Which folding knife is the best

It is on the heavy size, though, at 3. The knife also features a torsion bar opening, meaning the knife can be whipped open very fast with a one-handed flick. Related Stories. Newswire Powered by.

Close the menu. Rolling Stone. Log In. To help keep your account secure, please log-in again. You are no longer onsite at your organization. Please log in. For assistance, contact your corporate administrator. Arrow Created with Sketch. Calendar Created with Sketch. Path Created with Sketch. Milwaukee Fastback Utility Knife - affordable folding box cutter with disposable blades.

USE - A good pocket knife will certainly come in handy in all kinds of unexpected situations, but consider what you intend to use your knife for most often. If you see yourself sawing through rope or skinning rabbits, you may want to consider a more specialized blade made for climbing or bushcraft. On this list, we focus mostly on well-rounded pocket knives for everyday carry. If you keep it sharp, it will almost always perform better and be more versatile than a serrated one.

If you keep your plain edge knife sharpened, it will handle pretty much any task. Pictured above: Benchmade Mini Bugout All of the knives on our list are equipped with strong frame, liner, compression, or collar locks to keep the blade safe and securely fixed in position when open.

A good ballpark range for an everyday carry knife size is about 4 inches long when closed and no more than about 4 oz. If weight savings are a chief concern, a mini pocket knife might be your best bet. BLADE SHAPE - The knives on our list are equipped with a range of blade shapes, but most are some form of the classic drop-point, which offers excellent versatility for various cutting and slicing tasks.

To learn more, check out this Knife Blade Shapes Guide. Comparing the blade shape of the best pocket knives on the market. Check out the Essential Guide to Knife Steel if you want to know more about a specific blade.

The best knives have handles that are ergonomic, comfortable, grippy, and durable. G is a good all-around material for its light weight and texture, but you might also like other materials like anodized aluminum or wood. The Spyderco Para Military 2 among other Everyday carry items.

The knife should rest inside the pocket with the closed blade flush with the front or back seam so you can grab the knife easily and prevent the blade from accidentally falling open. Some knives have pre-drilled holes so you can choose the position that suits you best. Sharpening the Gerber Paraframe II. We live for outdoor adventure, and we take these guides very seriously.

Here are some of the reasons you can trust us:. Our choices are completely independent and based on personal experience. We own and field test every product we recommend, which is sadly not the norm.

We travel to industry trade shows to learn about upcoming product innovations. We treat our recommendations as if they were for our family and friends.

We hope this guide helps you find the perfect gear for your needs. Sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on our latest posts then visit our Facebook page and Instagram to join the community conversation. If you found this guide helpful, please give it a share on social media!

Also, be sure to check out our CleverHiker Gear Guide to see all of our top gear picks. Heather Eldridge is an accomplished backpacker and camping aficionado. She now lives on a farm in Oregon where she works as a full-time gear tester, wrtiter, and photographer.

Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means we may receive a modest commission if purchases are made through those links. This adds no cost to our readers and helps us keep our site up and running.

Our reputation is our most important asset, which is why we only provide completely honest and unbiased recommendations.

Lightweight backpacking video guides and reviews of the best ultralight tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, stoves, and more. We love backpacking, international travel, useful gear, and all things nature. Read more Keep up with our latest tutorials and gear reviews on YouTube.

Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. These two tasks, one aggressive, the other delicate, gave us a sense of how comfortable the handles were and how easy it was to maneuver each blade for different types of cutting.

During testing, we sharpened our blades with the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker , a highly regarded sharpener among knife enthusiasts. The compact and easy-to-use Tri-Angle Sharpmaker can bring a dull knife back to life in a matter of minutes.

It is well documented that the better steels found on more expensive knives hold an edge longer than their less-expensive counterparts. Many of the knives we tested have at least 8Cr13MoV steel, which is the specific steel that Schwartz talks about in that review. In the end, even the so-so steels will be fine for day-to-day use.

Through our testing, we found that the major differentiators between the knives were the handle ergonomics, the ease of unlocking, and the smoothness of the blade pivot. All of the knives we tested could open, close, lock, and cut—but not all of them could do those things equally well.

In fact, we were surprised at the quality differences between similarly priced models that looked identical on paper. As Sculimbrene told us, there are some really good cheap knives, but we could determine which were which only after handling them. At a certain point, the stats fail and only hands-on experience works. After handling so many knives, we developed a number of preferences.

We preferred thumb studs and thumb holes over flipper mechanisms like those on the popular Kershaw knives we tested. Flippers can open only one way: extremely fast.

