One of these beauties costs $6,980. The appeal of the 940 is twofold: one, it's thin and it's light - the standard aluminum . Five generations later and the now legendary Nagao Higonokami friction folder remains one of the most important collectors knives of all time, being made today very similarly to how it was upon its debut in 1894. Of course, most blades are not made from the age of history but instead are produced from a standard steel alloy commonly used in many knives today. Total Length: 8.15 The Spyderco Endura and Delica offered something new, but the Spyderco Military is probably the most mimicked and well-known of all the Spydies. Trapper Case knives - The Trapper model is Case's most popular knife. $225.00. In fact, most of the knives they presently manufacture have a similar makeup, as well a simple, natural wood handle and a stainless steel blade. You can only imagine how many more were sold over the next 75 years. 8 Pricey Pocket Knives Worth the Investment Boker Mother of Pearl. The immense popularity of the PM2 has also resulted in a massive number of different variants, as well as a wide range of available aftermarket upgrades for the knife such as custom handle scales. 3 - The Best Traditional Pocket Knife: Buck The 55. Blade: Cryo D2 The Sebenza is the pinnacle of production knife folders and boasts a design that every other manufacturer has borrowed from. Several companies have tried to sell exact copies of the Mora, but they weren't the same as the originals. $650.00. Like many of the knives on this list, the Leatherman has essentially become a generic term for a multi-tool with pliers. Here are the best knives of 2023 for for folks like you and me. Its not the priciest out there, nor does it have a premium material construction, but it will never let you down. Free shipping for many products! Old company, lots of history. Visit KnifeNews tomorrow to find out which model is #15 on our list of the Top 25 Pocket Knives that are Indispensable. Spyderco has never been one to shy away from innovation, even at the expense of sexiness (see: Spyderco Dodo), and the knife world is better off for it. Best Minimalist Choice: Kershaw Chive Pocket & Folding Knife. Lock Type: Virobloc Safety Ring. Blade Length: 2.35 There are convenient pocket knives, and then there are over the top pocket knives. Functional recreations of the knife have been made by brands like Boker Plus and CAS Hanwei. Often these come from the most well-known pocket knife makers out there, though there are a number of quality independent pocket knife brands. FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $99* & 60-DAY RETURNS, In some form or another, knives have been around for millions of years. In fact, the Swiss Army Knife is so ubiquitous across global culture, other industries have used the term as a descriptor for similarly useful products as in, the Swiss Army Knife of [insert item here]. As mentioned, there are versions of this tool for all walks of life (even an insane 141-function version), but if you want to get one thats as close to the original as possible, we suggest either the Cadet or the Pioneer. But another Peter Rassenti integral frame lock knife took the mantle: the Spyderco . Mated to the 4.75 titanium and carbon handle is an absolute workhorse of a 3.50 CPM S20V blade thats a whopping 0.16 thick. The CQC-6 (which is named after Close Quarters Combat and SEAL Team Six) became a status symbol among members of elite military units for its nearly flawless design. 10. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Always one to impress the hard-core knife enthusiasts, Benchmade really didn't connect with the masses until the Mel Pardue-designed Griptilian jumped onto the scene with its 154CM steel and grippy handle. Zero Tolerance is relatively new compared to some of the historic brands on this list. Nesmuk Diamond Studded Knife. The most expensive knives are the mini swords from James Williams (the Hisshou at $375 and the Shinbu at $350). . And Opinel, in particular, has one of the longest-reaching histories in the entirety of the present knife-making community. The most expensive pocket knives list starts with some thousand dollars and reaches up to 2.1 million. This TI monoblack is manufactured in the United States. The knife also has those luscious brass bolsters and a woodgrain handle. Damascus Steel: Is My Knife Real or Fake. Victorinox . From the tail-end of the 1100s through the conclusion of the Edo Period in the late 19th century, Japan saw an enormous rise in swordsmithing, with dozens of families meticulously crafting katanas for the islands Samurai warriors. Manage Settings 4 - The Best Tactical Pocket Knife: Ontario Knife Company Rat II. Majority of the antique knives integrated somewhat cheap wood for the handles. or Best Offer. Of course, one of the best features on the knife is Ken Onion's Speed-Safe assisted opening system, which uses a revolutionary torsion bar to allow quick and reliable deployment with one finger. Another type of collectible is sports memorabilia or autographs, which can include knives. Favored by farmers, frontiersmen, hunters, and more, Case is about as American as it gets. The 4170BK Auto Fact draws inspiration from Italian stiletto knives and traditional switchblades. Blade: CPM S35VN To this day, theyre still constructed in the same manner by the successors of the craftsmen who originally built them. Designed by legendary knifemaker Ken Onion, the Leek transformed the factory knife market by sparking the assisted opening craze still present in folders. In order to make it on the list, the knife must be the following: We're starting off the list with one of the most iconic knives around the world. Best Classic: Buck 110 Folder. 