From Stealth Knives and Survival Knives to Mini Pocket Knifes and the pocket knife brands you should know, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to selecting your perfect pocket knife. Blade length? Build quality? Brand name? Additional features? What do you need if you’re a guy who doesn’t usually everyday carry (EDC) a pocket knife? You need a knife with a great blade, astounding build quality and a great brand name without all the bells and whistles. Here are the 14 pocket knifes for the guy who doesn’t carry pocket knifes. Great blades. Great build quality.
Stanley 10-049 Pocket Knife
Powder-coated, epoxy handle. Safety blade lock. Replaceable stainless steel blade. Limited Lifetime Warranty. Those are all great features, but the best part is the Stanley name attached to the entire product. Stanley is a household name when it comes to tools, and this knife is one of the tightest arguments for why. It might not be the greatest knife you’ll ever slip into your pocket, but this affordable EDC knife has quite a few benefits over the other guys. In addition to the fantastic build quality and the reliable brand name, this knife is one of the few with replaceable blades. In other words, you’ll never have to sharpen a knife blade again because you can replace the blade for pennies on the dollar. We’d call that a huge benefit. Link
Promithi 151105 Utility Pocket EDC Folding Knife
If you want a durable pocket knife you can easily integrate into an EDC that involves your keys and you have an extra s-biner, you won’t find better than the Promithi 151105 Utility Pocket EDC Folding Knife. The durable, lightweight and well-built Promithi knife is great for everything from everyday to military tasks, but our favorite feature is the large round opening that makes it perfect for carrying, pinkie finger spinning or bottle opening purposes. With a 2.6″ blade it’s what we’d consider a mini knife, but it’s fully-functional in our eyes. Link
Gerber STL 2.0 Knife
With the ultra-thin blade, easy one-hand opening, 440A stainless construction and absurdly light construction this Gerber knife more than lives up to it’s “Strong. Thin. Light.” STL motto. This comfortable and lightweight pocket knife will slice through all your daily tasks with its 2.1″ fine-edged blade while still being no thicker than three quarters stacked together. It’s small. It’s strong. It’s thin. It’s light. It’s also built to last for a limited lifetime and backed by a Gerber warranty that says exactly that. Link
Winchester Brass Folding Knife
If you were ever given or gifted a knife by your dad, grandpa or Boy Scouts Troop Leader odds are it was similar to this Winchester Brass Folding Knife. The wood inlays on the brass handle that houses the surgical stainless blade are absolutely iconic. This is one of those knives that is completely devoid of bells and whistles and, because of that, it’s one of the most enduring pocket knives ever created. This isn’t a knife you buy to use today or tomorrow. This is a knife you use for a lifetime before passing it on to your next of kin. Link
Iain Sinclair Cardsharp2 Credit Card Knife
Want to carry a pocket knife without actually carrying a pocket knife? Look no further than the Iain Sinclair Cardsharp2 Credit Card Knife. It weighs less than a compact disc, a AA battery and about as much as three quarters. It easily slides into a credit card slot in any wallet. The Iain Sinclair Cardsharp2 knife is built out of surgical steel and plastic and designed to quickly become a fully functional knife with a few flips, folds and a quick lock. It’s light, infinitely carryable and quickly transforms into a fully functional knife without burdening your pockets or your keys. Link
Schrade Old Timer 18OT Mighty Mite Lockblade Folding Pocket Knife
It weights an ounce. It’s forged from 7Cr17 high carbon stainless steel. It comes with a two inch blade that’s razor sharp out of the box. The liner lock ensures the blade stays open while you’re using it or closed when you’re not. The Schrade Old Timer 18OT Mighty Mite Lockblade Folding Pocket Knife is perfect for whittling a stick, teaching knife safety, giving as a gift or as a survival tool. It might lack the pocket clips and survival tools of its counterparts, but it’s still a fantastic entry level pocket knife. Link
Leatherman Crater C33 Folding Knife
