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A trusty knife is indispensable. Whether you just use it to open boxes and packages, trim or strip cable, cut rope for camping or any outdoors activity, or just like having one in case you need one, you have tons of options. This week we’re looking at five great options, based on your nominations.
Of course, trying to look at the five best everyday carry knives is a bit like asking people what their five favorite colors are, and everyone has a specific pantone number they like—when we asked you for your favorites, you responded with hundreds of options, from the kind of locking, folding blades we were looking for to some familiar names from our five best multitools rundown a while back.
Also, and we shouldn’t have to remind you, but since it’s come up: Carrying a knife in public isn’t legal in all jurisdictions. Some states and countries have restrictions against specific blade sizes, only allow you to carry utility knives but not locking blades, and so on. Make sure you know what’s legal in your community before you strap a utility knife to your belt and head out, but what you use in your home to open boxes, do handy work around the house, or set up a campsite is likely up to you. For those of you not sure why you would want a utility knife at all, this great post from Indefinitely Wild offers some solid reasoning worth reading. They also have some great tips on how to choose the right one for you.
That all said, keep in mind that these five were based on your nominations and voted on by fellow commenters, and there’s no way we could include every great knife you suggested. Here are the ones that got the most support, in no particular order:
Kershaw Cryo
If you’re looking for a simple, no-frills, yet-still-safe everyday carry pocket knife, the Kershaw Cryo may be just what you need. its blade is 2.75” long, and the “speedsafe” assisted opening mechanism makes it easy to open one-handed. There’s also a lockbar stabilizer so the blade goes where it’s supposed to go when it opens, instead of opening part-way, and a thumbstud for controlled opening (which some of you said you loved, and others said you hated.) The handle has a pocketclip on the side for easy carrying, and the pocketclip can be positioned tip up or down, making it easier for lefties and righties to carry their Cryo where it’s most comfortable for them. The handle and the body are both steel, with a tarnish-resistant titanium carbo-nitride coating on the exterior for texture and to protect it from wear and tear. It’s a small blade, perfect for regular use, and—as some of the testimonials at Kershaw’s site note—it’s easy to sharpen after you’ve used it for a long time, and sharp knives are safer than dull ones. If you want one, $25 at Amazon is all it’ll set you back.
Those of you who nominated the Kershaw Cryo praised its look and feel, for one, but also noted that it’s easy to open and close, especially with one hand, and that when it’s open, it locks in place for safe use, so you don’t have to worry about it closing on your fingers, or trying to close while you’re in the middle of something. Others pointed out that the assisted open is illegal in some places, while still others noted that the assisted open is exactly the kind of thing that makes the Cryo such a great knife—and safe to use. Many of you commented on its weight, that it was heavier than it looks (which was a good thing), and more than a few of you said you owned one—or were planning to buy one. Check out the whole nomination thread here.
Gerber Ripstop
The Gerber Ripstop may not be the most durable or heavy-duty knife, but it’s impressive for its budget-friendly price. The Ripstop comes in a couple of varieties, including the original Ripstop with a fine edge and a serrated edge, or the Ripstop II with a serrated edge. In every case, the body of the blade is solid stainless steel, and the original Ripstop features a 2.3” blade while the Ripstop II increases it to a full 3”. All models are folding clip knives with a lightweight steel web handle, with fewer places for the folding mechanism to get gunked up with lint, dirt, or anything else. It’s not an assisted-open knife, and all models have dual-sided thumbstuds that make opening in either hand easy. The frame lock keeps the blade open when you’re using it, and closing it is a one-handed maneuver as well. It’s a simple, affordable knife that strives to be a bang-for-the-buck blade, as opposed to a heavy-duty, do-anything model. If you want one, the Ripstop I is a mere $10 at Amazon, and the serrated version is the same price. The Ripstop II however is a little more, a whopping $13 at Amazon.
Those of you who nominated the Ripstop and the Ripstop II all said similar things: The knife is amazing for the money. It won’t outperform other models that are made with better steel, higher quality materials, or a thicker blade, but for ten bucks, you really can’t go wrong, especially if you wind up losing it, breaking it, or just need a knife to open boxes and packages around the home or office. It’s small enough to be inoffensive, and cheap enough to be replaced easily if someone walks off with yours after borrowing it. Many of you said that you own one or two, even if it’s not your EDC, for the sheer utility of having a more affordable knife you use for day-to-day things that would dull your preferred blade. Many of you called out Gerber specifically for their choice of steel, a comment we heard when we highlighted the Gerber Shard all-purpose tool not too long ago. Either way, read more in its nomination thread here.
Kershaw Leek
Kershaw themselves claims that the Leek (specifically the Kershaw Ken Onion Leek) may be the ideal EDC. Its 3” blade is long enough for everyday tasks like opening packages, cutting out patterns in cloth, cutting lengths of rope or twine or trimming plants, or just about anything else you need to do, but it’s not so long that it’s unwieldy or dangerous. The blade is a drop-point, which makes it great for cutting and slicing, like carving a pattern out of thick paper or tracing a shallow cut in a piece of wood. It can be opened by lefties or righties alike, and has pre-drilled holes so you can change the tip position to accommodate either hand (or move the pocket clip to either side.) Like other Kershaw knives, features the “speedsafe” assisted opening mechanism that makes sure the blade opens all the way when you intend to open it, along with a framelock that keeps the blade in position and from closing while you’re using it—both of which are useful safety features to have. The Leek is available in a partially serrated model or a full-bladed model depending on what you prefer, and is stainless steel with a bead-blasted finish on the exterior (in both silver or black.) It’ll set you back $39 at Amazon for the non-serrated model, and $36 for the serrated type if you want one.
