It's not hard to see why people think knives are menacing and unnecessary. In this modern era, I get packages sent to my doorstep and I use my knife to slice them open with ease. There are a few ways to make a spear with a pocket knife. For years, loose threads drove me crazy. Do it at your own risk. In Nebraska, any pocket knife blades over 3-1/2″ is considered a weapon and thus can not be concealed. If you happen to go into a public restroom and there's no hook or anything to hang your sweatshirt on, you could use your knife to hang it. Be careful not to bend the blade. On some newly tied fishing knots, you need to cut the tag ends. After you've cut the bagel in two with your knife, you can use it to spread cream cheese over the bagel. For those who just need a simple folding pocket knife to cut string, slice some lunchmeat, or maybe clean a trout, the Opinel No. What do you think, Larry David? When you're gardening in the yard, a pocket knife can act as a makeshift pruner. In those cases just reach for your handy pocket knife and work your way around the cap prying up the individual folds until the cap falls away. In a pinch, a sharp pocket knife makes an adequate razor. Here's a video that roughly shows you how to do it. Kershaw 1670nbdam Blur USA Pocket Knife Damascus Blade. A knife is great for removing the venomous parts (such as the fangs of a snake), so no one steps on it later. In most cases, you could simply use your hands, but that usually leads to haphazardly torn bags. It's still fun to pop, but not as protective for packaging things. So you’re going to need a sound way to protect yourself and nothing’s better than your good old pocket knife. (Note that we’re omitting things like performing an emergency surgery since we try to stay grounded in the real world.). If there's a knotted piece of rope you don't want to cut, a knife helps get the rope straight again. Put the pants on a work table, line up a ruler, and cut cleanly across the pants with the knife. 101 Uses for the Pocket Knife 1. You can create some fresh new shorts out of a pair of old pants with a pocket knife. Cutting up the meat into more manageable pieces is important if you're planning on eating the animal. One of the biggest causes of escalator deaths is clothing getting trapped in the machine. Many knives went into my pocket and out of my pocket. A pocket knife makes quick work of these annoying tags. With no nail clippers in sight, some careful (extremely careful!) 12. Opening a bottle – While it’s not on the same level of importance as freeing someone from a burning car wreck there are times when you’ll have a bottle that requires an opener but no bottle opener is available. Any DIYer who’s ever hung a chandelier will attest to the value of the pocket knife. It's not limited to cream cheese either. Tactical folding knives are designed for emergency rescue and tactical field activities such as emplacing trip-wired booby traps. If you're not reusing them, they should be deflated and recycled. When we asked people to share some of the most common uses for pocket knives, opening bags was near the top. Knives make quick work of small dangerous critters like scorpions and centipedes. Pruning helps to shape and improve the health of plants. It works extremely well if you have a blade that gradually becomes thicker. It's tough to get free from and almost always necessitates a knife. To most of us, all knives tend to do exactly the same basic thing, so we buy whatever looks good and lasts, then we move on with our cutting little lives. For some reason, eating sliced fruit is so much more satisfying than taking bites like some savage. The guy in the following video uses a pocket knife to clean a flounder. Some knives have actual corkscrews, which makes things significantly easier, but if your knife doesn't have a dedicated corkscrew, it can still be used to open up a bottle. Prying is usually a big no-no in the knife world because you could do irreparable damage to the blade. Any owner of a pocket knife can recount a time when he or she pulled out a blade in a public area to accomplish some mundane task, like cutting a stray thread or slicing open a package, only to be confronted by a concerned passerby. First, the knife can be used to gut a deer or smaller creature. However, it's possible to slide a knife into a keyring to open it up without any prying, though. In 2004, a rabid mountain lion attacked a group of people. It’s actually one of the best friends you’ll ever have. More often than not, removing a sticker results in some leftover chunks of residue that's nearly impossible to get off by hand. 2 1/2" two tone polish finish CPM S35-VN stainless spear point blade. Cleaning your nails was already listed, but you can also use a knife to cut your nails. Restaurants these days seem to be skimping on toothpicks. Usually, the Heimlich maneuver does the job, but when it doesn't, one of the only things you can do is cut a hole in their neck to blow air into their lungs. Just like splitting wood, this could cause damage to your knife and should really only be done in survival situations when you need shelter. 