The 20 Best Knives Ever Made

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photo: Greg Neumaier

Roughly 2 million years ago, a particularly bright specimen of Homo habilis needed to cut something and decided to invent the knife. We've come a long way since then. And for the last 40 years we've been experiencing something of a boom in the development of ever better knives. Here are 20 knives that I consider great - head and shoulders above the competition. By David E. Petzal

Busse Battle Mistress: The Battle Mistress is not a radical design. It has a conventionally shaped 10-inch blade, but it is nearly 2 pounds, and quite literally as sharp as a razor. This combination of weight, strength, and extreme keenness makes it unique. Do you wish to behead a hippo? Would you like to chop down a telephone pole? Perhaps you yearn to slice a redwood into sections? If you have the Mistress and a strong arm, you can.

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Comment on This Article

At 4:02 PM, 2009-01-05, Clay Howard said:
Ruana Knifes the best hand made knifes you will ever buy! Buy only knifes made in the U.S.A. I will put my Ruanas up against any knife any day any conditions.

At 7:02 PM, 2008-12-21, Bear79 said:
Not a bad list. They nailed the KaBar, Woodsman's Pal, Swiss Army and the Buck 110. But some of these are ridiculous. If "Best" means most expensive, sure. But in my book, "best" includes value for your dollar. I can't fathom that nothing by Gerber, SOG or CRKT made the list. And the omission of Case is almost unforgivable. We're not all millionaires. Semper Fi.

At 9:43 PM, 2008-12-17, huntr boy said:
My dad has a Finnish leuku. It it a very, very good knife.

At 8:49 PM, 2008-12-17, Carney said:
Always glad to see my Finnish Leuku in a list of the best of the best... Lost my Puukko 25 years ago -- received a Leuku as a gift / replacement. I can keep a REAL razor edge on it and if the machete gets left in the truck I can cut through a fair amount of brush and still not have to re-sharpen. I must admit that a smaller knife can be handy for some of the "trim" work in field dressing.

At 8:26 PM, 2008-12-17, Dick Hagerman said:
Apparently all you afficiondos have never used a great knife. Sure there are good knives aplenty.But if you wish a good knife get a Tony Bose knife they are fanstastic.

At 5:43 PM, 2008-12-17, Jim Blum said:
You have a good list.. But what about these knifes? Puma,Benchmade,S&W,case,old timer"s Gerber,crkt, just to name a few.. I carry a benchmade auto on a normal bases. and a big old timer like the sharp finger and my K bar in the woods with a folder in my pocket.. Great artical..

At 4:32 PM, 2008-12-17, doctordon said:
I've been hunting since 1945 and had a bunch of knives. My Marble is the best of the lot.

At 2:48 PM, 2008-12-17, Rich H said:
In 1953 I got a Morseth triple laminated fixed blade knife that I still carry. It has served me for 55 hunting seasons and still going strong. I would not trade it for any of the modern hunting knives.

At 2:35 PM, 2008-12-17, Bluetick1955 said:
I was getting nervous. The Buck 110 was the last pic. I think this is the finest knife the common man could buy. I have the same one I've carried now for probably 30 years. Bought Son and Son-in law one last Christmas.

At 2:22 PM, 2008-12-17, R. Richard Courier said:
I have been hunting since the mid 1950's and using Marble Arms knives. My Marble Arms knives have been used constantly since then on all types of game. They are tough for heavy duty on deer and elk, while maintaining a sharp edge. Currently in use with original sheath. My grandson now has one of the recently made Marble knives. I was not surprised to see them listed with other great knives. They remain my favorite.

At 2:12 PM, 2008-12-17, Carl said:
I really enjoy the fact that Mr. Petzal and F&S are covering knives more. It's a different perspective than Blade and Knife World. For fun, it would be interesting to create several lists. The top 10 hunting folding knives (Remington 'Bullet', Cattaraugus 'King of the Woods', Case Trapper). The top 10 hunting fixed knives (Marble's Woodsman,Buck 119). The top 10 military fixed knives (Ka-Bar Mark II, Ontario Quartermaster, Bowie of all makes). The top 10 tactical folders. The top 10 Other (Leatheman, Swiss Army,etc...).

