Outdoor Knives

Benchmade sits in an awkward spot for most buyers. Its knives cost much more than a Kershaw or a Buck, yet many people see the same Grivory plastic handles on them and wonder where the money goes. The answer is … Read more

The first time most people see a Spyderco, they think it looks strange: a hump on the spine, a big round hole in the blade, a handle shaped around your fingers instead of a straight bar. Then they use one, … Read more

Kershaw is the brand most people buy their first decent pocket knife from, and that’s no accident. It makes good knives at almost every price, from cheap imported workhorses to American-made folders with premium steel. The catch is that quality … Read more

Buck is the brand I point people to when they want an honest, American-made knife that will outlive them. The steel isn’t exotic and the classic models are heavy, but the knives are tough, easy to sharpen and backed by … Read more

The knife most people picture when they hear “hunting knife” is a big clip point with a brass guard and a seven-inch blade, in other words a bowie knife. That’s a great knife to hang on a wall. In the … Read more

For most people, the best bowie knife is the KA-BAR USMC. It isn’t the biggest or the fanciest, but it’s the one design on this list that has been worked hard for over 80 years and is still made the … Read more

“Survival knife” means two very different things on a store shelf. One is the movie version: a huge serrated blade with a hollow handle full of fishhooks, a compass in the pommel and a tang that stops a couple of … Read more

The best Swiss Army knife for most people is the Victorinox Huntsman. It has the tools you’ll actually use (two blades, scissors, a saw, screwdrivers, a bottle and can opener, a corkscrew) without the brick-like bulk of the giant models. … Read more

Ask ten knife people for the best pocket knife and you’ll get ten brand names, but most of them will describe the same thing: a blade around three inches, a lock you trust, a clip that keeps it where you … Read more