How to Buy a Good Pocketknife or Multitool
With proper training, many Scouts can use a knife — a valuable tool for camping or working on a whittling project. A multitool provides multiple blades and other tools. Examples are saws, drivers and even forks and spoons.
A knife is not a toy. If you’re a Bear, Webelos or Arrow of Light Cub Scout, earn your Whittling Chip. If you’re in Scouts BSA, earn your Totin’ Chip. Then you will know how to safely carry and use one of these tools.
KNIFE BASICS
There are several types of knives.
All-purpose folding pocketknives are common in Scouting. Most come with tools such as a can opener, screwdriver, tweezers and, of course, knife blades — all in one compact package. Though they can be extremely handy, a downside is the knife blade doesn’t lock into place, so it may fold up on your hand while you’re using it.
Lockbacks are simple folding knives with a single blade that can be locked. So you get the benefits of a sturdy fixed blade-style knife but in a convenient pocket-size package that can be folded open with just one hand.
Fixed blades, are no-nonsense knives with a beefy handle and stationary blade. If you need a knife to accomplish the everyday tasks you come across in the outdoors, from whittling on things and cutting materials to spreading peanut butter on your sandwiches, a short, no more than four-inch-long, fixed-blade knife will accomplish all of that. Avoid large sheath knives; they are heavy and awkward to carry.
You’ll also find specialty knives such as river rescue knives with serrated blades for slicing rope, whittling knives designed for carving wood, and multitools, which are compact, handheld tool boxes. Most are built around a pair of folding pliers.
FOLDING OR FIXED KNIFE? KNOW THE POLICY
Knife policies vary among packs, troops, councils and camps when it comes to what blade types and lengths are allowed. Learn your unit’s policy before buying a blade of any kind. When it comes to types of knives, the Guide to Safe Scouting recommends “choosing the right equipment for the job at hand.”
BLADES
Most blades are made from strong and durable stainless steel. Blades are available in straight edge, serrated (jagged like a saw) or both. Bigger is not always better. A small, sharp four-inch-or-smaller blade can cut just as well as bigger knives but is much safer to handle and easier to maneuver in tight spots.
PRICE AND QUALITY
You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a quality tool. Often, an inexpensive knife will do everything you want it to do. As prices go up, you’ll see small improvements in the quality and size of the blade.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Knives and multitools can last your whole life if you care for them. Wipe your pocketknife with a damp cloth to clean it, and add a drop of food-safe oil at pivot points to keep it at its best. Use a sharpener to keep your blade sharp.
“A sharp knife will work for you, while a dull one works against you,” says Kyle Owens of Work Sharp, a company that makes sharpeners.
CARRY IT SAFELY
The smartest, safest place to stash your knife is in an easy-access spot in your backpack. You’re asking for trouble by wearing a fixed-blade knife on your belt. If you fall, the knife could rotate inward and you could land right on the blade.
TREAT YOUR KNIFE WITH RESPECT
Treating pocket knives with respect not only ensures your safety, but also keeps others safe. Here are a few major no-no’s:
- Throwing a knife
- Using a dull or dirty blade
- Handing a knife to someone blade first
- Cutting while others are within your “safety circle” (arm’s length)
- Carving into something that doesn’t belong to you
- Cutting toward your body
Using a knife requires responsibility. Bear Scouts can start carrying a pocketknife after completing the Whittling Chip requirements. Members of Scouts BSA must earn their Totin’ Chip, which also gives them the right to carry and use axes and saws.
I have a benchmade 530 $89 at rei
i like a verity of knives from my benchmade to my cammileus i love them all
swiss army. period.
I agree not only are they usefull they are easy to use. End of story period.
you cant use a swiss army to baton, or skin a deer, how bout break plexi glass! No matter how functional swisses are remember they cannot do everything. If you are headed into the wilderness, ( i dont mean to some public campground!) a heavy duty folder or or fixed blade is the way to go.
agreed. i have a variaty of small knives and multitools and i find that i prefer small multitools with pliers, file, screwdrivers, a knife or two, etc. as opposed to large knives or multitools.
Amen
i prefer Gerber pocket kines because it come with life time warranty and the trust able
Try a Leatherman.They are Great!
totally try a leatherman sidekick
I have a rusty pocet knife and it’s rusty. My dad says it’s to expensive to buy rust remoiver.What should I do. :]
I say that you should ask someone who is willing to remove the rust for free.
Soak it in “Coke” for a few days; rub it down well with a plastic scrubber and then wash it thoroughly in warm soapy water. Dry it off and rub it down with knife oil (only) and wipe it down again. Might not get all of the rust but should remove most of it. May repeat it again for even better results.
apply WD-40 and let it sit for a minute or two. then rub it with a cloth. remove thick rust with WD-40 soaked steel-wool.
Metal Glo also works great. it polishes too!
Try sanding it all off with a normal piece of heavy duty sandpaper. Or, if you have a wire wheel, try that, but be careful!! 🙂
dont use heavy duty, it will scratch the blade very badly. use 240 grit or higher.
Swiss Army knives, buy it for life.
I just got a new SOG Tactical Tomahawk. its pretty darn good.
Check out the buck bravo,buck csar-t,cold steel
I just got a sog autoclip mini(2.68 in blade) very light and comfortable to carry(1.7 oz) it has a coil sprig tensioned pocket clip that works well on any surface thickness. The adjustable thumstud can fit my hand nicely, my only complaint is its so light, i forget it is in my pocket, i have lost a knife because of that, but thats what the pocket clip is for. — nice to carry, easy one hand open, and reasonably priced