My 6 Favorite EDC Knives Right Now

I love EDC knives. There, I’ve said it. Some people can get through life opening boxes with a pair of 99c scissors (please don’t do that!). But me? I like a carefully crafted piece of functional art in my pocket.

Sure, there are a lot of knives out there that look like they’re ready for the apocalypse, the kind that make people nervous. But there’s a whole bunch that are cleanly designed, beautifully built and perfect for daily use

So I thought I’d share my personal favorites. They change from time to time as my needs and tastes change, but these are my favorite EDC knives right now.

If you carry another option you think everyone would dig, please drop it in the comments!

CRKT Cuatro

The CRKT Cuatro is the most stately-looking of these six knives and wouldn’t seem out of place clipped to the inside breast pocket of an expensive suit. The G10 handles manage to be both smooth to the touch and grippy at the same time. Thanks to the ball bearings pivot, flipper, and locking liner, the Cuatro opens and closes smoothly with just one hand. The 3.199″ (81.25 mm) long blade is made from 8Cr13MoV steel – a reliable, strong, affordable knife steel. It arrived from the factory sharp and has done a good job holding its edge. The Cuatro is intentionally lightweight at 3.1 oz, for a knife with an overall length of 7.75″ (196.85 mm) open and 4.515″ (114.68 mm) closed, it’s not going to weigh down the pockets of your chinos.

CRKT SQUID

CRKT also make the SQUID. This is a more casual-looking knife with its squid-shaped silhouette. The blade is sharp and made from the same 8Cr13MoV steel as the Cuatro. At 3.476″ (88.29 mm) closed and 5.71″ (145.03 mm) open, it’s a smaller knife, but the 2.156″ (54.76 mm) length blade is more than long enough to tackle most everyday challenges and even some light car-camping functions. The frame lock snaps satisfyingly into place and feels solid. The deep pocket clip helps it sit in your jeans mostly out of sight. The stainless steel handle should be slippery, but the shape of the handle and friction grooves on the back make the knife feel solid in your hand. The fun shape and functional design make me think it would be perfect for the kid just out of school who needs an affordable, quality pocket knife that can handle lots of different tasks with a style that’s neither formal nor tactical.

I got the SOG Twitch XL in limited edition white because I think it just looks so damn clean. The thin profile and extremely deep carry pocket clip make this sizable knife disappear in the pocket – despite the closed length of 4.25″ (108mm). With the assisted flipper opening and thumb stud it can be opened with one hand, but the lockback means you’ll need to use two hands to close it. In general I prefer knives that can also be closed with one hand, but the Twitch XL’s attributes often outweigh this preference for me. I would LOVE to see a version of the Twitch with a liner lock. The drop point AUS-8 blade comes incredibly sharp, is rust resistant, and has great edge retention. The pointy blade would come in handy for weekend gardeners but the style would be just as at home in a pocket of the cool dad, weekend adventurer, or world-famous DJ.

The WESN TI Microblade has the shortest blade of the knives on this list – just 1.5″ (38mm). But don’t let the size fool you. Sure, it easily disappears in almost any pocket at only 2.25″ (57mm) long closed and 3.75″ (95mm) open. And thanks to the titanium body and small size it weighs just 1oz including the pocket clip. But with the frame lock that snaps satisfyingly into place and the flipper-assisted opening to make this one hand open/closed compatible, this knife definitely fights above its weight class. The fit and finish is impressive and the design is the perfect combination of classy and casual that could appeal to everyone from a mail room clerk to the company CEO. A larger knife would probably be more comfortable to use for tasks that take a while. But if you’re the occasional knife user, or use it for quick tasks like opening a box and are looking for something absolutely tiny that you’ll forget is there until you need it, yet can still easily handle bigger tasks, the WESN TI Microblade is a great fit.

Lots of companies try to make a small pocket knife that performs like the big fellas, but StatGear Tools has actually pulled it off with the Slinger. The Slinger feels perfectly balanced in the hand. The shape of the stainless steel handles provides great grip with windows that give a sneak peak at the lovely blade inside made from D2 steel. It’s incredibly sharp right out of the box and it has held its edge through all the daily tasks I’ve put it through. It’s 3″ (76mm) long when closed and just over 5″ (128mm) open. It really feels like the perfect size if you don’t want to carry a large knife, but may end up having to use it quite a lot throughout the day. The flipper style open and ball bearing pivot make for an easy, smooth one-handed open. And the frame lock makes it just as easy to close. The Slinger has some of the nicest fit and finish I’ve seen on any knife – including some four times the price. Visually, it’s a stunner. The contrasting colors and unique shape combine with the quality to make a knife that will likely find its way into many a collection. If you’re looking for a pocketable EDC knife that is as functional as it is enjoyable to look at, take a look at the Slinger.

StatGear Tools also makes the only keychain knife on this list – The Pocket Samurai Keychain Knife (Titanium Edition). When I first got this knife I thought it would be fun – it looks like a miniature samurai sword after all. But I didn’t expect it to be particularly functional. Boy was I wrong. It is fun, but the thumb stud and frame lock make it possible to open and close with one hand. The 440C stainless steel Tanto blade is extremely sharp. There’s a loop for a key ring. And there’s even a terrific little pocket clip. This little guy now lives clipped to the pen pocket in my EDC bag. Yeah, it’s that small. It’s just over 2.5″ (67.5mm) closed and 4.75″ (120mm) open and less than half an inch (11.7mm) wide. It weighs less than an ounce thanks to the diminutive size and titanium handles. On paper it seems like it would be too small to be useful, but on most days I rarely need a knife that can do more. Office workers, students, skaters, the general public, really anyone looking for a quality keychain or tiny pocket knife that stays out of sight until a cutting task arises should get ahold of this little guy.

If asked to pick a favorite from this list, I’d find it impossible – or rather I’d have a different answer every time I was asked. They’re all quite different in size and style. But I hope you can find something here that suits your setup!

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