Knife Brands

What follows is a list of all the knife brands we have reviewed to date. This includes the best knife brands in the world. Click the various links for a deeper dive into the brand and all the knife reviews we have published on that company.

Al Mar Knives – Al Mar Knives is an American knife company but has all their knives made in Japan. Founded by the late Al Mar, Al Mar knives are known for their elegant folders and innovative twists on tactical knives.

Benchmade Knives – Benchmade is a cutlery company based out of Oregon City, Oregon specializing in high grade production knives. Benchmade is one of the most widely recognized knife manufacturers in the United States and is known for making high quality knives and tools in the USA.

Boker Knives – Boker or, the “Tree Brand”, has been making knives since the 17th century in Solingen Germany. Soligen is of course one of the world’s most famous knife cities, and the Boker brand is steeped in this cutlery capital’s rich history. Originally Boker made sabers to fuel various war efforts. Today of course Boker is well known for their tactical, EDC and kitchen knives

Buck Knives – Buck is an American knife company founded in 1902. The company was founded by Hoyt Buck and has been a family company for 5 generations. Buck is best known for inventing the “folding hunting knife”, and the iconic Model 110 is their best known knife, running through a series of mild iterations since it’s introduction in 1964.

Case Knives is an American manufacturer of traditional pocket knives, fixed blades/sporting knives, kitchen knives, limited edition commemoratives and collectibles. The company originated in Little Valley, New York, around the turn of the 20th century, before relocating to its current home, Bradford, Pennsylvania, in 1905. The company’s namesake, William Russell Case, first made knives with his brothers under the name, Case Brothers Cutlery Company. His son, John Russell (“Russ”) Case, worked as a salesman for his father’s company before founding W.R. Case & Sons.

Cold Steel Knives – Cold Steel is an American knife company that manufactures most of their knives in Taiwan. Known best for their outrageous marketing videos, Cold Steel has established itself as a company that makes affordable and very functional knives and tools. Ranging from little EDC blades, to full size samurai swords, there is a little something in the Cold Steel catalog for everyone.

Chris Reeve Knives – Chris Reeve Knives (CRK) is a maker of high end cutlery based out of Boise Idaho. Chris Reeve and his team of craftsmen have been perfecting the art of the knife for over 20 years and are widely regarded as makers of some of the best pocket and survival knives available on the market. CRK uses only the finest materials and builds blades to incredible tolerances following designs that have been tweaked for years and years.

CRKT Knives – Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) is an American knife company based out of Tualatin, Oregon. Founded in 1994 by Paul Gillespi and Rod Bremer, CRKT is known for making high value knives, but the company also makes multi-tools, sharpeners and other related products.

DPx Gear Knives – DPx Gear is the brain child of author/adventurer Robert Young Pelton. DPx stands for “Dangerous Places extreme” and the company focuses on heavily built knives built to high tolerances by Italian manufacturer LionSteel.

Emerson Knives – Founded by custom knifemaker Ernest Emerson, Emerson Knives is an American knife company that has been making hard use tactical folders since 1996. Often considered to be the father of folding tactical knives, Ernest Emerson began his knifemaking career at the age of 23. Since then he has a deep involvement in the knifemaking industry, as a maker, designer and mass producer of knives. Emerson knives are made in the USA.

ESEE Knives – ESEE makes fixed blade knives and survival gear in the USA. ESEE’s focus is hard use survival knives. Backed by one of the best warranties in the industry, their knives are very well regarded and enjoy an extremely loyal following.

Fallkniven Knives – Fällkniven AB, is a Sweden-based manufacturer of knives founded by Peter Hjortberger in 1984. The company originally started as a knife importer, and in 1987 Fällkniven began designing their own knives. Over the years Fällkniven has earned a reputation for high performance outdoor and survival knives.

Fantoni Knives – Fantoni is a high end Italian knife manufacturer. Founded by Renzo Fantoni, and based in Maniago with fellow Italian knife companies LionSteel and Viper, Fantoni has been quietly producing some of the best knives on the market. They have collaborated with a number of designers including Chris Reeve, William Harsey, and Dmitry Sinkevich.

Gerber Knivesr is an American knife and tool company based out of Portland, Oregon. Gerber enjoyed many decades of success with their USA made knives and tools. Gerber has worked with a lot of talented designers over the years, including Bob Loveless, Blackie Collins, Bill Harsey, Jr., Rick Hinderer, Ernest Emerson, and Chris Reeve. These days they are arguably best known for their Bear Grylls line of knives.

Great Eastern Cutlery – Great Eastern Cutlery is a manufacturer of traditional pocket knives located in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2006, GEC has quickly gained a reputation for producing high quality traditional pocket knives. GEC has also produced knives for Northwoods Knives.

Hinderer Knives – Hinderer is an American knife and tool company, with tools designed and built by Rick Hinderer and company in Shreve, Ohio. Rick’s XM series of knives has been coveted by collectors for years, and he has engaged in a variety of highly successful collaborations with Zero Tolerance and Kershaw.

Hogue Knives – Hogue is an American company and is a relatively new knife manufacturer. They are best known for creating aftermarket gun grips and accessories although they have recently teamed up with custom knifemaker Allen Elishewitz to produce a new line of folding and fixed blade knives. Hogue knives are made in the USA.

Ka-Bar Knives – Ka-Bar is a U.S. based knife manufacturer that has been making knives since 1898 out of Olean, New York. The company has a long and storied history, and is owned by Cutco Corporation today. Ka-Bar makes knives in the USA and overseas.

