Do you have a favorite folding knife? What makes it so wonderful in your mind? Some knife buyers are mostly interested in appearance while others are all about the function of the knife itself.

Cool folding knives combine both of these elements, giving you a beautiful product that you can show off to your friends while still performing like a true champion under the most EXTREME conditions.

If your new folding knife will be used ONLY for display, then you probably don't need to worry too much about the lock strength or overall construction. Otherwise, cool-folding knives must have a strong lock and design to be really "cool"!

Here are three ways to make sure that you're getting the cool folding knives that you deserve:

1. Polished handles made from micarta or similar materials are very slick and pretty looking. What many knife makers WON'T tell you is that these handles allow your hands to slip right off and get cut on the blade.

Cool folding knives with rougher handle textures (such as G-10) are usually a safer bet

When it comes to protecting your fingers and folding knives

2. Knife companies are always developing new and exotic blade shapes and styles for their cool folding knives.

Think of it this way: knife enthusiasts have trusted certain knife styles for many years (i.e. Bowie and Tanto). When buying folding knives with new and innovative blade styles, remember that they might not perform the way that a more traditional style does.

3. Steel is steel right? Not really...

Harder (high carbon) steels are known for their ability to stay razor sharp for long periods of time. This type of steel is also very prone to rust, so you should try to avoid contact with moisture as much as possible.

Softer (stainless steel) is known for its anti-rust capabilities and ease of sharpening.