stevehardy

We admit it. Finding a great pocket knife among the hundreds available on the market is probably the most challenging task EVER. It's not just the wide variety in type, style, size, and price, but the personal preference that must be taken into consideration when buying a pocket knife.

But if you're looking for some guidance to find the best pocket knives in the world, you're in the right place.

In this post, we'll lay out the essential but must-have attributions of high quality pocket knives, from blade and deployment to price and brands.

Whether it's for your first knife or you want to level up your everyday carry or EDC game, read on, and you might find yourself some great purchases.

We have quite a lot to cover. Let's get started!

• Blade Type

We'd recommend getting folding knives for your pocket. They're generally lightweight and compact enough to comfortably live in the front pocket of your jeans.

Folding knives typically have a low profile. So you won't look too intimidating carrying them around, which is precisely why we don't recommend a fixed blade. Pulling the blade out of its sheath to open your Amazon boxes is an overkill and not worth the unfavorable image.

Image asides, the folding blade is more efficient than a fixed blade when it comes to deployment and storage.

Though we've seen fixed blades with a module sheath system that allows for versatile carrying options, it doesn't come close to the quick and stealth operation of the best folding knife.

• Blade Shape

The most functional and versatile blade shape is drop-point, found in many best rated pocket knives. The classic design features an arc bending towards the tip, and in some knives, a slight recurve.

This shape is perfect for cutting and slicing. Not because it imitates the chef's knife design that can rock back and forth, but because it provides longer and smoother cutting distance when cutting away from you.

If you notice, you'll repeat the same motion - moving away from the body - when you sharpen a drop-point blade. We didn't have a hard time keeping the drop-point blade's edge sharp and shiny.

We couldn't say the same for clip point or Wharncliffe design. None of the other blade shapes was particularly useful for a wide range of applications and required little effort maintaining.

Some knives will design the back's end to have slight recurve or ridges to guide thumb placement and provide you with some traction to better control the blade.

• Blade Steel

You don't need to be an expert on metallurgy to own the world's best pocket knife. But some basic knowledge will help you determine which blade holds its edge longer, requires less maintenance, or better resist corrosion.

We would typically categorize steel into 4 main groups: premium, high-end, mid-range, and affordable steels.

Higher quality steels from premium and the high-end group typically have higher edge retention and higher corrosion resistance. But they're in turn hard to sharpen. The steels from the CPM series, such as CPM-20CV or CPM-S30V, are perfect examples.

And it goes with saying the higher the steel quality, the heftier the price tag, so if you're budget-conscious, it's okay to go for low-end steels. In fact, 8Cr13MoV-made CRKT Drifter, considered by many as the best pocket knife for the money, is our best knife.

That's why we'd recommend mid- to low-range steels such as 154CM, 8Cr13MoV, or AUS-8 for a more comprehensive utility range. You don't have to worry about damaging the expensive edge, and you get to learn more about sharpening.

Most importantly, they perform the same as long as you take good care of the blade. So if you can't tell the difference, save some tens of bucks on budget-friendly steel.

• Size And Weight

We found the sweet spot for the best pocket knife is 3 inches in blade length and 2.8 oz or less in weight. We noticed longer blades feel clunky and longer handles to be more of a burden than of an aid.

These numbers will make a small compact pocket knife, typically a 'Mini' version of many models such as Benchmade Mini Bugout and Mini Griptilian.

You should note the blade and length ratio that allows for the most control, cutting distance, and comfort, mostly depending on your palm and how you wield your knife.

We found we work best with those specific dimensions after testing the CRKT Drifter, one of the top rated pocket knives. It's not just the material, but also the ergonomic grip design brought out the best performance from this mid-range steel blade.

Useful Reference: Best Pocket Knives: Your Ultimate Guide to Making the Right Choice

• Deployment

The best quality pocket knives are the ones with smooth one-hand operation.

Obviously, you'd need a lot of practice to achieve the buttery smooth opening of any pocket knives with one hand. But getting one featuring either thumb stud or thumbhole will help you tremendously.

If you like a small stud, we'd recommend the Blue Ridge Knives ESSE Zancudo and the Benchmade Mini Griptilian, the two best rated pocket knives with this feature. If you fancy a more exciting design like thumb holes, we'd recommend the Spyderco Para 2 or 3.

For one-handed closing, we'd recommend liner lock. There are many locking mechanisms out there: frame lock, AXIS lock, slip joint, lock back, etc.

But you cannot go wrong with the classic liner lock. A thin metal strip is also deployed upon deploying, snapping the blade's end to hold it in place.

Is it the best mechanism? Frankly, the AXIS lock and the compression lock would fight over the title, but the liner lock is more common and much more affordable.

The best pocket knives with either AXIS or compression lock will set you back $150-170, while the best liner lock, the CRKT Drifter, only costs $40. We notice very little difference between these two.

• Accessories

We suggest a minimal approach to accessories, focusing on portability and built-in functions such as pocket clip and glass breaker, respectively.

Why? Because there's no point in using the lanyard hole on the end of your knife. The coolest folding knife shouldn't be bogged down by unnecessary weights.

Look for a pocket knife with a customizable deep pocket knife if you want quick and easy access to your tool without damaging your clothes.

'Customizable' means the flexible 4-position placement of the clip, mostly depending on whether you're a left-hander or not. 'Deep' is for when you want easy access but not losing the knife.

Important Site: https://thekinglive.com/how-to-sharpen-a-pocket-knife.html

Final Words

So which attributes do you think are the most important? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!

If you want to try out our recommendations, use our links to enjoy the exclusive discounts and tell us about your experience!

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