At 1:52 PM, 2008-12-17, Garry P. said:
I've used the Buck 110 folder on many occasions, but I have broken the blades on two of them while cutting dressing out large whitetail bucks. My all time favorite for field dressing deer is the Buck model 119. It is virtually indestructable, super sharp and holds an edge. It's thick blade makes it a piece of cake getting through the pelvic bone on large deer. I also carry a drop point sheath knife from Rapid River Knifeworks. They make a great custom knife that is beautiful as well as functional at a price that is very affordable considering the quality of craftsmanship.

At 1:41 PM, 2008-12-17, Bearclaw said:
Just another list that really means nothing !!

At 2:51 AM, 2008-11-08, Bennett Patten said:
randall knives, now that is a gymic. one knife made by 15 guys for an outragous price. i own a no. 3 and leave it at home. i carry a 1971 case sodbuster full size. i also carry a 110 buck. i live in florida where randalls are made, i am unimpressed. my custom knife is a garry wheeler no. 1 6 inch.

At 1:47 PM, 2008-09-28, Kevin P said:
as a loyal canuck, i was pleasantly surprised to see the russell (grohmann)so high on the list. i bought one 25+ years ago and it's been my absolute favourite ever since. i have a similar grohmann as well, issued to me by the canadian military. something not pointed out by the article is the affordability of grohmann knives; the original dh russell style is still only about fifty bucks. that would make an affordable souvenir to any americans who come up here for a visit.....just sayin'!

At 3:40 PM, 2008-08-29, JBC said:
you should re-name the list, the ''20 most famous knives ever made" thats what the list seems to be, the word ''best'' doesn't apply to over half imho.

At 3:36 PM, 2008-08-29, JBC said:
(edit)top 20 i mean to say

At 3:33 PM, 2008-08-29, JBC said:
and am i missing something about this list? is it just supposed to be the ''top ten hunting knives of all time'' or top ten knives period? if it's the ladder, where is the strider smf. it's the toughest folder ever made, and it's revolutionaty in design. it's now issued to spec ops groups and marines and has a dod number. and what about the rick hinderer xm18? or cris reeves sebenza? and bob dozier should be on here somewhere too. wtf???

At 3:15 PM, 2008-08-29, JBC said:
i agree with the poster who said we need to start, everyone of us need to buy knives made in the usa!!!! some are a little more expensive buyt it's worth it. when you do that you get a 10 times better knife, and keep americans job. instead of crappy knives made by slaves in china.by buying those you are supporting communisum, torture, and slavery, and getting a crappy knife, just to save a few bucks. and you can buy spyderco, keshaw, and benchmade, all affordable tot anyone. and super high quality.

At 9:49 AM, 2008-08-24, Michael R. said:
i always have my swiss army knife and my leather man on me. there isn't anything you can not do with those two.

At 8:40 PM, 2008-08-22, fchunter said:
buck 110 simply the best.

At 9:47 AM, 2008-08-04, Scarface said:
the buck 110 folding hunter knife is the ultimate knife. period. it is ubiquitous, and can be used in any situation. from work, to sporting, to hunting, to protection; the 110 does the job, and it does it right. no plastic or polymer. no cheap mechanisms. just a hefty piece of genuine us-made steel, wood, and brass.

At 9:33 AM, 2008-07-31, Grizzly 1 said:
ruana of bonnner, montana. as an alaska registered guide, i carried those ruana blades from 1950 through 1985. all day, every day. can't even begin to count the skinnings and butcherings over those years. rust and stain? yep. sharp? yes, i've shaved with some of them, too. there just is no better knife in america. period.

At 9:07 PM, 2008-07-17, zach said:
would find 1 a merchant that sold these knives

At 3:57 PM, 2008-07-15, larrs said:
i'm surprised that ruana was not in the running. while randall admittedly is a beautiful knife, for everyday functionality, ruana is hard to beat

At 1:04 AM, 2008-07-15, Courageous05 said:
i am a knife collector and i have several of these knives that you have selected as tops. who hasn't owned a henry or something similar. i have to say that i am very dissappointed that you did not include case! wide selection of style and amazing quality and durability. i have one of my grandfathers, looks good as new and its three times as old as me.

