Although counter-intuitive, the first measure of safety that may be employed in the use of a knife is to be using a sharp knife. Yes, a sharp knife will cut deeper, however a sharp knife will eliminate the excessive use of pressure needed when using a dull knife. It is the amplification of hand force that is required when using a dull knife that presents the danger. When the hand force intensifies, the chances of slippage and loss of control do as well. Twisting and sawing motions that instinctively present themselves when using a dull knife are the very movements that increase the potential of a sudden slip. Once the slip occurs, the knife will naturally have greater unexpected and uncontrolled travel than a slip with a sharp knife, since the hand force with the sharp knife would not have been as profound. In essence, the dull knife slip represents a larger release of energy due to the increased hand force and is more difficult to bring under control in a short distance. If the knife was sharp, the hand force would have been less and any slip could more easily be "caught" and stopped before injury occurs.

Another common injury that occurs is using the knife with an improper cutting stroke. Any cut should be thought of as an a line beginning at the object to be cut and going in a single direction. That direction should always be away from the body. Many a knuckle has been knicked by making a cutting stroke inwardly or toward the body or hand instead of away from the body. Serious eye injuries are more prone when using an improper cutting stroke. Always attempt when possible to cut in a whittling style, holding the object in one hand and forcing the knife through it and away from the body with the other hand.

Using a knife for a job that it is not suited has also resulted in many regrets. A knife is not a crowbar. If you need to pry something, get a pry bar, don't use a knife. A knife is not a chisel either. Hammering on the butt of a knife is not recommended. Neither is a knife an axe. While some light chopping can safely be done with many knives, use the right tool to get a proper job done. In these scenarios it is possible for the knife blade to break or chip and send a piece of itself upward toward a face or eye. Additionally, the unexpected release of force can cause loss of control and slippage, resulting in yet further injury. Improper use of Hunting Knives is in view here.

Akin to using a knife improperly is the practice of failing to use the right knife for the job. Demanding too much of a small blade in a job that a larger, heftier blade would be suitable is a gamble with safety. Ensure that the knife you have selected is up to the task and has the necessary cutting power the job will require. Overdriving a knife in a task too big for it's size will increase the possibility of breakage, slippage or similar injury. Improper use of pocket Knives is in view here.

The environment in which a knife is used must also be considered in proper safety. Wet conditions will increase the likelihood of slippage and injury. A cold environment may decrease hand strength and sensitivity which can combine in a dangerous mix. Similarly, be certain there is sufficient light when working with a knife. A dimly lit environment can present a danger.

Unexpected fold up while using a knife is responsible for many stitches and ER visits. Although this is not as common as it once was with the great improvements made in lock design, some of the lesser knives on the market can still present this pitfall. The moral of the story is - Don't use a cheap knife.

Throwing a knife is almost always a bad idea. Although mumbley peg is fun, a thrown knife has the potential for bouncing or riccochet, not to mention the danger of simple inacccuracy in the throw. Throwing is not advised.

Treat knives and guns in a similar manner. Always as if loaded or potentially dangerous. When treated with respect and care, the knife will be a reliable and safe companion. Tactical Knives.

Another long standing blade deployment system is that of the automatic knife. Known by most as a switchblade, the automatic knife will deploy the blade with force upon the triggering of some trip system, often a button but also taking the form of sliding or squeezing of the scales, pushing a slide button or depressing a finger button. These knives contain springs that are under tension while closed and release their energy when tripped, thus propeling the blade from the handle into an open state. Automatic knives have been demonized through Hollywood and labled nefarious thus resulting in their ban many years ago. This ban is more cosmetic than anything else as a plethora of knives exist on the market legally whose blades open just as fast if not faster. These knives come in two general varieties which would be switchblade style or out the front (OTF). The switchblade style is commonly recognized, however the OTF design hides the blade within the handle and deploys in a straight line outward until meeting a stop at which point the blade locks open.

