10 Interesting Uses for a Pocket Knife

Take a moment to think about your day. You probably cut something each day, even if it’s just a package or a thread off your clothes. When you have to cut or trim, you may spend a few minutes looking for a knife or a pair of scissors. That’s not exactly the most convenient thing to keep on your person. However, having a pocket knife on hand keeps you from having to stop what you’re doing to snip and go about your day.

As the name implies, a pocket knife is a small knife that can be easily concealed in your pocket. These knives can be fixed blades or the more popular folding design. They are intended for everyday carry (EDC) and easily carried around as needed. In fact, EDC folding knife uses are almost limitless.

While a pocket knife may not be a replacement for your cutlery & kitchen knife, there is so much you can use it for both in the kitchen or outdoors. 

If it’s well maintained and in good hygienic status, you may find pocket knives to be very versatile in different situations including those you might not have imagined about. 

A pocket knife always comes handy and you should make sure it’s always cleaned especially after use. You can learn how well to clean and maintain your pocket knife effectively in order to have it ready for use when needed. 

Opening Packaging

Clamshell packaging can become a bit of a nuisance. The idea is sound from a theft deterrent perspective, but opening the container is frustrating. While clamshell food packaging is pretty simple to separate and devour the contents, electronic packaging is much firmer and can become an annoying task (unless store employees are there to help you cut it before you reach the parking lot). If you leave the store, good luck trying to get it open with your hands. Save yourself the trouble. Keep a pocket knife with you, so you can cut through the package and have easier access to the contents.

Removing Staples

There are staple removers designed explicitly for this task. However, you don’t always have access to a staple remover and no one wants to break a nail trying to get a staple off. With a pocket knife, you can remove staples much easier. It’ll also help you from accidentally bending or ripping important documents.

Prune Plants

Gardening is a hobby that can help relax you, in addition to making your home look nice. You have to maintain the flowers and bushes in our garden, which means you sometimes need to prune them back. An EDC folding knife like this one helps to shape and remove damaged leaves or limbs.

Strip Wires

If you are doing quick repairs, you may not grab all your tools. Sometimes you don’t realize what you need until you begin working. While there are wire stripping tools that can do the job more efficiently, a pocket knife will work in a pinch. You should make sure all power is removed from what you’re working on though, and be careful to not cut yourself when stripping the wire. You may consider purchasing a non-conductive, finger-friendly ceramic blade.

Making Drainage Holes

When you purchase a new plastic planter for your home, you may notice something is missing. Drainage holes are necessary to allow excess water to drain away from your plants. If it doesn’t, the water can essentially drown, and mold can set in. Use your pocket knife to make a few drainage holes in the bottom before you plant anything.

Making Kindling

When you go camping, you will almost certainly need a knife. The blade is optional for many camping tasks, but it’s mandatory for a fire. A small hatchet is suitable to chop larger limbs and logs to feed the fire. But to start it, you need kindling. A pocket knife is used to cut smaller twigs and limbs to make kindling start your fire.

Uses for a Pocket Knife – Fishing

A pocket knife comes in handy when you are out on the water. You can trim the fishing line if it gets tangled or if you want to keep the fish on a string instead of putting it in a bucket. Depending on what you are using for bait, you may need to cut it down to more manageable sizes. Sometimes it is better to cut and fillet the fish before you go home. A pocket knife can work in a crunch for your impromptu chef special. A fillet knife works best to prepare smaller fish, but an EDC pocket knife can work reasonably well as a substitute. 

Cutting Loose Threads

Loose threads on clothing can either be a small issue or completely unravel your clothing. You are tempted to pull at it, but some material (often fast fashion) is not made to handle a hard yank. The best way to handle a loose thread is to cut it. Grab a pocket knife to cut any loose strings, and keep your clothes looking nice and neat for as long as you can. Beware of loose strings before putting delicate clothing in a washing machine, too. You don’t want that one short, loose string to get hooked onto the agitator.

Whittling

Whittling is a creative hobby that can keep your hands busy and end with a small piece of artwork. This lost art is often welcome at crafts shows and festivals, too. This is where one of the uses of a pocket knife apperas. Start learning with a small amount of wood. Let the ideas come to you; no patterns are needed. Just watch your fingers, and make sure the pocket knife you use has a safe blade. Ideally, a 100 percent zirconium oxide blade is sharp enough to cut and more finger-friendly versus other blades. 

Uses for a Pocket Knife – Emergencies

Emergencies can happen anywhere on any day. If you are in an accident and cannot release your seatbelt, having a pocket knife on hand can make a difference. Use the knife to cut through the belt to gain freedom. Likewise, if your dog is tangled in its leash, or worse, gets it caught, and you can cut your pet free so that it doesn’t strangle itself.

A pocket knife is an impressive tool. It doesn’t have to be used just for breaking down boxes. That’s pretty clear from the 10 tasks above, along with countless others that weren’t named. If you find a comfortable one to carry and store, you may find yourself circling back home should you ever leave without it in your pocket. Even if you don’t use it that day, just knowing it’s there for you anytime you need it is worth it all. So here they were, 10 interesting uses for a pocket knife in our daily life.

Photo by Cesar Carlevarino Aragon on Unsplash