There are tons of different pocket knives available today. Some have one blade, some have a few. Some include other tools and some feature easy-carry clips. Almost everyone knows that a pocket knife is one of the most useful, compact tools you can carry.
However, not many people know about all of the valuable uses they have! The potential of a pocket knife varies, but they do have a vast range of practical uses as tools.
Here are four useful things you may not have thought about using a pocket knife for doing.
1. Cut Campfire Kindling
Whether you’re in a survival situation or just roughing it in the woods for a couple of days, a pocket knife can be an excellent tool for stripping, cutting, and shaving wood for kindling. You can use the blade to shave off the bark, cut away wet sections of wood, or break down branches. The edge of some knives can even be used as a striker for a match or magnesium fire starter! If you ever find yourself out in the woods without proper fire-starting materials, a pocket knife will do in a pinch.
2. Break Glass
There are quite a few situations in which you may need to break a glass window, and some of them can make a difference between life and death. Maybe your young child or pet accidentally locked themselves inside the car on a hot day, or perhaps you just noticed an accident on the side of the highway and want to do what you can to help before first responders arrive.
No matter the situation, having a pocket knife on hand is great when you need to break a glass window. If your pocket knife has any accentuated point other than the knife blade itself, you can usually use it to break through tempered glass windows. Keep the blade in the closed position, and find the best-pointed area on the knife to break through the glass. Just make sure you stay away from a car’s windshield and only aim for the softer side windows. You’ll have a much easier time breaking through these cleanly.
3. Help You Escape from a Seatbelt
In some serious accidents, people can become trapped in the car by their seatbelt. Being trapped is especially common (and fatal!) when the vehicle catches on fire or sinks into the water. Thankfully, a serrated edge blade on a pocket knife can quickly cut through the seatbelt material and free the passenger. If you have time, you might want to try sharpening the blade in a knife sharpener first. But, as this is typically a dire situation, don’t spend too much time worrying about it!
4. Sharpen Pencils
While this trick is more convenient and trivial than anything, it’s still helpful to know and will be useful in a pinch. If you can’t find a pencil sharpener, or if your pencil needs to be sharpened at a certain angle, a pocket knife can help you get the point you need. To do this, you’ll first want to hold your pencil (point facing away from you) in your non-dominant hand. With your dominant hand, hold the pencil and carve at the tip to create a point. Make sure to turn the pencil all the way around to make the cuts symmetrical.
The Argument for Pocket Knives
A pocket knife is an incredibly valuable tool that offers a plethora of possibilities, and these are just a few of the unconventional uses for them. The potential of a pocket knife is nearly unlimited, making it something everyone should own.
Thanks to Richard Douglas, Guest Contributor
Richard Douglas is a firearms expert and educator and a lover of knives. Having a knife is part of his EDC gear. Richard’s work has appeared in prominent publications like The National Interest, Daily Caller, ODU Magazine, and his Scopes Field blog.