How to choose the right knife? Kinds of knives and their features

The knife is one of the first tools of man. It developed from a silicon version to a modern knife made of high-strength steel. The knife is used in the widest range of directions - from cooking to an excellent means of self-defense in skillful hands. When choosing a knife it is important to clearly understand what it is for. We will try to give you recommendations and advice on choosing exactly the knife that you need.

The article contains the following items:

• Types and features of knives
  
• Choosing a kitchen knife
  
• Hunting knives and their features
  
• What should be a folding knife?
  
• Universal tips
  

Types and features of knives

Immediately it is necessary to designate that there are no knives "just like that," for everything. Each species is strictly functional and adapted to achieve certain goals.


Depending on the purpose, you can divide all knives into the following types:

1. Sports knives. Knives of this category include training and throwing varieties. As a rule, they do not withstand sharp enough. Such knives can be made of composite materials, plastic, wood and metal. With a great desire, such a knife can be cut, but it will be inefficient and inconvenient for you. Throwing knives do not have hardening. They do not have a handle, because it can be damaged during a throw. The handle can replace the rope, wrapped around the blunt part of the knife. The main characteristics of such knives is their balance and weight. The more the knife is balanced, the more accurately he rushes to the goal. In spetsnaz training, imitations of combat knives are used. They repeat the combat originals in everything, except for the stabbing and cutting parts that can cause injury during training. The cost of such copies is close to the cost of the original.

2. Knives with fixed blade. Such knives differ in the shape and length of the blades, the material of the handle.

• The shape of the knife affects the comfort of handling it and the ability to manipulate it with it.


• The depth of the cut and the cutting properties of the blade( together with the weight of the blade) depend on the length of the blade. Short blades are suitable for more precise knife operations. And the long ones allow you to cut well the voluminous and soft foods - bread, cheese, watermelon, melon and others.


• Also important for the depth and length of the cut and the length of the cutting edge. It depends on the shape of the blade.


• The width of the blade allows you to adjust the slice control. A wide blade perfectly cuts off product fragments along an even line. Narrow - on the contrary, allows you to maneuver perfectly during the cutting process, easily changing the direction of motion. Such a blade will come in handy if necessary to cut out a piece of the product beautifully.


• The thickness of the blade provides the degree of its rigidity and strength. The thicker the blade, the knife is stronger and less likely that it will buckle or break. However, a knife with a thick blade hardly passes through the product, meeting considerable resistance. A thin blade easily slides into the thickness of the product, but less durable and can flex. Much means the angle at which the edges converge to the cutting edge.

3. Tourist knives. This type of knife includes all knives used in field conditions: for food, firewood, shelter from weather, etc. They can range from relatively universal, to strictly specialized( for example - machete).These include hunting and fishing knives. They are distinguished by the strength and quality of hardening, providing them with a sufficient degree of reliability in the period of operation.

4. Hunting knives. Such knives are widely used on hunting for finishing game, its freshness, carcass cutting. Also, these knives can be used for organizing an overnight stay - to scrape out tent pegs, posts for a pot, cut off branches for a fire and flooring in a tent. Such knives have increased strength as a result of excellent hardening of steel, they are weakly susceptible to blunting and breakage. For the freshness use special knives - skins with a short blade. They require a minimum of care and are as practical as possible.


5. Fishing knives. Such knives are used for dressing fishing tackle, dressing sinkers, cutting out of the mouth of fish, deeply swallowed hook.

6. Folding knives. These knives are convenient in that they do not require a special carrying case. It is enough to lay down the blade, and it becomes no more dangerous than a pen.

7. Kitchen knives. Have a rich assortment for cutting a wide variety of products.

Choosing a kitchen knife

In principle, you need only three knives for a comfortable kitchen management: small( 25-30 cm), medium( 30-35 cm), large( 35-40 cm).

If you are not comfortable, you can add to the farm:

• knife for cutting vegetables( serritorny)( has small denticles that facilitate cutting);


• fresh bread( the same form as for vegetables);


• cheese knife( has a wavy cutting edge and Teflon coating, protecting from sticking cheese to the blade);


• loin knife( thanks to the sharpness and special grooves on the blade, it is easy to cut the fish, cutting it into tiny slices).


• knife for pizza( with teeth and in the form of a handle with sharp sharpened rotating disc).

