want one really good multiple purpose knife, or a bunch of cheap ones? (You can buy one expensive really good one for the same as a bunch of different cheap ones).

Bottom line is you can find threads here about all your questions. There is a good keyword search capability (found in the drop-down menu by clicking on ‘Quicklinks” on the upper left of this thread).

Ken

Welcome to AAPK!

I want to echo Ken's advice: It all depends.
If it all seems overwhelming, start with two things:
1) are there laws in your area that limits certain knives?
2) what knife appeals to you.

Sometimes the choice of a knife comes down to the fact that you just like the way a certain knife looks, or the way it feels in your hand.
And chances are that there is not only one knife that fits all of the criteria that you listed. You might want a fixed blade for hunting, a stainless folder for fishing, and another smaller folder for opening Amazon boxes at home, etc.
No one expects to find one "ultimate" pair of shoes that will work for every occasion, so why do we think one pocket knife is perfect for everything?

Find something legal to carry that fits your personality and does one task well. Then try another when you have a different need.

And then share with us what you have found that you enjoy!

Also try to find a price point you would like to stick to (don't go over
40 dollars for example).

Also does it have to be new, or is used OK? Generally a used knife
(especially if it does not have it's box) is less expensive.

eBay could show you all kinds of knives and options. It also will
give you a ball park market value of each knife.

If you spend any time here, you will soon accumulate a lot of information
for you to decide what would be right for you.

Good luck and Welcome!

Bob