Top 10 Knives Everyone Should Own

Consider them “essential reading” as you continue your knife journey. From old-school classics to high-tech wonders, these all have a story to tell, and taken together, they add up to a living history of what makes knife collecting such a passionate and rewarding endeavour!

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0:00 Top 10 Knives Every Knife Enthusiast Should Own

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[Arto]

I swear by the Buck 110. My dad passed down one to me that was made in the mid 70s and I keep it razor sharp. Fun story about that knife, too - he carried it for about a decade back when he got it, then managed to lose it. Close to forty years later, I managed to find the thing out in a barn that had fallen down on our property. It was just laying there in the dust in its sheath, brass tarnished all to heck and a few rust specks on the blade. I cleaned it up and reconditioned the sheath with some saddle oil before presenting it to my dad, who then told me he wanted me to have it. It's one of the most solid knives I own.

[neeksthecuz]

The K-Bar silhouette is so iconic it bailed my friend and I from an alley confrontation just by him whipping it out. Truly something to hold to

[coupofmentality]

The Leek has been my everyday carry for about 7 years. They are the perfect size for pocket carry and hand hold on the grip, the blade holds an edge well, quick access mechanism, solid defense capabilities. All around great everyday knife.

[nitty]

With no shade, no talking smack, with all sincerity this dude is great at his job! Great video! 👍

[scottbutler]

"All four hands?" How many arms do you have, lol. Thanks for another great review video and great selection of essential knives.

[psychocuda]

I'd add the ubiquitous Leatherman Wave multi-tool, and a classic Mora.

[felinebline]

Great pick list
Opinel, Case peanut, Buck 110, kbar. Swiss Army classic Red.
All stars. All Icons.

[brosephysics]

My Opinel met an untimely end in a snowblower. I miss it. While my other knives strive to be razor sharp, my razors strive to be Opinel sharp. If my Buck 110 fell in the snow it may have been the blower that needed replacing. However, I can’t imagine dropping my 110 without noticing that my belt just got half a pound lighter. I’ve got a few of the others. There are some I would like, but don’t have a use for (like the Ka-bar), and others I can live without (Spydercos have never appealed to me, and I doubt I’ll ever own a Benchmade product. They might be well made, but they cost so much that I’d avoid using one hard).

[Gottaculat]

The knife I use the most is my Official Boy Scouts of America pocket knife, made around the mid 1990s.
It's been my EDC knife for over 25 years, and the wear shows. I won't even begin to estimate how many cans I've opened with it. No joke, every can opener I've ever bought breaks within a couple months, so I just stopped buying them and got good with the old-school claw can opener. I open probably 300 cans of corned beef hash a year just for breakfast alone using that knife.

The blade itself is a solid design, great for just about anything from opening envelopes to carving camp tools. It also has a bottle opener - which I've used on many a balmy summer evenings around a fire pit - and a leather punch. The leather punch has been useful plenty of times for tasks other than punching holes in leather.

It's not as good as a classic Swiss Army knife or a Leatherman multi-tool with all their bells and whistles, but it's a good looking knife, incredibly reliable, and one of those unsung knives I think deserved more attention. They also made smaller ones themed for the Cub Scouts, which I also have. I prefer the larger BSA model. I also have no idea how/if the quality has changed since the mid 1990s. I'm gonna guess like most things related to the Scouts, quality has probably dropped in more recent times. The one I have has gone through hell, and came out the other side intact. I really can't speak highly enough about it. Are there better knives? Of course. Are there any knives I trust more? No. Really hard to beat 25 years of everyday use and abuse, only needing an occasional sharpening and oiling. And yes, you do have to keep it oiled or the internals will rust. Only takes about 2 drops every 6 months to keep it oiled.

[jrsizemore]

I have 4 of those knifes already, the Buck 110 is the best knife I’ve ever used for skinning deer and cutting meat, 10 out of 10 best knife ever

[mfreeman]

I've carried an Opinel 6 for decades. Great knife and no better value for money.

[KAIJUKING]

I bought a KA-BAR knife from you guys a couple months back and I absolutely love it. It’s sharp right out of the box and durable. I’m now thinking about buying a good pocket knife for my knife collection. Now I’m thinking about getting the buck 110, because my grandpa and my uncle (his son) like using folding knife’s in the style of the buck and using case knives and they’ve used these knives for decades and there age is showing and my grandpa and uncle use them while working wether on carpentry projects or just cutting fishing line while fishing. Now I want to get one of these style of knives. The buck 110 looks great and heard great things about it. But we’ll see. That and my uncle and grandpa think spending hundreds of dollars on a handheld knife is ret*rded (there words not mine) when a good folding knife or case knife that won’t break the bank is better.

[Deibodese]

I love how almost every one of these is below $100. I’m firmly of the opinion that for expensive knives, you’re paying more for luxury than utility, which ironically discourages use.

The one classic knife I was most familiar with growing up, besides that Victorinox, was the Buck Stockman. My dad has had one with him pretty much every single day since as far back as I can remember.

[tuckergiambrone]

Man, I miss my Leek. It was my first "regular" folding knife (first knife ever was a swiss army) and I had it for about five years before I set it on the back of a truck at work and forgot about it before driving off. Never saw it again. Ended up with a carbon fiber Bugout to replace it which I love but I still miss my kershaw. RIP

[Silverpicker]

Great video! I've got about half of these in my collection. The Opinel is my favorite. Elegant and utilitarian. Can't beat that combo!

[DroogyT]

Alot of wood carvers Love the Opinel for carving. Great, easy to carve wood. Looks real cool when done right

[mattpinap]

Had a bugout, own a 110, prefer a Barlow to the peanut, still watching but spot on so far👍

[wiliamwidlacki]

Another great video DCA, I think the Kabar belongs in part two "fixed blades", along with a buck, mora, esee, and others. A Leatherman may have fit in this group as well.

[dkhooeh]

DAVID, this's one of your best documentaries.
Concised and smooth. Liked more of this method.
Although, where i lived, i.e. MALAYSIA, we are disallowed to import knife from the US, but i still look into your programmes.
MUCHOUS GRACIAS.

[WanlaceYates]

Great list. For the Cold Steel it should have been the Master Tanto with San Mai steel. Much more tied to Lynn Thompson and how Cold Steel got their following. I would also add the Gerber Mark II dagger to get something from that blade category. Still available and a classic shape for both blade and grip. I would have suggested a Randall Model 1 but any and all Randalls are so hard to get these days.