This budget-friendly option from Pacific puts safety first thanks to a guard that keeps hands and thumbs away from the blade while also guiding cuts. It also protects whatever is inside the boxes by stopping the blade from extending in too far. In addition to precise, controlled top cutting, it can also be used for shallow tray cuts and deep cuts, thanks to its three different blade depth positions.

Alright, so you own a knife with a Kydex sheath or plastic sheath. The kind with all those attachment eyelets. Maybe the knife already comes with a belt clip or belt loop mounted on the sheath. Maybe you just want something different? That's why we listed a few options. Keep reading to find out what to look out for when attaching a clip. The tradeoff is harder steel is more difficult to sharpen and may require a knife pro to get the job done. Supposedly they designed this thing to stay secure while jumping out of planes, so you can carry an ESEE anyway you like with it. You’ll just have to fiddle with it some first, although, probably a lot less than you’ll need to with the ESEE Izula farther down. Ideally, you should be able to open it with one hand. A thumb stud, hole, or an assisted open knife are ideal.Knives are affordable, and they serve many purposes, in addition to self-defense, making them handy to have just in case. We loved the LionSteel M2. That was one of the few knives we bought almost entirely because we just liked the way it looked, the fact that it actually makes a good camping and skinning knife is a big plus.

This little guy has a lot of bite, appropriately enough. It’s pretty nifty for carving wood. The edge is easy to work into wood gently and the overall shape is great for getting a lot of leverage into a cut. The way the overall shape angles also makes it comfortable to rest the index finger along the spine for detailed skinning work. You can get a lot of control over the tip of this blade. It feels like it was designed as a hunting knife for small game, but it’s a great knife for whittling by the fire. I’ve been corrected before that a “proper” scout carry is when the knife is sitting with the handle angled slightly upward, but I’ve never found it useful to make that distinction. What are the Benefits of the Scout Carry Position I love this sheath system. It sits on a clip that can mount to either side of the sheath and it pivots, so this is a fully ambidextrous horizontal or vertical carry sheath. Plus it’s so small and lightweight, that it sits comfortably pretty much everywhere. A: This is a broad question and largely depends on your country, state, and individual location. The best thing to do is research your state and county regulations to see what types of knives (and what sizes) are legal. And generally existing in a way that doesn’t involve the handle of our belt-carry knife jabbing us in the ribs every other step.

How to choose a clip

Since this type of blade comes to a fine point, the tip is prone to chipping off with heavy use. If this style is used as strictly self-defense, heavy use should not be a problem and the benefit of an extended cutting surface should outweigh the fragility of the tip. Both fixed and retractable blades have their merits, so select a blade based on your planned use of the knife. One issue is that the straps are set up so you can only scout carry it in the left-handed position. But for all its size, it sits very comfortably in front of the left hip. That’s become my preference. But a true self-defense concealed carry knife requires some specific features. It needs to be slim and easy to conceal. It needs to be accessible with one hand and needs a sheath that is easy to access and deploy the knife from. The blade of the SiWi is high carbon, so it will need to be oiled occasionally and dried anytime it gets wet to prevent corrosion. We found the edge retention of this steel to be decent, but knot great. The handle is one of the grippiest G-10 handles I have felt thanks to it’s texturing, deep choil and finger indents. This handle is easy to grip even when wet.