Picking the right EDC knife for yourself can be a bit challenging, especially if this is something new to you. There are a myriad of knives out there, any of which might be an effective EDC knife. So how do you know which is the right one for you?
This starts with understanding what you’re carrying a knife for. Take some time to think of the various ways you expect to be using your EDC knife or pocket knife. From there, the next question is to think about what sort of knife is going to meet that need.
More than anything, that means what blade style will make the best EDC knife for you, to do the things you need it to do. At the same time, you want to consider the weight, overall size, the material used for the handle and blade and the locking mechanism.
Product | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|
 Kershaw Blur Glass Breaker | ||
 Contents
Benchmade Griptillian 551-1 | Benchmade 940 | |
 Benchmade Griptillian 551-1 | ||
 Spyderco Delica 4 | ||
 Benchmade Griptilian Mini |
ALL EDC KNIVES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL!!
Always be sure that the knife that you’re considering buying is legal in the state you live in. This varies across the country and these laws are changing all the time.
We’ve taken the time to make the next step easier for you. The list below covers the 10 best EDC knifes we can find. These are all knives which have passed the test of time; being used by many different people, with the best possible results. That makes them prime candidates for your next EDC knife.
KERSHAW BLUR GLASS BREAKER
The Kershaw Blur is a unique knife in that it incorporates a glass breaker. But even without that, this would be a great EDC knife. The high-quality Sandvik 14C28N stainless steel blade provides excellent hardness, coupled with durability. This steel has the reputation of being a premium grade knife steel, providing an excellent balance between sharpenability and edge retention in a corrosion resistant steel.
This is a drop-point knife, which is just about ideal for most situations. Serrations on the blade help with cutting through tough, fibrous materials, while still leaving a decent amount of sharp blade for those times when you don’t need the serrations. SpeedSafe assisted opening allows for one-handed opening, without breaking any laws. The clip is reversible.
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BENCHMADE 940
Made of CPM S30V steel, this is definitely a premium knife. CPM S30V is an American-made steel, developed specially for the knife industry, to provide a perfect balance between sharpness and edge retention.
This easy-open knife’s blade is held open by Benchmade’s AXIS locking mechanism, allowing for one-handed opening and closing. It comes with a reverse clip blade, which provides a sharper point than most clip, points, without being so sharp as to risk breaking. The aluminum handle is only 0.44 thick, eliminating the problem with a bulge in your pocket.
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BENCHMADE GRIPTILIAN 551-1
The Benchmade Gripotilian is a very popular knife, with a droppoint blade. Made of CPM-20V stainless steel, the blade balances edge retention with corrosion resistance and sharpeness. Housed in a glass-filled nylon handle, the Griptilian is a very convenient and easy to use knife.
Like all Benchmade knives, this one uses their AXIS locking mechanism, which provides secure locking, with an ambidextrous control for releasing the blade. The nylon handle provides excellent grip and is impervious to chemicals, maintaining good looks and strength, regardless of circumstances. While normally available with a full-sharp blade, a version with a partially serrated blade is also available.
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SPYDERCO DELICA 4 PLAIN EDGE
The blade on the Spyderco Delica might take some people time to get used to, being somewhere between a sheepsfoot and a leaf blade; but it provides about the longest clean cut you can get out of a small knife. With a large grip hole for opening, the blade slides out smoothly, even without any assist.
This knife is made from VG-10 stainless steel; another good knife stainless, that provides good edge retention, while being corrosion resistant. While the blade is only 2 7/8” long, you’ll find that you can do quite a bit with it. the fiberglass reinforced nylon handle keeps this knife extremely light for those who don’t like to feel their knife flopping around in their pocket.PROS
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SOG FLASH II BLACK
SOG is best known for producing a reproduction of the original knife created for the MACV-SOG during the Vietnam War. While this isn’t that knife, it’s built with the same attention to detail. The full tanto blade provides a strong, straight cutting area, with a sharp point. But at the same time the tanto point doesn’t break as easily as some other knife styles, due to its wide angle.
This knife’s blade is made of AUS-8 stainless steel; a Japanese steel, designed just for knives. It is a hard stainless, which is easy to sharpen, yet holds good edge retention capability. SOG knives are some of the fastest and easiest spring assisted blades to deploy, with a piston lock to secure the blade.
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SPYDERCO TENACIOUS G10
This is our second Spyderco knife on this list and it’s just as good as the first. The compact “Tenacious” sure lives up to its name, providing an extremely rugged, compact knife. This knife is available with either a sharp blade or a sharp/serrated one. The serrations are extremely aggressive, making the knife ideal for cutting difficult materials.