At 4:19 PM, 2008-07-11, knifebuyer said:
i must agree with chief danny! if you can get a herron made knife...do it! a few pop up on ebay from time to time and the bidding is competitive. they are currently fairly affordable at $800.00 - $1,500.00. (not at all a bad deal when compared to lesser quality loveless hunting knives which bring $3,500.00-5,000.00!)

At 4:13 PM, 2008-07-11, CHIEF DANNY said:
right now george herrons knives are the best investment you can make in the line of custom knives. they are gaining in value everyday and will continue to do so for many years to come. his influence on makers, knife design and equipment design are legendary!! however...*****p.j. tomes knives are far and away some of the best using knives in the custom category today!!*** without question or comparison, his forged 52100 flat ground blades in any configurataion outperform and outlast anything i've used in 30 yrs. of paid professional wilderness work!***

At 11:01 PM, 2008-07-10, smcclown said:
hurray for bark river knife & tool! the best knives i own are barkies. it's great to see them get some mention. in my opinion they have several other models that could made top 20 as well.

At 5:28 PM, 2008-07-08, Larrs said:
ruana knife works. enough said.

At 2:22 PM, 2008-07-07, Michael said:
i'd like to order this issue in hard copy and am not a subscriber. was this article in the june or july issue? i can't find it on the news stand.

At 9:23 AM, 2008-07-06, TCM said:
chris reeve sabenza solid perfect

At 1:28 AM, 2008-07-04, Chuck said:
the grohmann should be #1 instead of #2. otherwise, it's a good enough list, but i think the opinel belongs in there somewhere, just on the price-performance basis.

At 10:24 AM, 2008-07-03, Sam said:
i own and use five randall knives, the oldest is 40 years old. all of them serve me very well, thank you ! you can keep the rest!!!!!!!!!!

At 10:23 AM, 2008-07-03, Sam said:
i own and use five randall knives, the oldest is 40 years old. all of them serve me very well, thank you ! you can keep the rest!!!!!!!!!!

At 9:12 PM, 2008-07-01, Danny Morres said:
i use a stanley 10-189 retractable for warehouse work , carry a crkt m-16 at home but my favorite blade is one i flint knap called a lamellar flake or ribbon blade knife. it's a native american design going back about 2000 yrs. it cuts floral and fauna by splitting the cell membranes instead of tearing like a steel blade. and when it gets dull, i knap another one.great article, esp. the "bad blade " rambo sidebar. ever read cody lunden's book 98.6?

At 9:05 PM, 2008-07-01, anonymous said:
i yse a stanley 10-189 retractable/lawyer proof at work daily for warehouse stuff, carry a crkt m-16 at home but my favorite blade is one i flint knap called a lamellar flake blade. it's a native american woodland era style from 1000-2000 years ago. past razor sharp, it cuts floral and fauna by splitting the cell membranes instead of tearing . and when it gets dull, i knap another! great article esp. the rambo sidebar.

At 9:08 AM, 2008-06-25, CamoHunter said:
i thought much of the top 20 were over priced like the randal knive. who in their right mind would buy a $1500 knife to camp, hunt, and skin game. a knife that cost that much shouldn't even be considered. i know my buddy's holland and holland is a great shotgun but i will kill just as many birds with my cheap shotguns. shame on the author for leaving out the schrade sharp finger the hands down greatest skining knife of all time.

At 3:28 PM, 2008-06-23, Survivalman said:
some of these knives are ok i always use the leatherman wave that i have had for years. my new favorite knife is the gerber lmf ii asek catch ya later

At 2:48 PM, 2008-06-18, Slipknot48 said:
what is wrong with you guys? i've been using my kabar since it was issued in 1968 but it's kinda hard to justify to the local law types why, here and now. if you wnat to see a real good fist fight just take a leatherman pocket tool and compare it to the much better made gerber pocket tool in a fire camp where you have hot shot crews from all over the nation. shame on you for not even mentioning gerber or kershaw, both of which manufacture a line of blades that last, will hold an edge and will gut anything from mice to moose and even cut your stitches out cleanly should you screw up. all in all a great article, well written but somewhat misled.

