6 Things to Consider when Buying your First EDC Knife

I believe I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll say it again; I’m a knife nut! I’ve been carrying knives since I was about 12 or 13 years old. I started out with a small Swiss Army Knife which I carried for a few years before I moved on to carrying locking blades.

My first locking blade was NOT actually mine; it was my dad’s – he and I had a good laugh about it because I was initially only going to use it once or twice, and ended up keeping it and buying my dad a new blade.

Mastiff Browning Gerber and a few no-name EDC knives
I’ve carried a few knives over the past few years… Mastiff Browning Gerber and a few no-name EDC knives

Fast forward a few years, I discover the world of EDC on YouTube while browsing through knife-related content on a whim. At this point, I hadn’t carried a knife seriously for quite a while – though I still carried when I went to flea markets so that I could give vendors a clue about my preferences.

I started carrying knives regularly again in a few months. Along with the expected funny looks, I got a few questions every now and then mostly wanting to know why I was carrying a knife. The other common question I got was: “what’s a good first knife to own?”

Typically, this something I’m asked by people close to me who are interested in using or carrying a knife or are looking to buy a knife for someone in their family.

Fortunately, while all knife collections will vary according to personal taste; there are a few things to consider when buying a first knife.

There are six things to consider when it comes to buying your first EDC knife and these are valid for both fixed blades and folding knives.

What is EDC?

EDC is an acronym that stands for everyday carry. This is the stuff that you carry with you on a daily basis; things like your wallet, phone, pen, notebook, and so on. Basically, it’s all the stuff that you need to get through the daily grind.

1. Legality

Mastiff folding knife
Mastiff folding knife

Yes, we’re starting out with probably the most obvious consideration; the legal system! I know it sounds silly, but you need to be aware of the laws surrounding knives in your state or country, and keep abreast of how they may change as you go from place to place.

If you’re in the U.S., knife laws will vary from one state to the next or even from town to town.

In South Africa, the laws are very clear about what you can and can’t carry. To put it simply, in South Africa you can carry a knife provided:

  • It is single-edged.
  • The blade length doesn’t exceed 10cm.
  • You aren’t behaving in a manner that poses imminent danger to yourself or to the people around you.

The catch here is that if you’re stopped by the police, they must use their own judgement (based on their interaction(s) with you) to determine whether you are a criminal or a threat.

2. Specs

Why do you want/need to carry a knife? The answer to this question will vary but it’s important to know why you’re carrying a knife. Your purpose will dictate/influence the knife that you buy and so it’s best to know exactly what the blade will have to do in the field.

With that in mind, things to look at include:

  • ✅ The overall length
  • ✅ The blade length
  • ✅ Locking mechanism (if you’re dealing with a folder).

The overall length of the knife as well as the length of the blade are important to know for legal and practical reasons. If the blade’s too, long it becomes impractical for certain tasks and most laws about carrying center on the length of the blade.

Swiss Army knife
The trusty Swiss Army Knife, old faithful himself! As you can see, mine’s taken a beating

Another crucial check is the locking mechanism, as certain places – like the UK for example – have laws prohibiting the carry of locking blades. If the knife has a locking mechanism, where is it and how does it work?

It would be a good idea to also find out if a knife is spring assisted or not. Now, you’ll notice that I didn’t list blade steel as something to check.

The reason for that is that if you’re buying your first knife it’s not something that’s going to spring to mind – unless you know a thing or two about blade steels.

3. Construction and Quality

When it comes to knives, construction and quality will vary across the board. Some knives are built like tanks and can take a beating. Others look like they can take a serious beating and then fall apart in the middle of the job.

Now, I get it; you can’t eyeball the construction and quality of a knife. That’s why you generally stick with well-known companies like CRKT, Kershaw, Cold Steel, Buck or whoever you have access to.

These companies are well-known for their quality products – heck, Cold Steel and CRKT have a few products used in the military.

If you’re in the military, you can’t have your knife fall apart on you and if anyone’s going to beat on a knife, it’s a soldier on the frontlines.

4. Ease of Use

This is pretty straightforward, the easier a knife is to use, the better for the owner of the knife.

