This post was first written in 2019 and was most recently updated in 2023.
When you think of American knives, there should only be one knife that jumps to mind: the Bowie Knife.
We’ve written a ton about the Bowie knife. In fact, the very first blog post back in August 2010 was about the legendary Jim Bowie.
If you don’t know about the legend of Jim Bowie and his knife, check out our definitive look at the legend of the Bowie knife.
There are a lot of bad quality Bowie knives on the market. Cheap, low-quality steel and bad workmanship are rife. We’re here to help you find only high quality Bowie knives.
What Makes a Good Bowie Knife?
As I’ve said many times, there is not a consensus on the dimensions of the original, but a Bowie knife is broadly defined as a large fixed blade with a clip-point profile.
These days, designers play with the elements of the Bowie to create knives that fit the general framework of the Bowie while pushing the boundaries. You get some original creations that could still be defined as a Bowie knife. We’re including some of those here too.
Cold Steel Wild West
Let’s start with the Wild West Bowie. This is the knife most people probably envision of when they think of a Bowie knife.
It has a long 10.75-inch clip-point blade made from 1090 carbon steel with a rosewood handle. A brass-colored hand guard also adds to the traditional look of the knife.
KA-BAR Bowie
The KA-BAR Bowie is a little small to be a Bowie knife, since it has a 6.9-inch blade (that’s still pretty long).
The original KA-BAR is essentially a Bowie knife too, although most probably wouldn’t instantly recognize it as one. This model has a clip point blade with a stacked leather handle and a small guard. It comes with a leather sheath.
Schrade Leroy Bowie
Here’s where we start to get a little more playful with the design choices. This isn’t the type of Bowie that old Jim would have carried as he defended the Alamo. But the Leroy Bowie still makes a good Bowie knife.
It has an all-black design with a 9.55-inch clip-point blade.