The Anatomy of a Knife

The knife is such a common object in our everyday lives that most of us fail to see what a complex tool it actually is. Most of us think that a knife has only two distinct parts: the handle and the blade. But, in truth, the knife is much more complex, comprising six separate parts.

The blade of a knife is the most obvious part. It is the metallic part that extends away from the handle and has a cutting edge ground into it. It is the particular shape of the blade that defines the nature and function of the knife.

Depending on the shape of the blade, a knife can be used for skinning, filleting, chopping, and a number of other duties. The steel used to make the blade will determine its overall strength and durability. For both hygienic reasons and to ensure the long life of your knife, get blades made out of stainless steel as they are more germ resistant and will not rust or corrode like other steel products.

The part of the knife that is used to stab and pierce things is known as the point. It helps pierce the membrane around the skin of the quarry and is used for gutting and cleaning and getting to the meat of the game.

Many knife experts consider the top quarter of the knife blade to be the tip. This is the part of the knife that will do most of your cutting and included in this part is the point (although it is important to remember that these are, in fact, separate parts of the knife).

The cutting edge is the part of the knife that is…well, designed to cut things. It is the part of the blade (facing away from you) that has been sharpened and honed so that it cuts through whatever needs cutting. While there are several types of edges available, the straight and serrated edges are most common. A serrated edge is good for cutting things like bread while the straight edge is better for trimming meat.

The handle is probably the other part of a knife, besides the blade, that people are most familiar with. Handles can be made using a variety of materials including wood, steel, plastic…basically, the sky is the limit.

The knife also has a part called the butt which is much like the butt of a gun. It is located at the exact opposite side of the tip i.e. the far end of the handle. Some knives have a compass inserted in the butt that can be pulled out. Behind the compass you would find a small storage space where you can put matches and other survival essentials.

These days, there are hand guards that come with some knives, especially survival knives, which essentially protect your hands from accidentally slipping towards the blade. Hand guard or no hand guard, you should be familiar with the basic parts of a knife to reduce your chances of being injured while using one. You should also learn how to maintain and sharpen your knife to make it last as long as possible.

Frank Silkin is the chief editor for F knife, the #1 source on the internet for information about knife.

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The Anatomy of a Knife
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