Look at the method of deployment, is it an automatic or a manual folder? Is it spring assisted? How do you deploy the blade? Can you open and close the knife with one hand?

Does it lock? Can other people handle the blade easily and safely?

That last question is particularly important. I’ve carried knives for years and my collection is steadily growing. Now, pretty much everyone in my family knows that I carry a knife so guess who they come to if they need a knife, or they need something sharpened; me.

Whenever I’m asked by my mom or one of my sisters for a knife, I try to give them something I know they can use safely.

A Swiss Army Knife, for example, can be handled by anyone. On the other hand, spring assisted, and automatic knives might spook a lot of non-knife people.

Locking mechanisms can be a tricky thing to work with – especially for someone who isn’t too familiar with knives.

So I try not to give my family members a locking blade unless (a) they know how the lock works and can operate it safely or (b) I’ve instructed them specifically to just return the knife as is (open) so that I can close it.

5. Aesthetics

The aesthetics of your knife are important. If you’re going to carry a knife every day you want it to look cool. This is where you can establish your own personal style as you get further down the rabbit hole of knives.

6. Price

Generally speaking, good quality knives can be found for a few hundred dollars or less,, but you don’t have to spend a ridiculous amount of money to get a good, reliable blade.

Now, that doesn’t mean spend hundreds on a knife; that’s not necessary. Shop around; camping/outdoor goods places, knife shops, and, of course, flea markets (my personal favorite) are all great places to get a good knife.

7. Carry Options

When I talk about carry options, I’m talking about the ways in which you can carry a knife. If it’s a fixed blade, can you carry on your belt?

How can you position the knife on your belt (vertically/tip down, horizontally, diagonally)? Can you attach the knife to your bag/gear? If it’s a folding knife, does it have a slip/pouch for on your belt or does it have a pocket clip? Is the pocket clip a deep carry clip or not?

What to look for in an EDC Knife

Where do you look and how do you select your first EDC knife? Well, you can find knives pretty much anywhere, but your best bet would be outdoor goods stores.

You can also check hardware stores, gun shops, certain butcheries may have knife cases, you can also go through online dealers. If you’re on a tight budget, you can trawl flea markets. Almost every flea market will have a knife table, and you’re usually not spending more than $200 on a knife.

Specific things to consider with a first EDC knife:

  • ✅ Type of knife (fixed blade, folding knife, multi-tool) and the use of the knife
  • ✅ The size of the knife
  • ✅ Carry options

First off, decide on what kind of knife you want to carry; is it a fixed blade or a folding blade, or a multi-tool. You also need to decide on how you plan to use the knife; no two blades will be able to perform all the same tasks identically.

The size and weight of the knife will dictate how easily you can carry a knife. It needs to be big enough to do most, if not all tasks but small enough that you can carry it comfortably either in your pocket or on your belt/around your neck.

As far as blade length, a 3- or 4-inch blade is usually big enough for most everyday tasks.

a fixed-blade EDC knife
a fixed-blade EDC knife

You also want to look at the blade profile, my personal preference is to have a fine/plain edge in a drop point shape. This is because, in my experience, a fine edge is less threatening than a serrated or combo edge (fine edge with serrations).

As far as carry options go, we’re talking about how you are carrying your knife. Is there pocket clip on a folding knife or sheath of a knife? Is the clip a shallow or deep carry clip?

If you’re dealing with a fixed blade, how are you carrying it? Is it around your neck? In your boot? On your belt? If it’s on your belt, how is it positioned? Is it horizontal on your belt or vertical (tip of the knife facing your feet)?

My final piece of advice would be to focus on comfort. If possible, handle the knife before purchasing it. If it feels good in your hand, you like how it looks, and you like the price point then go for it.

If it’s a nice-looking and matches your criteria but isn’t comfortable to hold onto then it may be a better idea to move on and find something that touches all points rather than only some points.

