You never want to be caught in the wild wishing you had a more effective knife or a different type of knife. If you're a survivalist, then you know it's always better to over-prepare. As with any prep, doing your research in advance is always the best idea. These guidelines below not only help you in purchasing the correct knife for yourself, but they also tell you how they can be safely used.

1. You should never buy cheap.

Always buy the best you can possibly afford: Something that’s going to last you a long time, something that’s not going to rust, bend or break.

2. Know what to look at for quality.

Consider brand-name manufacturers. Generally, buy something that comes recommended. Try several in your hand before you buy one.

3. Flashy is not always better.

Buying a knife because it looks flashy and cool assumes you’re going to have a situation come up where you’re going to want to flash it.

4. Know the laws about knives in your state.

Familiarize yourself with what you’re legally allowed to carry (especially in terms of blade length) and how you’re allowed to carry it before you take your knife out on the road.

5. Always handle your knife with care.

There have been far too many accidents involving knives, and we don’t want to be responsible for any more. (Note: When storing knives in your pocket, make sure that it’s one that won’t fly open and stab you in the leg by accident.)

6. Knives can be an heirloom; consider a customized piece.

Consider this as a long-term goal, especially if you’re a keen collector or would like to pass something like this down.

7. There’s a knife for almost everything.

At this point, you might have realized that there’s a knife for almost everything and that you might need to get several to fit your needs.

8. Learn how to sharpen a knife properly.

If you don’t yet trust your own hands, have your knives sharpened professionally – it’s not as expensive as you’d imagine. For those who want to learn how to do it themselves, there are great guides on YouTube.

9. What knives can and can’t do.

Never over-exert a knife: Know what kind of pressure your knife can handle.

10. The danger with knife-fighting.

If you want to learn how to fight with a knife (or take a knife off of someone in self-defense), your best bet is to take classes from a professional in the field. (Anything, and we mean anything else is bound to lead to serious injury.)

11. Knife-throwing

It goes without saying that safety applies (never practice this near children, animals, other humans), never indoors (no matter what you’ve seen on tv) and always with proper knives (not all knives are throwing knives). There are some great lessons available on YouTube.

12. Using knives in the kitchen, too.

Kitchen knives deserve a special mention, as you’re going to want special knives for food preparation.

Have you been able to use these tips when purchasing a knife? Do you have any other advice?

Article Source: Survival Cache