Currently, one of the most popular blade deployment systems is the thumb stud. This again is a low tech but effective method in which a small post or even blade cutout is used as a grip point for the thumb and when pushed forward in a rotating manner, deployes the blade fully. Spyderco invented the thumb hole which follows this same process. Other knifemakers such as Gerber Knives and Emerson Knives often use the blade stud.

The cam system of opening a knife is less common, but is especially appreciated for its creativity and when well executed is an exciting addition to any knife. One of the well known knives in recent memory to use the cam system is the Camillus Cuda. By pushing forward on a circular thumb plate on the handle of the knife, the base of the blade is rotated in a semi-circle, thus opening the full blade length. A more creative and complicated system can be found on the Kershaw ET, which is too unique to describe however Blade Magazine awarded Kershaw Knives the 2005 Most Innovative American made design of the year for this knife.

Assisted opening folders were intrduced by Ken Onion in collaboration with Kershaw knives. Taking a cue from automatic knives, but limiting the function sufficiently to remain legal, the assisted opening knife blade is manually deployed with a thumb stud approximately 30% of the blade travel. After this point, an internal spring takes over and snaps the blade open under its own power. There are many such knives on the market today.

Finally, the genre of butterfly knives is a Philipino design in which the blade is deployed with a flourish of motion. The blade is maintained inside the split handles which are each hinged to the blade base by a rivet. Each handle half swings around to fully encapsulate the blade and similarly swings to expose the blade.

The various knife blade deployment systems to be had are limited only by imagination. More and more, unique ideas are croppng up to define the best and newest way of putting a cutting tool in your hand fast. Personally I look forward to the further refinements we will see in this area as the continuing evolution of the folding knife develops.

What’s more important than knives, or website commerce? If you care to find out, then read on. This part of the website is not attempting to sell you anything. I write this page because I am concerned about the things in life we all face; things that can discourage and confuse if we don’t have a proper perspective. If you will do me the favor of agreeing to read this document through to the end (10 minutes), I will agree to provide you with the most important personal information you have ever received.

I want to tell you about a remarkable truth. This truth is desperately needed in our world today. I see people going through life as if on a treadmill, wondering where is the peace, where is the justice? To say we live in an imperfect world is to state the obvious, but the truth is life does have purpose and meaning and there is something we can put our faith in, to believe that life is not random, but actually in total control and proceeding toward an incredible climax.

1. “I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly!” John 10:10

Those are the words of Jesus Christ, The Son of God that created the universe and gave life to you and me. Those words are a promise from Him to all who acknowledge Him as Lord and are willing to follow Him as Lord of their lives. God loves us and offers a wonderful plan for us, if only we will allow Him to give it to us.

However, many people ask if God loves us so much, why do we still have to deal with things like crime, war and cruelty? And if there is some ultimate plan, why does the world seem in such confusion? The reason there is so much pain and confusion in the world is because of the sinful nature of mankind. That means each and every one of us. Every man, woman and child was born into this life with a sinful nature that is separated from God and therefore born in bondage to pain, disease and finally death.

2. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

3. “We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” Isaiah 53:6

In short, the Bible tells us we have sinned and cannot measure up to the holy requirements of God (fall short of His glory), but this was not always so….

When God created the Earth and made mankind, His creation was perfect. There was no pain, disease and death as we now have. Unfortunately, we (mankind) destroyed that. Through disobedience we shattered the relationship we had with God and brought the curse of sin and death upon ourselves and upon the whole Earth. Since then, every child born has been born with a sinful nature.There were no hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis or tornadoes on the Earth before sin and the animals did not hunt one another down and devour each other alive. Neither did the ground produce weeds and thistles with such ease, yet good crops only by hard labor. The whole of creation has been cursed and affected by the sin of mankind, although that is not how God created it. It was perfect when he made it, but we (mankind) are the ones that brought a curse upon the Earth and through sin was death brought into the world and upon ourselves.

