An essential everyday carry kit would not be complete without a pocket knife. They look cool, are functional, and have been carried by people all around the world for millennia. While commonly associated with being a weapon, the best pocket knife brands have been making blades to serve multiple functions from woodcutting to cooking, to skinning.
As with any other tool, they require maintenance, practice to master, and safety guidelines. Even the greatest pocket knives from the best pocket knife brands still need love and care. You can’t go out hitting your pocket knife against anything. They need to be cleaned, waxed, oiled, and sharpened occasionally to keep them functional for generations.
Given how long pocket knives have been used, there are numerous pocket knife brands that each have their own niche. While some of the best pocket knife brands have been around for more than a century, that doesn’t mean the newer ones are any less in quality.
Some manufacturers use traditional methods and materials for easily recognized pocket knives while others may be much more experimental and pave the way for new trends in the industry. The price cap on pocket knives is relatively low so it is easy to explore different products and see which one works best for you.
What to Look for in a Pocket Knife Brand
There are thousands of pocket knife brands around the world and it can be super difficult to pick which is the best pocket knife brand to purchase from. I mean, after all, it is a pocket knife, how different can they be? A lot more work goes into making the best high-end pocket knives than one can imagine. There are dozens of processes that go on behind the curtain, from steel production to hand-crafted materials, to even the smallest attention to detail in a carrying pouch.
To make things easier, we went ahead and labeled the qualities of the best high-end pocket knife brands to make your selection easier:
Age
Pocket knives have been around for centuries, and their demand is not diminishing. Some families have made a name for themselves crafting Benchmade pocket knives and now have factories. The longer a company has been around, the more you can trust that you are getting a high-quality product. Do some companies drop in quality when they get recognition? Yes, but they would not last long in this hyper-competitive market.
Country
Why would a country matter? Isn’t each pocket knife manufacturer different from one another? While there are differences between companies, there is no best pocket knife design for everyone and each culture and country has its own distinct ways their designs have evolved.
Specialty
What does this company specialize in? Benchmade pocket knives, pocket knives for hunting, over-the-top exquisite high-end pocket knives, there is a whole world of different kinds.
Some branch off into multiple areas while others stick to one specific type of knife.
1. Coltellerie Maserin
| Reasons to buy | Reasons to avoid |
|---|---|
| ✔️Collector Item | ❌Brush is not easily replaced |
| ✔️Great for hunting and dealing with cooking outdoors | ❌Ruler is in Metric |
Specifications:
- Established in 1960
- Maniago, Italy
- Popular Knife: Mushrooms knife line 808
The Maserin brand was established in 1960 in the city of Maniago, better known as the “city of knives.” Some of the best pocket knives were handmade in this very town, where the tradition continues. They craft a wide range of knives from military use to culinary, as well as take custom orders.
Their popular Mushroom knife line is a curved pocket knife made with real mahogany or olive tree branches, with a brush attachment. It even has a built-in ruler! Check out the pride of Italy with its complete range of some of the world’s best pocket knives.
2. Boker Knives
| Reasons to buy | Reasons to avoid |
|---|---|
| ✔️Super Lightweight | ❌Not the strongest knife |
| ✔️Great for preparing food and eating it | ❌Handle can get hot |
Specifications:
- More than 150 years of service
- Solingen, Germany
- Popular Knife: Camping Knife
Boker is well known around the world as one of the best pocket knife brands coming out of Germany. With over 150 years of service and a world-renowned factory in Solingen, Germany, is best known as the brand with the iconic tree logo.
While they have a very large selection of some of the best high-end pocket knives, we thought their popular Camping Knife does a good job displaying the simpler side of pocket knives. It is thin, made of stainless steel, and has a nice little fork attachment. It truly is the perfect companion to a nice hot meal next to the campfire.
3. Higono Kami
| Reasons to buy | Reasons to avoid |
|---|---|
| ✔️Collector Item | ❌Not easily stored |
| ✔️Great for display and showing off, while still functional |
Specifications:
- Established in 1894
- Kumamoto, Japan
- Popular Knife: Aranea Spider
Higono Kami traces its origins to Mr. Komataro Nagao, who began a small workshop of forging iron knives in the city of Harata, Japan, that eventually led to the first pocket knife produced in the area. The demand for this foldable pocket knife grew so much that workshops began appearing everywhere to meet demands.
Today they are still known for making some of the best pocket knives in Japan. One of their best signature pocket knives is the Aranea Spider. It has a beautiful spider web on the opposite side of the blade, a real crowd-pleaser.
4. Case Knives
| Reasons to buy | Reasons to avoid |
|---|---|
| ✔️Heritage Knife | ❌None it is the top pocket knife from one of the best pocket knife brands |
| ✔️Two blades cover just about any use |
Specifications:
- Since 1889
- Bradford, USA
- Popular Knife: Small Congress
The four Case brothers started out of the back of a wagon, crafting Benchmade pocket knives, and grew to become one of the most recognized pocket knife brands in the USA and the world. They are actually now owned by Zippo, the famous lighter brand also from Bradford.
Their most popular heritage pocket knife is the two-bladed Small Congress. It has a sheep foot and pen-style blade on different ends, with a signature Black Micarta composite handle that has a nice glossy finish.
5. ESEE
| Reasons to buy | Reasons to avoid |
|---|---|
| ✔️Can save your life when climbing | ❌Does not fold and does not have many other uses |
| ✔️Super Lightweight |
Specifications:
- Since 1997
- Gallant, USA
- Popular Knife: Imlay Rescue
Committed to survivability and bush knives, ESEE even goes as far as having their Research and Development team spend 100 days of the year in the field testing their knives. If you want the best pocket knife to depend on in survival situations, look no further than ESEE. They go where other brands can’t.
Their Imlay Rescue knife is named after a difficult pass in Mt. Zion national park, where climbers need a dependable pocket knife they can take while rock climbing. It is made to use in emergency situations while rock climbing with an easy-to-unhook safety device and sharp teeth to cut through rope or anything else that needs to be cut loose.
6. WE Knife
| Reasons to buy | Reasons to avoid |
|---|---|
| ✔️Affordable | ❌Not a real collector’s item, yet |
| ✔️Conventional |
Specifications:
- Since 2000
- Guangdong, China
- Popular Knife: Banter Thumb Knife
WE Knife may not have the longest history of pocket knives, but they do have a great track record of producing quality blades, making them one of the best pocket knife brands. They have a nice range of knives with familiar styles at really affordable prices and lots of materials to choose from.
Their classic Banter Thumb Knife is a great starter pocket knife. Additionally, it is easy to operate, comes in lots of color options, and is made of high-quality stainless steel.
Conclusion
Pocket knives are a great tool to have around but be sure you are using them safely and legally. We listed some of the best pocket knife brands but there is a whole world out there that caters to different tastes and uses, we hope you find the one you love!