Thumb studs offer a slower option, as well as a quick flip. We also found that knives with all-metal bodies can get slippery. We much preferred the sure-handed grip of carbon fiber or G10 a fiberglass laminate. After all of our research, conversations, slicing, dicing, apple peeling, and cardboard cutting, we believe that the best knife for most people is the Columbia River Knife and Tool CRKT Drifter. The fit and finish on the knife is excellent, and the blade opens with a smoothness common to more expensive knives.

Once open, the blade locks with a liner lock that is secure yet simple to disengage. It far surpasses many of the others in its price range, which commonly have cheap materials, too-tight pivots, or locks that are hard to disengage. The blade is long enough to slice up an apple or cut a sandwich in half.

In our tests, we also liked that the underside was long enough to accommodate a sawing action if necessary, such as when we were cutting twine from hay bales; it was harder to do the same with shorter blades. Small and medium hands will be able to get a full four-fingered grip on the handle, while larger hands will get only three. But even with the three-fingered grip, the contoured back end of the handle tucks right into the base of the thumb and remains comfortable.

In our tests, knives with even slightly larger blades—anything over 3 inches—had handles that started getting big for smaller hands. The shape of the grip naturally placed our fingers for good control over the blade, such as when we sharpened pencils or skinned apples.

The back of the blade, at the handle end, has some grooves called jimping , which gives the thumb a little traction during tougher cuts. While opening, the blade offers a smooth, even resistance, and once the liner lock is engaged, it holds firm with no blade movement at all, either back and forth or side to side.

The handle is made of G10, a durable fiberglass composite, and CRKT has given it a very light texture. Unlike knives with all-metal handles, the Drifter never felt slippery to us.

We found that it was those smaller touches, such as the feel of the handle and the ease of the blade deployment, that made the Drifter such a winner.

The blade of the Drifter is made of 8Cr14MoV steel. During testing we had no issue with it at all, and we liked how easily we could get a shaving-sharp edge. The praise that the knife community has heaped on the Drifter is unanimous. Among many knife aficionados, the Drifter consistently pops up in conversations about the best inexpensive EDC knife. Jackson and Sculimbrene include the Drifter on their respective best-of lists and have given the knife fantastic individual reviews.

For all of the positives of the Drifter, we wish it were better in two areas: the single-position pocket clip and the slight recurve of the blade shape. Both of these shortcomings are well-documented in other reviews, as well. Some of the other nice knives we found in this price range, such as the Zancudo our runner-up , the Kershaw Chill , and the Ontario RAT II , all have multi-position pocket clips that either cater more easily to left-handed users or at least offer the right-handed tip-up position.

The other ding against the Drifter is the slight recurve of the blade edge as it heads back toward the handle. The teardrop handle shape is a little unusual, but in our tests it was among the most comfortable to hold, especially when we were really bearing down on it.

The handle of the Zancudo looks a little odd, but it fit our hands perfectly. We found it comfortable during aggressive cutting and easy to shift around for more delicate tasks. In their respective reviews, both Dan Jackson and Tony Sculimbrene call out the Zancudo for its unusual aesthetics but overall success.

The construction of the handle is also unusual, with each side sporting a completely different look: The clip side is entirely metal, while the other side is scaled with a lightly textured fiberglass-reinforced nylon. We liked this design because the smooth metal side reduced friction while we moved the knife in and out of a pocket, but at the same time, the nylon side offered more than enough grip for a secure hold.

In addition, the body of the Zancudo is very thin thinner than the Drifter. The Zancudo opens with a good, grippy thumb stud, and with a little practice, you can flick open the blade without any issue. The Zancudo has a two-position pocket clip, both right-handed but with a tip-up option and a tip-down option or you can remove it altogether. Like the Drifter, the Zancudo gets high marks from knife reviewers, including both of the experts we interviewed.

It is simply sublime. Simplicity in a Shaker sense--pure, unadulterated functionality. Overall, the Zancudo offers a great feeling of utility, and as our testing wore on, it really won us over. We believe that the Drifter, due to its smaller size and smoother operation, is the better pick for most people, but in our tests, when we knew we would be working a knife extra hard, like heading into a house project, we preferred having the Zancudo with us. Go thump on it. You'll be surprised how much it can do.

We tested the black-handle Zancudo with the stonewashed blade, but the knife is also available with a brown, tan, or green handle and a black blade.

Like the Drifter and the Zancudo, the has a thumb stud, so you can deploy the blade slowly or, with the flick of your thumb, quickly. The blade locks in place with a nice, flexible frame lock that you can easily move out of the way to close the blade. The G10 Hadle on the Paramilitary 2 is extremely comfortable, making it ergonomically pleasing for even the most picky people like our editorial staff. The blade locks in place and pivot bushing system makes the knife extremely easy to open and close.