Before sin…

4. “And God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Genesis 1:31

After sin…

5. “…Cursed is the ground for your sake... both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you…” Genesis 3:17b, 18

6. “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken, for dust you are and to dust you shall return. Genesis 3:19

Many people think if they do enough good deeds, or donate enough money to charity, or give up bad habits, or any number of “good” things, it might be enough to counteract this sinful nature and earn God’s approval. It sounds like a plan, but God says it won’t work.

7. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God – not of works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 1: 8-9

Take this illustration of mankind trying to earn God’s approval through good works. We will compare two swimmers to be the best and worst people who have ever lived in human history. The worst person who ever lived is the swimmer who is fat, out of shape and has no endurance for swimming at all. The best person is strong, lean and an excellent swimmer. They are standing on the west coast looking at the Pacific Ocean. Their goal is to swim to Hawaii. As they strike out, the good man quickly pulls ahead. The bad man gets out only a short distance and begins floundering. Soon he drowns. I don’t need to tell you the rest of the story. The good man swims far, but eventually drowns also. Since it is about 2500 miles to Hawaii, even he never had a chance. Ironically, even after all his training and discipline, he never had any more of a chance than the bad man.

8. “Surely I have been a sinner from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Psalm 51:5

9. “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags: we will all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins will sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6

Hey, that sounds pretty strong! I have never murdered anyone you say. How can I be a “sinner”? Simply being a member of the human race includes you in that group. It isn’t necessary to have committed some atrocious act. Any sin will disqualify a person from entering heaven on their own merit, because God’s standard is perfection. Have you ever told a “little white lie”? Have you ever cheated on something? Have you ever looked at a woman/man lustfully or had lustful thoughts? Have you ever hated anyone? If you can answer yes to any of these, then you are part of the group. The scripture above states ALL of us have sinned. Yes, that does include you too.

So then is it true that no matter what we do we cannot come to God on our own merit? Yes! Does that mean there is no way for men and women to have the relationship with Him that he created us for? No! God does not want us to stay in this state of separation for even one second more. And perhaps that is why you are at this webpage today…

Historically, mankind has tried to justify himself to God by doing things we think might please Him and trying to be “righteous” or “religious”. But like the story of the swimmers shows, that can’t work. To use an analogy, with good works man has tried to build a tower up to God. God has said our efforts are useless. In His mercy, He has lowered a ladder to us.

10. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Jesus Christ came into the world so we may have the fellowship and salvation that is God’s plan for us. But what about this separation? When Jesus Christ came to Earth, lived a perfectly sinless life (not even a single sin) was crucified and rose from the dead: He opened a pathway through the separation between God and man. Jesus, as the Son of God, is the only one that could do that. We do not have the power to make right or undo the sins in our lives, but with Christ’s life, death and resurrection, an acceptable justification was made to God on our behalf. In essence, Christ “paid the bill” for our sins. Jesus Christ is the ladder that God has lowered to us, and only through faith in Jesus Christ may we experience the salvation and abundance that God has for us.

11. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the father except through me.” John 14:6

What about those who say all roads lead to Heaven and all you need is to be sincere, and God surely won’t refuse someone entrance to Heaven just because they don’t believe exactly the right things, right? I mean, what about all the Buddhists or Muslims or Atheists or the people in the jungles? Read the verse above a second time. It’s quite clear on the matter. Jesus says He is the Son of God and no one comes to the Father (goes to Heaven) except through Him (Jesus).

So what is the bottom line? In the first verse Christ tells us what he wants to do for us. He wants us to have LIFE and have it in abundance. The second and third verses say we don’t have this life because we have all sinned and separated ourselves from God. Verses 4 – 6 show this is not the way God originally gave the world to us, but through mankind’s own choices we have brought this situation on ourselves. To remedy this we may try to do “good” things to make ourselves feel better, but the seventh verse shows that is futile. However, God loves us and isn’t about to leave us cornered. In verse 10 God tells us He lovingly sacrificed His Son for our sake, so we would not have to suffer the eternal consequences of our sin. In verse 11 God reaffirms what He did about our situation, and reminds us that His plan of salvation through His Son Jesus is the only way.

