All about Pocket knives

Buying knives? Here's what to look out for.

Are you looking for a good sharp pocket knife, machete or survival knife? Don't know which pocket knife to buy? Read this online tutorial to find your ideal pocket knife!
Visit us now at our Shogun showroom in Purmerend for razor-sharp advice on all types of pocket knives.

The history and development of the pocket knife

The invention of the pocket knife as a weapon and tool has been one of the most important developments in the history of mankind.
The history of the pocket knife is nicely encompassed in the term of world-famous knife makers from Spiderco;

"First we made things sharp, then we made sharp things"

The knife enabled us to make tremendous advances in military, culinary and scientific fields. Moreover, the pocket knife has made a vital contribution to our human evolution.
Our pocket knives are literally replacements for that where animals have claws or teeth. Like animals, we can fold in our claws. Better yet, we can easily tuck them away leaving our hands free! Thank goodness, otherwise we humans would never have been able to give each other a nice massage.

Throughout history, pocket knives have become an important part of our human identity. Many cultures, religions and professions all have their own unique knife types with their own story and history. Therefore, the question; "what is a good pocket knife?" is not only a very personal one, but in some cases a vital one (survivalists beware!).
Let's face it, we at Shogun.co.uk are not only experts on pocket knives but also pretty much all other knife types.

Types of knives

Nowadays, you have many different terms for knives; pocket knife, folding knife, sheath knife, drop knife, butterfly knife, survival knife, scout knife, machete, razor or cutter and so on.

Often the name of a knife already shows what you can use it for, you wouldn't think it's that difficult. Machetes are for cutting, razors for shaving, a pocket knife is easy to keep in your pocket. But that's not all, because every knife has its own special features and peculiarities. To prevent you from drowning in the enormous amount of information available on various forums and wikipedia pages, I would like to help you with the question you want to have answered: Which pocket knife should I actually buy or what is a good pocket knife?

Choosing the right pocket knife
  • What am I going to use the pocket knife for?
  • Which properties are important for this purpose?
  • Which materials should my pocket knife contain?
  • What safety features should the pocket knife have?
Step #1 - Determine what kind of pocket knife you need.

You should ask yourself this question anyway when buying a pocket knife:

"What will I use the pocket knife for?"

Do you need to cut open a lot of boxes at work? Then look for a drawknife or drop knife for this. If you go on holiday to Norway, it is wise to buy a good survival knife. Is your garden starting to become overgrown? Then you will want to buy a good machete to give your garden a nice touch for a change!

Want to defend yourself in a life-threatening situation? Then you're looking for a good combat knife or self-defence knife to do just that! Even emergency workers benefit from carrying a knife called a rescue knife or rescue knife!

Step #2 - What features does my pocket knife need?

You now know what you want to use the pocket knife for. Then you start looking at the quality of the pocket knife you are looking for or what features the pocket knife needs.

"What features are important for this purpose?"

Every knife consists of different parts that all have their own specific names.
In this section, you will find a detailed description of the anatomy of a knife.

Now that you know what kind of pocket knife you need, it is important to ask yourself which properties this pocket knife should all have.

  • The shape of the blade of your pocket knife. Look at our section on blade shapes for more information on this
  • One-handed opening or closing of your pocket knife - necessary when you only have one hand free to open your pocket knife with
  • Extra thick blade - for a heavy-duty pocket knife
  • Light weight - less weight and the pocket knife is easier to carry
  • Gut hook - To immediately disembowel newly caught game, optional to use when you need to quickly cut your seat belt in case of an accident. For more options in using the gut hook with a pocket knife click here
  • Serrated - when you need to cut through wood or bone with your pocket knife
  • Ergonomic design - The pocket knife fits comfortably in the hand

Consider these features when buying a pocket knife, then you'll know you're in the right place.

Step #3 - What materials should my pocket knife contain?

The quality of a pocket knife is mainly determined by the materials used for it. Consider the type of steel, the material of the handle of your pocketknife and the quality of the screws used to hold the pocketknife together.