The Paramilitary 2 is a tough knife to beat if you are looking for a knife with high quality steel at a reasonable price point. It comes with a handy seat belt cutter on one side and a ceramic window breaker on the bottom which you can use to smash windows or other fragile things in an emergency situation like a car wreck.

The only major downside is that the Border Guard is not a spring action knife. It is thumb-stud activated and needs a bit of pressure to open unless you loosen up the screws. This means that this knife is not that great for self-defense. The grip has a very nice feel to it, but it is very ergonomic, which shows that this knife means business. This is a solid but fairly large knife ideal for large hands.

It makes a great EDC at home and work. Since we first broke down some of the more modern pocket knives in , next we will cover our favorite traditional models. Buck Knives has been around a very long time. They manufacture many different types of knives and the Hunter folding knife is one of their most popular EDC knives in this price range. The Hunter is one of the most popular traditional pocket knives in production.

Popular among many outdoor enthusiasts and weekend campers, the Buck has steadily morphed into a classic wilderness knife one of our editors believes that it is the best pocket knife of all times although severely underrated.

It is the right pick if you are longing to re-live your outdoor adventures you had as a kid, just in an adult sized version. Plus, this knife will exceed all your expectations when it comes to the quality of its build and materials. Everything about the Hunter looks and feel premium, from handle and blade to overall finish and fit.

The total length is 8. The Hunter also comes equipped with a leather sheath, is sharp right out of the box, and has a lifetime warranty. Another stalwart for Buck Knives, the BRS Ranger is one of the top traditional pocket folding knives on the more compact side. If you are trying to limit the size of the knife you are carrying for everyday activities, the Ranger fits the bill.

This is a perfect knife for anyone with slightly smaller hands, or someone that just might want something smaller than the , without losing any of the reliability. The blade is a 3 inch HC steel clip blade. If you are looking for a smaller knife, the Ranger is a fantastic choice for a compact model. Small and compact, the Buck Knight is a great knife in a smaller stature.

As typical, the Buck warranty is hard to beat and the Knight does a great job of keeping cost in check while not sacrificing the quality that Buck is known for. Keep in mind, this knife is a small knife and will fit in the palm of your hand. If you are looking for a quality knife that comes in a small package, the Knight is sure to get the job done.

It makes for a great keychain knife or one for the 5th pocket of your jeans as you stroll around the house. For the small size, the Knight gives you quality in a very small package. You also get the Buck warranty and peace of mind that comes with it. This is a great knife for any Boy Scout or younger person just getting into enjoying life outdoors.

The Case cutlery Red Bone is a fine choice for someone looking for a US made lifetime warrantied knife. The quality is on par with Buck and this is another knife that will last you a lifetime.

This is a smaller knife that will fit in the palm of your hand and is on the same playing field as the Buck Knight. Case has a long tradition of making quality knives, and this is no different. Overall, the Case Lockback is a good option for anyone looking for a companion on their next outdoor tent camping or hunting trip. If you are considering the Knight from Buck, the Lockback Red bone should be one of the knives in your list of considerations.

Smaller than the Traditional trapper, this Case model has a 3. If you are considering a trapper knife and want to save a few dollars to go without a real bone handle, then this should be at the top of your list. Trappers are a common type of popular knife and a lot of cutlers mass produce them because of their popularity. This knife is a true trapper as it has both a clip and spey blades and nothing else.

Case stays true to the original model and does so with an excellent design and bone finished handle. As we jump into Stockman territory, the Buck Knives Stockman is our top selection for the money. The Stockman comes equipped with three blades. It has a clip point, spey and sheepsfoot blade. Stockman again makes the list for a quality knife design in the Stockman category. It has 3 blades, the standard clip point, spey and sheepsfoot that all Stockmans carry. It has an Amber Bone handle which gives it a nice vintage look while remaining durable.

Like the trappers that Case does a great job with, this Stockman is a fine offering. They do a great job of serving up a Stockman in a more compact version.

This knife is an ideal size for daily carry at right around 6. The bone handle is a nice touch that offers the knife a vintage feel and like their other knives, this Case model is also made in the USA. This Stockman is ideal for hunting, fishing, hiking, or anything you need to use it for as an every day knife around the house or cabin. This is somewhat subjective, and depends on what your needs are.

There are many great brands, but the ones that stand out are Benchmade, Spyderco and Kershaw for modern designs.