Timothy Martinez Jr. is the community director for Knife Depot and the editor of The Cutting Edge. If you have any questions or ideas for The Cutting Edge, you can contact him at Tim@knife-depot.com.
The Pledge is Gerber’s promise to offer a low-cost knife with a compelling design you can depend on. Gerber delivers on that pledge in spades.
Gerber makes some of the best high-quality knives made in America you can buy, such as the 06 Auto and StrongArm. But their budget-friendly models are some of the most underrated knives on the market, including our latest Knife of the Week.
The Gerber Pledge features a slim 3.7-inch blade with a full panel reverse tanto blade. This is a unique blade shape that offers additional versatility for everyday carry.
This post was originally written in June 2016 and was updated in 2024 to include newer models.
Cold Steel is known for going to the extreme.
The famous knife brand often gets killed by critics, calling Cold Steel knives nothing but “mall ninja” junk. But any real knife enthusiast could tell you that Cold Steel makes some strong, well-designed knives for the hard worker, such as the Cold Steel Recon 1 and Cold Steel Voyager.
Despite having some down-to-earth knives for everyday carry, Cold Steel doesn’t shy away from the monstrous and preposterous.
So in today’s post, we’re looking at five huge folding knives Cold Steel currently makes. Some of these are in fact the largest folding knives on the market as well (except for the No. 13 Opinel with a whopping 8.75-inch blade). These may not always be practical, but they are always awesome. I also added a few clips from YouTube so you can see what these knives look like in the hand.
Cold Steel Ti-Lite VI (6″ Blade)
The Cold Steel Ti-Lite is a thin and sleek folder that looks like something out of the 1950s. When engaged, the knife features two bolsters that resemble a good ol’ switchblade—except this is a manual folder that engages with a thumb stud. Or if you’re carrying the knife in your pocket, the bolster doubles as a protrusion that catches the side of your pocket and engages in one swift movement (a la the Wave).
The knife has an overall length of 13 inches, which gives this an excellent reach. It has Zytel handles. This piercing point and quick-opening mechanism make this tool great for self-defense.
Cold Steel Luzon (6″ Blade)
The Luzon is another knife that’s ideal for self-defense. The knife was inspired by Lynn C. Thompson’s balisong collection. Designed by Mike Wallace, this huge folder has a 6-inch blade made from 8Cr13MOV stainless steel.
It uses the a regular liner locking mechanism and features a comfortable handle with enough texturing and grip to keep it in your hand. The Luzon comes in a smaller size, but why would you want that?
Cold Steel Talwar (5.5″ Blade)
When it comes to most intimidating knife ever, nothing tops the Talwar. Sure, it doesn’t have the largest blade, but 5.5 inches is plenty big enough when you have a fully serrated edge with a large slicing belly.
Hawaii has officially repealed the ban on the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, and transportation of various knives, including switchblades, butterfly knives (aka balisongs), gravity knives, and more.
This means you can legally own and carry all of these knives in Hawaii. It’s important to note that the ban on concealed carry is still in effect on all of these knives, so make sure to carry them out in the open.
Also, penalties when using these tools as part of a crime have been increased.
On top of popularizing assisted-opening mechanisms, the brand helped pioneer the use of composite blades. This design combines two complementary alloys to make an attractive and high-quality blade.
This is best illustrated in our latest Knife of the Week.
The Kershaw Dividend Composite is a handsome American-made folder that excels as a hard-working everyday carry.
The 3-inch blade melds D2 steel on the cutting edge with Bohler N690 to harness the toughness of D2 and the corrosion resistance of N690. The process also creates an eye-catching zipper look where the two steels meet.
This post was originally written in 2015 but was updated in May 2024.
Every now and again, we like to take a look at the best-selling knives here at Knife Depot to find out what models and designs are currently the most popular. While the best-sellers change pretty frequently, this is usually a good indicator of the types of knives people are reaching for.
We thought I’d be cool to share this information with you, so you can also see what knives people are picking up. We took data from the last 12 months but also mixed in some of our own proprietary calculations like revenue to determine the top-sellers from CRKT.
The original list only contained five knives and four of those are now discontinued.
10. CRKT Onion Throwing Knife
People love new knives, so many of the knives on this list were released in the last year or so. Coming in at number 10 was Ken Onion’s first foray into throwing knives: the aptly named CRKT Onion Throwing Knives.
