Best Rated Pocket Knife Picks

Picks on this list, by what the data says

Every label below comes from a number or a word in the maker's or the listing's specs. None of them means "better." They mean "this is the one that has that." The list is re-checked every week, so a label can move to a different knife.

Artisan Proponent Tactical: the longest blade on this list

At 3.85 inches by the listing, the Proponent Tactical's blade is the longest here. The steel is S35VN; Boker's steel table lists CPM-S35VN at 1.38 percent carbon and 14 percent chromium. The lock is a frame lock, the handle is titanium and there's a pocket clip. The listing doesn't state the blade shape or the opening method. It sits in the higher of the two price tiers on this page, with the two Benchmades.

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

The Osborne's blade is 3.4 inches by the listing. It's a reverse tanto, which Benchmade's own blade guide describes as tanto tip strength merged with a curved belly. The steel is CPM-S30V, a powder steel; Boker's steel table lists it at 1.45 percent carbon and 14.5 percent chromium. The lock is crossbar-type, the handle is aluminum and there's a pocket clip. It sits in the higher of the two price tiers on this page.

Benchmade Bugout: powder steel in a polymer handle

The Bugout pairs the same CPM-S30V steel with a 3.2-inch drop point blade and a plain edge. The handle is a polymer, which the listing names as Grivory. Spyderco's handle guide describes glass-filled nylon as rigid and dimensionally stable. The lock is crossbar-type, so a bar moves across the blade tang to hold it open. There's a pocket clip. If you want S30V without a metal handle, this is the one on this list.

Artisan Proponent (Small): a 3-inch D2 blade

The Proponent runs a 3-inch D2 blade in a G10 handle with a liner lock. D2 is a tool steel. Boker's table lists it at 1.5 percent carbon, 12 percent chromium and 59 to 61 HRC. The listing doesn't state a pocket clip or an opening method, so don't count on either until you check.

Boker Plus Urban Survival: the shortest blade on this list

At 1.625 inches, this is the smallest blade here, in a 4.035-inch closed body. The steel is 440C stainless, which Boker lists at 0.95 to 1.2 percent carbon and 16 to 18 percent chromium. There's a thumb stud and a liner lock, and the edge is plain. The listing title mentions a replaceable glass breaker. It's a knife for tape, twine and tags, not for cutting a pumpkin.

Boker Lockback: a 2.95-inch D2 blade with a lockback

This Boker lists a 2.95-inch blade in D2 tool steel and a lockback, the lock you release by pressing the spine near the back of the handle. Benchmade's mechanisms guide calls the lockback simple, reliable and safe. It's the second D2 knife on this list, from a different brand than the Proponent Small. The data doesn't state the handle material, the blade shape, the opening method or a pocket clip, so check the listing for those before you buy. D2's chromium sits at the low end for stainless, so dry and oil it after wet work.

Buck Knives 373 Trio: the only slip joint, and the shortest closed

The Trio is a slip joint, which means no lock: a backspring holds the blade open and closed with noticeable stops, as Benchmade's mechanisms guide puts it. Closed, it's 3.25 inches, the shortest on this list. The listing gives a 2.5-inch blade in 420J2 stainless, and the title names three blades: clip, spey and sheepsfoot. Case's own pattern notes call the clip a detail blade, the sheepfoot a carving blade and the spey an all-purpose utility blade.

Buck Knives 55: a lockback with a nail nick and a wood handle

The 55 has a 2.375-inch clip point in 420HC stainless, a lockback and a wood handle. Opening is by nail nick, the notch your thumbnail catches. Closed, it's 3.375 inches. It's the only knife here whose data lists a nail nick, and the only one with a wood handle. The listing doesn't state a pocket clip. (Some of us still think a pocket is the clip.)

Camillus Carbide Edge: a frame lock and the only flipper

This is one of two frame locks on the list, with the Proponent Tactical. Benchmade describes a frame lock as a liner lock whose spring is cut from the handle frame itself, and calls it stronger. It also opens by flipper, a small lever at the back of the blade you pull with your index finger. The blade is a 3.25-inch drop point in 420 stainless with a plain edge, 7.75 inches overall, with a pocket clip.

Camillus Classic: the only Micarta handle

The Classic is a lockback with a 3.25-inch drop point blade in 440 stainless, a plain edge and a Micarta handle, 7.25 inches overall, with a pocket clip. Spyderco's guide says Micarta is durable and dimensionally stable, and it develops a patina with use. It's the only Micarta handle on this list. The data doesn't state how it opens.

How to choose the best rated pocket knife for your chores

The rule that builds this list uses three fields: blade steel, lock type and blade length. They're also the three that decide most choices, so start there.

