The neck knife is a wonderful invention for all the forgetful. On the scale of unforgettability, it is somewhere between glasses on a chain, gloves on a string, and car keys, which you can find using an app on your phone. However, this is not the only advantage of the neck knife, and not even the greatest. Do you want to find out what the others are? Read on.
Neck knife – a bit of history
Neck knives were worn long before they got the trendy name neck (just like the neck existed before it was called… do you get the joke?).
Perhaps you don’t believe it. You may not remember this. However, then you probably did not follow our fan page on FB too closely. If it were otherwise, you would immediately remember what we wrote about some time ago. In the most famous adaptation of Janosik from the 1970s you will see one of the heroes, Kwicoł, with a small knife around his neck. It is true that he used it mainly for the consumption of various delicacies, and the shape definitely differed from modern standards, but is it important?
Even though Janosik was created only 50 years ago, the series portrayed times much more distant. And okay, you can say it’s fiction, or that the costume designer might have been wrong. Perhaps you are right. But you know what? We have a feeling that it was exactly like on the TV screen.
After all, much, much earlier people often wore knives around their necks. It was for a simple reason – the blade itself was valuable enough. Adding a handle made of durable materials or a scabbard was too costly. That is why many people wrapped it with string, be its substitute, and hung it around their necks.
Neck knife today
How does it look like today? A lot of knife maniacs choose the neck knife, but still such a gadget can arouse surprise on an average person. The neck knife has ceased to have a purely utility function – now it is also an original ornament. That is why, this category of knives has to meet extremely high requirements in terms of both quality and design.
Neck knives occupy their niche in the knife market and you can find real gems there. The models differ in both the materials from which they were made, the shape of the blade, the type of handle, the sheath, and the price. Their size is rather conventional – they should be small enough to be handy to carry and large enough to be used comfortably.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a neck knife?
There are so many advantages that a day would not be enough to list them all, so we will focus on the most important ones:You can wear it even when you are not wearing clothes. For example, you lose a bet and have to spend the night naked in the woods. You can also wear it when you are extremely scantily clad. For example, in only panties you run away through the window from the enraged husband of your current (or now out of date) girlfriend. Of course, you can also wear it when you are fully dressed. Especially when an ordinary knife would be harder for you to remove, e.g. in an anti-Covid suit. You don’t have to grab it in your teeth when you want to make a knot after cutting e.g. a string and you need both hands. We have already mentioned it, but it is worth emphasizing – it is light. It won’t tire your arm (or neck), at least not so fast. Is beautiful. If you give someone a choice between a gold neck chain worthy of Jose Arcadio Morales or a neck knif, they will definitely choose the latter. It’s original. If you want to feel special, you can dye your hair blue, but a neck knife will be a much better way to stand out from the crowd. It has a fixed blade which makes it safer and easier to maintain than folding knives. Its functionality is as good as larger knives, and sometimes it is even better – for example, for precise works, such as planing or cutting. It happens that the handle is wrapped in paracord. Look what an amazing deal – you have both a knife and a paracord in the same amount! ; )
Do you need even more reasons to decide to buy a neck knife?
Of course, the neck knife has disadvantages. However, it has so few that one sentence is enough to describe them: it is too small to cut bamboo forests (in this case, choose a machete), you will not use it to obtain wood, and a piece cut from a loaf of bread will be slightly uneven. And sometimes you may dream that the blade suddenly falls out of its sheath due to gravity … don’t worry, it’s just an ugly nightmare that has nothing to do with the truth.
Neck knife – what will it be useful for?
Basically the same as other knives. A neck knife is a good choice for lonely, long trips to the forest, but it will also work in everyday life. You can take it for a camp: be it a scouting, survival or language one. For a barbecue with grandparents, a fire with friends and a trip with the kids to Morskie Oko. Basically, there is no occasion that it doesn’t fit.
What can you do with a neck knife? A neck knife is convenient for slicing: you can easily cut an apple or bacon. You can use it to sharpen sticks for a fire or arrows for a self-made bow. You will cut twine, line, line or various materials. You will carve a heart in the tree with the initials of your loved one. You open a can or can with a broken pin. You’ll pick a splinter out of your thumb (or cut it off). You can even put it around your neck and parade along the promenade in Sopot, looking for girls to impress.
Neck knife recommended
The choice of knives on the market is really big. Manufacturers offer newer and newer models, tempting with unusual designs, good prices or exceptional quality. No wonder that it’s hard to find your dream model in the flood of this information. We have some proven proposals for you. Perhaps your heart will beat faster with one of these knives.
QSP Knife Neckmuck QS125-A
This is a functional neck knife from a lower price range. A good choice at the beginning if you do not want to invest a large amount in a neck knife, but you want to check if you like this form of carrying a knife.
The origin of the name of this model is interesting. “Neckmuck” is a nice word game that combines the words neck and nessmuck – the name of the blade shape inspired by the knives used by Georg “Nessmuck” Sears. Neckmuck, both with its name and shape, refers to the old outdoor traditions and will be perfect for field trips.
We also wrote about this gem in one of our articles: The best outdoor knives you can afford.
ANV Knives P100
The complete opposite of Neckmuck is the P100 from ANV Knives. It’s hard to imagine a more minimalist EDC knife blade. It is slim and elegant, extremely light and handy. The handle is left without a casing, but you can wrap it with paracord (;)) and wear it around your neck. However, if it happens that this way of carrying the knife does not suit you, you can easily attach it to your belt.
When you buy P100, you choose high-quality steel and a minimalist finish. Also its Kydex® holster is thin, light and elegant. The whole thing will go great with your outfit, but don’t worry – it also goes well with wandering in the woods, even without a suit.
TRC Knives Speed Demon
A neck knife to fight demons? We know nothing about such a feature, although we would not be surprised. Meanwhile, however, we present you the Speed Demon neck knife from TRC Knives. This is a model from a series inspired by characters from previous eras, “Tales of Man”, about which we wrote more on our blog in the article A guy and his knife: a deep relationship. Speed Demon is inspired by the American rally driver from the beginning of the 20th century – Frank Lockhart.
Like its predecessor, the Speed Demon is effective and versatile. One would like to say: fast, but it depends only on your dexterity. The Speed Demon neck knife is durable thanks to the use of premium Elmax steel. It is medium in size, has a skeleton structure and an extremely modern look. This is an everyday knife that will be useful not only for lovers of fast driving …
MK Knives & Tools MK-07
For the end, we left a real gem, the MK-07 model made by the excellent Polish knifemaker, Marcin Kampka, with whom you can read the interview on our blog. MK-07 is the perfect blade for the followers of minimalism. Its small size becomes a great advantage when you want maximum discretion and at the same time you want a knife that meets the highest quality standards.
MK-07 is a neck knife with a wharncliffe blade, made of premium Elmax steel. Like all knives from MK Knives & Tools, it impresses with its careful workmanship and modern design. You can wear it around your neck or attach it to your belt – vertically or horizontally. An innovative CNC concave cut and a minimalist Kydex® holster complete this unique neck knife.
Why choose a neck knife?
A neck knife is a good choice basically always. Do you need a light and handy knife? Choose a neck knife. Do you want a blade that is effective, functional and for a variety of tasks? Get a neck knife. Are you dreaming of an original necklace? Opt for a neck knife. Every reason is good to buy a neck knife, so stop hesitating and order your dream blade.