Do Gas Stations Sell Pocket Knives?

There are many places to buy pocket knives, but sometimes you really need a convenient and fast way to get your hands on a trusty knife.

Many gas stations and convenience stores, especially ones outside of cities, often sell pocket knives. However, the knives that are found at gas stations are typically cheap, very low quality, and do not make very good EDC or heavy use pocket knives.

While many people don’t even notice that many gas stations sell pocket knives, it is a useful piece of information to know just in the off chance that you need one for some reason. There are, however, a few things to know before purchasing and using a pocket knife from a gas station.

What Type of Pocket Knives do Gas Stations Sell?

Gas stations sell a wide variety of styles and brands of pocket knives. Not every convenience store and gas station sell pocket knives in the first place, but when a gas station does, they are often low quality and cheap.

The knives found at gas stations are normally some unknown brand from China or other really cheap knife brands, but there are exceptions to this. Sometimes there are Kershaw, Gerber, Victorinox, and even CRKT pocket knives at gas stations, but that is very rare. Finding a recognizable or name brand knife at a gas station is very rare. 

One other thing to note about knives at gas stations is the stereotypical look that most of them have. It has even become a meme because pocket knives found at gas stations are notorious for being very impractical and brightly colored with vibrant patterns on them.

The term “gas station knife” has even been applied to any knife that is brightly colored, impractical, and cheap even if it wasn’t bought at a gas station.

However, just as I’ve mentioned before, not all knives that are sold at gas stations are cheap, brightly colored, and made in China. On the off chance, you can find some really high-quality and cool knives at a gas station.

Overall, pocket knives that are typically found at gas stations and convenience stores will work well for the average user but don’t expect anything of quality or with a name brand on it. They are many times just intended for truckers and travelers to use for a single job or just to have a cheap knife on them. 

What Other Knives do Gas Stations Sell?

Gas stations and convenience stores often sell more than just pocket knives when it comes to blades. And just like the pocket knives that are sold at gas stations, the other styles of knives are frequently brightly colored and have crazy patterns on them.

Below I will go over the other types of knives that are commonly found at a gas station. However, this is not an extensive list and gas stations often sell some pretty crazy and weird knives. 

And again I would like to point out, not all gas stations, convenience stores, and filling stations sell knives. You have a higher chance of finding knives in a gas station that is outside of a city, but its never a guarantee.

Karambit Knives

Frequently found both in a folding style and fixed blade, karambit knives are a very stereotypical gas station knife stye. 

Be prepared to find karambit knives marketed for zombie killing and other outrageous things. They will often have a skull/camo handle and red paint splatters on the blade. And how could I forget the hazardous waste symbol printed somewhere on the knife?

Multi-Tools

Multi-tools are probably the most commonly found blades at gas stations. Even if a gas station doesn’t carry pocket knives or any other type of knife, there is a pretty good chance that they have a multi-tool of some sort. 

While the multi-tools found at gas stations probably won’t be Leatherman or other name brand multi-tools. You can occasionally find a Victorinox Swiss Army knife among the assortment of cheap multi-tools.

Fixed Blade Knives

The fixed blades knives that are commonly found at gas stations are often small, brightly colored, and marketed as “tactical” knives. However, sometimes there are Bowie and other larger knives. 

On occasion, you can find a really high-quality fixed blade knife that is made by a reputable brand. But just like the pocket knives and the other types of knives commonly found at gas stations, they are hard to come by and you will mostly find neon green “tactical” fixed blade knives. 

Other Types of Knives

Gas stations and convenience stores often have the strangest things, and knives are no exception. There is really no telling what you will find at a gas station regarding knives. 

Just be prepared to find other types of knives than I have listed here, hybrids between types of knives, and completely unheard of knife designs. If you keep an eye out and really look around at gas stations, you will most likely be surprised by the number of crazy knives that they sell. 

And occasionally you will be pleasantly surprised by the knife quality and brands that some gas stations have.

What are Knives from Gas Stations Good for?

Really, knives found at gas stations aren’t very different than the average knife that you would buy elsewhere. And knives found at gas stations can complete most of the same tasks that you would expect higher-quality knives to be able to complete.

While they are often sold to truckers and people on the road, gas station knives can be very useful in many situations. Whether you are cutting open some packages or mail, sharpening a pencil, or just wanting to have a knife for the off chance that you need one, gas station knives will usually get the job done.

As long as the job that you need a knife for isn’t too intensive, gas station knives will work just fine. And if the job turns out to be too hard and the gas station knife breaks, they are usually so cheap that it isn’t too big of a loss.

Knives that are found at gas stations are very unique in the sense that you never know when you are going to need one. And when the time arrives where it is necessary to have a knife, a gas station is almost always near and often ready to provide just the blade that you need.

Even if it is a karambit knife with neon blue skulls on the handle and red paint splatters on the blade.

Conclusion

So basically, if you just need a knife for a particular job that isn’t too hard, the knives found at gas stations will normally work just fine. However, if you’re looking for a quality knife to carry around with you everywhere you go, you will probably have better luck finding a higher-quality knife from a sporting goods store or from online.

While gas station knives have their uses and it is often just fun to see what type of outrageous knives a gas station carries, they are not the best option on the market in terms of quality and durability.

However, there are people who use a gas station pocket knife daily and it suits their needs just fine. It really all comes down to what you need out of your knife. 

For some people, a cheap pocket knife from a gas station is all they need and for others, they require a higher quality blade to do the tasks that they need to complete.