Folding knivesToday’s folding knives have become much more than a gentleman’s penknife or a farmer’s pocket utility blade. Technically those are still part of the crowd, but with better grades of materials have come many advancements in folding knife technology. Innovative opening systems give many the one-handed convenience of automatic opening knives, without the same restrictions in ownership and use. Fully open and locked, the best folders are as strong as fixed blades.

Today it’s possible to buy an excellent combat knife or survival blade in a folding clip style. You won’t even need a sheath if you’re happy clipping the knife to a pocket seam. On the other hand, a belt pouch is a good way to make sure the knife stays with you, and also a way to keep the dirt out. That’s one problem to consider, if you find an assisted opening folder an attractive idea. To work well, these knives need to be clean. If your normal occupation would jam them full of sand or hay, something simpler might be a better option.

That won’t stop most of us from appreciating a good tactical or utility folder in the same way we’d admire a good rifle. Some things just require a little more maintenance, and turn out to be well worth the trouble.

Some of Our Favorites

Truly the next generation of Buck hunting knives, the Buck 278 Folder has all the features of a good emergency knife as well.

The Boker Che offers a skeletonized lattice handle and all the features of an automatic except the spring.

The Buck Rush might be the automatic for the rest of us — a little nudge is all it requires.

See All of Our Folding Knife Reviews Below


Folding

Columbia Natural Folding Knife by Pat Crawford | CRKT Assisted Opening Clip Point w/ White Bone Handle 7085

Pat Crawford, a knife designer from West Memphis, Arkansas, collaborated with Columbia River Knife and Tool on production versions of several...
JT Hats
1 min read

SOG Woodline Folding Knife WD-50 | Compact Survival Plain Edge by Specialty Knives & Tools

SOG’s Woodline WD-50 Folder fits in a belt pouch, not in the pocket. For a compact survival knife large enough to...
JT Hats
1 min read

Columbia River Knife & Tool Custom Folding Knife Set 9040GWC | CRKT GoWork Multi Tool Flux Pack, 2009 Innovative Design Award

Blade Magazine presented Columbia River Knife & Tool with the 2009 Most Innovative Imported Design award, earned by CRKT’s Flux knife...
JT Hats
1 min read

Spyderco Chokwe Knife w/ Chris Reeve Lock | Blade Magazine 2009 Manufacturing Quality Winner, Benefits “Keep A Child Alive”

The Spyderco Chokwe G-10 Titanium knife includes an important locking system from the Chris Reeve product line. Chris Reeve Knives won...
JT Hats
1 min read

Spyderco SlipIt Bob Terzuola Knife, Blade Magazine Collaboration Award 2009 | Carbon Fiber Plain Edge, One Handed Slip Joint

Winner of Blade Magazine’s 2009 Collaboration of the Year award, the Spyderco Bob T. Slip-It — also known as the Spyderco...
JT Hats
1 min read

Lone Wolf Defender Knife Of the Year 2009 by Paul Poehlmann | Gentleman’s Tactical Folder w/ Cocobolo Handle

The Paul Defender from Lone Wolf Knives won Blade Magazine’s 2009 award for Overall Knife of the Year. Termed the Gentleman’s...
JT Hats
1 min read

SOG Access Card 2.0 w/ Locking Blade, Pocket Clip | Tactical Black Folding Knife SOGAC77

Credit card knives usually don’t include much steel or much functionality, but the SOG Access Card 2.0 Knife is very impressive...
JT Hats
1 min read

SOG Tomcat Knife 3.0, Carbon Fiber S95CF-N | Collectible Knife Of The Year Award Limited Edition

SOG’s Tomcat — the company’s first folding knife — won Knife of the Year in 1988, with innovations that set the...
JT Hats
1 min read

SOG Revolver SEAL Folding Bowie Knife FX21-N | Locking Black TiNi Survival Saw Blade

More than a folding knife and not quite a fixed blade, the SOG Speciality Knives & Tools FX21-N Revolver SEAL shows...
JT Hats
1 min read

Ka-Bar FIN Folding Knife, Tactical Black 5551 | Comes In Drop Point, Tanto, Serrated, Combo or Plain Edge

Ka-Bar made the FIN Folding Frame Lock Knife in both drop point and tanto blade styles and offered a choice of...
JT Hats
1 min read

Dark Ops Stiletto Tactical Stratofighter Knife | Pocket Clip Point Folder w/ Aluminum Handle

The Stratofighter might slip past your notice if you saw it on a display shelf. It’s angular and ungainly and not...
JT Hats
1 min read

Spyderco Tenacious Folding Knife w/ G-10 Handle | Combo Edge Stainless Steel Locking Blade

Spyderco’s Tenacious High-Performance Knife was built with a grip designed for work. The knife conceals some other interesting features beneath that...
JT Hats
1 min read