At 3:08 PM, 2008-06-16, your name said:
when i was a kid my dad didnt let me have knives, very hard when fishing :)

At 4:41 PM, 2008-06-13, TheFighter said:
every outdoorsman should consider ranger knives. justin knows his stuff, and the knives prove it time and time again. check out the rd7 - great for outdoor work.

At 12:14 AM, 2008-06-12, Matt Lewis from INDIANA said:
these are not the top 20 knives, well at least not all of them! here's a real top twenty! #1]glock78 field knife #2]leatherman wave #3]brown bear #4]sog northwest ranger #5]cold steel safekeeper iii #6]cold steel urban pal #7]swiss army camper #8]tom brown tracker #9]dave beck wsk #10]swedish army mora knife[$15} #11]case canoe #12]boy scout knife #13]jim bowies knife#1 most ballen ever #14]cold steel recon with half serrated #15]bear cutlery skinner #16]the butterfly knife #17]the bear claw columbia river #18]al swearegens knife from deadwood #19]the knife from youngguns 2 #20]and the baddest knife ever real man wants is ike clantons knife from tombstone!

At 4:09 PM, 2008-06-10, Bill M said:
the buck for sure, but how about the sog line ? ive had a sog govrnment for years and it stays razor sharp with all kinds of abuse.

At 1:49 PM, 2008-06-10, Mark Walton said:
i have about a dozen busse knives and at least that many knives of alaska knives. both of these companies make superior knives. the knives of alaska knives are probably the best for the money since schrade left the u.s. it was hard to beat a schrade "sharpfinger" for a skinning knife. the busse will outlast your great grandkids though. fantastic knives and nearly indestructable!!

At 11:31 AM, 2008-06-09, P.C. S. said:
i have always had good luck with case brand knives i have only had one fail & they replaced it free of charge. if you don't lose it they will last a lifetime.

At 11:57 PM, 2008-06-09, Anthony H. said:
my brother in-law had one of this type of knife (ulu). it was a little bit hard to handle but once i got use to it i wanted to take it home with me.

At 11:45 PM, 2008-06-08, Anthony H. said:
gerber bowie , the best i ever held.

At 10:21 PM, 2008-06-07, Gunslinger said:
back in l950's case made the canoe with carbon blades. i bought 6 ( they canme 6 per box) and 5 of them arein my safe. i carry one every hunting trip along with a marbles 5l/2 with top blade as well. neither of these knives can be beatin my opinion. wy buy a china hunk of so called metal, loks as if made of beer cans. with all the chin junk, weimporting, thats why all our jobs gone overseas.can blame no one but ourselves. spend a tad more, but gt quality and buy american. i almost bought a weatherby vangurd rifle, was ready to sign all the forms, then looked closely at the imprint on the bbl near the action and saw made in japan. told the guy forget and i bought a remington 700 cdl. sure i paid more, but i got a quality firearm,shoots to point of aim and if needed to sell, could get my $$$ back.if us sportsmen don;t stop buying the off shore junk, sooner or later all the firearms and related items will be made off-shore. ask obama where he will shop come jan. 20th. africa maybe along with his wife who is so bitter with the usa makes me puke,she;s full-blooded,he is l/2 muslim and god know what? 1/4 this and l/4 that and l/2 muslim. only family he mentiones is his grandmother?????? guess his muslim dad is in bagdag, fighting the us troops.what burns me is the dumb assed people in the usa voted for the same kind of person we now fighting in iraq. over 50% of his votes came from white women????? guys, maybe we need some brown paint.