19. Indicating where to cut – There are times you need to cut something and you’ve lost track of your pencil. Cutting fruit.. We're all familiar with the weathered old man slicing into an apple with his slipjoint knife before... 3. There are many available today and often knife makers will make an altered version to trick up the standard knife blade types. Having a pocket knife to cut the leash quickly can save its life. The big, unwieldy boxes won't fit into the recycling bin unless they're broken down. Speaking of sharp pocket knives, the spine of one knife can actually be used to hone another knife. Don't kill the messenger. Yes, there are fillet knives with flexible blades, but a pocket knife will also work when filleting smaller fish. You may even want to have a knife in each hand just to ramp up the slaughter. A pocket knife is an essential tool in the job. Check out the beginner's guide to whittling at the Art of Manliness for some advice. If you're the handy type, you could quickly remove a nail deeply embedded in your tire with your knife before patching it up. 20. Tourniquets – Mountain rescue teams often find themselves faced with climbers who have fallen long distances and are bleeding from serious wounds. For simplicity sake I’ll discuss the most popular blade types on the market today, and describe some of their best uses. The Ronin 2 is one of Spyderco’s best fixed blade knife designs, made in collaboration with custom knife maker Michael Janich and reminiscent of his Yojimbo folding knife. Some Swiss Army knives have an actual toothpick, but the point of a blade will also do the trick (just be really careful!). Is there anything worse than waking up in your tent with a scorpion? Sometimes deer will also get stuck on barbed wire. A pocket knife can be particularly useful against deep-seeded splinters embedded beneath the surface of the skin. What would we be if we didn’t offer a bonus use for your pocket knife? Just use the blade to open it up enough for you to do the rest. Do you have a special lady in your life (or are you a special lady)? Aron Ralston (the guy from 127 Hours) cut off his arm with a Swiss Army knife. You can also stick it on the top of an empty styrofoam cup. I am no hunter, so please forgive me if I say something amateurish; however, knives are useful in a number of hunting applications. Just shave off the part with the gum and you're home free. As long as you have a pocket knife, you'll be able to trim the tape. Depending on the type of wire you're stripping, you could score the jacket with a knife or peel the edge. Have you ever been to a restaurant for a bagel only to find they use those paltry plastic knives? Those deeply embedded splinters are impossible to get out without the aid of something like a pocket knife. But if you're looking to save a few bucks, you can just get the tape without the additional cutter. That a sub-2 ounce knife can sport a blade this long and capable is impressive, making the No. This is the style of the Kershaw Blur knife, the Benchmade 580 Barrage knife, and also the CRKT Shenanigan knife.Like the straight back knife, a drop point blade is great for slicing and is typically easy to sharpen (as far as the shape influences that). Please drink responsibly. Climbers too know that there’s going to come a time when you’re in a tight spot and your safety line gets tangled. To get a nice fit, you may need to defray the ends and make some aglets (you know that word if you do crossword puzzles). You can spread butter on a roll. One of the uses earlier in the list is making kindling. Have you ever tried to make delicious campfire potatoes but forgot the peeler at home? A razor and a knife are two different things, but it can get the job done if necessary. One is to actually affix a knife to the end of a long stick. A knife makes a fantastic fork when eating on the go. So while a knife can be used as a tool for self-defense, it's probably best to use it as a last resort. 