The bolster isn t just a pretty piece of silvery metal. Paring knives are the most commonly used knife in a kitchen, with slicers coming in as the second most-used. Every cook needs a good parer and slicer, such as those shown here. Even if you have a knife block for storing your kitchen knives, you can t take it camping with you that s when the slip-sheath comes in handy. They re solid, and the hand-friendly grip helps you to control the blade easily.
Most designs come with a leather thong thumb-tether.
Slipping this over the thumb prevents the hand from moving up onto the blade, when cleaning game, yet it affords complete freedom of movement. The absence of a guard also means that these knives can really earn their keep by working in the kitchen when not applied to field use. The tether is not needed for kitchen work just let it hang off the rear of the handle. When done properly, the cigar will draw easily, and will not pass bits of tobacco into one s mouth. The instructions that come with the knife describe and picture these two cuts.