Selecting a Carry Knife

Selecting a Carry Knife is an important part of carrying a defensive knife. You have to select a knife that fits your needs and you. Not all knives fit everyone, we all have different tastes and different styles. Some prefer straight blades, while others prefer folding knives, some prefer plain edges, while others prefer fully serrated blades. To each their own, but how do you know what type of knife you prefer?

Fixed or Folding

There are two styles of knives, fixed blade and folding blade. A fixed blade knife the handle is fixed to the blade. This makes a longer and stronger knife. A folding blade knife has a folding join between the blade and handle. This makes a more compact knife.

Fixed balde knives are harder to conceal on your persons. A fixed blade knife is generally worn on the belt in a sheath. A folding knife generally clips to your pocket or is carried inside the pocket. Both have distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Plain or Serrated

A plain edged knife has no serrations, it is a smooth blade from tip to base. A serrated blade knife has serrations, or cuts and jags in the blade. There are also knives that combine the two, half plain, half serrated. These knives are typically considered a multi purpose knife. A plain blade is good for cutting and slicing. A serrated blade is for cutting tough materials and ripping through them.

Your Choice

Selecting the right knife for you is your choice. This is a personal choice. I can not tell you the best knife for yourself, you must find a knife that you like the feel of and try it out. Trying a knife is hard to do. When I try out a new knife I like to do a few specific things.

When selecting a carry knife I like to see how it carries. Put it where I intend to carry it, pull it out and open it up. Make sure I am comfortable to do so. I like to open the blade, or pull it from its sheath several times to ensure it feels right. I then see how the blade feels, it just has to have a certain feeling, its something I can’t really explain.

What do you carry?

I carry different knives on different occasions. I carry a Smith and Wesson SWAT in my right pocket. It is my do it all knife, it takes on the rough tasks. For my second knife I carry a SOG Flash I in my left pocket. It is my clean knife, I use it for eating and cutting food (restaurant knives are horrid). And on my days off I am getting into the habit of carrying my Case Finn fixed blade hunting style knife on my belt.

What do you carry? How do you select your carry knife? Let us know in the comments below.

Use the box above to sign up to receive notification when we release new content.