At 11:20 PM, 2008-06-06, len oconnor said:
the origanall bowie is the best ever followed by any filley knife, even a $.50 china made is indespecible. swiss army should be #3

At 11:12 PM, 2008-06-06, len o said:
this is not a true knife but a all purpose tool and lets see a list for them, it would be #2 only to the winchester copy

At 9:40 PM, 2008-06-05, Gunslinger said:
a marbles knife takes my vote. i have one over 65 ys old and is worth a mint. i have the orig sheath . knife has been to the rockies at least l5 trips, skinned many w-tails here and elk/mulies/lopes in the rockies.will stay sharp for a complete cleaning job.mine is of carbon steel,5 l/2" blade, which i prefer to stainless steel. last year when marbles were back on the market i bought a exact copy of my old one,so put the older one in the safe and now use the new knife. i'm told my knife ( older one) could be worth thousands, can anyone tell me how i find the value? off the subject of knives, but the marlin xl7 rifle in 270 is a jewel. shoots as well as my thousands of dollar custom made in germany. try one of the xl7's believe you will like, especially the $$$$ .

At 9:26 PM, 2008-06-05, anonymous said:
i was given a marbles sheath knife in 1945. it hs the edge on top as well as bottom of blade. the material is carbon steel with stacked leather grip. i have the orig. sheath. i carried teh knife for 40 years, then decided to store away. ladst year, 2007, the resurfaced and i bought another one to use for my remaining hunting days. i do not like stainless steel knives, prefer teh carbon.i also made myself a knife from a skill saw blade adn elk horns, with brass knob and pummel. not fancy,but stays sharp for a skinning out a elk. many high dollar knives out there, but to me the marbles takes the cake. i would like to know the value of what i got in 45, any you guys know where i can get a price?

At 5:31 PM, 2008-06-05, matt said:
a good brand of inexpensive knives (most under $40) is sheffield. i bought one about 6 months ago. its 3 inches which is really all i need unless im hunting and it holds a blade and the blade is strong. i tend to break al lot of cheap knives and i am only 14 so i dont like to spend all my money on knives i havnt broken it yet and it is extremely light and has good grips. hands down the best knike ive everowned (this knife was only $8 but their pretty hard to find

At 2:33 PM, 2008-06-05, Gene said:
oh , i agree with you about american made knives. buy american !

At 2:16 PM, 2008-06-05, George Case said:
i cant much because im a case (no relation) but a yellow handle case knife has held the longest and sharpest edge i have ever seen deer after day work day after work day. by far...

At 2:14 PM, 2008-06-05, George Case said:
i cant much because im a case but a yellow handle case knife has held the longest and sharpest edge i have ever seen deer after day work day after work day. by far...

At 9:56 AM, 2008-06-05, Beth Lynn said:
my dad, the late jesse keffer, was a sportsman, deluxe. he hunted, trapped extensively, and fished, every second that he could. he only used uncle henry and buck knives, or a good homemade one that my great grandfather mad. when his grandsons got old enough to hunt and trap, the first knife that they got was a buck. he claimed that it was the best knife on the market.

At 12:42 AM, 2008-06-05, ether said:
loveless rocked ass. a subtle revolutionary.

At 12:39 AM, 2008-06-05, ether said:
damn fools! quit whining about china and pay a fair sum for a well-made american knife. there are so many great american knifemakers out there that it makes one dizzy. don't be cheap. buy from an american, handcrafted knifemaker - with a good reputation - and own an living, working piece of art. other than japanese makers (who are damned good) no other country can currently compete with the usa for magnificent, handcrafted blades. pay a little more, live a little longer.

At 8:57 PM, 2008-06-04, Gene said:
too bad a lot of knives are being made in china. i'm sure some are good knives, just didn't have an american make them. some buck knives are being made off shore, sad.

At 8:55 PM, 2008-06-04, Bob said:
i was getting scared, didn't think you picked the buck 110 on your top 20 list. i collect the model 110. not sure how many i own. some have never been used and are still in the box.

At 7:48 PM, 2008-06-04, mike g said:
the marble's knives are without a doubt the best for the money. i have skinned two deer with a newer 4 3/4 inch ideal and the edge held up with no problem. i cannot say the same for other knives.

At 7:44 PM, 2008-06-04, Gil said:
i stumbled on these knives about a year ago. they are worth every penny you pay for them. i have become a bit of a collector. they hold an edge and are wonderfully engineered.