Match the steel to how often you'll sharpen

Steel is a trade between holding an edge, resisting rust and how easy it is to bring back. Boker's steel table gives the raw numbers, and they spread wide on this page:

• 420 family (420, 420J2, 420HC): about 0.4 to 0.5 percent carbon in plain 420, listed at 54 HRC
• 440 and 440C: 440C at 0.95 to 1.2 percent carbon and 16 to 18 percent chromium
• D2: 1.5 percent carbon, 12 percent chromium, 59 to 61 HRC
• CPM-S30V: 1.45 percent carbon, 14.5 percent chromium
• S35VN: 1.38 percent carbon, 14 percent chromium in Boker's CPM-S35VN entry

More carbon generally means a harder edge that lasts longer and takes more work to sharpen. More chromium means it stains less. Case's own notes on its steels say carbon steel is more prone to tarnishing and rusting than stainless, and that its carbon and chrome vanadium blades are known for easy re-sharpening. Rule of thumb: if you sharpen on the porch every Sunday, a softer stainless is fine. If you'd rather sharpen twice a season, look at the harder numbers.

Jess's take: "HRC is just how hard the steel argues back with a file." She has a spreadsheet of it. I have a file.

Pick the lock by how you'll close it

Five lock types show up on this list, and each closes a different way:

• Liner lock: a spring bar inside the handle; push it aside to close
• Frame lock: the same idea, with the bar cut from the handle frame
• Crossbar-type: a spring-loaded bar across the tang; pull it back to close
• Lockback: press the spine near the back of the handle
• Slip joint: no lock, only spring tension

Benchmade's guide points out that liner and frame locks put your hand near the blade path when you close them. A crossbar-type lock closes with the thumb on the bar, and a lockback closes with pressure on the spine.

Keep your fingers outside the blade's closing arc on every one of these. A knife that doesn't lock can snap closed onto the fingers holding the handle, so AKTI says to push the blade forward carefully. Cut away from your body.

Blade length is about the job, and about the law

On this list, blades run from 1.625 to 3.85 inches. A 3-inch blade crosses most feed sacks and onions in one pass. Under 2 inches, you're cutting tape, twine and tags. Over 3 inches, you've got more reach and a bigger knife in your pocket every day. Knife carry rules vary by state and city, so check your state's rules.

Opening method and clip decide everyday carry

The data lists three opening methods here: thumb stud, flipper and nail nick. Boker's guide on opening mechanisms explains them plainly. A thumb stud is a pin you push with your thumb tip. A flipper is a lever you pull back with your index finger. A nail nick is a notch for your thumbnail, the old way. Five knives here list a pocket clip. Where the data is silent on a clip, I don't assume one either way. Measure twice, buy once.

Handle material is grip, weight and patience

G10, aluminum, titanium, polymer, wood and Micarta all appear on this list. Spyderco's handle guide calls G10 very strong and dimensionally stable, absorbing little moisture. It calls aluminum lightweight and corrosion-resistant. Wood, it says, can shrink, swell or warp with temperature and humidity. That's worth knowing if your knife spends November in a cold truck and evenings by the woodstove.

Learn the lock at the kitchen table first

Learn the lock at the kitchen table before the knife goes in your pocket. The American Knife and Tool Institute says to keep your fingers out of the closing arc, because folding knives have a spring that snaps the blade shut at a certain point. Every lock on this list closes differently. Open and close a new knife slowly a dozen times, sitting down, before you use it with cold hands.

Who should skip this list

If you field dress your own deer, skip this list for that job. Field dressing is a fixed-blade job with a sheath, and the hunting knife page covers it. If what you really want is pliers, a screwdriver and a blade in one, you want a multi-tool, not a pocket knife. If you're flying, any of these goes in the checked bag, not the carry-on. And if you're buying for a young first-timer, read the slip joint and lockback notes twice: no lock and simple lock are very different lessons.

Keep it working: cleaning and oil

A pocket knife lives in lint, sawdust and whatever was on your hands. AKTI's maintenance advice is short and good:

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

Don't use the blade as a pry bar or a screwdriver. AKTI warns that slips and breakage start there, and bending a blade can damage the pivot. That's not a Saturday-afternoon fix.

How this list is built

The rule is in the box above, and here it is in full. A knife gets on this list when it's a folding knife and its maker or its Amazon listing states three things: the blade steel, the lock type and the blade length. Values come from the maker's page first. Where the maker is silent, they come from the Amazon listing, and on this page most values do. I take two knives per brand at most, so the list spreads across names instead of filling up with one. The order on the page follows that rule and the sizes in the data, not a preference for any brand.

There are no ratings or review counts behind these picks, and nobody at Hemlock Run has used any of these knives. The labels above describe what each knife is by its specs, never which one wins. The list is re-checked every week. A knife can drop off when its listing changes, and a new one can come on when its data fills in. If a spec is missing, it isn't mentioned, and in the table it shows as a dash.

The knife that's on you does the chores. The one in the drawer just gets older with the rest of us.