1

Knife Buying Guide

Rule #1 of buying knives: If it seems too cheap, it probably is.
Rule #2 of buying knives: If it says tactical, its not.
Recommen!e! bran!s are "in no particular or!er# $py!erco, %enchma!e, &$&&, 'ersha(,
)ntario, $)*, %uck, +ase, 'a,%ar, -ictorino., /eatherman, &merson, +ol! $teel, 01llkniven,
an! %oker.
Why should I own/carry a knife?
2tility. If you open letters, bo.es or cut rope, you (ill nee! a knife on han!. 3ou !ont kno(
(hen a knife (ill be useful, even in an urban environment, an! its better to have a knife
an! not nee! it than nee!ing a knife an! not having one.
045s
Should I get a folding or a fixed knife?
Intensity of usage an! si6e are the biggest factors here. 7he (ay a fol!er (orks is that the
bla!e rotates on a pivot (hich is 189 to 182 an inch at best, so fol!ers are not meant for
heavy !uty (ork such as bush,(ork or fighting. :o(ever fol!er knives save space an! can
be carrie! in pockets; they also attract less attention (hen pulle! out an! !o not re<uire a
sheath.
0i.e! bla!e knives are a piece of metal (ith a sharp e!ge an! a han!le. 7here are no
moving parts so theres less chance of the knife breaking or failure !uring usage.
7ang is the piece of metal that is insi!e the han!le. 7here are t(o types, full an! partial.
=artial tangs are often calle!: stick, hi!!en, push, mortise, an! a fe( others. 0ull tangs can
be skeletoni6e! an!8or e.ten!e!. 0ull tangs are best for knives (hen the user (ants to use
a lot of force. =artial tangs are (ell suite! for light(eight knives an! can have a!!e!
strength (hen rivete! to the han!le or (hen they go through the entire han!le "kno(n as a
through tang#. 'nives rarely fail along the tang. 2sually if a knife breaks it (ill occur on the
e.pose! bla!e. 0ull tangs are stronger than partial tangs, but as long as its from a
reputable knife maker an! use! appropriately, the chance of a partial tang knife failing is
very small. %uy base! on your nee!s, personal preference, an! <uality construction "the
price of a knife is not necessarily a goo! in!icator of this#.
Is stainless steel or carbon steel better?
It !epen!s on usage. 4ll knives have some carbon in them. 7he a!vantages of high carbon
steel is that it is har!, can be ma!e sharper an! keeps an e!ge longer, best suite! for heavy
!uty (ork, the !o(nsi!e is that carbon bla!es rust if they are neglecte!.
7he a!vantages of high chromium steel is that it survives the elements better by staining
less, it is also easier to sharpen, ho(ever it nee!s to be sharpene! more fre<uently an! is
not suite! for heavy (ork.
0or utility or pocket knives, a high chromium bla!e is better because it can tolerate
negligence an! is use! lightly or infre<uently. 0or camping an! heavy (ork, a carbon steel
2
bla!e is a better choice. 4ny kin! of foo! preparation like butchery is going to favor
stainless steel !ue to the aci!ity an! other elements foun! in foo!. >et activities like
boating, !iving, an! rafting are going to favor stainless or even titanium.
0inally, steel composition is not a combination of 2 e.tremes, you can have steel mi.es
across the spectrum an! get something in bet(een. >ith this, there are literally thousan!s
of steels. 7his is a small sample of common steels from $py!erco.
Should I get a serrated knife or a non-serrated knife?
$errations are goo! for sa(ing things (hen you !ont nee! the en! result to be clean.
7heyre also goo! for cutting things (ith strong outer shells an! softer inners, like a
tomatoes an! fruits.
$errations for knives are generally not recommen!e!. )n cheaper knives the serrations are
usually ba!, the serrations are har!er to sharpen, an! your knife is probably ? to 9 inches
long. If you are going camping an! kno( you nee! to sa( something, get a small8me!ium
straight e!ge! fi.e! bla!e an! a small sa(. $errations also "allege!ly# look more aggressive
to some police, so if you get stoppe! an! carry a serrate! &@+, it may look (orse than a
straight e!ge.
4s for partially serrate!, you cant sa( much (ith 2 inches of serrations, or cut (ith the
other half, so instea! of getting best of both (orl!s you get nothing.
$errations !o usually hol! an e!ge longer than straight e!ge though, an! still cut (ell even
(hen !ull.
What about coated or painted knies! do they rust-proof the blade?
If its metal it will rust. >ith goo! care you can prevent or remove rust, but theres nothing
that (ill rust proof metal. &ven stainless steel (ill rust. It stains less, but its not rust proof.
It all !epen!s on the <uality of the knife you buy. Aost higher en! knives (ith a carbon
steel bla!e (ill rust (here bare metal is e.pose!, but they almost al(ays feature a tough
coating that stops rust from forming on a maBority of the bla!e. 'eeping the bla!e clean,
!ry, an! using mineral oil or a pro!uct such as the 720,+/)7: after using the knife (ill go a
long (ay in keeping the carbon steel in pristine con!ition. 7hese types of coatings are not
permanent an! (ill eventually (ear off (ith heavy use.
If your bla!e is stainless steel, you !ont nee! it coate! or painte!. +oating a stainless steel
is sometimes !one by manufacturers to hi!e faults or cracks in the bla!e. 4lso, if (ater or
anything aci!ic gets un!er the paint, the bla!e can rust on the insi!e (hile looking goo! on
the outsi!e.
?
'nife 7erminology
"ocking #olders$ 3our stan!ar! &@+ knives. )nce open, the bla!e locks into place to
ensure it is not likely to close on your han!.
%on-"ocking #olders$ 4lthough they are consi!ere! inferior to locking fol!ers !ue to the
lack of security of the bla!e, non,locking fol!ers are often chosen over locking fol!ers for
&@+ !ue to state carry la(s.
#ixed$ 2sually a single piece of metal. :aving no moving parts sacrifices ease of carry for
more !urability an! strength.
&ultitools$ 7he go,to for people looking for the most use out of their &@+, multitools pack
!o6ens of tools into a small "although usually heavier than a stan!ar! knife# package.
Blade types
7hese are the 9 most common bla!e types, there are several more to choose from.

