So you want to buy a knife but you are not sure if you want to buy a pocketknife or a folding knife.  What is the difference anyway – don’t they both fold??  Well, yes – that is true, but there are differences.

Pocket Knife – According to Wikipedia, “a pocketknife is a folding knife with a blade that fits inside the handle and that is small enough to fit in a pocket.”  Most modern pocketknives are for light duty – and are a convenient tool for those many little tasks you might run into when other knives are not handy. Pocket knives have blades that are held in place – open or shut – by a spring mechanism, allowing the user to open and shut the blade easily.  Pocketknives come with single or multiple blades and some have additional tools and even forks and spoons – many options depending on your purpose.  One drawback to this type of pocketknife – since the blade does not lock open, it can be closed inadvertently.

A Folding Knife, on the other hand, is usually a little bigger, stronger, and has some sort of locking mechanism to hold the blade open. Because of this added strength, they can handle heavier duty tasks.  But since they are bigger, they are normally carried in sheaths, not in the pocket.  This locking mechanism makes the folding knives a little safer because the lock prevents the blade from accidentally being closed.  These knives come in many styles and usually have only one blade. 

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