lockback Knives, Swords, Blades

The Bear & Son 205R Midsize Lockback with rosewood handle slabs does resemble the Buck 110, but Bear & Son always do things their own way, and those differences show up plainly here.

The 205R's 3-3/4-inch blade of high carbon stainless steel looks a little undersized compared to ...

Al Mar's Falcon Ultralight Folding Knife does not have the stripped-down look of minimal back country knives. This pocket clip folder works like heavier counterparts with extra features you'd not expect in a knife that weighs only 1.25 ounces.

The Falcon's overall length of just over 7 inches includes ...

Kershaw's Double Duty Knife offers the same advanced features and traditional design as the smaller Double Cross. This 4-1/8-inch pocket folder also gives buyers a different combination of AUS-8 stainless steel blades. The extra size makes this stouter model of Kershaw's unique one-handed opening pocket knife work even better.

If ...

Classic pocket knives were nearly left behind when one-handed opening clip folders came along, even though modern clip folders lacked the grace of the old styles. Kershaw's Double Cross combines the best features of the modern pocket folders in a familiar, classic style. This traditional pocket knife with a ...

The Buck 279BK Folding Alpha Hunter offers the best features of the Alpha Hunter fixed blade in a drop point folder style. If you've dressed out enough game in your life that you don't need a gut hook, skip the Buck 278 and get this one -- the same ...

If I ever need a replacement for the Buck 110 that's in my pocket right now, I'll probably go for the upgrade: the Buck 110FG Folding Lockback Hunter with Finger Grooves. I hope the Buck Company stops trying to improve this knife beyond that minor change, because it's an idea ...

Buck explains the 183CM Camo Alpha Crosslock (PBS) as a Portable Butcher Shop. Although the small size of this knife also works well for small game, the bone saw blade makes field dressing larger animals like deer possible as well. If you hunt quail, you'll need Buck's regular bird ...

Kershaw's Whiskey Gap Lockback Folder has a nice look about it, with some of the old functionality of the Barlow popular in America's early days but cleaned up a bit with subtle modern refinements. The single clip point 2-1/4-inch blade of AUS6A high carbon stainless steel lifts by the thumb ...

A 3-3/8-inch knife with a 2-3/8-inch blade probably shouldn't be referred to as a folding hunter, but the Buck 55 comes very close to living up to that standard anyway. The Buck 55 is actually the pocket knife version of the Buck 110, which is the largest folding ...

The large oval thumb loop in the Gerber EZ-Out DPSF S30V technically makes this a knife you can open with one hand. Though that's possible, most people will continue to use two hands when unfolding this 8-inch lockback. The four-inch combo serrated high carbon stainless steel blade ...

Since the styles are so similar, I'm immediately tempted to compare this to the Buck Folding Hunter series -- but when I do, I'm a little bit disappointed in Buck. Every time I compare something American to what should be the same knife from Puma of Solingen, Germany, I ...

Cold Steel intended the Voyager series to be both lighter and better than any of the competition. The Voyager does succeed in many ways -- getting used to a large knife this light may take a while. Even with a five-inch-long tanto blade of VG-1 high carbon stainless steel, the ...

The Buck 112 Ranger already was a sound knife design for anyone who needs a rugged blade for hard everyday use -- and a dependable hunting or fishing knife for that impromptu getaway. In fact, I was skeptical of the changes that created the Buck 112FG -- it's ...

Let's talk tackle boxes before bringing up the Buck Protege. If you fish, you probably do have a knife tucked away in the bottom compartment where everything gets wet and nasty. Not every knife will hold up to that, and probably you've stashed something cheap under the extra reel ...

The spear point blade and curved handle of the Al Mar Hawk do bring to mind the bird of prey -- the knife looks Persian even though it's designed in America and made in Japan. The engraved stainless steel bolster extends nearly half the length of the handle -- a ...

I'm not sure this is as new an idea as Boker makes it out to be, but the result is a good knife with improvements that could be a sensible industry standard. Personally, I consider a knife to be safe if I know how it works, so doubled blade locks ...

Part of Bluegrass Cutlery's revival of old Winchester knife designs, the 270 Folding Guard Lockback definitely has nostalgia value and collectability as well. Folding bladeguards aren't common and, in a practical sense, don't quite match up to either the convenience of a plain folding knife or the rugged functionality of a ...

Victorinox makes the classic Swiss Army Knife in a multitude of forms--on their website you can even design your own, choosing the features you want from a list of tools and blades. Nearly any combination is now a named product. The Hercules (4 3/8" closed length) is a pocket toolset more ...

In some ways the Gerber Torch II (4.6" closed length) rivals much more expensive military folders, offering many of the same features like non-reflective coating, tanto blade, and assisted opening. The economy of the Torch II results from cost cutting in places that are not obvious, but which will show ...

Gentlemen's pocket knives are usually lightweights suited to light work. What has made Buck knives of this pocket class stand out above the rest is their practice of scaling down size without scaling down quality. The Buck 501 Squire, only 3 3/4" in closed length, holds a single 2 3/4" ...

If you're looking for pure function, the Buck Omni Hunter ought to be of interest. The Omni 397BK gives full size features in a folding lockback with ergonomic grip, and it comes with a belt sheath. For rough country use, a belt sheath beats a clip any day.

The ...

