Can I Use My Bowie Knife As A Screwdriver?

Your bowie knife is a very handy tool, indeed. It provides you with numerous benefits and uses, whether you are hunting, camping, fishing or even just working around your home. However, while that knife is an ideal tool for many different things, from cutting to slicing and even blazing a trail through the underbrush, you’ll find some things that it should not be used for. What should you not use your knife to do?

Let’s take the screwdriver usage as an example. Chances are pretty good that the tip of your bowie knife is going to fit well into the head of a screw, whether it’s a flathead screw or a Phillips head. However, actually turning the screw requires that you exert pressure on the tip of the blade. Unfortunately, the metal is not designed for this type of use. Usually, what happens next is that the tip of the blade bends. You might even find that the tip snaps off completely is you are using significant force.

Let’s look at using your bowie knife as a pry bar to get an even better feel for why these versatile knives should not be used for such tasks. When prying on something, it generally means that the item is either rather heavy, or it is jammed and stuck. While your knife might fit quite well under whatever that object might be, you can rest assured that you do not want to put the blade there. Even a small amount of pressure can actually bend the blade of your bowie knife, leading to some serious problems.

Chisel – Chiseling is something best left to specially designed tools. While your bowie knife might seem to have the right size and shape, and might even do a good job of it at first, you’ll find that it can quickly become blunted and damaged through this type of misuse. You’ll also find that use like this will void the warranty on the knife, if you have one.

Punch – Punches are used in a variety of different areas, from leatherworking to stonework. However, your bowie knife is most certainly not a punch. While it might do an ok job on leather or cloth, you’ll find that anything harder than this will leave your knife a ruined mess. Therefore, do not use your bowie knife as a punch.

Dave is the owner of an online bowie knife and glock grip extension store.