For anyone who grew up going on camping trips or pretending to be Indiana Jones in their backyard, you already know the various styles, features and functions of a manual folding knife because there's a very good chance you've handled several pocket knives throughout the years. From that classic, red, multi-purpose utility knife made from that company in Switzerland, to the little blades your dad kept on his keychain, manual folders are versatile tools that come in handy for things like cutting twine, opening packages, slicing apples, carving wood, slicing through fabric and of course self-defense.
Some of the best knives for everyday carry (EDC), anyone from famers, soldiers, boy scouts, doctors and lawyers to astronauts, mechanics or even hermits living on remote islands find this simple knife an essential must have, but you probably didn’t realize how historic and far back the manual deployment function went…
“Archeologists have traced the origin of the oldest known pocket knife to the remote village of Hallstatt, Austria. Researchers are unsure who the original creator of this knife was, but believe it dates all the way back to the early Bronze Ages, approximately 500-600 BC. This knife boasted a bone handle which was common among tools at this time. Hallstatt was a Celtic village that was predominantly known for the world’s oldest known salt mine that dates all the way back to time before written history…” // Source
Much like the famous utility knives out on the market today, manual folders can have two or more blades (and sometimes additional tools) which require a two-handed approach to open and deploy from inside the handle. Two distinct groups have taken shape in the manual folding knife communuty: “locking” and “non-locking.” Non-locking folders are usually a result of state legal restrictions or a traditional style, but locking folders have dramatically transformed in terms of advanced materials, and the lock mechanism itself. *(Take a look at this "Dynamic Locking Mechanism" (D.L.M.) from one of our most exciting brands, Elite Tactical).
Tactical, rescue, karambit, EDC, and many outdoors knives are some of the best manual folders around... When it comes to pocket knives: jackknives, penknives and multi-blades are the main categories; with the most popular being the jackknife.
Which folding edge are you eyeing? Take some time to browse our huge assortment of MANUAL FOLDERS.
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