In this gift set from Smith & Wesson, the well established manufacturer of police and military equipment, you get a good quality tactical folding clip knife and a tactical watch built for extreme conditions. This combination works well for anyone who spends time in rough places, whether work ...

It's pretty easy for me to talk about the Buck 112 Ranger, because it's just like the big brother version (the Buck 110) that I have about three inches away from my hand right now. The only difference between the two is size, and the only complaint I've ever ...

Kai USA, the Japanese producer of this American design by Ken Kershaw, makes some good choices in this utility camo knife--as well as some that aren't so good. Intended as an everyday companion for work or field use, features that we've come to see as standard in modern folders ...

Usually when you look at a knife that is stepped down in size, to the 2.625" folded length of the Kershaw Grant County knife, you find that many of the features and strengths of the larger versions have been trimmed out. Surprisingly, the Grant County is just smaller--it hasn't lost ...

In one compact and durable package only 10" x 6" x 2" Meyerco places everything you need for cleaning bigger game. A very portable field kit with a total weight of 1.75 lbs provides easy access to a folding skinner, guthook with easily replaceable utility razor blade, a tungsten ...

The Mountain Man Lockback from Queen Cutlery is nearly big enough to match the simple functionality of a small sheath knife, but folds in pocketknife style for easy carry. Built with the strength for heavy work, the lockback function provides security under load, eliminating that extra thought (reminding yourself it ...

Darrel Ralph designed this tactical switchblade for law enforcement and military use, so if you're a civilian don't expect to own one yourself (unless you qualify due to disability--switchblades are legal for one armed users to carry). There are other great Meyerco tactical knives available to the general public, though, so ...

Buck's ergonomic keyring pocket knife is better suited to lighting up keyholes than doing any cutting work. It's small size and rounded shape will be unfamiliar to those accustomed to the conventional handle styles. The 1 1/4" stainless steel blade locks in place when fully opened, but not ...

A modern folding knife that has suddenly become the legacy of a once great American knife maker, the Camillus Sizzle and the rest of the Camillus line are the last we'll see of the real Camillus products. The company went bankrupt in 2006 and closed its doors, the victim of ...

A knife with a blade just over 2" really isn't much more than an office tool unless you're MacGyver. Still, I'd rather have any knife than none at all. This mini lockback pocket knife is fine for light work like peeling an orange for lunch or opening the mail--actually ...

The Scallion, a modern design created by Ken Onion and now produced and marketed by Kershaw, is a gentleman's pocket knife built to modern standards. That approach provides several advantages over the classic gentleman's knife, which evolved to be too small to be generally useful.

Modern knife makers like Ken Onion ...

A good choice for the ultra light backpacker (full weight of this knife is only 1.2 ounces) this also is a solid favorite as a pocket knife choice for everyday urban users. The 2 5/16 inch stainless steel blade and serrated edge serves well for the usual tasks (opening mail, opening boxes, ...

Knives have been around so long we have racial memories of how to use them. If you are skeptical that something so ancient can be improved, take a look at Spyderco, creators of knives for the modern urban jungle.

At 8 1/2" overall with a 3 3/4" blade, the Endura ...

Small enough to carry as a pocket knife, stout enough to be useful as a hunting knife, this update of Buck's 1964 invention, the lockback, is a smaller variation of the knife I've carried on backpacking trips for more than ten years.

The lockback style solves the primary issue of a ...

As much as we love a good bargain, there's definitely something wrong with a partially-serrated folding knife on sale for a buck! It raises an important question: what is this knife worth if you can't get more than a dollar for it?

The description makes it sound better than it is. ...

This is the Cave Bear pocketknife from Schrade's immortalized Old Timer product line. And again, it's another example of a high-quality knife at a reasonable price.

The blade is made from high carbon stainless steel, and features a single-blade lockback design into the handle. Its plain edge is actually quite sharp! You ...

The SOG Twitch series is a good product line to consider if you're a fan of precision and technology.

The knives in the series feature a few bells and whistles, so if you like things plain and simple, it might be best to steer clear of these for now. However, if ...

This small knife is a stylish and sturdy choice for an everyday carry.

When folded, it's only 4.25 inches long. The blade itself is made from 440 stainless steel. It may not be the highest quality steel available, but it gets the job done and is made to be withstand minor abuses.

The nickel silver ...

Talk to people about their Buck 110 knives and they get all misty-eyed. While not quite as much of an icon as the '57 Chevy, it's still got a special place in American history.

The 110 has been around for forty years and you'll find plenty of people who have ...

Spyderco seems to have an endless list of product models. The Endura line alone consists of dozens of variations.

The Endura 4 Wave is one of those varations, and you can be excused for confusing it with the Endura 2, 3, or 4 (without the "Wave").

This knife features a 3.75 inch blade ...

Tracing Boker's lineage is a bit like tracing down a family tree. The current Boker knife making company has been at it for just over twenty years. And yet their lineage traces back another two hundred years before that!

They've been sold, re-formed, moved and just about anything else you ...

Spyderco knives always look a bit wacky, don't they? Or maybe they look cool. I guess it depends on your perspective.

This one is no exception, but it's a pretty slick product.

The 4.25" blade is made of VG-10 steel. That's is a pretty high-end steel for this type of knife. There's no 440A to ...

Fallkniven has been making knives for a relatively short time -- only twenty years or so. How far they've come in such a short period of time. They are now known as one of the foremost makers of specialty knives and, as their marketing literature states, supply knives to the King of ...