5 Tips & Tricks To Maintain Your EDC Knife

| Last Updated: October 23, 2022

This guest post comes to us from David, David is a blogger at besttentforyou.com where he reviews and evaluates the best outdoors gear and equipment so you can make the best decision on your next purchase. These articles are insightful and go into detail to give you the most information possible.

5 Tips and Tricks I Use to Maintain My EDC Knife

Preventing Rust

It’s important to keep your blade oiled up. In some conditions where there is more moisture in the air with a little salt which is common particularly in coastal areas. This of course makes a blade rust at a more rapid rate. Even if its stainless steel it will still rust it over a period of months or years. To prevent this I recommend oiling the blade ideally once a week or a least once a month.

You can use a variety of oils most things will work well like WD-40/ DriLube or most spray oils work great. Using this oil is also great for maintaining a folding knife where you apply a little oil to where the blade pivots. This will undoubtedly allow the blade to pivot more effortlessly and will keep the mechanism in the best condition possible. It’s important to keep the pivot mechanism in good condition because this tends to be the weak point on some knives particularly after months and months of usage.

Cleaning

It’s important to keep the whole blade clean including the knives casing ideally. This will prevent the knife from corroding over time. Even if you have a high quality EDC that is corrosion resistant it can still become damaged over time typically from the steel becoming oxidized which will damage the blade over time. So it’s imperative that you keep the blade clean from any dirt or debris and ideally dried off. I would recommend you do this after every single use, it will certainly keep the blade in better condition.

Here's a suggested cleaning kit

Sharpen your Blade

It’s important to sharpen your blade. Most sharpers will be sufficient at the job at hand. I would recommend that you sharpen your blade as often as possible after every use. It’s particularly important if your blade is being used for some more rigorous tasks. Using a whetstone is one of the most effective ways to do this.

Use your Knife Often

If may sound silly but it, but if you use your knife often it’s not going to rust or discolor as quickly as if it were just sitting in your draw. Ideally I would suggest that you only use one knife. I know for some people this just isn’t possible but it’s definitely better for the regular user.

Choose the Right EDC for Your Needs

It’s important to pick the right knife for your needs. For example, let’s say you are going to do some cutting that puts a lot of force and pressure on your knife. In this case its important you use a fixed blade. If you were to use a flip knife this would put a lot more pressure on the pivot and it would likely not last as long than if you were using a fixed blade instead. So it’s very important that you think about what you will use the knife for and what’s the most suitable option for you, best folding knives or a fixed blade.

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