Knives & Tools

A folding knife is the one tool most people carry every day, and the decisions are blade steel, lock and how it opens. Softer steels sharpen easily and dull sooner; harder steels hold an edge for weeks and take longer to bring back. Neither is better in the abstract.

Fixed blades are stronger, easier to clean and less legal in more places — worth checking your local rules. For hunting they remain the right answer, because a folding joint is one more thing to pack with blood and hair.

Whatever you carry, learn to sharpen it. A cheap knife maintained beats an expensive one that has been dull since the second week.