Unless you are a dedicated outdoor type that reads all the outdoor magazines or a dedicated knife collector or knife maker you may have never heard the term "neck knife" much less seen one. The name itself makes it rather hard to visualize this item. A morbid non sports person may make a very inaccurate assessment of these little specialty knives. It takes but little imagination to understand the use of a skinning knife or a boning knife or a fillet knife or boot knife. Well that last one could be a little confusing. Boot knives are not used to manufacturer boots but rather to be carried in a boot. See how confusing this can be?

But what in the world is a neck knife used for? As with specialty or collectible knifes these Knives come in a wide variety of style and price but all are designed for a singular purpose. However most any knife will have multiple uses. You can carve a turkey with an electric knife. Chop down a small tree with a large hunting knife. Whittle cedar chips or shape a piece of art with a pocket knife. While you would not normally walk around with an electric knife it would not be unusual for the average person to carry a pocket knife or the hunter to have a good knife hanging from a belt.

The idea is to have the knife available quickly when needed.

A scuba diver may need his knife to free himself from a discarded fishing net so he carries it securely strapped to his leg. The idea is to make the knife as accessible as possible. Once you understand this it is easier to guess the purpose of a neck knife.Availability is the key word here. The neck knife is designed to hang around the users neck. These knifes are made to be small and yet very quickly grasped if needed. In olden times before the advent of firearms when bladed weapons were the main method of defense or offense, these knives may have been very popular. Quickly drawn the knife could be used to ward off a rabid dog or a rabid robber. In our civilized society the knife is more likely to be worn as a piece of jewelry or perhaps as a weapon to ward off a rabid dog or a rabid robber. Some things never change. Also if the knife is worn outside of clothing the wearer would not normally run afoul of the carrying a concealed weapon law.

A quick check on the inter net reveals dozens of styles and sizes from knives produced by knife companies to works of art hand made by artisan knife makers. Evidently these neck knives are still very popular.

By Chet Hastings