How To Find The Best Credit Card Knife
Why are credit card knives becoming so popular in survivalist circles today?
It all has to do with their slim, concealable and small design that makes these cool survival gadgets extremely inconspicuous and easy to carry.
Plus, they are inexpensive, easy to find and can be used for a wide range of purposes.
Credit card knives will do any task that a regular, small pocket knife will do, while also being fast and easy to operate and small enough to fit in most pockets.
Their compact design also makes them a great addition to your bug out bag, get home bag or survival first aid kit.
You’ll even find credit card knives manufactured with a range of other survival tools attached.
And although they will never be as effective as a proper survival knife, they are a very useful survival tool that might end up saving your life one day. Plus, you can take a credit card knife to many places where it would draw too much attention carrying a full-sized survival knife.
So, do yourself a favor and add at least one of these knives to your survival kit today.
When and Where to Use a Credit Card Knife
You can probably recall walking through a dodgy part of town, late at night, your senses on full alert with every strange sound or every suspicious person that comes into sight.
It’s not an ideal situation to be in but sometimes it is unavoidable.
And if you happen to be carrying something valuable or important on you at the time, you want to be sure that you can defend yourself from someone who might want to take those valuables off your hands.
So, make sure you’re carrying an easily concealable yet highly effective credit card knife on you wherever you go to help protect yourself and your possessions.
These things are a real life-saver and are a great emergency backup to have in your wallet.
So, if you find yourself in an unexpected situation and you need to think and act fast, these handy little gadgets could act as that element of surprise needed to deter your assailant and help you avoid harm.
Use these knives for the following:
- Self-defense
- Cutting materials for makeshift survival applications
- Building survival shelters
- Carving arrows
- Sharpening spears
- Gutting fish
- Preparing meals
- Opening boxes
- Cutting survival paracord
You can see from the list above, these compact tools will help you out in a large range of situations.
The Best Credit Card Knives
There is a massive range of credit card knives available on today’s market and as these knives have become more and more popular we’ve seen an increase in the creativeness of the designs.
They range from the simple and basic folding credit card knife to a whole range of credit card multi-tools and more complicated knives.
So, think about what purpose you want your knife to serve before rushing out and buying one.
To help you out, here are a few that I recommend.
InstaBlade Credit Card Folding Knife
A simple but highly effective credit card folding knife that looks great.
It’s very basic but very stylish and functional so it’s a perfect knife to start this list off.
It features a super-thin blade made from stainless steel that folds easily in and out while staying secured in place when not in use by a sturdy locking mechanism.
Nothing fancy, just a great, functional, card-sized knife.
Features:
- Surgical steel blade made from stainless steel.
- A built-in safety sheath that stops the blade from opening unintentionally.
- A super slim design. Only 2mm in width.
- Fast conversion from inconspicuous card to a functioning knife.
Victorinox Swisscard Lite Pocket Tool
Think of this knife as a flattened-out Swiss army knife.
This Victorinox knife is made by the famous Swiss company responsible for the Swiss knife design we all know and love.
Included in this multi-tool’s efficient design is:
- a knife
- scissors
- 2 screwdrivers
- nail file
- tweezers
- LED mini light
- magnifying glass
- straight pin
- toothpick
- ballpoint pen
- ruler
This is definitely the most compact toolkit you will find!
Survival Multi-tool Card, Bug Out Bag Camping Tool
A 3-in-1 credit card multi-tool to help you survive in a multitude of situations.
The same size of a credit card, this little gadget contains three separate multi-tool cards in one pouch.
While the knife card is slightly smaller than other credit card knives, it makes up for it by having a separate card containing fishing hooks, small saw blades and arrowheads as well.
The third card comes equipped with a can opener, a piece of survival cord and loads more.
As far as versatility goes, this is one of the best credit card knives you will find out there.
The one drawback of this card is that because it features three cards in one pouch, it’s a tiny bit bigger than other, simpler cards available, making it a bit more difficult to fit in your wallet. It will still fit easily in any pocket though.
Tactical Credit Card Wallet Tool with Emergency Whistle
This slim multi-tool from Survival Hax is the perfect size to fit in any regular wallet.
The Tactical Credit Card is credit card sized and comes with a wide range of extras to help out in an emergency.
Included in this multi-tool’s smart design is:
- a knife
- blade sharpener
- metal tweezers
- bottle opener
- magnifying glass
- compass
- ruler
- toothpick
- firestarter
- paracord
- emergency whistle
So when you need something more than a knife to help you survive, make sure you have one of these trusty credit card knives on you.