You should pay attention to such parameters as:

• Material. The kitchen knife should be made of high-quality hardened steel, resistant to blunting. For this purpose, the knives can be covered with a layer of molybdenum, vanadium, and titanium. The most expensive, but also the best quality - knives from laminated Damascus steel. Ceramic knives are equally good. Their blades retain excellent sharpness for a long time. However, the minus of such knives is their fragility upon impact. If you drop it on the floor or unsuccessfully put it, the blade can easily break or shatter into pieces.


• Method of sharpening. The most optimal knives with laser sharpening. Such knives are sharpened as a result of active exploitation. The more you cut, the sharper the knife becomes. The disadvantage of a knife with a laser sharpening is its high cost.


• Width blade blade. The wide blade is suitable for cutting meat. Knives of medium size knives are universal. The narrower blades are excellent at fine work and slicing vegetables and fruits.


• Handle. It can be made of various materials - metal, plastic, wood. The metal handle is strong and comfortable, but it greatly increases the weight of the knife. The tree is exposed to moisture and temperature changes, which comparatively quickly leads to its uselessness. The optimal option for weight and strength are plastic handles. They are not afraid of dampness and have low weight.

Hunting knives and their features

The knife is an essential element of the hunter's equipment. They are for finishing off game, skinny skinner, camp knife and others.

The knife must be universal and not heavy. The optimal length of the blade should not be more than 20 cm, the width should be about 3.5 cm, the thickness - no more than 3-4 mm. The blade should have both firmness and elasticity at the same time, in order to avoid its breakage in extreme situations. The steel of the knife should not need frequent sharpening. Normal weight for a hunting knife is not more than 250 gr. However, if you are comfortable with a heavier knife, you can neglect this rule.

It is also necessary to pay attention to the handle of the hunting knife. It is desirable that it be made of materials of a natural nature - wood or birch bark. However, such material is not too durable, so you can stay on the options - rubber or bone handle. The knife must rest confidently and firmly in your hand and not slip.

Also pay attention to the scabbard. They should be comfortable, light and functional. Think about the most comfortable and safe way to attach the scabbards. Most often they are made of leather.

After using for hunting, wash and dry the blade of the knife, lubricate it with engine oil if you do not plan to use it in the near future. A wooden handle can be processed with linseed oil.

What should be a folding knife?

Folding knives are comfortable when worn and used. However, the presence of numerous small and moving parts makes them less reliable than other knife designs.


When buying a folding knife, pay attention to the following:

1. The mechanism of fixing the blade of the knife.

• Liner lock. With such a system, there is a notch in the carrier plate of the knife handle and its part is bent inward. In the position of an open blade, it supports the blade shank. To close, you need to move the plate outward, allowing the blade to free.


• Lock-back. With this mechanism, the blade has a hook that clings to the lever provided with a spring. When you open this lever clings the blade and keeps it open. If you press the lever, the blade can be folded unhindered.


• Slip-joint. In this model, there is no rigid fixation of the blade. From the spontaneous closing it protects the spring. To close the blade, only a small effort is required on the shoe.

Determine which of the mechanisms for you is more comfortable and preferable, and only after that buy a knife.

2. Easy opening of the blade. Everyone remembers the Soviet folding knives, which had to be opened with anything, but not with your fingers. So the normal folding knife should open with a slight wave of fingers. At the same time, the blade should not dangle or move along the lateral plane.

3. Multifunctionality. Modern folding knives, in particular the Swiss military, have in the set, in addition to the knife, a lot of other devices: screwdriver, scissors, "opener", hexagon and much more. When buying, pay attention to the fact that the proposed set of tools you need, because they are very expensive knives.

Universal tips

• When buying knives do not succumb to the calls of sellers and do not buy knife sets. Moreover, if these knives are sold to you at a decent price. You will quickly realize that for everyday use you need one or two knives. The rest will be an unnecessary burden. It is better to buy knives that you really need and do not waste money.


• Do not buy knives from "wandering" merchants, on the streets, markets and fairs. Most likely, you will slip there low-quality goods, which is a penny, but you will be sold at a price. It is best to buy knives in branded stores.


• Try to give preference to well-known brands that cost a lot of money. This will serve as a guarantee for the purchase of really high-quality knives, which will serve you more than a dozen years.


• Learn the rules for sharpening knives, because with a wrong or careless sharpening you can ruin a beautiful blade.


• Do not use the knives for extraneous purposes - unscrewing bolts, cutting solid objects that can prune the blade or deform it.

Successful acquisitions!