5.11 Tactical's XPRT folder includes a glass breaker. Photo: 5.11 Tactical
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6. Easy Opening
There are now essentially three types of folding knife actions: manual, assisted opening, and automatic.
Manual—A manual folding knife is one that requires you to physically open the blade, using a thumb stud, a cut out, or some other system.
Assisted Opening—The first thing you need to know about assisted opening knives is that they are not automatics. They are therefore legal in all 50 states (depending on blade length). In order to engage the blade on an assisted opening knife, you have to start opening that blade; you can't just push a trigger.
Automatic—Switchblades are illegal to own in all 50 states, unless you are military or law enforcement. This law is based on worries about automatic knife-wielding juvenile delinquents from the 1950s, as depicted in movies like "Blackboard Jungle" and "West Side Story." The law is ridiculous; most people who practice with manual folding knives can flip open the blade as quickly as they can push the trigger on an automatic knife. Plus, today's juvenile delinquents use AK-47s, so it seems strange to worry about their access to switchblades.
7. Keeping It Sharp
The most important thing for knife owners to know about sharpening, according to SOG's Cashbaugh, is to keep the knife sharp. "Don't wait until your knife is dull to sharpen it," he says. There is no one preferred way to keep a knife sharp. Some people swear by whet stones, others prefer honing rods, and others use ceramic or carbide sharpening devices and even pocket sharpeners. You can also take your knife to a professional. Whatever you decide to do, the critical concerns when sharpening are not to wear off too much steel from the blade and to keep the angle accurate. "Whatever brand knife you have, contact the company and ask them what the angles are for sharpening it," says Benchmade brand manager Jason Boyd. He also recommends that knife owners run a Sharpie pen over the blade edge before sharpening. "That tells you how much steel you need to take off. Your goal is to roll that steel back over."
8. Price Vs. Quality
Folding knives range in price from $5 to $500. And that $5 knife is functional. So why would anyone pay much more for a quality knife? The premium knife is made of better steel that holds an edge longer; it has better grips and liners, and it offer better design and engineering.
9. Know Your Policy
Some agencies have policies regarding what types of knives their officers can carry. Some don't. Know your agency's official policy regarding knives and find out if there's an unofficial policy. Don't wait until something happens on the street and you use the knife and find yourself jammed up.
10. Practice Saves Lives
If you carry a knife, be ready to use it. That means positioning the knife for easy access for you but not for a perp, and practicing. "If you are carrying a knife, you need to know how to use it," says Gerber’s Raczkowski. "That means being ready to use it with either hand, whether it's the middle of the day or the middle of the night."
For More Information:
5.11 Tactical
BlackHawk
Benchmade Knife Company
Emerson Knives
Gerber
Ka-Bar
SOG Specialty Knives
Spyderco