Throwing knives are always among the top-sellers at Knife Depot, so when you add Ken Onion’s iconic name and design cues to a set of three throwers, you get a bestseller.
9. CRKT Ritual
The Ritual is an unusual knife in that it’s probably not a knife you’re going to be carrying around much because it’s big and gaudy. Still, people love this large folder from Alan Folts.
It’s inspired by Persian knife designs with a 4.37-inch upswept blade and Micarta and steel handle.
8. CRKT Squid Compact
You might not think so, but people love small knives.
When you need a nondescript knife that you can comfortably carry to the office or keep on your desk, the Boker Plus USB OTF is the perfect choice.
The design of the knife is unsurprisingly modeled after USB sticks, meaning it’s practical, slim, and compact.
Since this is a California legal automatic, its blade is a mere 1.77 inches. While you might think the D2 blade is too small, it’s more than capable of tackling everyday tasks around the office or in day-to-day life.
It should be everyone’s goal to buy American-made products to support manufacturing and jobs in the country. However, prices and quality of knives compared to foreign competition can be tough to ignore, especially with inflation significantly raising prices the past few years.
But, if you think you can’t get a solid American-made knife for less than $100, you’re sorely mistaken.
Here is a selection of 10 knives you can pick up for under $100.
Buck 110 Folding Hunter
Let’s start with an iconic no-brainer: the Buck 110 Folding Hunter.
Even 60 years after the folder was introduced, the 110 remains one of the best American-made knives you can buy. Not only that but you can get it for under $70.
For those who don’t know, the knife has a 3.75-inch blade and wood handle with bolsters. If you don’t have one of these yet, what are you doing?
Case Sod Buster
This is the first of many Case knives to grace this list. The Sod Buster is a legendary slip joint pattern that has captured the hearts and minds of knife enthusiasts everywhere. The knife has a single blade that measures about 3.5 inches. The handle on this version is red impact resistant synthetic material.
KA-BAR Black Fighting Knife
Not all cheap US-made knives have to be folders. KA-BAR has a few fixed blades that cost under $100, but we’re highlighting the KA-BAR Black Fighting Knife here.
I’m faced with a question: is beauty in the eye of the knife holder?
Let me explain how I arrived at this very philosophical question. While strolling the Internet for interesting tools, I came across the knife you see here.
As you probably notice, it is a custom-made knife with a really “unique” design. There are very polarizing opinions about these knives.
This is my opinion alone, but I think the knife is absolutely ugly. I’m sure the knifemaker, whom I believe is Richard Kloc of Richmade Knives, put a lot of thought and care into it, but I still think it’s hideous.
I’ve looked at a lot of knives in my day, and though I’ve never said it out loud, there are some knives I think are flat out grotesque. However, I’m sure there are people out there that think all knives (whether designed for practical uses or art) are a labor of craftsmanship. Each knife is a matter of taste and there will always be someone out there who thinks a knife is beautiful (even if it’s only the knifemaker).
While all knives are meant to cut, there are only a few knives you’d really want to put through the wringer on a busy job site. So I did my best to pick out a few folding knives you can bet your fingers on at work after getting some recommendations from blue-collar workers (not some blog boy like myself).
The pocket knives on this list are a mix of “overbuilt” knives that you can pretty much pry with and less expensive but very serviceable blades you could happily carry onto a construction site.
I tried to take price into consideration, which is why you won’t see a Medford Praetorian, Hinderer XM-18, or a few others that are around $500. Also, if you’re serious about a true work knife, you might want to consider a more reliable and easier to maintain fixed blade. With those caveats out of the way, let’s get to the list.
Post originally posted in September 2018 before being updated in February 2023 to include current knives.
Cold Steel AD-10
When it comes to hard-use folders that are overbuilt and ready for work, there’s a new king in town: the AD-10.
This relatively new knife boasts a 3.5-inch chunk of S35VN steel for its blade. The sculpted G-10 handle feels great in the hand. The AD-10 also has a Tri-Ad lock for even greater power. This may be pricier than others, but it will never fail on you.
The Benchmade Adamas is one of the most common models you’ll see on lists about work knives. The reason? It’s large, reliable, and strong. The blade is 3.78 inches and uses exceptionally strong CruWear steel on a no-nonsense drop point blade. Not only is the blade stock thick but so are the liners and G-10 scales.
