penknife

A penknife, or pen knife, is a British English term for a small folding knife. Originally, penknives were used for thinning and pointing quills to prepare them for use as dip pens and, later, for repairing or re-pointing the nib. They did not necessarily have folding blades, but resembled a scalpel or wood knife by having a short, fixed blade at the end of a long handle.

Today the word penknife is the common British English term for both a pocketknife, which can have single or multiple blades, and for multi-tools, with additional tools incorporated into the design. Over the last hundred years there has been a proliferation of multi-function knives with assorted blades and gadgets, including; awls, reamers, scissors, nail files, corkscrews, tweezers, toothpicks, and so on. The tradition continues with the incorporation of modern devices such as ballpoint pens, LED torches, and USB flash drives.

The most famous example of a multi-function penknife is the Swiss Army knife, some versions of which number dozens of functions and are really more of a folding multi-tool, incorporating a blade or two, than a penknife with extras.

1. The first thing to do is read the instructions. Learn how to care for and maintain the knife correctly.

2. Take note if the blade(s) on the knife are lock blades or not. If not, think what might happen if you do not use the knife properly. Also, think of what the tool is realistically able to achieve, don’t push it to hard and cause injury.

3. Always cut away from yourself. In particular there is a big artery in your thigh which can be life threatening if damaged.

4. Get used to holding your knife with the different tool settings, be comfortable and confident in using them when out and about and always ask for help if you are not sure.