The Best Pocket Knives of 2024

In order to make it to the top of this list, a knife needs to be the best of the best of the best. In testing, we quickly found that the Benchmade Freek ($350) checked off all of the boxes we had in terms of what we expected from this year’s “best overall” pocket knife.

From the S90V drop point blade to the carbon fiber scales, there’s no questioning that the Freek is a premium knife. Just like with all of the other Benchmade folders we’ve had the joy of playing with, the Axis lock brings an added layer of comfort in knowing that it won’t fail.

S90V is super-premium stainless steel that defies all odds in terms of corrosion and abrasion resistance, but it also holds an excellent edge. In fact, the only downside to S90V is that it’s a real pain to sharpen. Thankfully, you probably won’t have to sharpen it for years. But, if you do, Benchmade offers their Lifesharp Guarantee for the life of the knife.

Outside of the materials and build, the Freek excels in size and shape. At almost 8½”, it’s right in the sweet spot for length. With almost 31⁄2” of that being the blade, you’ll find that the Benchmade Freek is incredibly balanced. The contoured handle, with its chamfered edges, fits every hand size and type, and the “RST” style blade ramp on the spine of the blade lets you bear down and get the big tasks done with ease.

Read our full review here.

A good budget pocket knife will cost you less than $100 and get the job done. But a great budget pocket knife will cost around the same, feature premium materials, and get the job done well. That’s the story with the CIVIVI Conspirator ($94) whose Nitro-V blade steel, Micarta handle scales, and button lock belong on a knife twice the price. But that’s been the story all along with CIVIVI and its sister company, WE Knife Co. Both have been making a lot of other production knife manufacturers second guess their retail pricing.

Did we mention the ball bearings that aid in the opening and overall operation of the Conspirator? Combined with the crossbar-style button lock and the flipper deployment, you would be hard-pressed to find another knife out there that functions as smoothly and reliably. Ball bearings used to only come on the most premium of production knives. Now they’re available on almost every CIVIVI folding knife in production.

Regarding the Nitro-V blade steel, it’s a real head-scratcher that more brands aren’t using it on their knives. Nitro-V is the brainchild of New Jersey Steel Baron, a company that provides steel to knife manufacturers of all sizes, all over the world. They set out to make a blade steel that was nearly impervious to corrosion that was tough and held a terrific edge. Nitro-V was the answer.

The Conspirator is the kind of knife that you don’t mind using and abusing because it didn’t break your bank. But what’s more, is that it can take it. This knife was made to be dragged around and used in all environments for your lifetime.

Read our full review here.

Almost everyone we know got into knives because they were given a “Swiss Army Knife (SAK)” when they were a kid, if not at some other impactful time in their lives. That said, this list wouldn’t be complete without having something from Victorinox on it. Last year we had Victorinox’s Hiker ($36) in this slot. But, after a year of testing and toiling, we feel that the best tool for this category is the Huntsman ($50).

For roughly the same amount of pocket real estate as the Hiker, you get the added benefit of scissors and a multipurpose hook. Yes, you do lose a dedicated Phillips screwdriver, but we’ve found that the small screwdriver on top of the can opener gets the job done.

With a total of 15 on-board tools, the Huntsman is well-rounded, without any bloat. Even though we would love to, one day, see the tools lock on a SAK, it’s something you learn to work around and keep yourself aware of. That said, even when using some of the more demanding tools like the saw and awl, there was never an instance where they closed in on our hands.

Aside from the tools and blades being made from stainless Swedish steel, the shining star of the Huntsman is the multipurpose hook. At 3mm, it allows you to do such things as remove a hot pot from a fire, and pull tent stakes out of the ground. The scissors also came in handy for cutting fishing lines and excess cordage leftover from making knots and loops. For those of you who love a nice glass of Pinot Grigio at camp, you’re going to love the corkscrew.

For those of you looking for something fancy out of your SAK, Victorinox offers the Huntsman Wood ($64) which features Walnut wood scales.

