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How to turn your ESEE knife into a firesteel striker

A firesteel requires a sharp striker. It's possible to use your knife’s sharpened edge to get sparks flying, of course, but doing that even a few times creates a dull spot you’ll have to to ...

FAQ: Is there an easy way to tell that my knife is sharp?

If you've heard the term "hair-popping sharp," you may be wondering if we're about to suggest that you see if your knife will shave hair off your forearm. Many people check their edges that way, but ...

Quick-reference guide: Know your knife steels

The products in the KnivesShipFree inventory represent dozens of different steels -- stainless steels and carbon steels, tool steels and "super" steels -- and we know that can be a bit overwhelmin ...

3 Bad Things About Giving a Kid a Knife

3 Bad Things About Giving a Kid a KnifeBy now you know how we feel about kids and knives -- they belong together. We firmly believe that it's our responsibility as adults to introduce the young pe ...

Thoughts on the First Great Eastern Pocket Knife

We just received this email from a customer. I love hearing this stuff! Great Eastern Cutlery makes fantastic knives.Hello from Southern Ontario Canada,I’ve just recently purchased my fir ...

FAQ: "What does 'CPM' stand for in the knife industry?"

Question: "What does “CPM” stand for in the knife industry?" In the knife world "CPM" stands for Crucible Particle Metallurgy. This is a proprietary system developed by Crucible Industries to c ...

FAQ: Why isn't my new knife perfect?

Wait a minute -- don't mistake perfection for quality.Some of the knives we offer are, for the most part, made by machines. A great many, however, are made by human hands or, at the very least, assem ...

FAQ: "I purchased a knife from KnivesShipFree and it didn't arrive sharp, why not?"

Question: "I purchased a knife from KnivesShipFree and it didn't arrive sharp, why not?" Great question! The honest truth is that some knives might ...

FAQ: What does 'RC' or 'HRC' mean in a knife's specifications?

Those abbreviations indicate the relative hardness of the knife's steel, as measured on the "Rockwell scale." And while we could spend a lot of time drilling into the metallurgical details of Rockwel ...

FAQ: Where can I find a directory of knife manufacturers' websites?

Many bladesmiths, knifemakers and knife manufacturers publish more information on their own websites than we ever could include here on KnivesShipFree. That kind of information can be he ...

FAQ: My knife has a V-bevel -- what are my sharpening options?

Generally speaking, there are two types of sharpening systems for V-bevel edges: freehand and guided. We'll take a look at each here, with some examples.Freehand sharpeningFreehand sharpening is ...

FAQ: Which is better for kids—a fixed blade or a folder?

Truth? A fixed blade. I tell that to countless parents every month, and every month those same parents pick up a folding knife for their kids instead.Fixed blades don’t ever fold on your fingers. Fix ...

FAQ: "Do you inspect each knife before shipping it?"

Question: "Do you inspect each knife before shipping it?" We're always available to inspect knives at our customers request, but we rely on carrying quality products from top manufacturers (Bench ...

FAQ: Can I sharpen my knives on a bench grinder or an electric knife sharpener?

In a word... NO!Sure, it takes friction to sharpen steel, and an abrasive wheel spun by an electric motor will definitely produce friction -- but at a speed that also generates excessive heat and qui ...

5 Knives Everyone Should Own

You need five knives. We see a lot of knife lovers around here (obviously) and more than a few knife fanatics. Among our regular customers, we've noticed that those having the most fun tend t ...

FAQ: Can I sharpen a V-bevel knife on a leather hone or strop?

Yes!We use a leather hone to maintain all types of knives. Whether the grind is convex, hollow, flat or Scandi, a leather hone will maintain the edge beautifully.The leather "gives," conforming to th ...

FAQ: Why should I 'wet-fit' a sheath to my knife?

Why take the time to wet-fit your sheath to your knife? We can think of three reasons. You have a general-purpose sheath. A general-purpose sheath (one designed to fit a number of different ...

FAQ: How do I lash a knife to a pole to make a spear? Y'know, for survival...

STOP -- DON'T DO IT. Wherever you heard about this (movies, TV or the Interweb) it's a colossally bad idea. In a survival situation, a knife can be one of your most valuable tools. And ...

FAQ: "What angle should I sharpen my kitchen knife?"

Question: "What angle should I sharpen my kitchen knife?"The simple answer to this question is this: European Knives - Tough & Durable: Built like tanks, most European knives have thick homogen ...

FAQ: What knife is best for both everyday carry (EDC) and self-defense?

Defending yourself with a knife -- any knife -- is a skill, and it's a lot more difficult than you might think. (More about that below.) What's more, having to use a knife as a weapon is highly ...