Zootility Tools Wildcard
This great looking and intelligently designed pocket multi-tool serve four different functions.
First and most importantly, there’s the fold-out serrated blade, but you’ll also find a bottle opener, screwdriver and pry bars incorporated into this knife’s intelligent design.
All located in a setup that’s just a touch bigger than a credit card that will fit easily inside your pocket or wallet.
SURVCO Credit Card Ax
An ax the size of a credit card? That’s right, you heard correctly.
Whether you want to cut, slice or poke holes in something, the SURVCO Credit Card will handle all that and more.
This clever little tool transforms into all of the following:
- Ax
- Tomahawk
- Knife
- Scraper
- Skinner
- Shovel
- Arrow
- Spear
But that’s not all. This credit card knife will perform twenty one different self-defense, hunting and, survival tasks. Pretty neat huh?
BOKER Credit Card Knife
The compact Broker Credit Card Knife features a 2-1/4 inch stainless steel blade and is manufactured to the highest quality.
Weighing in at 1.1 ounces and with a closed length of 2-3/4 inches, it will fold away into your wallet or pocket without any problems.
How To Make A Credit Card Knife
It’s possible, like any good survival tool, to make your own credit card knife at home.
Although it might not be as sturdy and well-manufactured as one of the stainless steel knives above, it will still serve a valuable function and help to get you out of a tight situation.
So, here are a few different ways to make your own home-made credit card knife.
Sharpen The Edge Of A Credit Card
Makes sense, right? After all, it is the namesake of this tool.
To do this, start by making the knife’s edge by marking two opposite corners of an old credit card with small pieces of tape.
Then run the edge of the card that you plan on sharpening along a whetstone. This will shave away some of the plastic, creating a very sharp edge capable of cutting paper, fruit and (be careful!) skin.
Make sure you are extremely careful with this card once it has been sharpened as the edge will be very sharp. You don’t want it slipping out of your wallet just before you sit down!
Attach Items To Your Credit Card
Try attaching everyday items such as hooks, needles, arrowheads, etc. to your card.
Duct tape is your best option for fixing these things to the card.
So grab some tape and get creative, using everyday items you can find around your house to turn a simple card into a survival multi-tool.
Use Cordage
Using a small file, notch out a couple of slits at opposite ends of a credit card.
Then, you can easily wrap a piece of survival cordage or even fishing line around your credit card.
This stuff will come in very handy in a survival situation and your credit card is an ideal place to store a length for when you might need it.
For ideas on how to use cordage, check out our paracord survival uses guide and this article covering paracord survival bracelets.
Incorporate A Ruler
Take a permanent marker and mark the edge of your credit card that hasn’t been sharpened.
It’s always useful to set-out imperial and metric markings on your card.
A normal card will provide around 3 inches of space to do this.
The Downside Of A Home-made Credit Card Tool
Although home-made credit card tools are great and can help you out in a sticky situation, there are some obvious drawbacks when compared with a store-bought, purpose designed and manufactured knife.
Home-made cards will, of course, be less durable and won’t be as sturdy during use.
Another negative is that because they don’t fold away, it’s possible that they can damage your wallet or clothing, or even injure you if not stored correctly. I recommend keeping them in a sturdy, hard-plastic sleeve.
Size is another issue. If you wrap cordage around your card, you might find it difficult fitting it in your wallet.
With these things in mind, home-made credit cards are cheap and simple to make and are worthwhile having as a backup in an emergency.
They also make unique survival gifts for your friends and family.
Credit Card Knife Controversy
As with any concealed weapon, there are different laws in different areas when it comes to credit card knives.
In countries such as Canada and Australia, they are illegal. Australian Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan warned –
“They are a dangerous weapon, they are illegal and they are banned from being taken on domestic and international flights.”
In the USA however, they are legal to own, purchase and carry. But make sure you don’t carry them on any flight, whether domestic or international, as they are a prohibited item according to the TSA.
You won’t be charged with any offenses if found carry a credit card knife by the TSA as they aren’t an illegal weapon but they will be confiscated and you may face a fine for trying to carry it into a prohibited area.
And don’t sneak it through security by hiding trying to hide it as the knife blade shows up easily on a security scanner. It’s just not worth the risk.
Final Thoughts On Credit Card Knives
Unless you are planning on catching a flight, keeping one of these handy survival tools in your wallet is a great way to inconspicuously prepare yourself for an emergency situation.
For such a small tool, it’s incredible just how many uses you will find for these knives, including self-defense, wilderness survival, and everyday tasks.
I always carry mine with me whenever and wherever possible and I strongly urge you to do the same.