The Evolution of Knife

The Evolution of Knife

Knife is a family of sharp tool that incorporates a cutting edge and may or may not include a handle. Knives are the oldest tools in the history of mankind with the first knife made out of stone, during the Stone Age. Dating back to two-and-a-half million years ago, it has been used for different purposes viz. survival, combat, food preparation etc. Since then, the humble knife has grown into an all-encompassing tool, with its ability to be used in multiple tasks. The omnipresent knife, due to its diverse functionality has also marked its presence in every corner of the world. It’s evolution as an inseparable tool has been phenomenal.

Evolution of the Stone Age Blades

The Stone Age knife maintained its domination even during the Bronze Age, due to stones’ comparative hardness over Bronze. However, during the Iron Age, the knife saw a drastic change, with iron replacing the stone around 1300 BC. Comparatively tougher and more durable, the iron blade knives replaced the Stone edged knives completely. The advent of metallurgy during 5 BC - 6 BC has further given the knife a new lease of life. The expertise of steel metallurgy in Medieval Europe enabled the knives to become more sophisticated.

Advent of Metallurgy Changed the Entire Knife Story

Today the knife blades are made of variety of materials, according to its purpose and usage. The carbon steel knives were the first among the various materials, to be used in the manufacturing of blade, after the advent of metallurgy. Although, this kind of blade remained sharp, its susceptibility to rust and stain kept ajar the door for more improvement. Stainless Steel, an alloy of iron and chromium filled in the gap. The resultant knife blades were comparatively more resistant to corrosion and stain. The major drawback however was the sharpness, which was comparatively less than the carbon steel edge.

Steel Surfaces as the New Knife Metal

Soon, a new alloy namely High-carbon Stainless Steel, having a higher amount of carbon, is being used to made knife blades. The new alloy integrates the traits of both the carbon steel and stainless steel together, making the blade sharp, tough and resistant to corrosion and stain. With further improvement in metallurgy and related sciences, various other kinds of blades like laminated blades, Titanium blades and Ceramic blades are introduced. The blades come in various forms/profiles according to its usage. Few of the common blade profiles include planer concave, wedge, chisel shaped and serrated.

The Era of Omnipresent Multi-Utility Knives

Found in both fixed blade and folding blade types, the modest knife has evolved to become an indispensable tool that can be used for multiple purposes. It can be used for various purposes viz. as a weapon, survival/emergency tool, sports equipment, cutlery and culinary tool, traditional/ religious and else. Bayonet, Ballistic knife, Rampuri, Trench knife and Butterfly knife are few of the knives that are used as weapon. The cutlery and culinary knives include kitchen knife, chef’s knife, butcher’s knife, bread knife, boning knife, cleaver, table knife and many more. Knife as utility tools comes in various forms including bowie knife, driver’s knife, machete, paper knife, scalpel, survival knife, switch blade, palette knife, multi-tool and many more.

Hand-in-Hand with Human Evolution

Traveling around two-and-a-half million years, the modest knife today has a phenomenal presence and utility. It has been a true friend of human and has helped him through his own evolution from Stone Age man to the Modern Man. A knife can help you perform a range of activities including cooking food, defending/saving oneself from any threat, constructing something, gardening etc. The evolution of knives has indeed been an evolution to the human race too.

At Knife Country USA, we are all about knives. Our love and admiration for this larger-than-life knife has made us one of the largest online retailers of knives. Our inexhaustible stock of knives ensures that all our customers get what they are looking for. Contact us at customercare@knifecountryusa.com for product or price queries.