9 Pocket Knife Safety Tips and Why They Are Important

Knives are not toys, and even the most experienced knife users can injure themselves if they handle them badly. Pocket knives can be nasty in the wrong hands and they are actually classified as weapons in many places around the world. This is one of the reasons why you are always asked to store them away from the reach of children. But how well versed are you with pocket knife safety?

This is the question we are going to explore as we look at the following important knife safety tips that every knife owner should adhere to.

Open Away From Face

Pocket knives open with a snap. As the lock is slid aside, the blade is unreleased with a force that could inflict damage to your face if you do this too close. Always keep your eyes on the knife blade as you open your pocket knife, especially if you are using a single hand to do this. By looking at the knife and keeping it at a safe distance away from your face, you ensure that no accidents happen in the process.

Watch Your Fingers

You will instinctively move your hand away from the line of danger every time you are using your pocket knife. But this is never a guarantee, there are times when the blade may simply be too fast for you and you could slice something off. When closing, opening, or using the knife, always watch your fingers and ensure the line of operation is within your control and not too close to the fingers.

Cut Away from Your Body

When cutting things using any kind of knife, we tend to find some support and anchorage from below, something to leverage the pressure against for the knife to cut through. When dealing with pocket knives, always cut with the blade, facing away from you. Create a safety circle where the maximum reach of the blade doesn’t come into contact with any part of your body. The force used here could be devastating if it happened to find you.

Know Your Knife

There’s a reason why knife owners stay with their prices for a very long time. Constant use of the knife helps you get used to the feel of having it in your hand. You are able to get used to the weight, the length, and the roughness. This helps you to better control the knife every time you have it in your hands. That wouldn’t be possible if you use any other knife at a short moment's notice. Know your knife by using it more.

Keep your Sharp Knife

People wrongly assume that a sharp knife is more dangerous than a blunt one. The opposite is actually what is a fact. The thing with a sharp knife is that you only need to keep an eye on the cutting edge, but the fact that it is well sharpened means that it can be cut properly without you straining.

A blunt knife on the other hand will force you to exert unnecessary pressure and the chances of you getting injured due to this are very high.

Wear Protective Gear

You have more grip and control when using your pocket knives with your bare hands as they come with handles that are designed to add more grip. However, there are certain conditions that may require you to wear protective gloves. During winter, for instance, knives can freeze up badly, making it hard for anyone to handle them properly. Wearing protective gloves when using them is the best way to ensure that you are able to handle pocket knives safely.

Store them Well

Properly storing your pocket tooling knives will not only make them last very long but will ensure that they are in tip-top condition for use every time you want to get them out. A closed blade doesn’t come into contact with moisture which could cause rust and malfunctioning which may, in turn, lead to injuries.

You should also never store your knife when it is dirty. Clean it and ensure it is dried before you close it up and place it in its protective pouch or something similar. Proper storage is also the only way you can keep it away from children.

Use Appropriate Knives

Pocket knives come in varying designs and shapes. Each of these has a specific purpose and everything about the knife has been engineered towards that task. Therefore, choose a knife with the intended purpose in mind to avoid finding yourself using the wrong knife for the wrong job. For example, you can’t use a pocket knife for chopping up a huge animal, that requires a strong fixed blade.

Use The Right Proper Cutting Techniques

The direction of a cut is determined by the shape of the blade, among many other factors, Therefore, understand the shape of your pocket knife to know the right way to use it., You can’t for instance use a stabbing knife to cut a rope or vice versa. Using the wrong cutting techniques is the easiest way to injure yourself as the knife may slip from your hand. This also damages the knife in the long run.

Conclusion

Owning a pocket knife is half the journey, knowing how to use it safely without leaving scars on yourself is the ultimate test. It will take time to get used to a blade in your hands but eventually, you will be using it like an expert. To learn more about pocket knives, make sure you check out our website(Shieldon - pocket knife manufacturer).

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