10. 2nd Markets has been buying collections of pocket knives, fixed blade knives, and custom knives for many, many years. This means there are imitators all over. So here's another vote for the Case 54 as the most collectible. Add to Cart. If you ask a layman for a list of the best knives of all time, the Sebenza probably wouldn't be on the list, but any knife enthusiast would put the Sebenza at the top. Although the 8OT featured earlier on the list is one of Old Timer's most distinct models, the Old Timer Sharpfinger has had one of the biggest impacts on the knife world by introducing a unique style that has since been mimicked by many other manufacturers. Used by Roman soldiers who were far from home, the earliest examples of folding knives (friction folders consisting of a blade, a handle, and a simple pivot at their meeting point) were not made for war, but rather simple utility looking and functioning a bit like the Swiss Army Knives we know and love today. Over the course of that time, thousands of variations and styles have been paraded out to the masses. First publicly unveiled at the Blade Show in 2000, the Osborne has a beautifully milled AXIS lock-equipped handle that comfortably fits in its users hand and an idiosyncratic reverse tanto blade thats incredibly conducive to most EDC tasks. 1. The oldest known folding knife that's been discovered dates between 600 and 500 BC, and is believed to be of Celtic origin, featuring an iron blade and a bone handle. Best with Sharpest Blade: Helle Kletten. To make our decisions more transparent, we are laying out the guidelines for why one knife made the list and another did not. No one "needs" a $500 pocket knife. However, there are a few things to consider when determining the most collectible pocket knives. Similar to the traditional Finnish Pukko, Moraknivs blades still feature the same silhouette as they did when the brand was first formed. Although Case has had some stumbles near the end of the century, they are still the most collected knife brand in traditional pocket . By no means did Case invent the pocket knife, but it can be argued that Case (along with the Trapper) helped make pocket knives a thing. Built around a diminutive yet durable aluminum handle with a double-action thumb slide, Microtech's Exocet is a compact auto OTF that packs a sub-2", California-legal blade that's available in a number of different blade shapes. They produce a limited series of knives for more than 20 years. The Large Espada from Cold Steel falls into the latter category so much so that the company lovingly calls it a pocket sword. Built for close quarters combat, the V-42 features a 7-inch SK-5 carbon steel blade with a black coating and a handle made of compressed leather discs. Then, there are the antique knives. SPONSORED. Editors Rating: 7.5/10; Metal Used: VG-10 Steel; This knife from Katsu has a uniquely shaped blade that is just under 4" in length. Mirror polished 3 3/8" blade is marked "ROSTFREI" in script on the tang. Since 1995, the F1 has been the official survival knife for all pilots in the Swedish Air Force, and the knife was so well received that it was even tested and approved for use by air crews in the Marines and U.S. Navy. Total Length: 8.40 Since its release, the F1 has become a sort of benchmark for all other survival knives and started a trend in which functionality and simplicity beat out flashiness and gimmicks. Benchmade 4170BK Auto Fact. While a knife doesnt necessarily have to have a unique story in order to become iconic, it certainly doesnt hurt. The general design of the Buck Special hasn't changed over the past 50 years, but the knife is still highly regarded and copied in many aspects. 10. To be clear, the Leek was not the first assisted opening knife, but through a perfect storm of design choices, the Leek set the standard of what the perfect EDC should strive to be. With nothing more than a handle, a blade, a simple bail attachment, and a pivot, the douk-douk will go down in history as one of the most significant and iconic folding knives ever. As perhaps the biggest added benefit, theyre still made in the USA. Blade Length: 3.44 making Case knives some of the most collectible on the market. Top. Total Length: 8.06 Handle Material. The name comes from Damascus, Syria, which was a trading hub for knives in the Middle Ages. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. $1,295.00. These are the 12 most iconic pocket knives of all time. In spite of (or perhaps because of) its seemingly endless number of permutations, this Benchmade knife certainly deserves consideration as one of the most iconic pocket knives ever. It would be impossible to distill the significance of every pocket knife into a single article, but there are a few that stand out from the crowd for their staying power, iconic design, and overall impact on the knife industry. Blade: CPM 20CV The 40-year-old Mark II is one of the top-selling knives with a style similar to the Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife of WWII. He finally succeeded with the original Leatherman tool (now retired), but continually improved upon the design until the Wave. And, a 90-Day Satisfaction Guarantee with EVERY knife! Numerous versions of the Griptilian have been released, including a popular mini version of the knife. Total Length: 5.625. Sale price $27.99 $27.99 Regular price $53.13 $53.13 You Save $25.14. (He wanted to keep the CQC-6 as a custom exclusive.). This knife gets 10 points for style. Perhaps the purest Spyderco design, however, comes in their most coveted knife the Paramilitary 2. . In fact, the knife was first introduced in 1963, when it forever revolutionized the world of hunting knives (and knives in general). A Limited Edition model goes for $250. Similar to what happened with the Buck 110, the Sharpfinger essentially became a generic term used for knives in this style, but the Old Timer version was the original. The Emerson CQC-7 was actually based on the custom folder CQC-6. And while the world around changed, these knives retained their usefulness and, as a result, remained largely unchanged through to the present. Handle: Ebony & Brass Treefarmer. Learn everything you need to know about preserving your favorite EDC tool on our complete guide on how to clean your pocket knife. Handle: Titanium Billet [Buying Guide], Toro 51496 Cordless Hedge Trimmer Review [DEALs Inside], Black Decker Hh2455 Hedgehog Hedge Trimmer Review, Best Toothpaste Manufacturers [Indepth Guides], How to Decorate Wedding Car? Best Outdoor Pocket Knife: Cold Steel Finn Wolf. - 21%. In fact, they can trace their origins back to a small family-owned cutlery business in the early 1800s. Not only does the Sebenza cost a pretty penny, but you typically have to go on a waiting list to get one of these prized knives. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. This is the knife of choice for those looking for versatility. Some examples include knives signed by sports stars, autographed golf balls or baseballs, etc. Find all your new favorites at Oliver Cabell today. Best Multi-tool Option: Leatherman Free K2 Pocket & Folding Knife. And the variety of the tech built into them in regards to their materials, design, and construction has increased tenfold. Since its inception, the knife has been significantly improved upon with enough versions to meet and exceed anyone's needs. VintageBeltBuckle. So far on the list, we've had iconic knives from Switzerland, France, the United States, and South Africa. Lock Type: Slipjoint. Amazingly, after more than 70 years, the KA-BAR continues to be one of the first choices for men and women in the military. Lock Type: Framelock. One of the best-value EDC knives in existence, Opinels No. ZT started making knives for the military and first responders in 2006 and branched out over the ensuing decade and a half to build a fan base of anyone who used their knives hard and regularly. The CQC-7 is produced in large numbers by Emerson Knives, allowing people to get their hands on the knife without the long wait and exorbitant prices. Since the knife's release, it's been produced in many different blade types and colors, from the Composite Leek to the 2005 Knife of the Year Rainbow Leek. Robert E. Lee Battle of Chancellorsville Pocket Knife:This high-quality collectible pocket knife includes a lifelike portrait of the leader of the Confederate Army meticulously etched into the stainless steel blade, along with the location and date of his most significant Civil War victory. The term pocket knife is a fairly ubiquitous one around the world. Blade: CTS 204P. 3 Benchmade Infidel 3300BKOD -K Military Elite Knife. 3. Thats not something that happens by accident. Considered by most discerning collectors as the top of the EDC knife food-chain, integral knives are unique in that their handle rather than being comprised of two handle scales mated together with a back-spacer is crafted from a solid piece of billet thats machined down to a single, ultra-sturdy piece. Workers and casual knife users adopted this knife as an everyday carry, despite the fact that it was originally made for hunters. Originally known as the Case Brothers Cutlery Company, this brand got their start selling knives out of the back of a wagon in western New York way back in 1889. Built around a diminutive yet durable aluminum handle with a double-action thumb slide, Microtechs Exocet is a compact auto OTF that packs a sub-2, California-legal blade thats available in a number of different blade shapes. Check Price on Amazon. And they apparently functioned well enough to hold up over time, as archaeologists from across the ancient world found other, similar examples of friction folders used later by farmers, Vikings, craftsmen, etc. Best Choice: Benchmade Mini Griptilian Pocket & Folding Knife. Handle: Aluminum.