Best Pocket Knife Brands

One knife per brand, by what the data says

Each brand below is shown with one folding knife whose blade steel and lock type are stated. The labels say what a knife is by its specs. They don't say which brand is better, and the order isn't a ranking. The list is re-checked every week, so a brand's knife can change.

Artisan Cutlery: Proponent Tactical, the only frame lock and titanium handle

The Proponent Tactical lists a 3.85-inch blade in S35VN steel, a frame lock and a titanium handle, with a pocket clip. Benchmade describes a frame lock as a liner lock whose spring is cut from the handle frame itself. It's the only frame lock and the only titanium handle on this page, and its blade is the second-longest stated here. Boker's steel table lists CPM-S35VN at 1.38 percent carbon, 14 percent chromium and 59 to 60 HRC. It sits in the higher price tier, with the Benchmade. The listing doesn't state the blade shape or an opening method.

Benchmade: Osborne, a reverse tanto with a crossbar-type lock

The Osborne's 3.4-inch blade is a reverse tanto in CPM-S30V, a powder steel. Benchmade's blade guide describes this shape on this model as tanto tip strength merged with a curved belly. The lock is crossbar-type: a spring-loaded bar across the blade tang. The handle is aluminum and there's a pocket clip. It's one of two knives on this page in the higher price tier.

Boker Plus: Urban Survival, the shortest blade on this page

At 1.625 inches, this is the smallest blade here, in a 4.035-inch closed body. The steel is 440C stainless, listed by Boker at 0.95 to 1.2 percent carbon and 16 to 18 percent chromium. It opens by thumb stud and locks with a liner lock. The edge is plain. It's a knife for tape, twine and tags.

Buck Knives: 373 Trio, the only slip joint

The Trio is the one knife here without a lock. A slip joint's backspring holds the blade open and closed with noticeable stops, per Benchmade's mechanisms guide. Closed, it's 3.25 inches. The listing gives a 2.5-inch main blade in 420J2 stainless, and the title names three blades: clip, spey and sheepsfoot. Case's pattern notes call the clip a detail blade, the sheepfoot a carving blade and the spey an all-purpose utility blade.

Camillus: the Marlin Spike folder, the only sheepsfoot and bamboo handle

This Camillus lists a sheepsfoot blade in AUS-8 stainless with a plain edge, a liner lock and a bamboo handle. It's the only sheepsfoot shape and the only bamboo handle on this page. The listing title also names a marlin spike, a pointed tool for working knots. Benchmade's guide says a sheepsfoot's straighter edge and less pronounced tip give controlled slicing with less risk of piercing. The listing doesn't state the blade length.

CIVIVI: Baklash, the only flipper on this page

The Baklash lists a 3.5-inch blade in 9Cr18MoV stainless, a liner lock and a G10 handle, with a pocket clip. It opens by flipper, a lever at the back of the blade you pull with your index finger. Boker's guide says that lever often acts as a finger guard once the blade is open. Boker's steel table lists 9Cr18MoV at 0.9 to 1.05 percent carbon and 16 to 19 percent chromium.

CJRB Cutlery: Feldspar (Large), AR-RPM9 in a G10 handle

The Feldspar lists a 3.53-inch blade in AR-RPM9 steel, a liner lock, a G10 handle and a pocket clip. That's the third-longest stated blade on this page. Boker's steel table doesn't list AR-RPM9, so I won't guess at its chemistry. The listing doesn't state the blade shape or the opening method.

Cold Steel: Pocket Bushman, the longest blade and the only steel handle

The Pocket Bushman's 4.5-inch clip point is the longest blade here by a wide margin. The steel is 4116 stainless, which Boker lists at 0.45 to 0.55 percent carbon and 14 to 15 percent chromium. The handle is steel. The data files the lock as "other"; the listing title calls it a Ram Safe Lock. Spyderco's guide notes steel handles are relatively heavy and give little grip texture. This is a big folder for a pocket. (Measure the pocket before you measure the blade.)

CRKT: M21-14SF, AUS 8 in an aluminum handle

The M21-14SF lists AUS 8 stainless, a liner lock and an aluminum handle, with a pocket clip. The listing title names Triple Point serrations on the blade. Boker's table gives AUS-8 0.7 to 0.75 percent carbon and a hardness of 57 to 58 HRC. Spyderco's guide calls aluminum lightweight and corrosion-resistant. The data doesn't state the blade length or shape.

ESEE: Medellin II, S35VN and the only Micarta handle

The Medellin II lists S35VN steel, a crossbar-type lock and a Micarta handle. It shares S35VN with the Artisan Cutlery knife, so Boker's figures above apply to both, and the Micarta handle is the only one here. Spyderco's guide says Micarta is durable and develops a patina with use. The data doesn't state the blade length or a pocket clip.