Part of a trio, the WE Knife Big Banter ($132) is the big brother of the Banter and Baby Banter. All three of these knives have found their place in the annals of knife history in a very short period of time. This is due in part to all three of them being made from exceptional materials, excelling in performance, and being priced just right for the everyday user.

We chose the Big Banter as this year’s best hiking/outdoor pocket knife because it’s a full-sized knife consisting of a drop point 20CV blade and Micarta handle scales. It also features a steel frame for extra dexterity as well as ball bearings in the pivot for an incredibly awesome deployment experience.

Additionally, and this is something we’ve seen on a lot of WE Knife knives, the attention to detail on the Big Banter kicks the functionality up a notch. Take for example the jimping in the choil. Having this extra touch point in this specific area provides you with a better grip. It also helps out when you’re working on tougher tasks.

Another detail is the fact that one handle scale has a slightly larger relief to better access the liner lock. It would be one thing if this were a large relief, but we’re talking about less than an eighth of an inch that improves the user experience and ease of use.

Overall, the Big Banter is a larger folding knife that works in all hand sizes due to its large, indexable choil. It has a great size-to-weight ratio and its stonewashed 20CV steel is considered “super steel” as it excels in both corrosion and abrasion resistance. What this all boils down to is a knife that you can use, abuse, and rely on — then give it to your children and tell them to do the same.

Read our full review here.

To be considered tactical, you need to have some features that aren’t necessarily found in other EDC pocket knives. In the case of the Benchmade CLA ($400), that feature is lightning-fast automatic deployment at the push of a button. That’s right, the CLA is an automatic knife which makes this a restricted item in some states. But that doesn’t mean we can’t give it credit where credit is due. After all, in testing, all the CLA did was impress us.

Considered a bridge between EDC knives and tactical knives, the CLA is composed of sculpted and contoured OD Green handle scales and DLC-coated “Battlewashed” Magnacut drop point blade. This color combination alone is stellar, but the materials used here make the CLA nearly indestructible. That’s not an exaggeration.

When the first version of the CLA launched almost nine years ago, it was the first automatic knife from Benchmade that featured composite handle scales. The “Composite Lite Auto” became a very successful attempt to create an automatic knife for the people. It was less bulky than all of the other autos Benchmade had put out previously, and it was lighter in weight. This made the CLA a perfect fit for people looking for a reliable EDC knife.

This model of CLA is an upgrade from the previous model which featured 154CM steel. The upgrade to MagnaCut became something of a theme for production knifemakers in 2024. For good reason too — MagnaCut steel is probably the best EDC steel out there. This is due to its balance resistance qualities, edge retention, and ease of re-sharpening.

Read our full review here.

Not everyone who carries a knife is running around the woods in Carhartt’s all of the time. Some of us work office jobs where we need to dress “office casual” which usually means khaki pants or a dress. But that doesn’t mean we’re getting shut out of the knife world because we’ve got to get a little buttoned-up. It just means we need to find something a little fancier.

Widely known as a “Gentleman’s Knife”, we decided to use the term “Dress Knife” because we know that it’s not just dudes using knives. So, why not be proper about it? Anyway, for 2024, we’ve picked the CRKT CEO Microflipper ($60) because it’s both practical for the office and durable for anything.

Composed of Aluminum handle scales and Sandvik 12C27 blade steel, the CEO Microflipper is a smaller-scale knife with a Sheepsfoot blade. It also has an IKBS ball-bearing pivot that pairs insanely well with the flipper mechanism for fast and determined deployment.

Where the 5 ½” overall length may seem small for the outdoor world, we assure you — size DOES NOT matter when it comes to the CEO Microflipper. The Sandvik 12C27 blade is highly corrosion-resistant and tough. It’s also easy to sharpen. The .09” thick Sheepsfoot profile is great for slicing, chopping, and even precision work. Meaning, that you could be using the knife like a razor at work and for food prep out in the woods.

We love the CRKT Microflipper because it’s small, mighty, and unassuming. Read our full review here.