Cormal bla!e
Cormal bla!es are the most common type
of knife. 7his type makes cutting easier
since the curve focuses force on a small
area. It is also the best single bla!e e!ge
for thrusts since the bla!e cuts a path the
entire knife can follo( (ithout the spine
having to push anything asi!e.

+lip point bla!e
+lip point bla!es are another very
common type of knife. 7he clip on most
clip points starts at one thir! to one fourth
the length of the bla!e from the hilt. +lip
points are faster than most other knives
(hen stabbing, both !uring insertion an!
(ith!ra(l. 7he point can also be use! to
pry open bo.es8crates, inspect soft groun!
for mines, an! inspect (iring an! small
obBects. 7he maBor !isa!vantage of the
clip point is the tip can be prone to
breakage, especially on lo(er <uality
knives.

@rop point bla!e
@rop point bla!es share many of the same
a!vantages of the clip point bla!e but
tra!e piercing ability for a stronger tip.
7hese are very common for hunting knives
an! are a goo! all,aroun! bla!e.

$pear point bla!e
$pear point bla!es have a symmetrically
shape! bla!e (ith the tip on the centerline
of the long a.is. $pear points can be
single or !ouble e!ge!. $pear points are
generally strong in penetration tests so
they are common shapes for thrusting
knives like !aggers.
'lloy 'dditions
7he properties of steel can be altere! by the a!!ition of certain elements to the steel !uring
the melting process. 7he alloying elements that are important to knife,making are liste!
(ith a brief !escription of ho( they affect the steelDs properties.
(arbon , is not an alloying element since it is present in plain carbon steels. Conetheless,
increasing carbon increases har!ness.
(hro)iu) , improves har!enability, (ear resistance, an! corrosion resistance. It is a
maBor element in martensitic stainless steels.
&olybdenu) , improves har!enability, tensile strength, an! corrosion resistance,
particularly pitting.
%ickel , improves toughness, har!enability an! corrosion resistance. Cickel is a maBor
element in 4ustenitic stainless steel.
*anadiu) , improves har!enability an! helps increase fine grains. *rain structure in steels
is another important factor in (ear resistance an! strength. 0iner grain structures are
typically better.
+ypes of Steels
%on-stainless Steels
', +ool Steel is a high carbon steel that is very tough an! abrasion resistant. It respon!s
very (ell to cryogenic treatment for ma.imum e!ge retention.
-.-series , 1EFG "an! 1EH9, 1EIE, 1EJE, etc.# Aany of the 1E,series steels for cutlery,
though 1EFG is the most popular for knives. *oing in or!er from 1EFG,1EGE, generally goes
from more carbon to less, from more (ear resistance to less (ear resistance, an! tough to
tougher to toughest. 4s such, 1EJE an! 1EGE are often use! often for s(or!s. 0or knives,
1EFG is usually the Kstan!ar!K carbon steel. It is a simple steel, an! contains only t(o
alloying elements, .FGL carbon an! .9L manganese. 1EFG :igh +arbon 7ool $teel, is also
kno(n as +utlery $pring $teel. 7his steel is (ell kno(n for its use in manufacturing
commercial sa( bla!es an! recogni6e! for its cutting an! e!ge hol!ing ability. It hones to
an unbelievable e!ge "better than any stainless steel#, retains its e!ge "better than most
stainless steels#, an! easier to sharpen, "compare! to stainless steel#. 7his steel (ill !iscolor
over time an! is susceptible to rust. 'eeping the bla!e oile! (ill minimi6e the risk, but
!iscoloration an!8or rust (ill not affect bla!e performance.
/-, is sometimes calle! a Ksemi,stainlessK. It has high chrome content "12L#, but not high
enough to classify it as stainless. It is more stain resistant than the carbon steels mentione!
above, an! has e.cellent (ear resistance. @,2 is much tougher than the premium stainless
steels like 47$,?9, but not as tough as many of the other non,stainless steels. 7he
