We cover most knives from hard-use folders to gentleman carries and a lot of odd things in between. Since “EDC knife” is a really broad term that basically includes whatever people carry every day, you’ll find a lot of variation in this category, but we try to be descriptive with our titles so you’ll know roughly what range of use a knife falls under before clicking on the full review.
We carry every knife we review for several weeks and subject them to various tests ranging from comfort to sharpness and edge retention. We cut a ridiculous amount of cardboard and probably do a lot of other things each knife wasn’t really designed for. By the end of each review you should have a good sense of how well a knife performs, how long it might last you, and if there are similar alternatives to consider. For other articles, we might list a knife we don’t own but are recommending based on a lot of research and genuine interest and curiosity on our part. We always prioritize knives we’ve actually used, but there are a lot of designs out there and even though we can’t physically own them all, we still like talking about them.
A Great Gentleman’s Folder that Signals the Return of the American Made Nail Nick Knife Kershaw hit 2022 with a bucket of slip joint designs (along with basically every other major knife company, but we aren’t complaining). Only one of them comes out of their US factory, though. In that sense, the Federalist has a …
The Better Option for a Locking Higo no Kami Pocket Knife The true appeal is that it’s a well-executed update of a classic Japanese design, but it holds its own just fine as a hard-use camping folder. The JT01 cuts well, has super-smooth ball bearing action, a practical cutting edge, and it carries well thanks …
A Surprisingly Tough Hiking Gentleman’s Carry Finch pushes this as a knife for the “day hiker and the extreme adventurist”. That was surprising to me, because this knife looks and feels like something I should be wearing in a blazer, if I were the kind of idiot who wore blazers. The Cimarron came off as …
A Great All Around EDC Pocket Knife That is Easy To Carry and Tough to Categorize The Civivi Relic refuses to be defined by an intended use. This makes it tough for lazy knife bloggers to categorize and then criticize it. Unfortunately I drew the short straw here at NBK (which means I lost a …
This Gentleman’s Multitool is a Surprisingly Good Alternative to Swiss Army Knives The Civivi Crit looked neat from a distance, and I was under the impression that I was just getting a neat knife when I picked it up. But every little thing I’ve encountered in using this knife has been a new, pleasant surprise: …
This Front Flipper Pocket Knife is Small and Weird and Good for Carrying to the Office I’m not used to reviewing gentleman folders, but this thing is cool. I’ve always appreciated Sam Abderahman’s designs from afar, but he’s a custom maker which means that his knives have always kept me at a distance with custom …
3V Gear’s First Knife Offers A Lot Of Options The 3V Gear React was announced in early 2021. It is 3V Gear’s first foray into the world of knife manufacturing. I assume the React will be followed by more models if this one is successful. While there is nothing groundbreaking about the React from a …
A Capable EDC Knife With High End Steel And A Low End Price. Call me crazy, but I try to balance quality with affordability as much as possible; I want as much for my buck as I can get. I don’t always need the latest and greatest tech or materials, but I want the things …
This Knife is the Only Good Pocket Bowie Out Right Now The Caiman is the kind of brilliant but simple design that makes you wonder why no one has made this a hundred times before. Not to say there aren’t folding knives with vague allusions to a bowie style, but I’ve never held a well …
Andrew Demko’s Flagship Knife is the Hard Use Tool We All Expected It to Be This knife doesn’t hold any surprises for anyone who’s used a Demko knife before. Especially for people who already own the Cold Steel AD20. This is basically the same thick-bladed slicer with robust edge geometry and a grippy handle. It’s …
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