This is a compact knife, with a 3.39” long blade. With the serrated version, that means your sharp section is rather short; but if you think about it, you usually only use a short section of a blade anyway. The large opening hole, typical of Spyderco’s knives, makes it quick opening. Once open, it is secured by a linear lock. The G10 handle material is a high-pressure fiberglass, which is extremely strong.
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SPYDERCO PACIFIC SALT KNIFE
For those who want a slightly longer knife, Spyderco offers the Pacific Salt. While an extra 0.3 or 0.4 inches may not seem like much; when you need it, you can really tell it’s there. In addition, it has a very sharp point, for those times you need to poke holes in things. This knife makes it easier to do things that others might not make so easy.
As with all Spyderco knives, it is extremely easy opening, with a large opening hole for your thumb to grab onto. The lock is built into the back of the knife handle, which may not be comfortable for some people, but is a more traditional design. As with all Spyderco knives, the H1 steel and injection molded fiberglass provide for a rugged, quality knife.
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SPYDERCO BYRD CARA CARA 2
This knife is surprisingly low cost for a Spyderco, while still retaining Spyderco’s reputation for quality. Yet it doesn’t look quite like other Spyderco knives that I’m familiar with. While it does have the opening grip hole, like others, it’s not their round hole. Rather, it’s more of a teardrop shape. This provides for a thinner knife blade, which may be easier for some people to carry.
The textured FRN handle fits nicely into your hand and the phosphor bronze pivot washers make for smooth opening. That houses a rather strong and thick blade. If you’re needing a knife that can handle rough use, the Sypderco Cara Cara is for you.
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BENCHMADE MINI GRIPTILIAN PLAIN
The Mini Griptilian is much like it’s larger cousin, which we looked at earlier. This one is essentially the same construction, iwht a shorter blade. The 2.91 inch drop point blade is made of 154CM stainless. Combined with a textured glass-filled nylon handle, this makes for a very convenient knife to use.
The Mini Griptilian is very popular amongst the law-enforcement community, where carrying a knife is as de rigueur as carrying their guns. Anyone who uses their EDC knife regularly will appreciate this compact knife and what it can do for them. Fast, one-handed deployment and Benchmade’s AXIS lock make a nice combination to work with.
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SPYDERCO PARAMILITARY 2
The rather thick blade (0.141”) on this Spyderco knife is made of CPM S30V steel, one of the best and most consistent knife steels there is. CPM S30V is known for its edge retention, something that can be a problem with some types of stainless steel. They overcome this by producing this steel as “powder made.”
The ParaMilitary 2 is a thinner and more ergonomic design than the original ParaMilitary, making it more comfortable for extended use. It is highly resilient to wear and tear, making it one of the best EDC knives on the market.PROS
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BENCHMADE SUPER STEEL BARRAGE
Like everything else we’ve looked at from Benchmade, the Barrage is a high quality knife. Don’t let it’s deceptively simple looking design fool you. With Benchmade’s AXIS lock and easy one-handed opening, this is a knife that’s ready for whatever you need it to do.
It’s also a bit longer than most knives, which is nice. There are just times when you need a longer blade. Personally, I like a knife with a longer blade, although most of my friends don’t. Being a drop-point blade, chances of breakage or other problems are minimal. Even so, it’s covered by Benchmade’s limited lifetime warranty.PROS
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BUCK KNIVES 110
Buck knives is one of the oldest knife makers in the United States, having been founded in 1902. This particular model is extremely pretty, with a wood and brass handle. While not as thin as many EDC knives, this one embodies all of the old tradition we expect from Buck. It even comes with a belt sheathe; forget about clipping it to your pocket and wearing out your pants.
While many people might want to dismiss Buck as a “low end” knife, this one is made of 420HC steel. That’s a high-carbon stainless steel, which can’t be ignored. Any high-carbon steel is going to have excellent edge retention, something that most stainless steels struggle with. It’s also a clip point blade, which makes it excellent for those times when you need to pierce a hole in something.PROS
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Conclusion
As you can see, there are many excellent EDC knives on the market. The hard part is deciding which is the best for you. If I was looking for a lower-cost knife, I’d probably pick the SOG Flash II; but if I wanted to go for the absolute best, it would have to be one of the Benchmade knives, like the Barrage. But don’t pick your knife based on what I would buy; decide what will work best for you. After all, you’re the one who’s going to be carrying and using it.
Of course, no knife is any better than the care you take of it. Regular honing and oiling of any blade is important. Take good care of your EDC knife and you can be sure it will take care of you, regardless of which one you buy.