combination of great (ear resistance, almost,stainlessness, an! goo! toughness make it a
e.cellent choice for most knife uses.
0-1. is popular (ith forgers. It is usually use! in bigger bla!es that nee! more toughness.
It is essentially a simple spring steel (ith chromium a!!e! for har!enability. It has goo!
(ear resistance, but is kno(n especially for its outstan!ing toughness. 7his steel performs
(ell over a (i!e range of har!nesses.
Stainless Steels
2,. has a lo( carbon content (hich makes this steel e.tremely soft, an! it !oesnDt hol! an
e!ge (ell. It is use! e.tensively in !iving knives !ue to its e.treme stain resistantance. It is
also use! <uite often for very cheap knives.
2,.3( is a stainless steel that provi!es e.cellent rust resistance, is easy to resharpen an!
has goo! e!ge retention. It is a higher carbon version of stan!ar! 92E stainless steel. 7he
carbon content high chromium content provi!e goo! abrasion resistance an! e!ge,hol!ing.
7his steel shoul! not be confuse! (ith stan!ar! 92E stainless steel. 92E:+ is an e.cellent
general purpose knife steel an! is more comparable to 99E4.
22.'! 22.B and 22.( steels are some of the most popular stainless steels use! to!ay.
7he carbon content an! har!enability of this steel goes up from 4 ".IGL# to % ".FL# to +
"1.2L#. 99E+ is an e.cellent, high,en! stainless steel. It is very tough an! (ith goo! e!ge,
hol!ing. 4ll three resist rust (ell, (ith 99E4 being the most rust resistant, an! 99E+ the
least. 99E+ is fairly ubi<uitous, an! is generally consi!ere! a very goo! general,use
stainless, tougher an! more stain resistant than 47$,?9 but (ith less e!ge,hol!ing an!
(eaker. 99E4 is goo! enough for every!ay use, especially (ith a goo! heat treat. 99E% is a
very soli! performer an! 99E+ is e.cellent.
2,0& and -,(,4 are very similar to 99E4. 92GA has .GL carbon. 12+2I has .JL carbon
an! is a $can!anavian steel that is use! often in 0inish an! Cor(egian knives. 12+2I is sai!
to perform very (ell (hen carefully heat treate! !ue to its high purity. >hen !one properly,
it may be a slighter better choice than 99E4 an! similar steels.
'5S-1! '5S-6! '5S--. "aka J4 H4 1E4# are Mapanese stainless steels, roughly
comparable in carbon content to 99E4 "42$,J, .JGL carbon# an! 99E% "42$,H, .IGL
carbon# an! 99E+ "42$,1E, 1.1L carbon#. 42$,J is a competitor to lo(,en! steels like
92EM. H4 is a competitor of mi!!le,tier steels. 42$,1E has roughly the same carbon content
as 99E+ but (ith slightly less chromium, so it may be a bit less rust resistant but a bit
tougher than 99E+. It competes (ith higher,en! steels, like 47$,?9. 4ll ? steels have some
vana!ium a!!e!, (hich (ill improve (ear resistance an! refines the grain for both goo!
toughness an! the ability to sharpen to a very clean e!ge.
'+S-72 and -02-(& stainless steels. 47$,?9 (as a very popular high,en! stainless in the
1FFEs. 1G9,+A is the original 4merican version, but (as not manufacture! to the high
<uality stan!ar!s knifemakers e.pecte!. +=A is again making high,<uality 1G9,+A, an!
some companies seeking to stick (ith 4merican,ma!e pro!ucts are using it. 47$,?9 is a
:itachi pro!uct that is very, very similar to 1G9,+A. 47$,?9 hol!s an e!ge very (ell an! is
tough enough even at that high har!ness. It is not as rust resistant as the 9EE series.
*G--. is another vana!ium,containing high,en! stainless steel. @ue to the vana!ium
content, -*,1E can hol! an incre!ible e!ge, much like other vana!ium steels like %*,92 an!
42$,H. -*,1E is also tougher an! more rust,resistant than 47$,?9, an! ten!s to hol! an
e!ge better.
BG-2, is some(hat similar to 47$,?9, (ith t(o maBor !ifferences: It has t(ice the
manganese content, an! has 1.2L vana!ium, so it shoul! have significantly better e!ge,
hol!ing than 47$,?9.
S7.* is an e.cellent bla!e steel. It is a high vana!ium stainless steel (ith even higher e!ge
retention

