8 Great Ceramic Blade Pocket Knife Options For EDC.
A ceramic folder seems sort of like a fedora in that there’s an attractive theory behind it as far as function and aesthetic, but you can’t shake the feeling of impending regret, and any attempt to use it in public causes a tidal wave of eye rolling from normal, knife-wielding adults.
It’s not like a kitchen knife that’s going to stay locked in cozy wood block until a horde of fruit roams onto the counter. These are supposedly for carrying around, which seems like the opposite of what you should be doing with them. But damn it if I don’t feel a vile urge pulsing in the back of my head telling me to try them.
My usual EDC jobs are entirely too rough for something as fragile as ceramic, but when I let myself play “what if” I see a vision of my pants laden with the pointiest porcelain: The tanto in my left pocket is the box cutter. The 4 inch spear point in my boot is for cutting a prime, organic filet mignon that I will someday order at a reasonably priced restaurant. And that one, the pink assisted-open strapped to my leg, I use that exclusively to attract women.
Ceramic Pocket Knives
- Boker Plus Ceramic MC Knife – 3.25″ Drop Point Blade | Titanium Handle | Read More…
- Boker Plus Anti-Grav Knife – 3.25″ Drop-Point Blade | Carbon Fiber Handle | Read More…
- Shomer Tec Tactical Escape Knife – 1.1″ Razor Blade | Read More…
- Stone River Gear Ceramic Liner Lock Carbon Fiber – 2.75″ Drop Point Blade | Carbon Fiber Handle | Read More…
- Stone River Gear 1TDL – 3.25″ Drop Point Blade | Titanium Handle | Read More…
- Schrade SCH402L – 3.4″ Drop Point Blade | Carbon Fiber Handle | Read More…
- Schrade SCH405 – 2.25″ Drop Point Blade | Carbon Fiber Handle | Read More…
- Timberline 8016 Damascus Gentleman Folder – 3.25″ Drop Point Blade | Carbon Fiber w/ 420 Stain Steel Lining | Read More…
Boker Plus Ceramic MC Knife
| Overall Length: | 7.75″ |
| Blade Length: | 3.25″ |
| Blade Style: | Drop point |
| Handle: | Titanium |
| Grind: | Flat |
| Weight: | 2.5 oz |
| Lock Type: | Liner |
| Made in: | Taiwan and USA |
Okay, so maybe I spoke too soon. Word on the street is this knife is best used for “diving”.
On the surface that seems fine. The blade won’t be affected at all by the saltwater, and if you get the titanium version the handle will be fine too, so you’ve got full marks on corrosion resistance. But while the blade will definitely be sharp enough to cut what you’d want to with any other knife, I’m not sure it would have the toughness to take on those really thick, multi-strand ropes that people apparently cut sometimes when they’re scuba diving.
That aside, I like the look of the design, and Boker Plus has good quality control, so the blade itself should be made pretty well.
Boker Plus Anti-Grav Knife
| Overall Length: | 7.5″ |
| Blade Length: | 3.25″ |
| Blade Style: | Drop point |
| Handle: | Carbon fiber |
| Grind: | Flat |
| Weight: | 2.0 oz |
| Lock Type: | Liner |
| Made in: | China |
I guess you could call this the Boker MC’s skinny cousin, but no one will know what the hell you’re talking about. Boker mainly focused on weight with this design.
The blade is the same grind, style, and length, but the handle is a little shorter, and as far as I know it only comes in carbon fiber. Also they call it the “Anti-Grav”, which suggests it’s essentially weightless. Based on my experience with other ceramic knives, I’d say odds are good you won’t feel this knife at all once you get used to carrying it, and between the lanyard hole and the tip-down pocket clip you should be able to find a good way to carry it.
Maybe not every day, but certainly to the kitchen and maybe to the poor idiot in the corner who’s bored enough to listen to you prattle on about the eternal ceramic edge.
Shomer Tec Tactical Escape Knife
| Overall Length: | 2.8″ |
| Blade Length: | 1.1″ |
| Blade Style: | Razor |
| Handle: | Injection molded polymer |
| Grind: | Flat |
| Weight: | 0.1 oz |
| Lock Type: | None |
| Made in: | China |
Of all the ceramic folders I’ve seen, I think I like this one the best. Not because it looks better, or even because I think it works better. I just appreciate that it looks like it’s trying so hard.
Info on this blade is scarce at best, but my understanding (derived mainly from the name) is that it’s meant to cut through seat belts and paracord when these things decide you no longer need use of your legs or windpipe. I honestly can’t say if it would ever be helpful. It’s so small I have trouble imagining it cutting all the way through my seat belt in any reasonable amount of time. And I don’t think I would even remember I had it in that kind of situation.