Some knives are just so well designed and built that they’re just as fun to look at as they are to use. Case and point, the Arcform Slimfoot ($279). Composed of peel-pry G10 and Böhler M390 steel, and featuring some of the cleanest lines on any of the knives we had the pleasure of playing with, the Arcform is a study of what you can do with 3D design. There’s just no way this knife is as awesome as it is without the help of some very expensive drafting apps.

Additionally, the Slimfoot uses its G10 scales as its structure. While this isn’t unheard of, most manufacturers will mill out spaces in their G10 handles for a subframe. By design, G10 is plenty strong without the need for reinforcements. That said, here on the Slimfoot, the simplicity garners some serious respect. As does the design of the Böhler M390 Sheepsfoot blade, which has a fully fuller groove that can be used for a secondary method of opening and even for easy insertion in materials like meat.

The fuller eliminates suction and has been used for centuries in swords and military bayonets for just that reason.

Overall, the Arcform Slimfoot, with its smooth flipping action and stunning looks, makes us miss Böhler M390 steel. A few years back, it seemed like it was going to be the next top steel. In fact, we like it better than MagnaCut. The two have similar corrosion and abrasion resistance properties, but the M390 holds a much better edge than MagnaCut.

Don’t be mad, bro. Those are the facts. Read our full review here.

Though we deemed it a little too heavy for our Best Knives for Backpacking and Hiking list, at 3.3 ounces the Kershaw Iridium ($100) is far from being too heavy to be one of our favorite EDC pocket knives for 2024. When you consider its size and construction, we think the Iridium could be used to put on a little more weight. Alright, we’re kidding. If anything, the size-to-weight ratio is just about perfect.

D2 tool steel and Aluminum handle scales help keep the price of the Iridium down, but that doesn’t mean this overly sharp fidget spinner isn’t full-featured. The Iridium features Kershaw’s take on 2024’s hottest lock mechanism; the crossbar lock. It also uses Kershaw’s KVT Ball Bearing system in the knife’s pivot for butter smoother opening and closing.

Aside from that, and aside from being one of our favorite flipper knives as well, the Iridium has some advanced design features that aid in its performance and carry. In terms of performance, the large, choil-style, cutout below the DuraLock lock mechanism significantly increases your grip on the knife. With grip always being a concern with Aluminum scales, especially when your hands are wet, this is reassuring.

In terms of carry, the Iridium features a deep carry pocket clip — so only you need to know you’re carrying it. But it also has an anodized orange lanyard toggle if you want to add some accessory cord for easy retrieval from your pocket, pack, and beyond.

The Kershaw Iridium could be considered the blueprint for the design of future production knives. At $100 you’re getting way more than you may know until you get it in your paw.

Read our full review here.

We’re really saving the best of the best for last by holding off on sharing the Benchmade Auto Immunity ($325) until the very end. But believe us when we tell you that you’re happy you stuck around for this long. This knife was designed to meet or beat antiquated knife laws stating that knife blades on automatics need to be under 2.5” to legally be carried. It’s also made from one of the best knife steels around. What it lacks in size, it makes up for in capability.

The steel we’re talking about here is one of the few ultra-premium, super steels; M4. On its own, M4 has very good corrosion and abrasion resistance. With the added Cerakoting found here on the Auto Immunity, it might be the best knife steel on the planet. It also holds a serious edge for a prolonged period of time. This is good, because, like S90V, it’s a beast to sharpen. Don’t worry, when the time comes, you can take advantage of Benchmade’s Lifesharp Guarantee where they’ll resharpen it for you, for free.

In terms of overall size, some people might find the Auto Immunity a little small for more demanding tasks like kindling prep. However, due to its Wharncliffe-style blade, it’ll excel in precision tasks like carving, coring, and food prep. In fact, after a couple of months of carry and use, our tester, Sean McCoy didn’t even notice that it was an undersized knife. He referred to it simply as a “workhorse”.

The only thing keeping the Benchmade Auto Immunity from the tippy top of this list is the fact that it’s going to run you $325 bones. But we couldn’t leave it off the list for proud pricing.

Read our full review here.