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

327 Results

Vietnam Veteran Trapper Knife specifications

Vietnam Veteran Trapper

$37.99

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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

Dimensions of the knife opened and closed

Rampage Pocket Knife

$14.99

The 2021 Trail of Tears Trapper makes a great gift for the historical knife collector or Native American collectibles enthusiast

The handle has a white bone panel with a Native American woman carved into it, accented with turquoise and black jigged bone

The trapper has two sharp 440 stainless steel blades, which feature the Trail of Tears themed etchings and a limited edition stamp

Kissing Crane Trail of Tears Trapper Knife

$54.99

USMC Cleaver Maximum Assisted Opening Pocket Knife - Stainless Steel Blade, Non-Reflective, TPR Handle, Pocket Clip

USMC Cleaver Maximum Pocket Knife

~~Price reduced from $26.99 to~~ $19.98 Save 26%

NightShark Assisted Opening Pocket Knife

NightShark Assisted Opening Pocket Knife

~~Price reduced from $28.99 to~~ $14.99 Save 48%

The Black Curl Automatic Stiletto Knife shown open with uniquely curved stainless steel blade and black handle.

Zoomed view of the Black Curl Automatic Stiletto Knife’s curved stainless steel blade.

“Black Curl Blade Automatic Stiletto Knife” text shown above a diagram of the 9 3/4" knife with silver release on its black handle.

Stiletto Knife

$39.99

FireStrike Knife closed with firestarter

SOA FireStrike Pocket Knife

$19.99

There’s no question that this a truly impressive pocket knife with its length, from tip to end, coming in at 13” overall

The impressive stiletto pocket knife can be carried and stored in its tough nylon belt sheath with Velcro closure flap

7 1/4” closed pocket knife, with push button and slide lock conveniently located on top

Automatic Italian Stiletto Knife

$59.99

Kissing Crane Black Angus Pocket Farmer Folding Pocket Knife

Kissing Crane Black Angus Pocket Farmer Folding Pocket Knife

$21.99

SOA Scout Assisted Opening Pocket Knife - Black with Camo Paracord Wrapping

SOA Scout Knife

~~Price reduced from $15.99 to~~ $8.98 Save 44%

Shinwa Kamisori Folding Razor Knife - Stainless Steel Blade, Grey Titanium Finish, G10 Handle Scales - 6” Closed

Shinwa Kamisori Folding Razor Knife

~~Price reduced from $29.99 to~~ $26.98 Save 10%

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.