Thanks to the internet, the knife collecting scene is stronger than it’s ever been before.
There are literally hundreds of YouTube videos where knife enthusiasts proudly showoff their EDCs (that’s ‘Every Day Carry’ for those of you reading this who are just getting into the scene) and other pieces. Some of these videos have amassed tens of thousands, in some cases even hundreds of thousands of views, and in a handful of instances these videos have already climbed past a million views.
One of the most interesting things you’ll notice when you see these videos is not only how passionate popular YouTubers like ‘X4CTO‘ and ‘DarkChild57‘ are about their knives, but also how much care and attention they give to the methods in which they store and display their hardware.
You’ll find that this is common in the world of knife collecting—attention to detail. The “knife nerds” (this is how they are affectionately referred to in the community) usually like to have separate storage cases for their folding knives, fixed blades, and Swiss Army knives.
It’s also pretty common for knife collectors to be fans of fine engineering and machining in general,and so you’ll often find that they are also avid collectors of specialty firearms, wristwatches, compasses, and other cool gadgets.
For now we’re going to keep it simple though and focus on some of the best folding knife storage ideas that are out there.
Pelican Case With Pick -N -Pluck Foam
A Pelican case lined with layers of Pick -N -Pluck foam is the standard for law enforcement, military, the film industry, the road crews for touring rock bands, and others who need a tight and safe fit for their pieces of equipment.
As such, this is also the preferred option for collectors who want to store their extensive collection of utility and tactical folding knives. So let’s explain what both of these products are and how they work in tandem to provide one of the best storage options for folding pocket knives.
A Pelican Case is manufactured by the company of the same name. This is a molded industrial grade plastic case that form an air and water tight seal when it is closed. These cases also feature a Gore -Tex relief valve that controls the pressure inside the case.
What this means is that air can get in and out of the case as need be, but liquid and dust never can. The preferred model among knife collectors appears to be the Pelican 1300.This model provides enough space to house between 30 and 40 pocket knives when you store them vertically.
And how do you store them exactly? Well, this is where the Pick -N -Pluck foam comes into play. At first glance, it looks like any other solid piece of foam. But if you spread it apart ever so slightly with your fingers and take a closer look you’ll see that it is actually a three dimensional grid consisting of 1 inch cubes.
These cubes can be removed in order to create a cavity with the shape and depth of your choosing. Seeing as how different pocket knives have different shapes, the Pick -N -Pluck foam is perfect because you are able to create a specific shape for each knife for a nice snug fit.
If you only have a few pocket knives to store but you are planning on acquiring more the Pelican case with Pick -N -Pluck foam is great because it means you don’t have to make a space for a knife until you purchase it.Furthermore, if you want to store a few pocket knifes together with
your favorite folding knives, guns, or any other items you can. You determine the exact size and shape of the spaces. We find that the best way to do this is placing the butt end of the knife handle or other object on the foam and then tracing its contour by placing tooth picks around it so you can see which cubes you need to pluck out.
As for the foam itself you have two options: the Pick -N -Pluck foam that comes with a Pelican case is either open cell poly ether, packaging foam in black or Ethafoam semi -rigid foam in white. Both of these options can handle extremely high loads, especially the second.
Is There Any Alternatives To Pelican?
A Pelican Case for folding knife storage runs for about a hundred bucks, which is incredibly good value. However, other companies are making Pelican style knockoffs and selling them for a fraction of this price and yet you still get a high quality product.
For example, MTM electronics makes a pelican style case that also comes with its own cube grid foam that works exactly the same way as the Pick -N -Pluck foam. It also has a pressure release valve. Whether the quality of the materials is as good as those used in a Pelican case is questionable, but unless you’re going to be jumping out of airplanes or scuba diving with your knife case you’ll probably be fine.
Other knife collectors opt to buy the Pick -N -Pluck foam separately and use it inside an old metal ammunition box. Not only does this work well for storage but there’s an undeniable coolness factor in being able to store your knives where rounds of bullets are usually stored.
The Spyderpac from Spyderco
If you talk to a number of survivalists, electricians, and others who carry different knives for different tasks and therefore have amassed quite a collection one of the most common complaints you’ll here is that it’s hard to keep them organized.
Many simply toss all their knives in drawers and plastic containers with snap lids,which makes it difficult to find a particular knife at times without having to rut around through all o the knives that are jumbled up together.
Yes, we’ve already gone over Pelican cases.
These are great for storing folding knives (or anything else for that matter) and their high level of precision they offer thanks to its state-of-the-art airtight seal, pressure release valve, and other features.
Still, not everyone feels that they need a case for their knives;
They just want to be able to keep them organized.Enter the Spyderpac from Spyderco. Depending on the size you buy, with this item you have either 18 or 30 transparent pockets (4.5 X 2.5 inches) for storing your pocket knives.
Three nylon loops at the top make it easy to mount your stored knives to the wall, or you can fold the three segments up and secure it with its own Velcro straps to be put away or moved from point A to point B.So these are two of the most popular folding knife storage ideas, but there are more.
For instance, some knife collectors use magnetic systems to store their knives and we haven’t even gotten into these options.What has your experience with storing pocket knives been like? Tell us all about it in the comments section.