The Right Knife for the Job

The Right Knife for the Job

We all know that knives come in different size and shape according to their usage and place of origin. Knives are used for various purposes viz. as a weapon, cutlery and culinary tool, survival/emergency tool, sports equipment, traditional/ religious tool and else. Knives made for a particular purpose, may not be able to fulfill other kind of tasks. A bayonet for instance cannot be used as a bread knife and a Chef’s knife cannot be used a as a Hunting knife. For every task, a right kind of knife is available.

Understanding Different Types of Knife and their Usage

To use the right kind of knife for the job/task, it becomes imperative for the user to understand the various types of knives. According to the tasks performed, the knives can be broadly differentiated under the following categories:

Knives as Weapons

There are different kinds of knives that are used as weapon. Few of them are elucidated below:

a. Bayonet: This special kind of knife is designed to fasten to the muzzle of a rifle, to be used as a weapon for close-quarter fighting.

b. Dagger: This kind of double-edged combat knife incorporates a central spine with sharp edge covering the entire length. Push dagger and Stiletto are two of the popular daggar variations.

c. Kukri: A kind of famous knife of Nepal that is used as a weapon as well as a tool.

d. Fighting knife: Knives, specially designed to inflict fatal injury in a short-range physical confrontation. Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife and the Bowie knife are popular forms of the fighting knives.

e. Rampuri: A reputed genre of Indian knives that incorporates a 9-12 inches long single edged blade.

f. Trench knife: A kind of improvised knives that are made for close-range fighting, like that in trench combat.

g. Balisong/ Batangas: Originated in Asia, the knives incorporate two counter-rotating handles that conceals the blade within the handle groove.

Knives for Kitchen Use

There are a variety of knives that is used in the kitchen. Few of them are discussed below:

h. Chef’s Knife/Santoku: It comes with a long 8-14 inch blade and can be used for the majority of Kitchen tasks. It can be used for dicing and chopping various food items like fruits, vegetables etc.

i. Paring: With a 2-4 inch blade, it is a comparatively shorter knife. It is used mostly for lighter and more delicate work like trimming mushrooms, mincing fresh herbs and small items and so on.

j. Utility: A knife with a mid-sized 6-8 inches long blade, it can be used in general kitchen functions like chopping fruit and vegetables, cutting cheese and so on.

k. Serrated: A knife with a blade that has saw-like teeth is used for various purposes. This kind of knife is most efficiently used in slicing various items like pizza, bread, tomato, pies etc.

l. Boning: The boning knife consists of a thin and sharp flexible or rigid blade that are usually 5-7 inches long. It works good for carving meat out of bones and other such task.

Knives as a Multi-Purpose Tool:

m. Curved/ Carving knife: Types of knives used for carving.

n. Diver's knife: Types of knives designed to use under water.

o. Electrician's knife: Knives designed to perform various electrical tasks like cutting wires, insulation etc.

p. Machete: Types of big and heavy knives used to cut thick vegetation like overgrown vegetations, sugarcanes etc.

q. Paper knife: Types of knife made of lighter material like plastic, ceramic or even metals for the purpose of opening envelope or cutting paper.

r. Pocket knife: Types of folding knives designed to fit into the pocket. The blades can be folded into the grooved handle.

s. Scalpel: Types of medical knife, designed for surgical uses.

t. Straight razor: Types of knives designed for shaving hairs.

u. Survival knife: Types of robust built knives with many additional features that can be used to perform multi-purpose tasks.

Knives for Traditional and Religious Purposes:

v. Kirpan: A 3-9inches long Sikh ceremonial knife which is essentially worn by the baptised Sikhs.

w. Kilaya: A religious short dagger used in Tibetan Buddhism.

x. Puukko: A Scandinavian origin traditional knife of that is used as a multi purpose tool.

y. Seax: A single-edged knife of German origin, it is also used mainly as a tool.

z. Sgian Dubh: The Scottish Origin small dagger is worn traditionally with Scottish highland dress.

Now that a somewhat thorough knowledge of different variations of knives is understood, it’ll be easier to choose the right knife for the job. A knife should be chosen, according to the task performed and its intensity. Knife Country USA, with its decades of experience in satisfying customer’s need can help you chose the right knife for the job. For more information you can visit us at http://www.knifecountryusa.com/.