Picking the Perfect Pocket Knife - Best Folding Knives

Are you looking for the perfect every day carry (EDC) pocket knife? Here we're cover some of the best folding knives on the market and the various considerations that go into selecting the right knife for your specific needs. A folding knife can be an extremely handy tool for a wide variety of purposes, far beyond just opening boxes from your latest delivery. 

These are Harford Armory's top ten things you need to consider when picking an EDC folding knife: 

  1. General Size, Thickness, & Style
  2. Blade Quality
  3. Opening Mechanisms
  4. Clip Type & Carry Style 
  5. Reversible / Left Handed Carry Clip
  6. Blade & Point Type
  7. Blade Locking Type
  8. Rescue & Safety Options
  9. Price
  10. Brand Trust, Loyalty, and Historical Quality

My internal process for evaluating a knife: 

Over the past 30+ years I've used, handled, evaluated, and tested hundreds and hundreds of folding knives. There are several steps I usually take to get an idea of the overall quality and how it fits into my personal needs. Clearly the design is what hits you first. Do you like the way it looks?

Next I like to see how it feels in my hand. Does it fit right? Does it feel stable? Is the texture slippery or does it have a nice grip against my palm?

After that I check out how the knife opens. For an assisted opening knife, it's important to recognize that brand new spring-assist knives don't normally open smoothly the first few times they are opened, especially cheaper ones that aren't machined as precisely. Give it several tries and see if seems to get smoother. There are a number of really inexpensive knives that have a super smooth assist, but it often takes a bit to get them broken in. 

Once the blade is open I note how it locks. Much like the assisted opening, some knives won't lock correctly on the first try. Some less expensive liner locks may even need a slight adjustment to get them to lock fully or to keep the lock from sticking. I usually give the blade a wiggle to see how solid it is. A folding knife with a loose blade is not going to last and it could cause problems or even injury. It's also extremely unsafe if the locking mechanism doesn't engage correctly after attempting to break it in. 

Once the blade is locked open I usually put it back in my hand to see how it feels. Many knives have finger recesses for comfort and to keep the knife from slipping. Because the blade usually covers these, you need to see how it feels both open and closed. I prefer a knife with some sort of finger guard on it, usually in the form of at least one inward contour that my index finger fits into. I think about if I slammed the knife into a wood block, could my hand easily slip onto the blade and cut me? If so, the grip isn't quite secure enough for my taste.

It's a personal thing, but I also flip the knife around and see how it feels holding it with the blade facing down (reverse grip) because this is often how knives are used in self-defense. 

I very carefully test the edge of the blade to see how sharp it is. If I really to want to go deeper on a knife that I might carry, I'd perform some cutting tests. The finger is not sensitive enough to tell  very sharp from razor sharp. If it can shave hair, I'd consider that razor sharp. Very few pocket knives come that sharp, but some do.

Next that I inspect the whole thing for blemishes or other problems. I've seen a lot of cheaper knives that have rough spots or areas that weren't polished or finished correctly. It's important to look because these can actually cut you or catch your clothing if they aren't polished out. If you buy a big name knife such as Benchmade, Kershaw, Cold Steel, or SOG, you aren't going to need to worry about this. These companies (and many others) have excellent quality control processes. They aren't going to ship a damaged knife unless it was sold a factory second or reject. 

If you carry a knife left-handed, you will also want to check which side the clip is on and where the opening stud is. Some knife brands such as Kershaw tend to leave holes that allow moving the pocket clip. This bring up the next question of, does the knife point up or down based on the orientation of the clip? If the knife faces down in your pocket, it can be pulled straight into your hand. If it faces up, you have to flip it over to get a grip on it. I only carry knives that face down (or have a clip that I can reorient so it faces downward). 

Another thing to check is how the knife fits into your pocket. The overall thickness is really important here. A thinner knife fits much better, especially if you carry it on your belt or in a tight jeans pocket. However, a thicker knife is more likely to feel comfortable in your hand. You have to find the right balance for your situation. Next you'll want to judge if the knife is too heavy or too large to carry normally.

Does the clip allow for "deep carry" where the knife is all the way inside your pocket and harder to see, or is it a more shallow carry where the end sticks out. For every day carry, I prefer the shallower clip because it's quicker to retrieve. However, if I wanted the knife to remain more hidden (when dressed up for example), I will swap in a deep carry knife. 

I also take a look at the type of steel used and the quality of the blade. I want to know if it's going to hold an edge long term, will it rust or pit, and how brittle is it? Is it partial serrated? Drop point or tanto? Does it have any special features such as rescue tools such as a glass breaker or seatbelt cutter? 

Also consider if the blade length and other features (such as how it opens) are legal in your state to carry openly or to potentially conceal. Though most states consider a folding knife or so called "pen knife" to be a tool, some features can turn it into a weapon which has restrictions.

Finally, let's discuss price. There is a huge difference in quality between a "no brand" knife and a Benchmade. That difference goes beyond just one instance of a knife, but the entire brand history of quality delivery. When you get a top brand knife, you can almost always be sure that it's going to deliver the quality you expect. You also can be fairly certain that the big brand companies will fix any rare issues that do arise. 

Check out our selection of folding knives. 

Chief Armorer's Top Picks

Here are a few solid picks from the armory: