The selection of knives is largely dependent on the knives’ quality, durability, characteristics, and efficiency in operation. You may have seen blades with varying features, and knives with holes in the blade may be one of them.
It is not easy to understand why knives with holes in the blade makes sense, unless you have used them before.
The holes found on knives in pocket knives, kitchen knives or utility knives are much more functional that most people realize.
Benefits of Knives With Holes in the Blade
- Minimize Cutting Friction
- Reduces The Knife’s Weight
- Ease of Hanging
- Have Anti-Stick Effect
- Boosts Aesthetics and Flexibility
- Ease of Opening the Knife
- Brand Recognition
- Tool Hole
- Cost Saving
Minimize Cutting Friction
When cutting something, friction arises between the knife blade and the item you are cutting. The greater the friction, the harder it is to cut through. Greater levels of friction imply that you will have to exert more energy to cut through.
You will experience too much friction while cutting using a smooth-edged knife. However, there is less friction between the blade and the item you are cutting with knives with holes.
Friction is cut down through the removal of some of the material from the knife’s blade through the creation of holes.
Minimal friction means you will apply minimal energy to cut, which results in a fine and hastened cut.
Reduces The Knife’s Weight
Heavy knives are cumbersome but strong, they make the cutting process tiring. If most of your work involves using a knife, a heavy knife will weigh you down and may cause your hands to be sore.
However, creating holes plus dimples on a knife’s blade reduces its weight, making it lighter. Creating holes comprises getting rid of some material, facilitating the loss of some weight without compromising on the knife’s quality and strength.
Light knives are portable, especially with outdoor excursions. If you are going fishing, hunting, or camping, a knife may come in handy. A light knife will make the outdoor experience more exciting and comfortable as you do not get tired of carrying it.
Ease of Hanging
Proper storage of knives in the kitchen is paramount to avoid causing injuries or knives getting misplaced. Most individuals utilize kitchen drawers, magnetic strips attached to the kitchen walls, and other means.
However, some kitchen knives are huge and weighty to fit in the storage facilities, as mentioned earlier. Such knives include machetes and meat cleavers. Hanging presents itself as the more suitable storage mode.
That explains the importance of the hole found on the front area of meat cleavers’ blades, which are usable in kitchens.
Hanging makes the knives very accessible and visible, more so if you have to use the knife frequently. Hence, if you are shopping for a meat cleaver, it would be practical to go for meat cleavers with holes for easy and suitable storage.
Have Anti-Stick Effect
Food or items being cut tend to stick more on the side of a knife’s blade. That is often the case if the knives have smooth blades. That is made worse when cutting things into very slim or tiny pieces.
However, the holes on the knife blades create an anti-stick effect making the cutting process easy. The anti-stick effect is felt more when cutting through huge items, thanks to the holes on the knife blade.
On Japanese Santoku knives, there are scalloped edges that serve the same purpose discussed.
Boosts Aesthetics and Flexibility
Holes on knife blades are useful in boosting their beauty. Most consumers will buy according to what they see. A knife may be quality and durable in terms of carrying out its operations.
However, if the knife is not appealing to the eye, most buyers will avoid the knife and go for the one with an appealing look, regardless of its functionality. This applies to pocket knives with holes and kitchen knives.
Moreover, kitchen knives with holes make your kitchen appear stylish. You want people to find your kitchen beautiful and appealing. Thus, you will find some individuals buying a kitchen knife because of its holes, and not its effectiveness in its operations.
On top of enhancing your kitchen’s look, knives with holes can make your kitchen multipurpose.
Ease of Opening the Knife
Some knives have huge holes entrenched on the blade in the area close to the handle. The pocket knives are associated with the holes close to the handles.
The holes are important as they ease the opening of the knife using a thumb more so if your other hand is busy with something else.
The hole enables quick opening of the pocket knife without any protruding part that may hinder the normal functioning of a pocket knife.
Brand Recognition
Some knife manufacturers utilize holes on the knife blades to identify their brand. They can input holes on any part of knives to distinguish their brands from others in the market.
A knife-producing company like Spyderco is one such company that has utilized holes to differentiate its knives from those of its market competitors.
Standing out from a crowded market is vital if you are to realize vast profits. The knives with holes are often associated with quality and class. If the holes help identify you in the market, why not use them to get a huge market base. After all, you do not sacrifice any strength or durability with the holes.
Tool Hole
Some knives have weird-looking holes either at the tip or the spine of the knife for specific types of jobs. A bayonet for example used by the Special Forces does have a tool hole at the tip used for cutting wires.
The hole is used in combination with the sheath to make a pair of makeshift wire cutters. What’s more, a stainless steel knife with cool looking holes has an added touch of appeal as well.
Cost Saving
Also, there is a cost-saving benefit derived from creating holes on the knife blades. Knife manufacturing industries can accumulate the knives’ blades’ material while creating holes to manufacture additional knives.
Thus, manufacturers utilize less material making the manufacturing costs drop. That makes the knives slightly more affordable to the consumers.
The cost-saving advantage trickles down to the consumer, who pays less for the knife than it would have cost to purchase had the knife been manufactured without holes.
Conclusion
Understanding the characteristics of a knife is imperative as it aids in selecting more quality, durable, and efficient operating knives. While there may be many different types of knife blades, knives with holes in the blade do serve many purposes.
Holes on the knife are a special feature, which serves various benefits, including minimizing cutting friction, making knives less weighty, ease in storage, anti-stickiness, brand recognition, ease in opening a knife, and beautifying the knife.
The holes show that you cannot take anything for granted. The holes serve a purpose, making the knife selection a serious activity.