Kershaw Knives – Founded in 1974, Kershaw has been making cutlery for almost 40 years now. Kershaw is probably best known for their small and mid size EDC and tactical folders. Kershaw is owned by KAI, which also owns Zero Tolerance which is focused on high end tactical knives, as well as Shun Cutlery (high end Japanese kitchen knives).

Kizer Knives – Kizer is a high end Chinese knife manufacturer. Kizer imports their materials from the USA and Japan and they regularly collaborate with custom knife makers. Kizer is arguably the pioneer of high end Chinese knife manufactuers. Even a few years ago there was a healthy dose of stigma associated with “Chinese Knives” among collectors in the United States. Kizer and other companies like WE Knives, Reate, and Stedmon.

LionSteel Knives – LionSteel is a manufacturer in Maniago Italy, and is among the forerunners of the “Italian Renaissance” we are currently experiencing in the US production knife market. All of their products are manufactured in house, and LionSteel also has collaborated with a number of U.S. companies including CRKT, Pohl Force, BlackWater, and DPx Gear, to name a few. Hallmarked by their bold designs and beautiful fit and finish, LionSteel is quickly garnering respect as a serious contender in the world of high end production knives. They are perhaps best known for their SOLID® line, which is a series of integral folders where the handles are 4-axis machined out of a single block of titanium, carbon fiber, or micarta.

Mcusta Knives – Mcusta is a knife manufacturer headquartered in Seki City, Japan that has been making modern knives with traditional Japanese influence for the past 30 years. Mcusta starts with high end materials such as damascus, titanium and exotic hardwoods. Each piece of a Mcusta knife is first precision machined before being meticulously hand finished. This produces a “Machined Custom” and is how Mcusta got its name.

Microtech is a medium sized knife manufacturer located in Bradford, PA. The company was founded in Vero Beach, FL in 1994, by Anthony Marfione, but then moved to Pennsylvania a decade later.

Ontario Knives – Ontario Knife Company is an American knife manufacturer originally from Ontario County, New York. The company was founded in 1889, making it one of the oldest American knife companies still in existence. Today Ontario is headquartered in Franklinville New York where the manufacture most of their knives. Ontario also works with some foreign manufacturers, mostly for their folding knives.

Opinel Knives – Opinel is a French knife company headquartered in Saint-Jen-de-Maurienne, Savoid, France and founded over a hundred years ago in 1890 by Joseph Opinel. These simple and iconic wood handled knives are widely recognized around the world, much like Victorinox and their Swiss Army Knives.

Schrade Knives – Schrade is an American knife company that was bought by Taylor Brands in the early 2000s. Schrade knives used to be made in the USA. These days they are made in China.

Shirogorov Knives – Shirogorov is a Russian knife company operated by Sergei Shirogorov. Shirogorov was originally founded by brothers Igor and Sergei. Unfortunately Igor passed away in 2015. Shirogorov is often categorized as pioneers in the recent trend of high end production knives coming out of Russia and Asia. They are known for sleek designs, fanatical attention to detail, and exceptional fit and finish. They are also known as pioneers of a Multi-Row Bearing System.

Smith & Wesson Knives – Smith and Wesson is synonymous with high quality firearms. What many people don’t know, is that Smith and Wesson (S&W) also makes knives. Well, that isn’t 100% true, S&W doesn’t make the knives themselves (more on that in the “history” section below), but they carry the Smith and Wesson name and are still part of the rich tradition of this quintessential American firearms company.

SOG Knives – Named after a covert special forces operations unit called Studies and Observation Group personnel during the Vietnam war, SOG has been making knives since the mid 80s. Known for their focus on making high quality knives and tools, SOG has enjoyed great growth and popularity since it’s inception. SOG is an American knife company that has most of their products manufactured overseas.

Spyderco Knives – Spyderco is a company that hardly needs an introduction in the knife world. Known for providing the industry with numerous innovative features and relentlessly refining their designs, Spyderco has been manufacturing knives and tools out of their headquarters in Golden, Colorado for over 30 years.

Strider Knives – Strider is an American knife manufacturer known for their military inspired hard use blades. Founders Duane Dwyer and Mick Strider make all of their knives out of their San Marcos, California shop. Strider is best known for their folding knives, and their offerings are hallmarked by their distinct shape, titanium frame locks, and integral G10 backspacer and scale.

Victorinox Knives – Victorinox is a knife manufacturer based in Switzerland best known for its Swiss Army knives. Victorinox is the biggest manufacturer of pocket knives in the world, and acquired their rival Swiss army knife manufacturer, Wegner, in 2005.

Viper Knives – Viper is a subsidiary of the Italian cutlery company Tecnocut. Tecnocut seems to make a number of commercial grade knives and tools, and their Viper brand seems to be more consumer oriented. Viper’s knives range from more traditional fixed blades and gentleman’s folders to larger tactical knife offerings. Most of their products do seem to have a blend of old world materials and modern manufacturing, which I happen to find very interesting.

Zero Tolerance Knives – Zero Tolerance is a brand owned by KAI, the same company that owns Kershaw. Zero Tolerance is focused on building high end tactical knives made in the USA. These are tough, high quality knives with high end blade steel, overbuilt locks, assisted openings and all sorts of other cool goodies that tactical knife enthusiasts enjoy.

Wheew! That is a long list. I know I missed some, but I hit most of the best knife brands. I’ll continue to add to the list over time.