Types of Knives that are popular to collectors

Types of Knives

There two ways to look at the type of a knife. One being knives by form and the other being knives by function.

 

Type of Knives by Form

All knives fall into two basic categories, fixed blade knives and folding knives.

Fixed Blade Knife
Fixed blade knives are just that, a knife with a blade that is fixed, does not fold, and it extends from a handle. In general, fixed blade knives are much stronger and larger than folding blade knives. Fixed blade knives are used for heavy duty activities, such as tactical, hunting and fighting. Common fixed blade knife manufacturers are Benchmade, Boker, Buck, KaBar, BullDog, and Frost.

 

Folding Blade Knife
Folding blade knives consist of a blade which folds into the handle leaving a smaller more portable knife choice compared to a fixed blade knife. Many folding blade knives have locking mechanisms to prevent accident knife closure while the knife is in use. The most common types of lock mechanisms are lockback, linerlock, and framelock. Common folding blade knife manufacturers are Randall, Case, Boker, Swiss Army, Gerber, Schrade, and Cold Steel.

 

Type of Knives by Function

Most knives are designed for a specific purpose whether it be for simple everyday uses or fighting. The most common knives for a given activity are:

 

Utility Knives – These are considered a normal everyday tool knife. They normally consist of multiple blades and tools combined. The most common types are the Swiss army knife or the Leatherman tool.

Hunting Knives – These knives are generally thought of as large straight blade knives stored in a sheath used to cut up hunting game after a kill. The term hunting knife is actually very broad in that nearly every hunter has a different personal choice of knife depending on style, type of animal, and usability.

Survival Knives – These knives are generally have a hallow handle with survival equipment inside the handle. Some common items found inside of a survival knife are waterproof matches, bandages, and string. These knives may also consist of a compass on the handle.

 

Other Knives

Butterfly Knives – A common knife which can be open and closed with a one handed swinging motion.
Machete – Large Long Blade used to cut large plants and brush.
Dagger – Double edged blade used for stabbing, not cutting.
Throwing Knives – Knives which are balanced for throwing.