This next verse tells us how we can accept this gift of salvation….

12. “”If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Romans 10:9

Please consider what you have read to this point. Is it possible you have been brought to this document on this day for a reason? If right now you can feel God calling you to repentance and salvation, don’t ignore it. Anytime the Gospel of Christ is presented to someone, it is an opportunity for that person to receive forgiveness and salvation if they are willing to acknowledge the truth and bow their knees to Jesus. Is that the hard part? Don’t let pride stand in your way. If you have read this far and you have never yet made a decision for Jesus, then Christ is calling you to a decision this very day. It is not your imagination.

13. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice

and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20

Christ wants you to open your heart to him. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. It does not matter what you may have done in the past. You do not have to wait until you “get your act together”. There is absolutely nothing you have done that He cannot handle.

14. “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have come not to call the righteous, but the sinners.” Matthew 9:12

Although we don’t like to think about it, no one knows how many days have been appointed each of us to live. For all you know, today may be your last day. Are you prepared to face eternity? Are you absolutely certain of your destiny? You can be. Put your faith in Jesus Christ, your Creator. He made you, He loves you, He died for you and He wants you to be with him forever.

15. “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” John 10:28

This world and all its petty charms is passing away. One day Jesus is going to return and the question of Who is God will be settled once and for all. By that time though it will be too late to take sides. If you are unsure or finding it difficult to believe, ask God to help you believe. If He really loves you the way He says He does, you would want to know Him, wouldn’t you? What have you got to lose?

I want to lead you now in a prayer if you have never done so. You can receive Christ’s salvation right now by praying from your heart in faith and belief the following prayer…

Dear God, I am a sinner and I am lost and I need to be saved. My sin deserves judgment but I want and need mercy. Jesus, you died to save me. You shed your blood to save me. You rose and lived to save me. You promised to save me if I would trust you. I do trust you Jesus. Come into my heart, forgive my sin, save me Lord Jesus. I don’t look for a sign or ask for a feeling. I stand on your promise and you cannot lie. You are my Lord and Savior. I will live for you. I will make it public. Begin now to make me the person you want me to be. In your name Jesus I pray, Amen.

That is a prayer of confession to Christ and acceptance of His gift of salvation. If you prayed that prayer and meant it you have begun your Christian walk in which Christ will show you His perfect will for every aspect of your life. It is up to you to be patient and responsive. If you have been born again, then like a newborn infant you crave food. Begin attending a Bible believing church. Attend a weekly Bible study that is sure to be offered. Above all, begin taking in the truth of God’s word in the Bible. It is here you will be fed and grow strong in Christ. My recommendation is to begin reading in the gospel of John in the New Testament.

I am not a proponent of “easy-believism” as some have called it, in which a person is told all they need to do is pray a formula prayer or raise their hand or walk an aisle or be baptized as an infant and then they are saved and don’t need to think any further of it. Having completed these “prerequisites”many of these people then continue to live their lives as if nothing happened.Giving your life to Christ is a life-long commitment. Genuine saving faith has clear characteristics. Some of them are these:

• Love for God

• Repentance from sin

• Genuine humility

• Spiritual growth

• Powerful obedient living

• Prayer

• Selfless love

As you grow in your faith you will begin to manifest these traits and see things in a new perspective. Christ does not promise to remove the hardships in your life, but He does say He will give you victory over them. This is part of the love and abundance He has for you and here you will find an inner peace that transcends the turmoil of the world at large.

Thank you for the time you have spent reading. I know it was well worth it. If you are now a new Christian, find other Christians who can encourage you. If you don’t own a Bible, see the link below as a suggested retailer to purchase one. I have no affiliation whatsoever with them. If you would like to listen to the word of God preached, I also have provided a link to a website where you can listen to and download good teaching, free of charge. Finally, remember to tell others about the good news you have found!

Peace,