One of the most important pieces of outdoor equipment you can ever have is the knife. In fact, most experienced outdoorsmen can tell you at least two should be with you at all times. One of these should be an easy-to-carry and reliable pocketknife, usually serving as backup to your primary knife. With so many pocketknives in the market, including the well-regarded Kershaw Chive, how do you know which one is the best?
Blade Details
When choosing a pocketknife, you have to remember this tool is most likely going to serve as backup to your main knife. Even then, doing everything is not in the design of blades like most Kershaw knives. If you wanted to hack wood with your blade, you should use a big machete, if not an axe, instead.
A good pocketknife has a long enough blade to be effective in many cutting and stabbing tasks, but not so long that it becomes too big for its namesake container. This means that any blade longer than 4 inches might be too long already. A blade length of 2-3 inches should be long enough to do many tasks with your pocketknife, such as whittling wood and opening cardboard crates.
Another characteristic you might want to look at is the blade material. Your blade must be made of rust-resistant materials, like the 420HC stainless steel of a Kershaw Chive. That material allows the blade to retain an edge longer and is easy to sharpen. It is not entirely rustproof, but diligent maintenance can keep away rust easily.
Safety Features And Ease Of Use
Most pocketknives are supposed to be in either a sheath or your pocket. Everything from gravity to casual nudging should not activate the blade. Thus, your knife should have effective locking and safety mechanisms, like the Safety Tip lock and SpeedSafe release system in Kershaw knives.
Pocketknives should also be easy to use. It should require no special training or abilities for people to use it in the tasks it was designed for. If a knife allows for ambidextrous use, this should be a plus, as there is no need for special modifications.
Other Considerations
You should be able to bring pocketknives anywhere, so portability should be one of your top concerns when choosing one. This means picking a knife that is not too heavy but weighty enough to help you with tasks, like many Kershaw knives in this category.
Handle type can also be important in choosing a good knife. The idea is to find a handle that is dependable, providing you a solid grip when you need to use the knife for heavy work. Some people prefer wooden handles for its more traditional knife feel. Still, many say that handles made of rubber give a better grip in wet or damp conditions. Plastic or composite handles are very durable in any weather. Metal handles are strong and solid, like those in many Kershaw knives.
Curtis Dickson is a knife collector who bought the Kershaw Chive to add to a collection of Kershaw knives.
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