If it’s riding in my pocket, it’s probably sitting next to a much longer EDC with a pocket clip, and that’s going to be the first thing my hand touches. But the price is reasonable enough that if it ever ends up being useful at least once in my life it will be worth the money.
Stone River Gear Ceramic Liner Lock Carbon Fiber
| Overall Length: | 6.5″ |
| Blade Length: | 2.75″ |
| Blade Style: | Drop point |
| Handle: | Carbon fiber |
| Grind: | Flat |
| Weight: | 1.48 oz |
| Lock Type: | Liner |
| Made in: | China |
As far as regular folding EDC ceramic pocket knives, this is one of the smallest you can get (at least that actually looks like a knife). The blade comes under 3 inches in length, making it an especially legal-friendly knife.
Stone River Gear might be a bit better known for their kitchen knives, but they certainly spend more time making ceramic knives than companies like Boker and Schrade. This might work well as a sort of portable paring knife, but the main reasons to get this over one of the Bokers is likely because you prefer tip-up carry, or for some reason think you need an even lighter knife. I’d definitely recommend more caution with this knife though, as the blade is also a little thinner.
Stone River Gear 1TDL
| Overall Length: | 7.5″ |
| Blade Length: | 3.25″ |
| Blade Style: | Drop point |
| Handle: | Titanium |
| Grind: | Flat |
| Weight: | 2.4 oz |
| Lock Type: | Frame |
| Made in: | China |
The 1TDL from Stone River reaches a lot farther in terms of style with the damascus patterns on both the blade and the handle. That pattern is lasered on there, though, so it’s not a “true” pattern in the material, if that even matters anyway.
It does add some interesting texture to a world of otherwise plain knife designs. And the titanium handle with a framelock is certainly a step in the sturdier direction. It actually has more or less the same specifications as the Boker MC, just with a little more flair. It would be interesting to see how the two would fair in a side by side comparison, but I’m way too cheap to buy both of them and do that myself.
Schrade SCH402L
| Overall Length: | 7.7″ |
| Blade Length: | 3.4″ |
| Blade Style: | Drop point |
| Handle: | Carbon fiber |
| Grind: | Flat |
| Weight: | 0.13 oz |
| Lock Type: | Liner |
| Made in: | China |
Maybe you’ve noticed a pattern in the specs on these knives. It’s takes a brave designer to step outside of what already works, and Schrade has always excelled at taking what works and making it more affordable. Not that they don’t have some surprisingly good designs of their own, just that they’ve always been more of an oasis of low-cost functionality.
In this case, what you have is a very similar design to the Boker and SRG stuff at about half the cost. It’s also quite a bit lighter (comparatively) which suggests a general reduction in materials all around the knife. It will come with a bit of added fragility because of that, but it will definitely give you a sense of how to handle and care for a ceramic folder without the stress of trying not to crack an eighty dollar knife. It’s a good starter if your interested in trying ceramic blades out, but Schrade has a way of sneaking its way into being your favorite knife when you aren’t looking.
Schrade SCH405
| Overall Length: | 5.6″ |
| Blade Length: | 2.25″ |
| Blade Style: | Drop point |
| Handle: | Carbon fiber |
| Grind: | Flat |
| Weight: | 1.34 oz |
| Lock Type: | Liner |
| Made in: | China |
Ever the innovators of naming, Schrade deigned to call this progression in their ceramic knife journey the “SCH405”, once again using the titles of their knives to prove they’re capable of counting to very high numbers.
The 405 is actually kind of cool, though. They’ve opted for short and stout here, which I really like for a ceramic blade. That flat grind edge is just as likely to chip as the rest of the knives here, but that extra spine should provider better shock resistance to the blade as a whole. The blade style is interesting too.
It’s technically a drop point but the way the spine sweeps out almost makes it a sheepsfoot, so there might be some potential here for a cooking blade, camping or otherwise.
Timberline 8016 Damascus Gentleman Folder
| Overall Length: | 7.75″ |
| Blade Length: | 3.25″ |
| Blade Style: | Drop point |
| Handle: | Carbon fiber or aluminum |
| Grind: | Flat |
| Weight: | 2.4 oz |
| Lock Type: | Liner |
| Made in: | China |
Now we’re getting fancy. If ceramic is an aesthetic choice for you, than this knife is the way to go. Nice blue color with a good Damascus pattern and mother of pearl set in the thumb stud make for a pretty impressive sight. It’s probably no more functional than the Bokers or SRGs on this list, but it will sure as hell stand out in a line up.
The addition of the 420 stainless steel lining in parts of the handle should also add some durability, but it certainly won’t do much to protect the blade from chipping or fracturing if dropped. I don’t know what I would ever use this knife for, because I gave up cutting thin strips of velvet on a bed of roses years ago, but there is something absurdly alluring in its style. It’s the kind of thing I’d like someone else to own so I can look at it without having the exhausting responsibility of justifying its existence.