What a brand name tells you, and what it doesn't

A brand name tells you who made the knife and where to look for its manual. It doesn't tell you the steel, the lock or the size. Those are set model by model. On this site's best rated pocket knife list, Artisan Cutlery shows up with a D2 knife and an S35VN knife. Same name, two different steels. The ten knives here use eight stated steels across ten brands.

Danny's take: "Picking a knife by the brand is picking a cooler by the sticker." He'd know. He owns a lot of stickers.

So the useful question isn't "which brand." It's "which steel, which lock, how long a blade, and does it have a clip." Each brand's own page on this site lists more of its lineup, if you want to look deeper at one name: Benchmade, Buck Knives, Camillus, CIVIVI, Cold Steel, CRKT and ESEE.

How to compare pocket knife brands knife by knife

Read the steel's carbon and chromium

Boker publishes a steel table with carbon, chromium and hardness for each steel. It's the same table I used for every number on this page. In plain words, more carbon usually means a harder edge that lasts longer and takes more work at the stone. More chromium means it stains less. Here's how the stated steels on this page line up by carbon, from Boker's figures:

• 4116: 0.45 to 0.55 percent
• AUS-8: 0.7 to 0.75 percent
• 9Cr18MoV: 0.9 to 1.05 percent
• 440C: 0.95 to 1.2 percent
• S35VN: 1.38 percent
• CPM-S30V: 1.45 percent

420J2 and AR-RPM9 aren't in Boker's table, so they stay off this list. Case's own notes on its steels add the other side of the trade: carbon steel is more prone to tarnishing and rusting than stainless. Rule of thumb: pick the steel by how often you'll sharpen and how wet your work gets, not by the name on the handle.

Know how the lock closes

Five lock types appear here: liner lock (five knives), crossbar-type (two), frame lock (one), slip joint (one) and the Cold Steel's lock listed as "other." Benchmade's guide says a liner lock's spring bar has to be pushed aside by hand to close the blade. A frame lock works the same way, with the bar cut from the handle frame. A crossbar-type lock is a spring-loaded bar across the tang that you pull back. A slip joint has no lock at all.

Keep your fingers out of the blade's closing arc on every one. AKTI notes that folding knives have a spring that snaps the blade shut at a certain point.

Compare blade length to the chore

Stated blades on this page run from 1.625 inches to 4.5 inches. Three knives don't state a length, so check the maker's page before you buy one of those. Short blades suit tape and twine. Around 3 to 3.5 inches covers most camp and barn chores. At 4.5 inches you're carrying a lot of knife. Knife carry rules vary by state and city, so check your state's rules.

Handle, opening and clip

G10 and aluminum show up on two knives each here, and titanium, steel, bamboo and Micarta on one each. Two knives don't state a handle material. Spyderco's handle guide is a good plain read on what each material does. For opening, the data lists a thumb stud on one knife and a flipper on one; the rest don't state it. Five knives list a pocket clip. Where the data is silent, I don't assume.

Buy the lock before the steel

Buy the lock you can close without thinking, before you buy the steel you want to brag about. The reason is in the safety advice: AKTI says to keep fingers outside the closing arc, and the locks on this page all close differently. A harder steel only matters after your fingers are safe. Practice opening and closing a new knife slowly at a table, a dozen times, before it goes in your pocket.

Who should skip this list

If you already know the steel and lock you want, skip the brand list and go straight to the pocket knife type page, which sorts by those fields. If you want two picks per brand and more knives to compare, the best rated pocket knife list has them. If you field dress deer, a folder isn't the tool for that job; look at a fixed blade instead. And if a brand you like isn't here, it doesn't mean anything about the brand. It means none of its listed folders had both a stated steel and a stated lock.

Care is the same for every brand

AKTI's maintenance advice doesn't change with the name on the blade:

• Clean the handle and blade every few months; a toothpick won't scratch metal
• Oil the folding mechanism with light machine oil if you use it a lot
• Wipe it down after rain; salt water is the worst
• Store it cool and dry, not in a damp basement or garage

Don't pry with the blade. AKTI warns that slips and breakage start there. Measure twice, cut once, pry with a pry bar.

How this list is built

The rule is short: one folding knife per brand, each with a blade steel and a lock type stated by the maker or the Amazon listing. Values come from the maker's page first. Where the maker is silent, they come from the Amazon listing, and on this page most of them do. Blade length isn't part of this rule, which is why three knives here don't show one.

There are no ratings or review counts behind this list, and nobody at Hemlock Run has used these particular knives. The brands are shown the same way, with the same kinds of facts, and the order follows the data, not a preference. The list is re-checked every week. When a brand's listing changes or a new folder's data fills in, the knife shown for that brand can change. If a spec is missing, it isn't mentioned, and in the table it shows as a dash.

A knife with somebody's name on it still needs your name on the oil can.