Nearly all of the major brands announced their new lineups for the year, and now it’s time to play catch-up on some knives we’re most excited for this year.
While I haven’t spent an extended time with all of these knives, I was able to get my hands on all of the knives at Shot Show 2023 in Las Vegas this year.
You can see the full list of all new CRKT 2023 knives this year at their website, but these are the 10 that caught our attention the most out of the more than 20 announced.
CRKT Squid Compact
The Squid has been one of the mainstays of the CRKT lineup. For years, it existed as one of the best little big knives available. However, CRKT and Lucas Burnley have slowly built out variations that range from an assisted-opening version to the larger CRKT Squid XM.
This year, CRKT went all in with compact versions of its knives, including the Squid Compact.
The late Kit Carson’s M16 folding knife design is one of the most beloved, tried-and-true tactical folders. For over two decades, the M16 has been the knife of choice for countless users in countless situations.
So, when CRKT decided to reconceive the classic (which is already one of CRKT’s best knives), they brought it up to date and then some.
This new iteration of the M16 is outfitted with all the latest technology and mechanisms a knife user could want. Its 3.58-inch black stonewashed D2 steel blade is durable and flips open using assisted-opening technology with an IKBS ball-bearing pivot that ensures smooth deployment.
When a knife becomes so iconic that it conquers Earth, there’s only one place left for it to go: space.
KA-BAR teamed up with the relatively new branch of military called the United States Space Force to bring a unique and head-turning take on a cultural icon.
This version of the most recognizable fixed blade is essentially a reskin of the original USMC KA-BAR. However, it has some welcomed humor injected into the design.
But if you think the knife is just a gimmick, you’d be sorely mistaken. The knife features the same 7-inch clip point blade made from 1095 Cro-Van steel, an alloy that’s tough, has great edge retention, and is easy to sharpen.
What better way to launch yourself into the new year than with one of the best automatic knives from one of the best knife series ever made?
The Kershaw Launch 11 is a compelling everyday carry auto with a ton to love.
It has a 2.75-inch black blade made from high-performance CPM 154 stainless steel. The alloy not only holds an excellent edge but provides resistance to corrosion and wear.
Like all the knives in the auto series, the blade bursts open lightning quick with the press of the slightly recessed push button. Its low profile button helps prevent any accidental deployment.
If you’re one of the roughly 13 million people who live in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we have some good news for you: the switchblade ban in Pennsylvania has been repealed and is now in effect.
Thanks to the hardworking lobbyists at American Knife & Tool Institute and Knife Rights, a repeal of the switchblade ban in the state was passed and signed by the governor in November. The repeal officially took effect January 2, 2023.
Here’s a quote from Penn. state representative Martin Causer, who sponsored the bill that repealed the ban:
“I am pleased we were able to work together to finally get rid of this antiquated law that needlessly infringed on citizens’ rights and put knife manufacturers here at a competitive disadvantage. Thank you so much to American Knife & Tool Institute for your strong advocacy in getting this bill across the finish line.”
This means Pennsylvania is now the 45th state to allow the manufacturing and carrying of automatic knives.
If you’re curious about the contents of the bill, you can find more here.
With our selection of the best knives of 2022 posted last week, it’s time to look at the knives the people voted for with their wallets. So, I combed through the data on the best-selling knives from Knife Depot in the 2022 calendar year.
A few things to note: This list is in no particular order because we factored in the price of these knives as well. If we sold 500 $30 knives and 500 $150 knives, we gave some special considerations to the pricier model because purchasing is more of a hurdle.
We did our best to get this list as accurate as possible.
Kershaw Launch 6
The first thing you’ll notice on this list is the surprising number of automatic knives. I argue no knife series is more popular than the Launch series from Kershaw.
The Launch 6 was one of the most popular knives from the series this year. That’s meaningful considering it sold a ton of units and it’s a fairly pricey knife.
It’s hard to argue with the sleekness of the Launch 6. It has a 3.75-inch CPM 154 stainless steel blade with a black aluminum handle and a red push button that fires with force.
Smith & Wesson SWFR2S
Smith & Wesson knives were also very popular this year. But the Smith & Wesson SWFR2S was by far the most popular.
Two factors contributed to the overall success of this knife, which is a best-seller year after year. First, the knife is a workhorse. This is a knife I have in my personal collection and one I often recommend to people looking for a reliable folder at a good price.
This unique folding knife from Smith & Wesson came out earlier this year to a ton of fanfare. That’s why it’s an easy pick as the latest Knife of the Week.
The Smith & Wesson M325 Revolver Knife works well as a standard pocket knife. It has a good-sized 3-inch stainless steel blade that can either be opened with thumb studs or popped open with a flipper tab.
It locks securely with a sturdy frame lock mechanism.
It was another fantastic year of knives. So, with 2022 almost in the rearview mirror, we thought it was time to look at the best knives to come out this year.
Like all of our best-of lists, this selection of knives is biased and somewhat arbitrary. Here are a few qualifications. In order to qualify for this list, the knife had to have been available at Knife Depot. There are a ton of great knives out there, but we thought it would be somewhat odd to choose knives that we weren’t very familiar with.
We did take into account the reviews and opinions of others when selecting these knives, but they were pretty much selected by myself.
Let us know your favorite knives of the past year.
The Outlier has been one of the top-selling knives of the year at Knife Depot, and the feedback has been positive all around. The design is nothing mind-blowing. It’s a tactical folding karambit, but it just works so well and the price is great. It reminds me of the great Fox Karambit, but at a much cheaper price price point.
It has a 2.6-inch hawkbill blade with a black glass-filled nylon handle. It can be opened with a flipper and assisted-opening mechanism or via thumb stud.
When I look back at 2022, I’ll think of the Outlier.
Hogue Deka
The Hogue Deka is not a new design, but 2022 saw the release of the definitive edition of the Deka.
The new Deka is one of the first production knives to receive the super steel MagnaCut on its blade. This steel is widely considered the best all-around steel ever made. For steel nerds, check out this highly in-depth article from Larrin over at Knife Steel Nerds.
Along with the MagnaCut steel, this version of the Deka has polymer handle scales which help cut down on the weight and price of the knife.
When Spyderco first came out with its value series named after admirable attributes in the late 2000s, the knives were the pinnacle of value for everyday carry.
As time passed, price creep has seen the value folders get more expensive… until recently.
Despite soaring inflation, Spyderco has delivered a brand new version of the beloved Ambitious with lightweight scales and a competitive price.
The Spyderco Ambitious Lightweight is the smallest of the value folders with a 2.42-inch leaf-shaped blade made from 8Cr13MoV stainless steel.
In late October, Kershaw unveiled four new knives that would make their debut this year.
All four of these knives are now available at Knife Depot, so we thought it was time to bring you an in-depth look at these four new models from Kershaw.
Check them out and let us know which one catches your eye the most.
Kershaw Interstellar
Let’s start with the Kershaw Interstellar. This knife is the one that caught my eye at first in the reveal trailer.