6. Removing splinters – You don’t have to be a carpenter or furniture maker to get splinters. There are plenty of videos of people cutting hair with knives (it's mostly women cutting long hair), if you're curious how it's done. Schrade has a great video on how to make one. You can also Search by type, model, size and country region of manufacture or choose one of our Pocket Knife replacement blades feature picks. The pocket knife can also be used for cutting up pieces of bait into more manageable portions. Pocket knives are tools, not weapons. Every ¼ inch of blade adds ½ inch to the total length of the knife, and there is a significant overall size difference between a knife with a 3-inch blade, for example, and a knife with a … 17. Skinning your catch – If you’re a hunter you know how important it is to cut up your 12 point buck and get it on ice quickly. As the clothing gets sucked into the machinery, you could be choked to death. Just take a magnet and run it toward the tip of the blade. The pocket knife is the perfect tool for removing and disposing of them safely. And while it’s not technically what people mean when they say “cutting bait” you can use your pocket knife for just that; cutting up your bait into manageable sizes. Size – The size of the knife you choose will typically have to do with the knife’s ultimate purpose. Another good thing about this model should be its long curving handle. At a party with no bottle opener? We could go on and on. At the campsite, it’s practical as all get-out while sitting on the front porch slicing an apple and eating it straight off the blade will send your manly cred through the roof in the view of the neighbors. Here's a video to see what I'm talking about. The previous uses have all been physical things the knife can accomplish, but a pocket knife can also teach responsibility to younger people. The talon is easily the most combat-focused blade type available on the mass market. I enlisted the help of our Facebook fans for pocket knife uses. In a similar vein, I also made some drainage holes in a plastic bag to turn it into a makeshift collander for cleaning off grapes. Knives with blades that are shorter than 2.5 inches, like the Kershaw 1600 Chive, are usually legal in these states. Before you can break out the hacksaw though you need to skin your game and that’s where your pocket knife comes in. When you're lost in the wilderness, fire is an essential element. Yes, when you're working on cars or out in the field, gunk gets trapped underneath your nails. I've seen people do it with hefty yet inexpensive knives like the Ontario RAT 1. 26. To survive the zombie apocalypse – According to a number of YouTube channels, the zombie apocalypse is right around the corner which makes the likelihood real-world enough for us. knife wielding will get your nails down to a reasonable length. Just put the bags over the handle and you're good to go. If your Chinese delivery dude is knocking at the door and you're reading Crime and Punishment, stick your knife between the pages and answer the door. Drinking that delicious coconut water is no easy task, unless you have a pocket knife. We shouldn't let a few bad apples who misuse this useful tool ruin it for the rest of us. Also, check with your doctor! Although they use a fixed blade survival knife, a solid pocket knife will also get the job done. You might consider this cheating because you need another item, but you can also use flint or quartz, which is pretty easy to find. With a 2-3/8-Inch curved sheepfoot skinning blade, a 2-1/2-Inch spearpoint blade and a screwdriver tip blade that can lock open, you'll want to be sure to have this with you on the jobsite. There's actually some guy who does artisanal pencil sharpening, so if you become a pencil sharpening expert with the knife, you could start a business. Today there are more variations of the pocket knife than ever before: everything from single folding knives to multi tools with several blades and every kind of attachment from a corkscrew to a mini USB flash drive. A knife will cut a nice hole in the bag that makes resealing a cinch. Just be careful not to mess up the blade. 6 bids. In that case you’ll be glad you have it, and even more glad that you bothered to invest in that self-defense course that taught you the proper way to use it instead of just holding it out and having it slapped from your hand. It wouldn't be so bad if there weren't a dozen of those things deeply embedded in the clothing. 10. Gutting fish – While we’re on the topic of fishermen they’re constantly using their pocket knife to clean their catch. As long as it's for a short amount of time and what you're hanging is extremely light, it should be fine. Sometimes, to get certain types of fish, you have to use chunks of bait. Many states have laws about pocket knife blade types also. (Note that we’re omitting things like performing an emergency surgery since we try to stay grounded in the real world.) If you have a durable pocket knife, splitting firewood is very doable. If your pocket knife has a few added features a corkscrew might well be one of them. We've all been to those restaurants that have such dull steak knives you just want to pick up the chunk of meat and eat it with your hands. Sometimes, the threads would break. You can keep your knife and make a reliable four-pronged spear (fire hardened is even better). You wouldn't want to use your Sebenza or Benchmade, but a knife can pop open a cheap padlock. I've always wondered what other people use. Using a pocket knife to do this in an emergency is not unheard of.