As a budget – conscious person who loves EDC culture, camping, and outdoor activities, I’ve been fascinated by all kinds of interesting knives and small tools since I was a kid. Now, I’d like to talk to you about how I categorize the knives and tools I have on hand and my recommended choices for novice players.
I’ve gathered most of the knives I have here. Except for a few that my family members carry or that I store in the RV and BOB backpack, I’ve presented the rest. I’ve simply classified them into four categories: EDC (including folding knives and automatic knives) portable daily – use knives, traditional survival knives, small Scandinavian – style bushcraft (BC) knives, and tactical (for combat and other special purposes) fixed – blade knives.
Products from brands like FK, Cold Steel’s SRK, Ka – Bar’s BK2, BK7, BK9, etc. typically represent traditional survival knives. Most of them have a relatively thick full – tang blade, a drop or clip point, a flat grind with a secondary bevel. These knives are suitable for activities such as hiking, mountaineering, exploration, and other heavy – duty work in the wild for an extended period. They can handle different materials and perform tasks like hammering, smashing, chopping, cutting, and prying. With a relatively large blade angle and a narrow edge, they are sturdy, easy to sharpen, and easy to maintain.
Scandinavian – style BC knives have become popular within the BC community mainly because of their extremely small blade angles and long cutting edges. These features perfectly meet the need for fine – cutting of wood in BC camping. They can excellently cut fire – starting materials like feather sticks and wood shavings. When dealing with meat, they also work more smoothly. However, due to the small blade angle and long cutting edge, the blade is more prone to damage and wear. You need to sharpen and maintain them more timely, and you can consider this process both a hassle and one of the joys.