There were more than a few of you who boosted this knife in the call for contenders thread. Almost all of you who commented said you owned one, with many of you extolling its performance on camping or fishing trips, as well as how versatile the knife can be, whether you’re using it at home or outdoors. You praised (and some of you complained about) the thinness of the Leek though, noting that its blade is pretty thin and narrow, especially at the tip, and while some of you said that made it even better, others complained about the potential for snapping. Others notes that the Leek is the perfect balance of size, shape, easy opening, and price, which was a big compliment. For even more comments—and first person testimonials (we mean a lot, seriously), check out the full nomination thread or this one to read more.
Spyderco Endura 4 Emerson
The Spyderco Endura 4 comes in two varieties, the standard opener and the “wave” opener which is designed to be opened with one hand by catching the notch at the top on the pocket of your pants or any other sturdy object that you can leverage against. This makes the blade easier to open if you have another hand full (a la, packages, fishing, or just about anything else) but it’s not like the traditional model is difficult to open with one hand either. Which one you prefer is up to you (although the nomination was specifically for the one with the opening feature!) In both cases though, the Emerson 4 features a long, near 4” blade suitable for use just about anywhere. The blade itself is made of solid stainless steel, while the handle is made of fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN), which is easy to grip and hold on to even when wet, but doesn’t come with the cloth-y feel that nylon is normally associated with. The steel used to make the blade is reinforced at the tip so it won’t break, and while it’s not an assisted-open knife, it’s easy to open and close one-handed thanks to the opening on the bump in the blade. Once it’s open, the blade locks firmly in place until you need to close it. If you want one, the standard model is $65 at Amazon, and the “wave” version is $67 at Amazon.
Those of you who nominated it specifically said that you got your Emersons in the military or other armed services, and many of the testimonials at Emerson’s site and at Amazon back that idea up. You almost universally praised the strength of the steel, how long Emerson blades in general hold their edge, and the versatility and durability of the knife. It’s a little long for some jurisdictions, but many of you pointed to uses where a longer blade is more useful, like hunting, camping, or fishing—not to mention cutting rope, tying knots, vehicle repairs, cutting lengths of hose or cable, and so on. It’s definitely a heavy-duty knife, but some of you noted that it’s the last one you’d ever need to own (and one of you said you’re passing yours down to your kid, which is huge.) You can read more in its nomination thread here.
Opinel No. 7 Carbon
The Opinel No. 7 definitely looks like a knife. While many of the others here look like utility knives or so-called “tactical” knives, the No. 7’s wooden handle and carbon steel blade have a different look altogether. Despite its impressive looks, it’s not a huge knife—the blade is just over 3” long, and the handle is just over 7” long, so it rests well in the hand and is small enough for regular duties. It’s not an assisted-open blade, but you’ll need to use it for a bit to get the hang of one-handed use. There’s a metal ring around the base of the blade that you twist to lock the blade in place, and twist back the other way to unlock and shut the knife. The blade doesn’t lock when it’s closed though, which is something worth mentioning. It may look imposing, but more than a few people have said it’s a bit of a classy knife to have, thanks to its polished beech handle and short blade. However, the wood handle and the carbon fiber blade do both require care that some other knives may not—the carbon steel needs oiling (although not a lot of sharpening) and the wood can wear with use and swell with moisture. All that aside, it’s still a beautiful knife, and it can be yours for $10 at Amazon.
Those of you who nominated it were definitely in the “classy” camp, which I can get behind. You noted that going on a picnic and using this to cut up an apple sent a different message than whipping out a huge tactical knife to do the same thing, and even if “message” isn’t important to you, it’s a quality knife with quality materials at a bargain basement price. Some of you noted that the fact that the blade doesn’t lock, the fact that it’s tricky to use one-handed, and the thick wooden handle both make it poor choices as an EDC though, which is definitely fair criticism. However, there were more than a few comments in its defense to all of those points, and still others of you who mentioned you owned one or preferred the slightly longer Opinel No 8 Carbon instead (which, by the way has its own nomination thread). Either way, check out the nomination thread for the No. 7 here.
Now that you’ve seen the top five, let’s decide the Lifehacker community favorite:
Honorable Mentions
This week’s honorable mentions abound, but we’ll offer a couple of alternatives based on the nomination thread. First is the CRKT M16 Series, of which we got several nominations for different types, model numbers, and styles of blade. If we were going by category or company, all of the CRKT nominations would have put it in the top five, but there were just so many nominations for so many different M16 models that we had to mention them here in the honorable mentions. One recurring thread though: They’re all lightweight, strong and sturdy, and affordable. You almost all praised the company for making great knives that were easy to open and use but still safe, held their edge over regular use, and still looked great. A couple of stand-out models: the CRKT 14K Summit Series, the CRKT M16-14ZER, the CRKT M16-10KSF, and the CRKT M16-10KZ.
We should also give the nod to the Morakniv Craftline HighQ Robust Trade Knife, although it’s definitely more of a bush knife than an EDC, mostly because it’s a fixed blade, with a 4.1” blade on the tip. The included sheath is nice though, and more than a few of you said that it’s an excellent knife for camping, fishing, and any outdoors activities where a knife can come in handy—but it’s definitely not something you get “I use it to open boxes!” deniability with.
Whichever knife you choose, finally, make sure you take steps to take good care of it, and it’ll last you a lifetime.
We’re not kidding when we said we got tons of nominations here, so we expect to hear more about your alternatives in the comments. Remember, the top five are based on your most popular nominations from the call for contenders thread from earlier in the week. Don’t just complain about the top five, let us know what your preferred alternative is—and make your case for it—in the discussions below.
The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it didn’t get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it’s a bit of a popularity contest. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!
Title photo by Michael Pollak.
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