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I cannot remember my grandfather ever being without a knife. He always had a sharp blade for skinning raccoons, peeling apples, or picking splinters. Sometimes he used the same blade for everything—he just wiped the blade across his overalls between tasks. His old Case Stockman, with the main blade well thinned from years of sharpening, rests on my desk, and I look at it every day. Still, I am always looking for a new one to call my own. If you're the same way, you've come to the right place. For 2026, there are a lot of new everyday-carry knives to peruse, and we’ve picked 10 good ones below priced from less than $30 to more than three times that. We’ve also thrown in a cool tool to help you keep your blade scalple sharp. Here we go.
The Top New Knives of 2026
Benchmade Bugout Taiga Green
The Bugout has been a very popular Benchmade knife, and this year it gets a facelift. For 2026, it’s being offered with a Taiga Green Grivory handle, a McMillan tan Cerakote blade, burnt-copper accents between the scales and on the dual thumb stud, and a black pocket clip. This knife has a 3.24-inch ELMAX Stainless Powder Steel drop-point blade with a Rockwell hardness of 59-61. Open, it stretches to 7.46-inches, closed it measures 4.22 inches, and it is featherweight at only 1.85 ounces. This is a great everyday carry, ambidextrous knife for the outdoorsperson and it cuts just as good as it looks. Estimated MSRP is $200.
Boker Atlas
For 2026, Boker is offering four new knives in their Atlas line, and they’re all very affordable. The Droppoint ($50.95) features a 2.67-inch D2 blade, stainless-steel handle, and the Boker Backlock locking mechanism. The Clippoint ($59.95) and Sheepsfoot ($59.95) Atlas knives are just like the Droppoint, but one has a 2.78-inch clip-point blade and the other has a 2.67-inch sheepsfoot blade. The Atlas Backlock Big ($69.95) is a larger folding knife that has a 3.54-inch high-chromium 12C27 clip-point blade. All four of these new Atlas knives feature a lanyard loop at the rear of the handle, and they all have a removeable low-profile pocket clip for tip-up carry. All the Boker Atlas knives are super-slim, no frills, minimalist-style, general utility knives that will disappear in your pocket and won’t break your wallet.
Related: Best Knives for Field Dressing
Case XX Axe Handle
Case co-designed this new folder with custom knifemaker Bill Ruple from Texas. It’s a brand new pattern that you can have in one of nine different variations that feature different material or colored scales. This folder has a tapper-ground 3.05-inch carbon-steel clip blade with a 2.74-inch cutting edge, and the new axe handle design delivers a hand-filling grip and a distinct look that’s sure to draw attention when you pull it from your pocket. This is a wonderfully configured, general-purpose folding pocketknife that measures 3.94 inches (folded) and 6.99 inches (open), and it weighs in at only 2.85 ounces. Prices range from $86.99 to $128.99, depending on the handle material.
CRKT Burrower
To design this new knife, CRKT worked with custom knifemaker and survivalist Kaila Cumings. With its 3.2-inch D2-steel fixed blade and full-tang construction, the Burrower is built to perform in demanding environments. The D2 steel delivers good edge retention and the ruggedness needed for extreme use in the outdoors, and the stonewashed clip-point profile provides a versatile balance of slicing power and piercing strength. The deep belly in the blade also makes the Burrower a good choice for peeling the hide off big game animals. The scales are burlap micarta, which give the handle a natural and comfortable texture, whether covered with mud, blood, or water. The Burrower has an overall length of 7.81 inches, weighs 4.7 ounces, and comes with its own 1.4-ounce thermoplastic sheath. MSRP is $90.
GiantMouse ACE Elmer
A good folding everyday-carry knife should be hair-splitting sharp, lightweight, compact, and it should be easy to open and lock with one hand. The GiantMouse ACE Elmer checks all those boxes and also has a unique origin. It gets its name from a man who served in the 36th Texas Infantry Division during WW II, surviving five major invasions, beginning in the desert chasing Rommel and ending up in the Berlin rubble. He returned home and carried on, just as so many like him did. This is an automatic knife with a single push button for opening and unlocking. It weighs 3.2 ounces and has a 3.2-inch CPM Magnacut stonewashed and slightly upswept 3.2-inch blade with a Rockwell hardness of 62. The handles are either blue or black aluminum, and it comes with a titanium pocket clip for right side, tip-up carry. The Elmer is buttery smooth to operate, sharp enough to shave with, and is only offered in limited quantities. MSRP is $365.
GiantMouse GMF1-MG
The new GMF1-MG is a great little fixed-blade utility knife that might make you rethink carrying a folding knife every day. Whether you are whittling a stick, slicing a ribeye steak, or peeling the hide off a black bear, the deep, satin finished 2.4-inch, 0.15-inch thick, CPM MagnaCut blade is up to the task. This is a compact fixed-blade with a full tang and a green Micarta handle. It has an overall length of only 5.2 inches, weighs only 2.3 ounces, and it comes with an unobtrusive but good-looking hand-made leather sheath.
Knives of Alaska Alpha Wolf
Designed specifically for serious hunters, the Alpha Wolf from Knives of Alaska is a full-tang knife with a precision convex edge on a blade made from Magnacut steel. The 3-inch blade is 0.100-inch thick and has a Rockwell hardness of 59 to 61. It’s perfectly configured to allow for precise cuts during skinning and fleshing, and out of the box, this knife is hand sharpened. It comes standard with a blaze-orange handle, so if you lay it down in the leaves or on the tundra it will be easy to find, and for transport it comes with a vegetable-tanned leather sheath. Other versions with a black Suregrip, G10 OD green, or stag handles are available. Ideally proportioned for the hunter, the Alpha Wolf weighs just 4 ounces and has a retail price of between $189.99 and 299.99.
Smith & Wesson 24/7 Pivot Lock Drop Point
This new knife from Smith & Wesson is the most affordable knife on our list. It is locking folder with a 3.3-inch drop-point D2 steel blade that is outfitted with dual thumb studs for opening. This 4.45-inch (folded) knife has an olive drab green polymer handle, and it comes with a reversable deep-carry pocket clip so you can configure it for left or right, tip-up carry. There is also a lanyard hole in the rear of the handle. At $29.99, you could just get a bunch of them and when one gets dull put it in a drawer and grab another.
Bonus Tool: Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener Elite
Nope, this is not a knife, but if you carry a knife, you might want one of these to go with it. The new Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener Elite is an upgraded version of regular Guided Field Sharpener, one of Work Sharp’s most popular offerings. It is built for those who demand a sharp blade no matter where they are. The unit comes with 320-, 400-, 600-, and 800-grit diamond plates for total edge care. It features built-in 20° and 25° angle guides, a fine ceramic honing rod, a small ceramic hone for serrated blades, a leather strop pre-conditioned with honing compound, three-and four-blade broadhead wrenches, and a zippered carrying case. At only $74.95, it’s a tool that should be in every hunter’s pack.
Read Next: Best Tactical Knives
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