Knives are necessary instruments that make a living in the woods and daily life more straightforward, but it cannot be easy to locate a good knife, especially an affordable one. You can get an excellent knife for almost any budget, even at a sports goods store, if you know how to pick the perfect one. Make sure the general-purpose knife you desire has all the characteristics you want if you want to use it for various jobs. For example, a small tactical fixed blade knife is sufficient for field dressing and skinning, cutting rope or twine, whittling fuel for a fire, and chopping. Explored below are some tips to help you make an informed choice:
Grind
The knife manufacturer’s process to sharpen a piece of steel is called the grind. There are around a dozen grinds, but the most popular ones are the hollow grind, flat grind, and convex grind. Hollow grinds are decent all-around grinds and are apt for slicing. Flat grinds produce acceptable hard usage edges and are helpful for general-purpose cutting. Finally, crush the triangle’s sides into a convex shape. This results in a blade and edge that are exceedingly strong. Convex grinds are also more challenging to produce since they often call for human grinding on a slack-belt grinder.
Blade
Generally speaking, blade forms depend on the task. A hawk beak or recurve blade form is useful if you want to cut a lot of thick rope or netting. There are blunt-tipped blades for search and rescue if you need them. Hunters choose swords with a drop point, a trailing point, or a Persian point. Whatever the name, you want a blade with a vital, pointed tip, a beautiful curve, and a straight section close to the handle.
Handle
When looking for a knife, don’t forget to consider the handle. However, these materials cannot provide the durability that many hunters need and can be challenging to hold firmly when soaked with blood or water. Wood, leather, and bone handles are practical and frequently more visually beautiful. Additionally, synthetics are lightweight and nearly indestructible.
A finger stop, contour, or other protection that prevents the user’s hand from sliding forward on the blade should also be included on the handle of a hunting knife for safety reasons. The feel of any knife handle in your hand is the true test. If a knife is difficult to hold, it is worthless.
Material
Regardless of the steel, a decent shape and a grind that is suited for the task make for a great knife, but similar to heat treatment, most significant knife manufacturers have the blade’s shape and grind down. Steel is, therefore, the critical factor. Steels exist in various chemistries, from current powder metal super steels to high carbon, non-stainless types. However, a steel choice should be job suited, much like blade forms. The three main factors to consider when selecting steel are corrosion resistance, toughness, and hardness.
After you’ve decided on the performance qualities, you might want to consider the knife’s appearance and practicality. With many pretty traditional-looking knives and other genuinely avant-garde designs, the same themes from folding knives have made their way into the small tactical fixed blade knife designs too. It can be challenging to locate an excellent knife, but if you know what you’re going to use it for and what to look for, you can sift through the clutter and find some true treasures.