At 7:07 PM, 2008-06-04, peter fong said:
the question is why is sog knives not mentioned at all they are by far the best knives i have ever expierienced if ya dont know them you should

At 5:07 PM, 2008-06-04, Mike O. said:
i have the diamondblade summit and it is the best knife i have ever had the pleasure of handling. it is so sharp i have cut myself multiple times by applying unnecessary pressure because the thing cuts everything like butter. at least i never feel it cut me when it does. it is so sharp it doesn't hurt. my dad used my knife one time and went out the next week and ordered one for himself. worth every cent.

At 4:46 PM, 2008-06-04, Nick Spencer said:
every cowboy i have ever known has a stock knife. it may not be a genuine uncle henry but it is as close as they can get.

At 4:02 PM, 2008-06-04, Dale said:
one member of the knife makers guild that makes knives of very high quality is dave ricke of west bend, wisconsin.

At 3:35 PM, 2008-06-04, KYCHAD said:
no case !!!! did you have a brain fart?

At 3:34 PM, 2008-06-04, Joe H. said:
the ka-bar is a helluva workhorse and inexpensive, my favorite design. chris reeve makes the best survival knives though.

At 2:12 PM, 2008-06-03, anonymous said:
i really liked the article but i think the case double x deserves some credit.

At 9:14 AM, 2008-06-03, .308 MAN said:
where in the hell does a good solidgen fall in place???????? i mean how much better can you get? 17 field dressing's on one sharpening.

At 12:17 AM, 2008-06-02, Dances With Deer said:
the buck 110 is one of the best knifes ever made. nuff said... but also the k-bar is cool. the list needs more tactical fixed blades

At 11:54 PM, 2008-06-03, H. Niemuth said:
what about a finnish puuka, have had one fifty years. would like to get another. takes a razor edge and i have shaved with it.

At 3:08 PM, 2008-06-02, Scrap5000 said:
no spiderco?? the original (as far as i know) legal one-handed opener? and no butterfly knives, either??

At 12:34 PM, 2008-06-02, walker carson said:
were can i get a ron lake folder its awesome

At 11:46 AM, 2008-06-02, anonymous said:
i say any smith and wesson pocket knife should be in there for best low-end folder. i wail on my knives and the only one under 20$ to last over a year is my s&w homeland security...3 years and going strong.

At 7:03 AM, 2008-06-01, swm said:
what about the sog seal pup knife??? that's #1 in my book!!!

At 9:28 AM, 2008-05-31, Ralph the Rifleman said:
that diamondblade goddard traditional hunter seems like a nice little game knife, for sure! i like the bowie knives, too, they seems more practicle then an ax in camp.

At 12:50 AM, 2008-05-31, Nick said:
great article. i have a few of these. and jake, you will love your dozier drop point, best knife i own, hands down.

At 1:07 PM, 2008-05-30, Jake said:
i'm patiently awaiting my first drop point from bob dozier... only 10 more months!

At 12:51 PM, 2008-05-30, Brian T said:
where does kershaw fit into the list? or are they just "johnnie-come-latelies?" my k. lock-back folder is old but it looks much like the buck 110.

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Many of the knives in this story�like the Swiss Champ and the Leatherman Wave�are available in stores. Others, such as the D.E. Henry Bowie and the George Herron Model 6, are either out of production or custom-made. And you'll have to wait for yours or do some work to get one. For example, right now, Gary Randall is taking orders for his knives for 2013. There are older Randalls out there that you can see at Knifemakers Guild shows, or buy on eBay.

For the really scarce stuff�knives that came out of one-man shops�you are going to have to dig. The way to get one is to call as many custom-knife dealers as you can find on the Internet, tell them what you want, and see if they can find it. They can often pry a knife loose if the price is right. And that price will be fierce.

Here are five online dealers that can help you find your blade: A.G. Russell Knives, Nordic Knives, Steel Addiction Custom Knives, Classic Guns & Knives , and Spaceport Cutlery �D.E.P.

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