Guide to knives and their uses

Guide to knives and their uses

Which knife is the right one for you? Even though choosing your #oneknifeforlife is usually about what you personally prefer, there are several factors to consider since knives are made for different purposes. We thought we’d share some information that’ll help you sort out what characteristics you’d want and need for your knife. 

Full tang VS Partial tang

First of all - what is a tang? The tang of the knife is the unsharpened part of the steel blade that goes into the handle.

A full tang extends the full length of the grip-portion of a handle, versus a partial tang which does not. A full tang may or may not be as wide as the handle itself but will still run the full length of the handle. A full tang knife has a steel blade that runs through the whole handle. The two pieces of  the handle that surround the knife are fastened by two metallic rivets.

A partial tang is the complete opposite with a steel blade that only extends partially through the handle. Which makes it more of a lightweight handle. A partial tang has a complete seal against moisture and reduces the thermal expansion in the grip/tang.

Now you may wonder if this makes the quality differ between our full tang and partial tang knives? No - it's more a choice of what you personally prefer. So why are there two different models? There are many reasons for having full tang or partial tang types in different knives. Each model has its strengths and weaknesses depending on what you’re planning to use the knife for.

Our full tang knives

If you’re looking for a survival knife or tend to use your Roselli mainly for bushcraft we’d suggest our full-tang blades, because it contributes with greater strength. Yes, full tang knives tend to be better than partial tang knives if all else is created equal and if the task is to be used for ‘extreme conditions’. Meaning conditions that are well beyond anything the average person is ever likely to experience in their lifetime.

However, keep in mind that whatever tang-model, it is not the only sign of quality in a knife. The steel and the blade makes a big difference which is why it is highly unlikely that your Roselli partial tang will ever fail you in your lifetime.

Which steel should I choose?

Our standard carbon steel with 0,8% carbon is anything but standard. This steel is our most trusted and used. Hard, durable and reliable - it is made to get the work done, and easy to get back to full sharpness by yourself.

Our own Ultra High Carbon (UHC) steel contains 1.8 - 2.0% carbon. The Roselli UHC steel is considered one of the hardest steel qualities in the world - with our UHC models measuring around 62-63 HRC (Hardness Rockwell C). This level of strength makes an extreme sharpness possible, and an edge which will stay sharp for a very very long time.

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