Choosing the Best Folding Knife in 5 Steps

Need a new folding knife that you actually intend to carry and not just display?

Well, here are the five most important questions to ask yourself to make sure you make a good decision.

1. What Are You Going to Use It for?

This is by far the most reliable determinant of what the best folding knife is. You need to ask yourself what you’ll be using the knife for. Do you need:

• A shop knife?
• A craft knife?
• A knife for EDC or general utility?
• A camp or bushcraft knife?
• A pen knife or a conventional pocket knife?
• A multitool?
• A hunting/skinning knife?
• A filet knife or a bait knife?
• A trade knife, like an electrician’s knife?
• Or some sort of specialty knife like a dive knife?

These are just a few of the more common categories, but they can all help you narrow down your options. Keep in mind also that some types of knives are conventionally fixed and not folders, so that may limit you somewhat.

2. Size, Weight, and How to Carry

What you will use the knife for will determine how large it should be. There are no hard or fast rules here, but for everyday carry and general utility, most folders with blade lengths between 3” and 4” are ideal. As for weight, more than a few ounces (say, 5) will be a bit much for having to carry on you all the time.

How to carry is another thing. Most folding knives are equipped with pocket clips that make it easier to carry them; others are sold with belt sheaths. If it doesn’t have one of these (rare in most modern folders) you’ll have to carry it free in a pocket.

3. Blade Steel

Blade steel is another important consideration as the steel will determine how tough and strong the blade is, how long it will hold an edge (edge retention and how easy knife sharpening will be), and how well it will resist corrosion.

The two broad categories of knife steels are “stainless” and “non-stainless” steels. Tool steels like 1095 and D2 tend to be more prone to rust; popular stainless alloys like XCrXXMoV, 420HC, and 12C28N steels offer a better degree of corrosion resistance.

4. Blade Profile

Blade profile is the shape of the blade and it will determine how useful the blade is for your given tasks.

Common blade profiles include spear point, drop point, straight-backed, and sheepsfoot. All four of these are useful for general utility.

Clip point blades are popular because they look cool and are good for detail work, but they have fragile tips. Other styles, like recurve blades and hawkbill blades, though they do have use cases, are harder to resharpen, and needlepoints are too fragile for everyday use.

For most applications, stick with one of the first four mentioned.

5. Lock or no Lock (and Type)

Most modern folding pocket knives are made with a locking mechanism, the majority of them liner locks, frame locks, button locks, or crossbar-style locks like Benchmade’s AXIS lock.

A locking blade is stronger and safer to use but can be a liability in some cases as a result of local laws. Bear in mind that most manufacturers also make slipjoint folders in classic patterns for this very reason.

The Best Folding Knife Is Waiting at White Mountain Knives

Whatever you ultimately determine works for you, the best folding knife is waiting for you at White Mountain Knives. They carry the best brands in the industry and have hundreds if not thousands of models to choose from. Even if you’ve never carried a pocket knife, check out their catalog today.