Bear & Son Lockback Folding Knife, 205R | Rosewood Handle, High Carbon Stainless Steel Plain Edge Blade

The Bear & Son 205R mid-size Lockback with rosewood handle slabs does resemble the Buck 110, but Bear & Son always...
JT Hats
55 sec read

Al Mar Falcon Folding Lockback Knife w/ Pocket Clip | Ultralight High Carbon Stainless Steel

Al Mar’s Falcon Ultralight Folding Knife does not have the stripped-down look of minimal back country knives. This pocket clip folder...
Sharon
1 min read

Cold Steel AK-47 Tactical Folding Knife | High Carbon Stainless Steel Locking Blade w/ Pistol Grip Handle

Inspired by the assault rifle adopted by the Russian Army in 1949, the Cold Steel AK-47 Knife’s most obvious resemblance to...
JT Hats
1 min read

Spyderco Byrd Meadowlark Folding Knife, Right Handed | High Carbon Stainless Steel with G-10 Handle BY04GP

The Byrd Meadowlark with G-10 handle combines one of the best tactical knife handle materials with a popular pocket folder design....
JT Hats
54 sec read

Columbia River Long’s Peak Folding Clip Knife | LAWKS One Handed Locking Plain Edge or Serrated Blade

Climber’s knives often seem under-designed, with strength cut back to save weight. The 14 K Summit Long’s Peak folding clip knife...
JT Hats
1 min read

Smith & Wesson Liner Lock Knife, Combo Edge SWMP5LS | MAGIC Assisted Opening Automatic M & P

The biggest attraction of the Smith & Wesson SWMP5LS Liner lock knife isn’t the upgraded design. What makes this five-inch (folded...
JT Hats
1 min read

SOG Salute Folding Tactical Knife | Stainless Steel Black Blade FF-11, Pocket Clip

SOG’s FF-11 Salute — which the company refers to as their first Fusion tactical folder — puts all the technical expertise...
JT Hats
1 min read

Browning Whitetail Knife, Collectors Limited Edition | Stag Handle w/ Lithograph 321290

Browning, the famous American rifle manufacturer, produced only 2,000 of these collector’s knives as part of its Hunting Traditions series. Beginning...
JT Hats
56 sec read

Cold Steel Hunter Folding Clip Knife | Ultimate 61LPS Custom by Lynn Thompson

Cold Steel makes some interesting claims regarding this knife, stating that the Ultimate Hunter is a big game hunting knife with...
JT Hats
1 min read

Boker Double Action Plus Folding Knife | Automatic Locking Plain Edge Blade

The Boker Plus Double Action knife does have some good features which aren’t obvious on first glance. This knife looks like...
JT Hats
1 min read

Tool Logic Folding Knife SLP2 | Stores Firesteel, LED Flashlight, Diamond Sharpener

Tool Logic’s SLP2 Multifunction Folding Knife makes the multi-tool approach to survival knives actually work. Similar in appearance to the Swedish...
JT Hats
56 sec read

Leatherman Folding Camping Knife w/ Carabiner | Combo Edge Drop Point C303 830301

Something you won’t find in many folding clip knives is a built-in carabiner clip. The Leatherman C303 has it, plus a...
JT Hats
59 sec read

Smith & Wesson Assisted Opening Knife, Black | Tactical Tanto Stiletto HRT OTF

Smith & Wesson’s H.R.T. O.T.F (Hostage Rescue Team; Out The Front) knives aren’t quite as dramatic as their names, but they...
JT Hats
1 min read

Spyderco Tactical Pocket Knife w/ G-10 Handle | Short Blade ParaMilitary C81GS

Scaled down to only two thirds the size of the popular Spyderco Military knife, the ParaMilitary meets the needs of those...
JT Hats
59 sec read

Cold Steel Talwar Folding Knife by Lynn Thompson | San Mai Steel Pocket Sword VG1 60ST

Cold Steel jumped into the artistic pool with knives like the Talwar Folder, built in cooperation with designer Lynn Thompson. Called...
JT Hats
1 min read

Kershaw Folding Pocket Knife w/ Wood Handle | Lockback Double Cross Wharncliffe Blade

Classic pocket knives were nearly left behind when one-handed opening clip folders came along, even though modern clip folders lacked the...
JT Hats
1 min read

Boker Infinity Ceramic Knife, Folding Pocket Clip | Drop Point Locking Collectible B-89

In spite of all the good features in this precisely built folding clip knife from Boker of Germany, the Boker Infinity...
JT Hats
1 min read

Kershaw Leek Pocket Folder Knife | Locking Assisted Opening Plain Edge Blade G-10

The Kershaw Leek offers civilians an efficient pocket folder with an opening system that’s as close to automatic as most owners...
JT Hats
1 min read