"ocking #olders 8.-8,0 8,1-840 841-8-,0 8-,09
4.*. Russell 4cies
4l Aar Aini $&R& 2EEE
%enchma!e GG G?E =ar!ue
*riptilian
HFE 7orrent
IEI $e<uel
F9E )sborne
FGE Rift
G2E =resi!io
GH1 %arrage
%oker 7rance
%ra!ley 4lias 182
%uck -antage $elect %uck 11E Aayo 7C7
+hris Reeve
$eben6a,
2mnum6aan
, Anan!i,
=acific
&merson Aini +5+,I +5+,I
+5+,H
+5+,1G
'ersha( +hill
)so $(eet
$kyline
%lur
/eek
Munkyar!
@og2.2
Rake
Aercat or 'GG'
)ntario 'nives R47,1 2tiliac 2 NA,1
$py!erco
%yr! line ,
various
@elica
&n!ura
@ragonfly
+entofante ?
7enacious
$tretch
Aani. 2
+aly ?
=aramilitary 2
$age 1,?
Cative G
Ailitary
$age 2,9
='al
Oero 7olerance E?GE E2EE, E?EE, E?E1,
EGGE, EGG1
%on-locking
folders
8.-8,0 8,1-840 841-8-,0 8-,09
7ony %ose
+ustom 'nives
*reat &astern
+utlery
$vor! =easant
'nife
%oker %oker =lus
7rance 92
+ase $(ayback
Mack
$o! %uster
Mr.
@ouk,@ouk @ouk,@ouk
0ol!ers
5ueen +utlery $chatt P Aorgan
'nives
Rough Ri!er Rough Ri!er
'nives
$py!erco 2' 0RC /ite 2'=' *,1E
Aichael Aorris
0riction 0ol!ers
Aike 4ls!orf 'nives
#ixed 8.-8,0 8,1-840 841-8-,0 8-,09
%ark River
'nives
*unny
%ravo 1
+ana!ian $pecial
4urora
Corth $tar
*ameskeeper
0o. River
%ecker %',11 %',I
%lin! :orse 7iger 'napp %ush %aby %ushcrafter
>oo!sman =ro
%uck =aklite
$kinner8+aper
11F :oo!lum
+ol! $teel $uper &!ge
Kukri Machete
7railmaster
+on!or %ushcraft
'nives
$apien
&$&& I6ula
I6ula II
&$&& ?
&$&& 9
0allkniven 01
$1
41
'a,%ar 'a,%ar %ecker
Remora
&skabar
Oombie
'illers
Aora +lipper
+ompanion
+lassic
)ntario 'nife Ranger $eries *en II $eries
$(amp Rat 'nife
>orks
Ro!ent >aki
&n6o 7rapper
%a!ger
:elle /applan!
0Belkniv
0i!!leback 0orge Recluse
&ultipurpose 8.-8,0 8,1-840 841-8-,0 8-,09
/eatherman 0reestyle >ave
%last
$keletool
Muice
+harge
Aut
)ntario 'nife +amp 'nife
$)* =o(erlock
=o(erassist
-ictorino. 0armer
$uper87inker
+lassic $@
Revie(s
+utlery/over !oes goo! revie(s on many !ifferent knifes. Cutnfancy also !oes revie(s, but
he has 4spbergers.
$harpening
4voi! these kin!s of han!hel!, preset angle, sharpeners. 7hey are shit an! can ruin the
bla!e e!ge.
0or non,professional home use, the $py!erco $harpmaker is recommen!e!. It has ceramic
an! stone ro!s that are put in preset angles an! all you have to !o is run the knife vertically
!o(n an! it gets the angle right every time. It about QGE, but it can put a perfect e!ge on
almost any bla!e.
http :88 ((( .ama6on .com 8 $py!erco , 7ri , 4ngle , $harpmaker , $harpener ,
2E9 A0 8 !p 8 % EEE 5 F + 9 4&
4lternatively, you can use sharpening stones. $harpening a knife using (hetstones is a
simple process, but it re<uires a lot of time an! practice. 4 fe( e.amples of (hetstones
inclu!e 4rkansas stones, Mapanese (aterstones, an! !iamon! stones.
7he sharper the e!ge, the <uicker it (ill !ull. @ifferent steels can maintain their e!ges
longer "$?E-, -*,1E, etc,most high carbon steels#.
0or a goo! gui!e on free,han! sharpening rea! this
*ui!e for sharpening a conve. e!ge
2seful /inks
May 0isher Ds 045 , he s a custom knife maker (ith a (ealth of information .