Reviews You Can Rely On

How We Tested Pocket Knives

Saturday November 18, 2023
pocket knife - the rounded handle and sturdy blade hold up well to whittling of...
The rounded handle and sturdy blade hold up well to whittling of even the hardest woods.
Credit: Jediah Porter

Overall, the process we used for testing pocket knives is quite similar to all our tested categories. We scour the entire market, educate ourselves on the latest and the greatest (while respecting and considering the category's history), choose the top 1-2 dozen performers, purchase them at retail, and put those through the wringer. That testing process includes about 80% "real world" use, and the remainder we examine and deduce with more clinical means.

Blade and Edge Integrity


Mainly, we cut stuff. We cut meat, tomatoes, cardboard, and wood with every knife. We cut whatever we needed to cut, as we encountered it, with each knife in its daily carry phase of testing. A visual examination can deduce some attributes of the blade. In the cases in which we have tested long enough for it to be required, we can deduce some things by sharpening the blade. Finally, we use our basic understanding of metallurgy to deduce performance attributes from what we can learn from the materials and processes used to construct the blade.

pocket knife - delicate whittling of thin wood shavings tells us some about the...
Delicate whittling of thin wood shavings tells us some about the edge integrity of every blade we test.
Credit: Jediah Porter

Ergonomics


We used the knives in daily and specialized tasks. Simply using a knife draws out all you need to know about its ergonomics. To organize the observations of our testers, we prompted them to consider its opening style, handle size and shape, and lock mechanism.

An assisted opening feature is a crucial piece of high-scoring all around knives. It is the ergonomic factor that distinguishes knives in the upper echelon. Seen here is the excellent opening action on a new Kershaw Leek (silver), vs. the compromised action of a 15 year old model.
Credit: Kyle Hameister

Portability


We weighed each knife on a Polder brand postage scale to the nearest 0.1 ounces. We measured each knife's length (open and closed), width, and thickness to the nearest 0.1 inches. We then prompted our testers to examine its carrying style and external profile related to pocket snagging and wear.

pocket knife - an unobtrusive pocket clip is an especially important piece of...
An unobtrusive pocket clip is an especially important piece of pocket knife anatomy, seen here with the deep-carry clip of the Benchmade 535 Bugout.
Credit: Kyle Hameister

Construction Quality


We have found that the initial impressions of a casual tester almost perfectly mirror the findings of a deeper investigation. So we hand each knife to a casual user and have them give us an opinion. Further, we examine materials and performance over long-term use. We look for initial or developed play, staining, sticking, and rattles. In rare instances, we have disassembled a knife to examine some unseen parts.

pocket knife - construction quality is best deduced by a combination of initial...
Construction quality is best deduced by a combination of initial feel, long term use, and an examination of the materials and construction history of the manufacturer.
Credit: Jediah Porter

Other Features


First, and mainly, does the knife have any other features? Most knives in our test do not. This is ok because knives with other features generally fall under the umbrella category of multi-tool. When a knife has extra features, we test by using those features for their intended purpose. The only notable omission is that we did not bash through glass windows with the tools built for this task. Forgive us for this intentional oversight. Our radial arteries thank you.

pocket knife - few knives have extra features. when they do, we make sure to use...
Few knives have extra features. When they do, we make sure to use each additional tool in its intended application.
Credit: Jediah Porter