How to Choose the Right Knife to Fit Your Needs?

Since the dawn of mankind, knives have been used as both tools and weapons. In fact, it’s one of the earliest tools mastered by our species, and its usage has endured to this very day.

Knives are used for a wide variety of purposes, which is why every household needs to own at least several of them.

Still, while making a checklist, you need to know their properties and exactly what you’re looking for. So, here’s a brief guide on how to choose the right knife to fit your needs.

1. Chef’s knife

When speaking about knives, the first thing that crosses most people’s minds is the chef’s knife. Its cutting properties are what sets it apart from other knives, especially when compared to different textures.

Generally speaking, you need a knife that can dice an onion, mince parsley, slice winter squash, cut carrots into thin strips, and carve a melon.

Trying all of this out is the simplest and safest way to ensure that you have the right knife for the task.

Other than its cutting properties, you also need to look at some physical traits of this tool. You need a knife that is of the right weight.

Alas, knives differ in size and their wielders differ in wrist strength, which is why you need to try it out. Other than its weight, you also need to try and assess its balance.

If the weight seems unevenly distributed towards the back of the handle, you might want to pick a different knife.

Speaking of the size of the knife, going for an 8-inch chef’s knife seems to be the most common choice. Still, a 10-inch or a 6-inch is just as acceptable.

2. The bread knife

Another type of knife that you might want to consider is the bread knife. Sure, bread is not a particularly dense or tough material, which means that, in theory, any type of knife will cut through it.

However, the shape of the slice and the durability of the tool increases when picking a specialized knife. Generally speaking, there are two types of bread knives – serrated and straight.

Serrated knives are made specifically for bread, while traditional straight knives may find a different use. An average length for a bread knife is around 9 inches, even though anything longer than 7 will do.

3. Cleaver knife

One more tool that is a definite must-have in any kitchen is a cleaver knife. Sure, not everyone expects to do much bone-chopping – however, this is not its only purpose. With it, you are also expected to cut some of the hard-to-squash vegetables like rutabagas.

Although they may look quite crude, if the steel is quality enough, it can be sharpened and used like any other chef knife. If, on the other hand, you really need a bone-splitting cleaver, you might want to look for something a tad heavier.

4. Pocket knife

Another tool that you need is a pocket knife. There are so many benefits of a pocket knife, from being able to make an on-spot repair all the way to self-defense.

Other than this, pocket knives are safe, durable, and sharp, seeing as how their edge is not dulled in transportation (since it is protected when not used). A quality switch blade knife can last for generations, which makes it a smart investment.

Also, seeing as how it seldom exceeds the size and weight of a keychain, it’s easy to carry around.

In order to pick the right pocket knife, you need to set several parameters, and several ground rules, straight. First, you need to consider what you will be cutting.

A knife that you’re carrying around for self-defense is not the same thing as a knife that you’re expecting to chop wood with.

Also, do you want a fixed knife (with a holster) or a folding knife? One of the most crucial questions to ask is – what kind of steel do I want? With all these questions answered, you will have a substantially easier job of making the right choice.

5. Military knife

For those who are passionate outdoorsmen, a pocket knife may not be enough. For them, an ideal solution is the right military knife. These heavy-duty knives are made out of stainless steel and can be used as hunting knives for hunting, camping knives for chopping wood, and much, much more.

For maximum functionality, you want a knife with a rubberized handle, which will provide you with a more secure grip.

The overall length goes anywhere from 10.5 inches to 12 inches. Here, the blade length alone can exceed 7 inches. For maximum satisfaction, you should also look for a molded sheet.

Conclusion

In the end, you need to understand that choosing the right knife may be a lot simpler than you initially anticipated, as long as you know exactly what you’re looking for.

Doing simple research on each of the knife types that you need is probably the best way to ensure that this is a decision that you will never come to regret.