What Is A Knife?
How to Knife, Part 1
While there is no standard or universal definition, as a general rule, a knife is a hard, flat, sharp object, less than 18" long, made with the intended purpose of cutting, slicing, chopping, or stabbing some material, object, animal, or person. The 18" limit is not a necessarily important for the purposes of applying this information, but comes about more out of historical distinctions, legal issues, and a radical difference in priority of attributes.
Knives were one of the earliest tools, and as a result, constitute a varied and meticulous subject. The intended use is the first consideration, which informs size, shape, and materials, all of which are related to the quality of the item.
This work is about purchasing and preparing knives for general use, not forging your own, repairing or reconditioning old knives, or other knife-related topics.;
Parts of a Knife
Blade - Technically speaking, the only required part; a sharpened bar of metal, with no other work or adornment, is certainly a knife.
Edge - The sharpened part of the blade.
Point/Tip - The end of the blade.
Spine - The thickest part of the blade, either opposite the edge, or in the middle in double-edged blades.
Handle - The part of the knife intended to be held in the hand, and/or the additional pieces of material attached to the blade for the same purpose.
Tang - The part of the blade hidden or contained within the handle.
Guard/Bolster - The junction of the handle and the exposed part of the blade, usually enlargened to prevent the hand from slipping onto the blade.
Butt/Pommel - The bottom of the handle, often with an adornment such as a spike or ball.
Types of Knives
Note that there are few hard and fast rules; most any knife can be used to cut a steak or open a letter, design and intent are the general distinctions, so these are general terms more than hard labels to stick on objects.
-Fixed/folding blade: Some blades are single, solid pieces of metal with a handle, others fold into the handle in some way for convenience. Fixed blades are, naturally, stronger, but there can be legal or other concerns, and folding knives are usually more convenient.
-Single/double edge: In general, this work will focus on single-edged knives, but there are certainly double-edged, and single-edge blades with half- or false-sharpened spines. There is even a triple-edged blade which will be making an appearance in a later article!
-Straight edge/serrated: Serrations are saw-teeth on the edge of some blades making them better for cutting through rough or slick materials, where smooth edges will tend to slide off instead of cutting straight. They tend to stay sharp longer, but are more time-consuming to sharpen.
-Point: With variations, roughly the point can be more towards the edge, more towards the spine, or in the middle, suited for different tasks.
"So, what knife(s) should I buy?"
In a rush, are we? You don't want to know the details, you just need a knife? No problem, but you still need to decide what kind of knife:
Kitchen Knives
If you just need a single, general purpose kitchen knife:
$ Henckels Solution 6" Utility Knife: https://amzn.to/3SBqDgv
$$ Henckels Classic 6" Utility Knife: https://amzn.to/3QxwZen
$$$ Zwilling Henckels 6" Utility Knife: https://amzn.to/46bvgkT
If you need a set of kitchen knives:
$ Henckels Premium: https://amzn.to/3sqsWIP
$$ Henckels Classic: https://amzn.to/47oFkYr
$$$ Zwilling Henckels: https://amzn.to/3FOnmD2
Pocket Knives
Classic:
$ Old Timer 1940T: https://amzn.to/4658vPx
$$ Buck 385 Toothpick: https://amzn.to/471BuF8
$$$ Case XX Hunter: https://amzn.to/3Swak4L
Modern:
$ Buck 284 Bantam: https://amzn.to/3sdj992
$$ Civivi Cogent: https://amzn.to/40oWFOV
$$$ Spyderco Para Military 2: https://amzn.to/40woWD5
Fixed Blade Camping/Hunting/Survival (check your local laws!):
$ Camillus MASK: https://amzn.to/3Qrcy2z
$$ Ruike F815 Hornet: https://amzn.to/49t7Nyb
$$$ Buck 102 Woodsman S35VN: https://amzn.to/46j1sTv
"But Meta Modern Man, I heard that XYZ brand/steel/voodoo was better, why didn't you recommend that?"
There may be many reasons, but the suggestions above are specifically for people who just want a good knife for a given purpose, and don't want to dive too deep into the subject; not too expensive or hard, easy to sharpen, stainless, etc.
"Better," for one person might not be better for another, and a lot of it has to do with how much time you want to spend learning about the subject.
"But Meta Modern Man, you didn't list the kind of knife I want!"
Too bad! :)
A comprehensive guide would be (and in fact, is) enough to fill several books, much less a single website, and so the focus is on the more commonly used items.
If you want to dive deeper, or get recommendations for knives for more experienced users, continue on to Part 2: What Are You Doing With That Knife?
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.