by Jason Briggs


Hunting is almost impossible without a knife. Beyond a gun or bow these are a most essential tool for a hunter. Sometime back, it was the fixed blade knives which were widely used for the purpose of hunting. But now, the convenience of having folding hunting knives has made people shift to these knives rather than the fixed blade knives.

Folding hunting knives are of two types i.e. traditional pocket knives and lock back pocket knives. Lock back hunting knives have a blade locking mechanism which helps in avoiding unwanted flip of the blade. Traditional pocket knives are the ones which are very compact and can be carried easily.

Advantages and Disadvantages - The folding hunting knife has an advantage over the fixed blade hunting knife in that it can be folded into its own handle. This adds to the safety of the person carrying it by decreasing the chances of the person getting cuts or wounds due to the knife. Another advantage of folding hunting knife is that since they can be folded, they become compact and can be carried easily. Moreover the chances of damage to the blade are also low.

Another advantage that the folding hunting knives have is the ability to be opened by one hand. This is possible through the thumb studs which allow the user to open the knife with one hand or thumb. Although, these folding knives have many advantages over the fixed blade knives, it has one major disadvantage. Many folding knives lag behind when compared to the strength of the fixed blade knives and hence often cannot be used for skinning large animals.

Multiple Uses - Folding hunting knives are not just intended to be used for hunting. They can be used for many other tasks like cutting ropes, trimming the crops, cutting off the bushy branches while walking through the forest and many other such things. These hunting knives are also used for cutting of the fish line and cleaning the fish.

Multiple Blades - Folding hunting knives are also available with multiple blades, each of which is intended to perform different task. The different blades used in these types of folding knives are clip point, drop point and skinning blades. Clip points have a sharp and well defined point which helps with the insertion. Drop point blades are used to get control or grip while cutting. Skinning blades, as the name indicates are used for skinning the animals.

Folding hunting knives are available in different shapes, sizes and models. When purchasing, one must first think of what exactly will the knife be used for considering most knives are available with different special features designed for specific use. Choosing the one based on the usage would be beneficial.




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