What is a pocket knife?

A pocket knife is simply a knife with a blade that folds out or “opens” from the handle, where it is housed when not in use. The idea being that it will easily fit in the pocket for everyday carry. Generally, a pocket knife is either assisted opening or manual opening.

What is an assisted opening knife?

These knives are opened by the user employing either the “flipper”, which is a lever on the back spine of the knife or a “thumb stud”, which is a small stud on the blade. This action starts the deployment of the blade and a mechanism like a spring or ball-bearing finishes opening the blade and then it locks into place.

What is a trapper pocket knife?

This is a style of manual opening pocket knife that has two blades, which fold out from the handle. Traditionally, there is a spey blade and a clip blade, each having a nail nick so that they can be deployed with just an upward pull on the blade.

What is an OTF knife?

When you see a knife listed as an OTF, it stands for “out-the-front” and means that it is a knife with a blade that extends straight from the handle. An OTF pocket knife can be opened with a manual slide, with assisted opening, with an automatic mechanism or by using gravity.

How do I choose a pocket knife?

A good, quality folding pocket knife should be a tool that you can take for granted because it will be able to perform whenever and wherever you need it. Choose one that will perform the specific tasks that come up for you in your everyday life. For example, if you’re in emergency services, a rescue knife with an integrated seatbelt cutter and glass breaker would be perfect for you.

Pocket Knives - Automatic Knives, Assisted Opening, Butterfly Knives, Pocket Razors, Tactical Knives

326 Results

Smith & Wesson Black Ops Assisted Opening Pocket Knife Blue Tanto

Smith & Wesson Black Ops Blue Tanto Folding Knife

$51.99

BEST SELLER

Bushmaster Mamba OTF Knife

$39.99

Kissing Crane Genuine Abalone Trapper Pocket Knife

Kissing Crane Genuine Abalone Trapper Pocket Knife

$46.99

Honshu knife with D2 steel blade on red background

Close-up of Honshu knife blade with D2 steel marking

Honshu Sekyuriti Gen II Tanto knife with dimensions

Folded Honshu knife showing pocket clip and handle

Close-up of Honshu knife handle with textured grip

Honshu Sekyuriti Gen II Tanto

$69.99

Full image of the M48 Steel Titan Folder Karambit open and closed.

Full image of the Steel Titan Folder Karambit closed.

M48 Steel Titan Folding Karambit

$69.99

Shinigami bloodwood pocket knife with "raindrop patterned" blade and metallic blue accents on a background of orange toned bamboo.

Closed bloodwood pocket knife with a raindrop patterned blade and metallic blue accents along with a japanese inscription in the wooden handle.

Closed bloodwood pocket knife with "raindrop" pattern steel blade and metallic blue accents and pocket clip with the inscription "shinwa."

Upclose view of the pocket knife's "raindrop" pattern blade with metallic blue thumbstuds and the inscription "shinwa."

Open shinwa shinigami bloodwood pocket knife with raindrop pattern blade, metallic blue accents, and engraved bloodwood handle scales.

Shinwa Bloodwood Pocket Knife

$36.99

Delta Defender Assisted Opening Black Karambit Knife - Stainless Steel Blade, Non-Reflective Coating, G10 Handle Scales, Pocket Clip

Delta Defender Karambit Knife

$27.99

American Flag Pocket Knife - Stonewashed Black Stainless Steel Blade, Engraved Wooden Handle Scales, Pocket Clip

American Flag Knife

~~Price reduced from $29.99 to~~ NOW $17.98 You Save 40% -40%

BEST SELLER

The Armed Force Tactical Automatic OTF Knife shown open and closed

Detailed views of the knife's blade and glassbreaker

Armed Force Tactical OTF Knife

$69.99

USA pocket knife with upswept stainless steel blade and patriotic handle, 8 inches long

USA Pocket Knife

~~Price reduced from $19.99 to~~ NOW $14.99 You Save 25% -25%

Full image of the Damascus Automatic OTF Knife open and closed.

Close up image of the Damascus Automatic OTF Knife blade.

Details and features of the Automatic OTF Knife.

Damascus Premium OTF Knife

$59.99

NEW

Delta Defender Pocket Knife

$12.99

POCKET KNIVES FAQS

What is a pocket knife?
A pocket knife is simply a knife with a blade that folds out or “opens” from the handle, where it is housed when not in use. The idea being that it will easily fit in the pocket for everyday carry. Generally, a pocket knife is either assisted opening or manual opening.
What is an assisted opening knife?
These knives are opened by the user employing either the “flipper”, which is a lever on the back spine of the knife or a “thumb stud”, which is a small stud on the blade. This action starts the deployment of the blade and a mechanism like a spring or ball-bearing finishes opening the blade and then it locks into place.
What is a trapper pocket knife?
This is a style of manual opening pocket knife that has two blades, which fold out from the handle. Traditionally, there is a spey blade and a clip blade, each having a nail nick so that they can be deployed with just an upward pull on the blade.
What is an OTF knife?
When you see a knife listed as an OTF, it stands for “out-the-front” and means that it is a knife with a blade that extends straight from the handle. An OTF pocket knife can be opened with a manual slide, with assisted opening, with an automatic mechanism or by using gravity.
How do I choose a pocket knife?
A good, quality folding pocket knife should be a tool that you can take for granted because it will be able to perform whenever and wherever you need it. Choose one that will perform the specific tasks that come up for you in your everyday life. For example, if you’re in emergency services, a rescue knife with an integrated seatbelt cutter and glass breaker would be perfect for you.