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Pocket knife
*** Shopping-Tip: Pocket knife
A '''pocket knife''' is a type of folding
knife with a
blade that fits inside the handle. Blades are typically no larger than 3 to 5 in. (8 to 13 cm) in length, and are small enough that they may be carried in a
pocket, hence the name. Pocket knives are very versatile
tools, and may be used for anything from opening an
envelope, to cutting
twine, to slicing an
apple.
Pocket knives can cost anywhere from $1 (US) from
gas stations and
thrift stores, to thousands of dollars for custom, hand-crafted pieces. Well-made knives start at around $20.
Slipjoint knives
Image:Swiss_Army_knife.jpg right|thumb|A Swiss Army knife
Early pocket knives were usually slipjoints. This means that the blade does not lock, but, once opened, is held in place by a
spring (device) spring device that allows the blade to fold if a certain amount of pressure is applied.
These knives often have more than one blade, including an assortment of knife blade types (serrated, plain edged,
saws) as well as a myriad of other tools such as
bottle openers,
corkscrews, and
scissors. A large tool selection is the signature of the
Swiss Army Swiss Army Knife knife. These knives are produced by
Victorinox and
Wenger and issued to the army and sold to the public.
The
German Army knife is large but light, with two blades opening from each side. The
United States Army knife, made by the
Camillus Cutlery Company, used to have
rustable blades and
brass liners but is now all
stainless steel and therefore very heavy and rugged. It has four blades opening from the same side. The handle, as manufactured, has rough edges, but these can be rounded, yielding an excellent and versatile knife.
Image:German army knife.jpg right|thumb|A German army knife
Image:US army knife, smoothed.jpg right|thumb|A U.S. Army knife with smoothed handle
There are many traditional types of folding knives, and of course, endless less common styles.
A
pen knife is a small, and often thin knife with one or two pen blades (similar to small spear blades) that do not interfere with the appearance of dress clothes, when carried in a pocket. They were originally intended for making and sharpening
quill pens but are versatile and have remained fairly common. Knives with three or four knife blades are also common.
The
Leathermans and similar combination tools now compete with multi-bladed knives, but most of these are rather large for carrying in a pocket. The "main blade" is typically a pair of
pliers and there is typically one non-locking knife blade.
Locking knives
The
1900s brought a new system to the knife world with the popularization of locking pocket knives. Companies such as
buck knife Buck,
Benchmade,
Spyderco,
Gerber,
Camillus, and
Kershaw, to name a few, have created a wide range of products with locks of all types. The lockback knife (the most popular form) is similar to a slipjoint, except that instead of the hammer releasing the blade with pressure, the user has to press on a
lever located on the back of the knife handle to release the blade, adding a level of safety. There are other types of locks; some of the more popular ones are the liner lock, the frame lock, and the Axis lock (a Benchmade patent). Even the Swiss Army knife product range has adopted the locks on some of their knives.
Most locking knives have only one blade, as large as can be fit in the handle. An
electrician's knife typically has a locking
screwdriver blade but a non-locking knife blade.
Other features
Traditional knives were opened using nail-nicks, or slots where the user's
fingernail would enter to pull the blade out of the handle. This became somewhat cumbersome and required use of two hands, so there were innovations to remedy that. The thumbstud, a small stud on the blade that allows for one-handed opening, led the way for yet more innovations, such as the opening hole (a Spyderco patent where the user presses the pad of his
thumb against a hole and opens the blade by rotating his thumb similarly to using the thumbstud), “assisted opening� systems pioneered by
Ken Onion and his “Speed-Safe� mechanism, as well as the Emerson Wave system, where a
hook catches the user's pocket upon removal and the blade is opened during a draw. One of the first one handed devices was the automatic spring release, also known as a
switchblade.
Another innovation of
Sal Glesser, Spyderco founder, was the clip system, which he named a "Clip-it". Clips are usually
metal or
plastic and similar to the clips found on pens except thicker. Clips allow the knife to be easy to accessible, while keeping it
lint-free and unscathed by pocket items such as
coins.
Legal issues
Nearly all pocket knives are
legal to own, but they increasingly face legal restrictions on their use. While pocket knives are almost always used as tools, they do have the potential to become
weapons. In many places it is illegal to conceal knives larger than a certain size, or with certain locking or opening mechanisms. They are often banned or heavily restricted in secure areas, such as
schools and
airports. Switchblades and other "auto-openers" are banned from interstate shipment by the U.S. Government and prohibited entirely in many places, including 37 US states. Nevertheless, they retain a significant following, associated especially with the outdoors and those who enjoy
camping,
hunting,
fishing, and so on. The
Scouting Boy Scouts offer
Merit badge (Boy Scouts of America) merit badges that involve knife work, such as
wood carving Wood Carving.
Category:Knives
Category:Backpacking
de:Taschenmesser
fr:Notaire
nl:Zakmes
pt:Canivete
*** Shopping-Tip: Pocket knife
