The knife industry is awash with good pocket knife brands. There are hundreds, so sorting through the chaff can be sort of tough. We did the hard work; these are among the best, and we’re sure knife enthusiasts will agree.
●Buck Knife Company: Buck Knife Company has been around for over 100 years and has pioneered countless industry-defining blades, including the legendary knife designs of the Buck 110 Folding Hunter and the Buck 119 (which, though influential, is not a folding knife or a pocket knife).
●Cold Steel: A relative newcomer on the scene, Cold Steel makes excellent pocket knives at great prices. They’re known for their ridiculous marketing videos and also make unique, useful tools such as shovels, axes, and hatchets.
●Benchmade: Benchmade uses super-premium blade steels and materials to create some of the industry’s finest knives. Look for the AXIS lock on a Benchmade knife, a patented design that is ambidextrous and very tough.
●Spyderco: You can see a Spyderco a mile off from the humpbacked blade and “Spydiehole.” The company has produced a number of fan favorites including the Para III, Delica, and Tenacious.
●Zero Tolerance: Zero Tolerance knives, also known affectionately as ZT, are made using premium steel and other quality materials, and were originally intended for law enforcement and paramilitary personnel.
●Kershaw Knives: Kershaw pioneered Composite Blade technology and SpeedSafe Assisted opening. Affordable and practical, Kershaw is one of the best-respected blade makers in the industry.
●ESEE: ESEE is much better known for its fixed blades than its folders, but models like the ESEE Avispa exhibit exceptionally high quality and are very affordable.
●Ontario Knife Company: Like ESEE, Ontario Knife Company, better known as OKC, is better known for its fixed blades, like the 499 Air Force Survival Knife. However, the RAT I and RAT II folders are hands down, some of the most reliable, ergonomic, useful folders in the industry – and very affordable.
●W.R. Case Knife Company: Better known simply as Case, the company is an American icon and has produced classic folder patterns with high-quality, vibrant scale materials for many years.
●Rough Ryder: Rough Ryder knives are like Case Knives on a budget. Still, they exhibit peerless craftsmanship and use premium materials at a fraction of the price of Case Knives.
●Schrade: Schrade produces a number of practical folders using high-quality steel and scale materials, like the Radok and Divergent. Their knives are also very beefy and generally quite affordable.
●CJRB: Don’t be fooled by the likeness to CRKT; CJRB is no knockoff brand. They use premium steels like D2 and AR-RPM9 to create extremely popular designs like the Maileah, More Maileah, and Feldspar.
●Kizer: Kizer makes popular pocket knives like the Sheepdog and Begleiter, using premium materials and steels.
●CIVIVI: CIVIVI may be a Chinese brand, but it makes exceptionally high-quality knives, like the Elementum, which is available in multiple configurations, colors, and styles.
●CRKT: Columbia River Knife and Tool is a mainstay in the American knife industry, having produced fan favorites like the Fossil, Squid, Pilar, and Venandi.
●WE Knife Company: WE Knife Company, like CIVIVI, is a Chinese company, but they make high-quality knives using premium materials.
●Gerber Legendary Gear: We can’t do Gerber any justice it hasn’t already earned through models like the Kettlebell, Paraframe, Coast, Flatiron, Fastball, and Pocket Square, among others.
●Victorinox: Makers of the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife and tools, this legendary brand is as well established as Gerber and needs no praise from us.
●Boker: Also known as the “Tree Brand,” Boker makes a wide range of fixed and folding knives as well as straight razors and other tools.
●Byrd: Byrd is a subsidiary of Spyderco and produces similar knives at a fraction of the price.
●Great Eastern Cutlery (A.K.A. G.E.C.): Great Eastern Cutlery, like Case, produces slip-joint pocket knives in classic patterns, such as stockman, congress, and trapper patterns.
●Leatherman: Leatherman is better known for its multi-tools than for its picket knives, but they make high-quality models in multiple categories.
●MTech: Mtech produces knives that are generally lower in quality than the other brands mentioned here, but they are extremely affordable, and as backup knives may get the job done in a pinch.
●Opinel: Opinel has been made in France since its beginnings and is one of the few good pocket knife brands to use ring locks, also known as collar locks. They are recognizable for their wood handles (typically beechwood) and make knives in both carbon and stainless steel models, in a variety of patterns.
These and Other Good Pocket Knife Brands Available Online (and at Great Prices) At White Mountain Knives
Looking for good pocket knife brands like these? Visit White Mountain Knives at WhiteMountainKnives.com. They carry all of these brands and countless more at great prices and offer free shipping in the U.S. as well.
Stop waiting, start shopping – refresh your EDC rotation today.