If you don’t already, Leatherman is one of, if not the, best brand name when it comes to multi-functional EDC tools. The same designs and build qualities that put them on top of the heap when it comes to multi-tools has also helped them create some of the best pocket knives out there. Case in point, the Leatherman Crater C33 Folding Knife. It might lack the pliers, saws, files and punches that make their multi-function tools an icon, but this knife with a 420HC steel blade and combo carabiner/bottle opener is as functional as any other blade or tool they make. Link
Kershaw 1990 Brawler Speedsafe Folding Knife
We love all the historic designs, iconic brands and functional pieces of history that other brands present in the world of pocket knives, but there’s something about the Kershaw 1990 Brawler Speedsafe Folding Knife that makes us fall in love every time we flip it open. The design is absurdly angular and ridiculously pointy throughout. It has a pocket clip with multiple positions. It has a blade length of of 3 inches with a closed length just over 4 inches and an overall length just over seven inches. Most importantly though, this modern, angular knife feels good in the hand and feels even better while in use. Link
Buck Knifes 0835 Selkirk Folding Knife
In the hallowed halls of great knife manufacturers you’ll find everyone from the likes of Case and Stanley to Leatherman and, you guessed it, Buck Knives. The Buck Knives 0835 Selkirk Folding Knife (with Clip!) is a three-and-a-quarter inch drop point blade knife made from 420HC steel with an overall weight of four-and-a-half ounces. It’s a well-balanced and properly weighted knife that gives you a stylish brown and black Micarta handle contoured for style and functionality along with a blade build for strength, edge retention and corrosion resistance. In other words, it’s a fantastic everyday carry pocket knife for general use. Link
Victorinox Swiss Army Executive Pocket Knife
Victorinox and their Swiss Army brand need no introduction. Their knives have been filling pockets, bags and gloveboxes for as long as there was an Internet to search for great knives (and also a century longer). The Victorinox Swiss Army Executive Pocket Knife has all the tools you could ever reasonably use (10 functions in all ranging from knives and scissors to saws and tweezers) packed into a small form factor that’s as easy to carry on your keys as it is in your pocket. Link
CRKT 5102N Snap Lock Folding Knife
CRKT—aka Columbia River Knife and Tool—has once again built a fantastic knife that goes against everything you expect in a pocket knife. The CRKT 5102N Snap Lock Folding Knife uses a skeleton design and an innovative snap lock mechanism to create a knife that is as functional as every other one you’ve clipped to your belt. This one uses a cam lever to fold it out horizontally 180 degrees instead of folding from top to bottom and the award-winning folding mechanism is only the beginning when it comes to things you’ll love about this knife. It packs a slew of fantastic, durable features you’ll grow to love over the years. Link
Smith & Wesson SWMP4L Folding Knife
Smith & Wesson might be more well known as a firearms manufacturer, but that hasn’t stopped them from producing quite a few awesome knives over the years. The Smith & Wesson SWMP4L Folding Knife is a stainless, partially-serrated clip point blade with an ambidextrous thumb plate that makes it perfect for righties and southpaws alike. Link
Case Buffalo Horn Sod Buster JR Pocket Knife
No bullshit, Case makes some of the best knives on the market. The Case Buffalo Horn Sod Buster JR Pocket Knife is a 2.2 ounce knife with a 3.63″ closed length and a Tru-Sharp surgical steel blade packed in a buffalo horn handle available in more than two dozen colors that, in addition to being gorgeous and built to last a lifetime, is one hell of a knife. Bonus points are awarded in the case of this knife for the Made in the USA quality and the Limited Lifetime Warranty. Link
Spyderco Delica4 Lightweight FRN Flat Ground PlainEdge Knife
Spyderco is a Colorado-based cutlery company that’s been making fantastic knifes for just short of four decades. In the forty years since they started making knives they’ve learned a thing or three about what it takes to make a fantastic cutting tool, and that’s no more evident than it is in the Spyderco Delica4 Lightweight FRN Flat Ground PlainEdge Knife. With a full round, easy open thumb setup the 2.875″ VG-10 steel blade is easily deployed for cutting and opening tasks while still being easily concealed in your pocket with a 4.25″ closed length and 2.5″ weight. Link
Want to read more about the best pocket knives? Click here for Cool Material’s Guide to Pocket Knives.