Safety with Knives

closed and sheathed folding knives
closed and sheathed folding knives

When it comes to safety, there are a few things to keep in mind:

  • ✅ Keep a knife either folded, or sheathed until you need to use it. If you don’t need to use it, there’s no reason for it to be open/unsheathed. Now, for transparency-sake, I do sometimes leave open/unsheathed knives on a table, shelf, or countertop but in my case; I live in a household where everyone knows not to play around with them.
  • ✅ Keep knives out of reach of children. This goes without saying, but keep your blades away from your little ones.
  • ✅ Don’t play with knives. This is a bit of a hypocritical statement from me because I play and mess around with my knives all the time. When I say: ‘don’t play with knives’ what I mean is don’t do things that put you at risk of serious injury. Knives are tools and they can cause some nasty injuries so treat them with respect.
  • ✅ Don’t let other people play with your knives. Letting others play with your knives puts you at risk of liability if they hurt themselves.
  • ✅ Don’t take the knife into places where it may cause problems for you or those around you. As odd as it sounds – an everyday carry knife not being carried every day – there are times where you’ll have to leave your knife at home. It’s generally not advised to take a knife with you if you’re a student in high school, as there are laws against carrying blades in such places.

In Closing

So, to recap, when looking to get your first EDC knife, look at:

  • Your local laws
  • The size (overall length, blade length, weight, etc.)
  • Ease of use
  • Carry options (pocket clip/no clip, etc.)
  • Construction and Quality
  • Price
  • Ergonomics of the handle
  • Blade Profile

These are a few things to consider when looking to buy your first EDC knife. Obviously, your individual circumstances, preferences, and needs will dictate what knife you buy. As always, thanks for reading.

I hope you guys enjoyed the article. I certainly enjoyed writing it and I hope you find it helpful. Thanks again and I’ll see you next time!

FAQs

Is a knife good for EDC?

The short answer is yes; a knife is good for EDC. A knife can be used for a multitude of things including processing boxes and cutting through clingwrap – if you’ve ever worked in retail, you’ll know exactly how useful that would be. You can also use an EDC knife in food prep.

Are EDC knives legal?

Depending on where you are in the world, the laws will differ, but generally speaking, yes, EDC knives are legal.

What is a good blade length for an EDC knife?

This would depend on what you’re doing or need to do. A blade length of around 2 to 3 inches is good for most cutting tasks.

Why EDC a knife?

Everyone has different reasons for carrying a knife, but a common trend is that it’s a useful tool to have on you.

Where can I buy an EDC knife?

Amazon has a huge selection of knives to choose from, and there are many other online retailers and outdoor goods stores that sell knives.

What type of blade is best for EDC?

Blade shapes depend on personal tastes but, objectively speaking, a drop point blade is probably the best. It works well for pretty much any cutting task including hunting and food prep, as well as opening boxes.

picking edc knives pinterest image

5 thoughts on “6 Things to Consider when Buying your First EDC Knife”

  1. Got first knife at 5 years old and have carried every single day for over 62 years. Not fully dressed without a knife; have carried two for several years. One is none, two is one; sometimes three is just right.

  2. If you’re in South Africa, I can understand if you disagree with this but my first consideration when buying a knife is “Where is it made?” I will absolutely not buy a knife that is not made in the USA. There are plenty of high quality knives – folding and fixed blade – that are made here. They are available if you just look.

  3. I have many different types of knives. Dress knives that may be a bit expensive, hunting knives, work knives (I am an electrician) and my EDC which usually a knife with at least a phillips head on it. I am always needing a tool but don’t want to carry a full Leatherman or Gerber multi-tool with pliers, too bulky. Currently I started carrying a Leatherman “Free”. Mostly I like assisted openers and in the last 25 years always locking blades. Like the last comment sometimes more than one. Especially at work where I keep a disposable blade razor knife in my tool belt or bag. I live in Kalifornia. The palm width is the general rule on blade length. There are concealed weapon issues too.

  4. So you are advising people to spend 200.00 on their first EDC knife? Not one of the knives you show in the picture come close to that price. I agree you need to buy a quality knife but you can get a good knife for 40-50.00 all day long

    1. I agree with you, it’s more than possible to get a good knife for 40 or 50.00. I probably could’ve phrased that a bit differently to make it a bit clearer that I’m not advising people to spend 200.00 on their first EDC knife.
      You’re right, none of the knives in the photos are 200.00 – with the exception of the SAK which was a gift – I bought most of them at flea markets. They were all sub-200 knives. Most if not all of my knives come from flea markets – hence I said; you’re seldom spending more than 200.00

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