Anyone who owns a knife should be able to provide it with an impressive variety of accessories. Hunting knife accessories fall under four main categories. They include cleaning kits, sheaths, knife bags, and knife sharpeners. Each of these categories plays an important role in ensuring your hunting knife is safe, functional, and lasts for a longer period of time.
The kind of pocket knife that you own will play a very important role in determining the kind of accessories you should purchase. You should also consider your budget. In today’s article, we will look at the important knife accessories and their importance.
Hunting Knives Sharpeners
Your hunting knife will lose its sharpness each and every time you run it through an animal’s meat and skin. Owning a reliable sharpener is very crucial for any knife owner. A hunting knife that is dull can be so dangerous to the user. It is unpredictable and a lot of force is needed to make it work. There are two options of hunting knife sharpeners that you can choose from.
A whetstone
This is a special type of stone used to sharpen all types of cutting tools. Whetstones are also referred to as water stones. We have two types of whetstones, natural and synthetic ones. The natural whetstones are cut from the sedimentary rocks. Always go for a double-sided whetstone.
As the name suggests, this stone should be well soaked in water for approximately 30 to even 24 hours before usage. As long as there are no more bubbles produced. Make sure the pores are filled with water, this will create a smooth surface to sharpen your hunting knife blade. A combination of water and whetstone dust results in a slurry that does most of the work during sharpening.
The synthetic whetstones are made of bonded abrasives. They provide consistent size and density of particles. They are more accessible and affordable. When using a whetstone to sharpen your hunting knife, hold it and place its blade flat against the spine at a slight angle. Use one of your hands to move the hunting knife up and down the whetstone to make the blade sharp.
Electric Knife Sharpener
This is a great accessory that everyone owning a knife should consider having. Electric blade sharpeners are preferred for quicker and easier sharpening. They will save you money and time. Many people prefer them over whitestones since they are faster.
When using this kind of sharpener you need to pull your hunting knife blade through the slots slowly and without much effort, allow the abrasives to do their work. You should pull through the slot several times in order to achieve your desired degree of sharpness. Unplug your electric blade sharpener from the socket after usage and avoid any water.
Honing Rod
This is also referred to as a sharpening rod, steel sharpener, or sharpening stick. Honing rods are not knives sharpeners though. Honing rod will hone your hunting knife blade but not sharpen it. Sharpening involves friction to create a new edge that is sharper while honing involves maintaining that sharpness. A honing rod removes any microscopic metal bits that will have built up on your hunting knife. They won’t wear down your knife blade unlike the electric sharpener and whitestones.
Knife Sheaths
These are fitting covers or cases for any knife blade, especially the fixed blade knives. Sheaths are made of different materials, shapes, and sizes. The material could be leather metal, nylon, wood, Kydex, or even plastic. The metal sheaths could either be steel, iron, brass, or bronze. The size and shape of your sheath will depend on the shape and size of your hunting knife blade.
Many people prefer sheaths made of leather since they are comfortable and easy to clean. The only issue with them is that they can absorb moisture and get it transferred to your knife blade. This will result in rusting. Kydex sheaths which are mainly thermostatic materials are durable and cannot be damaged when exposed to salty water or extreme environments. Taking the hunting knife in and out of the sheath repeatedly will make its edge dull.
Others prefer plastic sheaths because they are cheaper. Generally, knife sheaths ensure your hunting knife is safe for transportation, it protects the blade wire, allows the blade to be extracted easily especially during self-defense, prevents the blade from falling accidentally, and most importantly for aesthetics.
Knife Bags
There are different materials and designs of knives in the market. There are those made of leather, nylon, or even polyester. Nylon and polyester materials are resistant to stains and very durable. There are three options of bags that you can use to carry your hunting knife. We have a knife roll, messenger bag, and a backpack.
A knife roll is best for anyone who would want to carry a set of hunting knives. It has pouches of different sizes to fit the different sizes of hunting knives. Choose the correct size, style, and material of your straight blade knife. Messenger bags are a bit bigger than the knife roll. They also come in different materials, the most common being polyester and nylon.
Messenger bags have pockets specifically made for your hunting knives to fit in.
Backpacks are the largest among them all. Backpacks have spaces to carry different camping knives and any other accessories that may be needed.
Cleaning Kits
Cleaning your hunting knives after use prevents the blade from rusting. There are various cleaning kits including lubes, polishes, and oils. Always apply what you prefer among the three after using your hunting knife. Wipe the blade with a piece of cloth, preferably damp, dry it then apply either lube, oil, or polish.
Conclusion
Knife accessories are crucial in keeping your hunting knives safe and ensuring they last for longer periods. As much as you might consider your budget, always go for high-quality knives. Contact us for more information concerning hunting knives.
You can also follow us through the following ways:
https://www.facebook.com/ShieldonCutlery
https://www.instagram.com/shieldon_knives_and_tools/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_Dz–HODWHFY4AaUF0z11Q
https://twitter.com/Shieldonknives1/
https://shieldonknivesandtools.tumblr.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/72285346/
https://www.pinterest.com/shieldonknivesandtools/
More video introductions：
EN 
EN
ES 
FR 
RU 
PT 
KO 
ID 
MS 
IT 
DE 
TL