To determine whether you are going to buy a quality pocket knife, you need to pay attention to at least three things.

  • The steel type and hardness of the blade.
  • Material of the handle.
Pocket knife: steel types

The steel type of the blade of your pocket knife is obviously very important. You would think the harder the better. This is not always the case and often has to do with the way you use the pocket knife.
An important rule is: A pocket knife made of hard steel will become blunt less quickly when used, but is also more difficult to sharpen. A pocketknife made of soft steel will blunt faster with use but is easy to sharpen.
Hard steels can often only be sharpened by machine, so it is important to make a good consideration of the type of steel you want to use when buying a pocketknife.
Are you already familiar with the Sai Mai type of steel? This ancient technique combines hard and soft steels to solve the problem of sharpening.

Pocket knife: Material of the handle

Wood, plastic, rubber or metal? Which material you choose for the handle of your pocket knife is important. Each type of material obviously has its pros and cons.
Below is a small list of the pros and cons of the types of material you can use for the handle of your pocketknife.

Wood

Advantages Disadvantages
  • Aesthetic, looks nice
  • Many variations possible
  • Feels nice as a grip
  • Easily replaceable
  • Not very resistant to water or heat
  • When used intensively, it can wear out quickly
  • Wood can break or split

Metal

Advantages Disadvantages
  • Strong material
  • Often resistant to corrosion
  • Lightweight (aluminium)
  • Feels cold
  • Visible scratches and wear (aluminium)
  • Can be slippery
  • Heavyweight (stainless steel or titanium)
  • Expensive (aluminium, titanium is pricey)

Plastic

Advantages Disadvantages
  • Solid material
  • Cheap
  • Many variations possible
  • Reasonably durable
  • Lightweight
  • Can be slippery
  • Not very heat-resistant

Rubber

Advantages Disadvantages
  • Extremely good grip
  • Lightweight
  • Not very resistant to heat
  • Prone to wear and tear
Step #4 - What safety features should the pocket knife have?

Choosing the right opening and closing mechanism is very important when buying a pocket knife. This is because a sturdy closing mechanism protects your fingers from accidentally slamming your pocket knife shut.

Pocket knife: opening and closing mechanism

Most pocket knives feature a frame-lock or line-lock system as a replacement for the well-known lock-back system. These new locking systems can handle more counter pressure and are therefore less likely to involuntarily snap shut. In addition, you can easily close a frame-lock or line-lock system with one hand.
Want to know more about the different types of locking mechanisms available for pocket knives? Read the extensive section on opening and closing mechanisms here.

Conclusion

If you have followed this step-by-step plan, you can pretty much be sure that buying a new pocket knife no longer needs to be a problem for you.
If you would still like some extra information or advice just come and visit our showroom in Wormerveer.

Machette where to buy?

What is a machete? What does machete mean? How to sharpen a machete? Buy a machete or machete legally online at shogun.co.uk. We have a wide range and knowledge in our shop on machete and machetes from brands such as Cold Steel, Gerber, Buck, United Cutlery, Mtech USA, Walther and many other high quality brands.

What are machetes?

A machete and machete is a cleaver that is mainly used in agriculture or in jungle and forested areas to cut away overgrowth. The machete or machete like the infamous and dreaded Kukri are used not only for cutting wood but also as a combat knife.

What does machete mean?

The word machete is derived from the pseudo-Spanish diminutive of macho or "sledgehammer," or a modification of the word mazo "club". The comparative English term is matchet meaning a broad and heavy knife used as a weapon or in farming.

How do you sharpen a machete?

Compared to a pocket knife, a machete is made of relatively soft steel. This means they are a lot easier to sharpen than an average pocket knife. Unfortunately, this also makes them blunt faster. So why use soft steel? You can easily sharpen your machete with an average whetstone, very handy if you don't have extensive sharpening equipment at your disposal for a while when you are in a remote area. How do you sharpen a machete? With these sharpening stones you will have your machete sharp again in no time!

