Knives are either a luxury or a necessity, it depends on who you are and what you do with one. Knives range in quality from very lousy to exceptional.

And of course knives range in price from a darn good bargain to a little less than a good used car.

Do you want a knife?, If so what is your budget?, How will you be using it, and how often do you want to have to do maintenance on it?

Decide first these questions and you will be ready to decide on what knife is right for you. Most people want a knife that is

1.) Low-maintenance

2.)Good for most normal tasks, (not cutting wire, tin, glass, prying things, digging holes, taking out or putting in screws,etc.)

3.) Is of low cost.

With this in mind, here are some thing to consider when making a purchase.

Who makes the knife? Good makers are found in the U.S.,Canada,Brazil,Europe, Russia, Japan, China (yes there are some very good China made knives even though most are junk), Taiwan, Phillipeans Islands, Australia, New Zeeland, and almost every other country in the world.

Most brand name knives are going to be of decent quality, some better and some worse.

But I want to focus more on some specific qualities that I always look for in a good Pocket/folding knife.

First is the steel it is made from, it should be made of a good high carbon steel.

Most knives are made from steel like this, so also look to the specific type of steel.

Some good ones are in stainless; 440A,440C, 420A, 420C, 420HC, 420J and J2,and several others. These steels are what most knives are made of today. And the knives can range in quality from very cheap to very expensive.

For example I have a cheap China made knife that I carry often which has 420J2 stainless steel. The knife costs less than $5.00. It is an O.K. knife that won't hold an edge too long but is easy to sharpen.

I also have a Cold Steel knife that is made of 420J2 steel. It does hold an edge very well and it is a very well made knife. It cost $65. So why is the Cold Steel so much more costly? Because the blade is properly heat treated and hardened. It has the extra step of having a hardened blade, better assembly and a tighter fit and finish. So be aware that the type of steel alone is not enough information to make a decision.

Secondly look at how well the knife is put together. Does the blade open easily and smoothly or does it open very roughly and with a lot of force.

Are the handles made of a good and durable material. Some good handle materials are: Wood (preferably hard wood, Bone, Stag,Micarta, Plastics ie. G-10,Polymers, Stainless steels, Rubber, And a whole lot of other materials.

I have an expensive Cold Steel triple action folder that has Aluminum handles. The knife cost around $80 and after a couple of weeks carrying it in my pocket it looked terrible. It looked 20 years old and abused. The handles were not hardened enough to withstand this type of carry. I also have a Gigand/Fred Carter knife. It cost around $35 and has Aluminum handles. But these are T-6 Aluminum that is hardened. This knife has been carried for several months and it still looks good. It has a few scratches but nothing major or real obvious. So again, do some homework on handle materials and how you use a knife.

My favorite handle material is Micarta. It looks good wears well and is light weight, and will stand up to most solvents and chemicals that a knife should come in contact with.

Thirdly, Look for knives that are tight in the pivot and have good lock up in the lock blade variety. My favorite are linerlock, because you can open and close them with one hand easily. But Al Mar knives have a Mid-lock on the back that works almost as easily with one hand. Axial locks, Pivot locks, regular lock back, all have pro's and con's so get what suits you. Just examine the blade and lock carefully and make sure it is well made.

Lastly, I look for a combination of all the above items and compare these to the bottom line which for me is often the price.

I try to find a knife with at least 440C steel or the better steels like ATS-34, VG-10, 154CM, D2, etc.

I also look for knives that are well made and look good. I like a knife that attracts attention. One that will look good after being carried in the pocket and used for several years.

I want a knife that I can find out the Rockwell hardness of the blade, this is often only found on the makers website. It should be 56HRC or higher. I prefer 59HRC or higher. Knives with these levels of hardness will give good service and the edge will last longer.

Next I look to the country in which it is made, there are exceptions to these guides but here are mine, The best knives with the best steels come from two places in the world.

First is Seki, Japan. This is where the very best knives come from. They use the best steels, the best materials, and finish a knife to perfection. Brands to look for:Moki, MCusta, Seto, Seki-Cut, Hiro, Sakai, Beretta, some Browning knives, and others. Do your homework on the internet and you will discover some great info.

Second is Scandinavia. There are several companies that make knives in the Netherlands, Sweden,FinLand, etc. that are on par with Seki made knives.

The Swedes have perfected a steel called Powdered Steel that is fantastic. It is as good or better in some respects to the best Japanese steels. The only drawback is that these companies usually don't make truly beautiful knives. They tend to focus on producing functional knives. So most of their knives are not the type that someone will say Hey what kind of knife is that.

Again do some homework and look for these brands: Fallkniven, Helle, Klotzli, etc.

Third is Taiwan, I know this will raise some eyebrows but the fact is there are several companies in Taiwan who produce world class knives. There are a lot of junk makers there as well. Do your homework on the internet and look for these names: Gigand, Columbia River Knife and Tool, Buck, Benchmade, Spyderco, Fred Carter, etc.

Buy the best steel you can afford, the best materials you can afford, and the best fit and finish you can afford, and you will get a good knife that should last for many years.