The standard pocket knife blade features one straight cutting edge bevelled on either side, two diagonal ground spines and two notches for fitting into your pocket knife’s blade housing.
This type of blade is designed for all-purpose use, and is the standard blade supplied with all pocket knives. One standard blade should fit all models, but it is always worth checking with your builder’s merchant or the manufacturer.
Safety blade
The safety blade is almost identical to the standard blade, but incorporates a rounded blade tip as opposed to the usual point, minimising the risk of injury. The rounded tip means that a slip with the knife is less likely to damage your clothing, your workpiece or you!
Some types of safety pocket knife are designed to hold this type of blade specifically, but it should fit most pocket knife models. If in doubt, check with your builder’s merchant or the manufacturer.
Hook blade
Due to their hooked ends, hook blades are unmistakable in appearance. As opposed to the usual triangular blade and straight cutting edge, this type incorporates a hooked blade with a sharp inside edge and tip, and ground outside edges.
Hook blades are designed specifically to cut carpet without scratching or scoring the floor beneath – to make cuts, the blade is simply hooked over the edge of the carpet and pulled toward the user. The sharp inside edge cuts the carpet cleanly, while the ground outside edges simply slide over the floor beneath without damaging it.
Most pocket knives will accept hook blades, but as always, it is worth checking with your builder’s merchant or the manufacturer before purchase.
Rhino blade
The rhino blade is named for its shape, which is somewhat reminiscent of a rhino’s head in profile. This type of blade is recognisable by its long, curved cutting edge and upward-curving tip.
The rhino blade is an extremely sharp, heavy-duty blade designed for use as a skinning and survival blade. Skinning knives are intended to skin animals, while survival blades are designed to be tough enough to cut through roots and branches in the wilderness.
Not all pocket knives will accept rhino blades – due to their shape, it is simply not possible for many retractable and folding knives to house them when not in use. It may be possible to fit a rhino blade temporarily for use and remove it when the task at hand is finished, but we recommend simply purchasing a second skinning or survival knife.
Sport blade
The sport blade can be recognised by its serrated edge, and is designed for outdoor applications similar to the rhino blade above.
The serrated edge on a sport blade allows it to be used to saw through thicker branches and root structures – and even fell some small trees!
Only one pocket knife comes pre-fitted with a sport blade. For the same reason as the rhino blade, not all pocket knives will be able to house a sport blade. However, if the sport blade’s design fits your purpose, it is worth purchasing the pocket knife it is designed to fit, as it is cheaper than most fixed-blade sports knives.