Types of machetes and machetes

The range of machetes and machetes is huge. At Shogun.com, you can buy a machete easily and quickly. But which machete should you choose? For a general explanation on picking a good knife that suits you, please refer to THIS section.

A machete is generally a practical utensil which can be seen as a tool rather than a weapon. So you may ask yourself; what am I going to use this machete for and what do I need to consider?

Key points:

  • What kind of material am I going to cut away?
  • At what distance is this material away from me?
  • What quality should my machete be?
  • What price am I willing to pay for a good machete?
What kind of material am I going to cut away?

With a machete you can cut away different types of material. Think of reeds, dense bushes, thick branches or stumps, thorn or bramble bushes, lianas, bamboo or tall grass. Each material has its own properties. You can therefore use different machetes for cutting away different materials. A few principles are important here. The thicker the material, the harder the stroke you have to make. Many people think that, for example, wood is best chopped with an axe. This is true only in some cases. Kukri knives are perfect for chopping fist-thick stumps of wood. In addition, a machete is often more versatile than an axe because the blade has a larger surface area and thus reach while chopping. Other issues come into play when cutting reeds. You can imagine that you have to chop away a lot which is labour-intensive. Using a light and long machete again comes in handy here. Are you planning long hikes away from civilisation? For this too, it is best to use a machete that is lightweight, made of strong material and versatile. Note! A machete is under no circumstances a substitute for a good survival knife. Shogun.co.uk also offers a wide range of survival knives for sale.

At what distance is this equipment away from me?

If you use a machete that is too short, it puts your hands and fingers at risk when cutting away thorny bushes, for example. Ideally, you want to use a machete with a long blade or a machete that has a guard for the fingers. You can also opt for a machete with a short blade but an extra-long handle. It is important to bear this in mind when using a machete or machete because a wound or cut in the jungle can quickly become infected. Also, when you need to machete at high altitude, or overhead, for example, it can make sense to take a machete with a longer handle or an extra-long blade.

What quality should my machete be?

Machetes are originally crude utensils that are used intensively. Naturally, you would prefer the cheapest machete of the best quality! Let's list a few points that are important for choosing a good machete.

Steel grade
It is important to choose a suitable steel grade for your machete. The 1055, 1075, 1095, 5160 and spring steel types are generally a good choice because of the length, thin filler and high impact to which machetes are subjected.

Hardness of steel (RC)
The hardness of a machete is an important subject to read up on. In general, the rule is that for knives that are used intensively, it is important that the hardness of the steel is not too high. In our opinion, the ideal hardness for machetes and machete is at an average RC of 50.

Want to know which machete or machete you should buy? Then check out this tutorial for picking the right machete for you now.

Now also check out our wide range of machetes and machete at www.shogun.shop

Machetes and machete knives the sharpest outdoor tools

The machete is a large knife with an average size of 30 to 50 cm. The machete is widely used in the tropics by (local) travellers passing through the jungle. A machete is also used by agricultural workers who need to cut their way through fields. In the Netherlands, we see the use of a machete by, among others, fishermen cutting reeds to get to the waterfront.

The machete is a historical tool that is still in use today. The machete should be strong and solid, cracking a coconut and chopping a thick branch should not be a problem for a good machete. The shape of a machete can vary. This is partly to do with the origin of the species in question. A Kukri is originally a Nepali machete with a strongly curved shape while the Malaysian Parang and the Indonesian Golok have a much straighter blade. Many warriors also used a machete as it was the sharpest tool at their disposal. The machete and machetes are jungle knives par excellence, as they can easily be used to cut around you.

The steel and sharpness of a machete

The steel from which a machete or machete is made can vary. A machete or machete should always be very strong and resistant to heavy chopping. If carbon steel is used, the steel is not rust-resistant. Not all machete knives are delivered razor-sharp. In many cases, this is no problem at all because they are not used to peel an apple but for chopping. But of course, a machete is also easy to sharpen on a Japanese waterstone. Due to the large length of the cutting edge, this does take some time.