A folding utility knife is, as the name suggests, a tool used for the execution of general utility. Naturally, then, there are lots of things you might often use your knife for. 

But, with that said, like all tools, there is a limit to the durability and longevity of a utility knife, especially if you fail to properly care for it.

Even the best of the best folding knives can’t handle abuse like what’s covered below. If these apply to you, rethink how you use and care for your folding utility knife. It will thank you for it through longer service lifespan and superior operability.

Adding Too Much Oil

Folding utility knives have moving parts, and moving parts need oil, right? Well, sort of. Moving parts do need lubrication from time to time, because lubrication diminishes friction and wear. But it doesn’t need to be liquid. There are dry lubricants, like graphite, for instance. 

But this is neither here nor there. The problem with liquid lubricant is not innate, it is tied to volume. You can oil a folding utility knife, and in fact if you do you will lessen the risk of corrosion while also fighting back against friction-induced wear.

The difference is really about how much you use. See, if you apply too much oil to a pivot mechanism, that oil will attract dirt, dust, and other debris, and the whole thing will muck up into grime pretty quickly. 

That will not only counterintuitively increase friction at the pivot point, it will also introduce abrasive agents into the pivot mechanism, which can cause it to wear faster. Therefore, your maxim when oiling a folding knife should be “less is more.”

Never Cleaning It

Some stainless steel alloys are remarkably tolerant of neglect. Others, made of tool steels like D2 or 1095, are slightly more capricious. If you never clean these, one day you will open the thing up and it will be spotted with rust - or worse.

A folding utility knife, regardless of the alloy used to make the blade, should like all tools be cleaned periodically. And, the welcome truth of the matter is you don’t need to go overboard with it. Just wipe the blade clean and don’t put it away wet. That’s really all you need to do.

Never Tightening the Hardware

Folding utility knives usually feature scales fastened with screws, as well as a separate pivot mechanism also secured with threaded fastener.

These should be tightened periodically, as allowing them to loosen increases the risk that you’ll drop a fastener and then lose it, or that you’ll allow side-to-side play to develop in the blade.

The fix is easy enough, whereas the fix for a lost screw is not. Simply tighten all fasteners on your folding utility knife every once in a while and give it a scan to ensure that nothing is loose or missing before going on your way.

Exposing It to Marine Conditions

Here is one area in which you are going to need to clean your knife in-depth more after use than you would regularly - it’s any time you use the knife in or around marine conditions. 

Bad news for those of you that live in coastal areas, your knives are not going to last as long as those that live in the desert. But there’s not much you can do about that besides clean them properly and hope for the best. 

If you ever dip your knife in saltwater, cut bait, or do anything like that, you need to thoroughly rinse your knife off, then dry it, then rinse it once or twice more before drying it again. 

Make sure the knife is completely dry (and this is important) that you can’t smell saltwater on it anywhere, before storing. 

If you can still smell salt, that means the knife still has corrosive deposits on it. This can be problematic because some finishes are absorbent and will hang onto these corrosive components. So be thorough in your cleaning. 

If you aren’t and you fold the knife and put it away, the next time you pull it out it might be completely seized with rust.

Exposing It to Acid 

Acid will not necessarily damage your folding utility knife, but if your knife is made with a high-carbon, low-chrome, low-nickel tool steel, acid will likely damage the finish on the blade, and pretty quickly at that. 

So, for instance, if you’re preparing food with your knife and cutting lemons or tomatoes, make sure you rinse and wipe off the blade after use, quickly, because it only takes a few minutes of exposure to acids to etch the blade. 

Abusing It

Abuse is something that’s going to need a little bit of explanation, because there are many ways to abuse a folding utility knife, and not all of them are apparent. 

Some people call abuse “using a knife for non-knife things” and that sort of works. The point is that you shouldn’t beat up your knife and expect it not to flag. That is unreasonable.

Here are just a few of the things you should not be using your folding utility knife for:

• Prying or twisting
• As a crowbar or lever
• As a screwdriver
• As a hammer
• Striking tasks
• Scraping - the edge, at least, the spine can be used for this 

In addition to these caveats, it should also go without saying that you should not throw your folding utility knife. 

All in all, here’s the quick way to the bottom of this. If you think to yourself “should I be using my knife for this?” the chances are that you shouldn’t. Why would you have thought as much otherwise?

Even the Best Folding Knives Can’t Stand Up to These 

Time to replace your folding utility knife with one of the best folding knives on the market? Just make sure if the reason you need to replace it is one of the items listed here that you don’t repeat the offense. 

Take a look through our full catalog and if you have any questions or are looking for a specific model you don’t see listed, you get in touch with us.