What is a pocket knife?

A pocket knife is simply a knife with a blade that folds out or “opens” from the handle, where it is housed when not in use. The idea being that it will easily fit in the pocket for everyday carry. Generally, a pocket knife is either assisted opening or manual opening.

What is an assisted opening knife?

These knives are opened by the user employing either the “flipper”, which is a lever on the back spine of the knife or a “thumb stud”, which is a small stud on the blade. This action starts the deployment of the blade and a mechanism like a spring or ball-bearing finishes opening the blade and then it locks into place.

What is a trapper pocket knife?

This is a style of manual opening pocket knife that has two blades, which fold out from the handle. Traditionally, there is a spey blade and a clip blade, each having a nail nick so that they can be deployed with just an upward pull on the blade.

What is an OTF knife?

When you see a knife listed as an OTF, it stands for “out-the-front” and means that it is a knife with a blade that extends straight from the handle. An OTF pocket knife can be opened with a manual slide, with assisted opening, with an automatic mechanism or by using gravity.

How do I choose a pocket knife?

A good, quality folding pocket knife should be a tool that you can take for granted because it will be able to perform whenever and wherever you need it. Choose one that will perform the specific tasks that come up for you in your everyday life. For example, if you’re in emergency services, a rescue knife with an integrated seatbelt cutter and glass breaker would be perfect for you.

Pocket Knives - Automatic Knives, Assisted Opening, Butterfly Knives, Pocket Razors, Tactical Knives

360 Results

The Black Night Butterfly Knife open and secured

Black Night Butterfly Knife - Stainless Steel Blade, Latch Lock - Length 9 1/4"

$19.99

The Sekyuriti Ball Bearing Pocket Knife in its deployed position

The pocket knife in its closed position with its pocket clip shown

A detailed look at the handle of the pocket knife

The full length of the pocket knife on display

Honshu Black and Orange Sekyuriti Ball Bearing Pocket Knife

$69.99

Full image of the Benchmade Black Grivory Mini Claymore OTF Knife opened and closed.

Angled image of the Black Grivory Mini Claymore OTF opened.

Angled image of the Grivory Mini Claymore OTF Knife closed.

Close up image of the Mini Claymore OTF Knife handle.

Benchmade Black Grivory Mini Claymore OTF Knife - 3" Blade, PVD Finish, CPM-D2 Steel

$317.99

TOP DEAL

Red Double-Edged OTF Knife - Stainless Steel Blade, Metal Alloy Handle, Reversible Pocket Clip - Overall Length 7”

$47.98 ~~Price reduced from $59.99 to~~

The SOA Camo Field Pocket Knife is a must-have for your tactical and survival gear with its integrated firestarter – an invaluable survival tool

The SOA Camo Field Pocket Knife has camouflage handle scales that are crafted of tough ABS

The SOA Camo Field Pocket Knife comes with a pull-out firestarter rod

The SOA Camo Field Pocket Knife The SOA Camo Field Pocket Knife comes with a firestarter that is integrated into the handle

The SOA Camo Field Pocket Knife has a stainless steel blade that features partial serrations and it can be deployed using a thumbstud and assisted opening

SOA Camo Pocket Knife with Firestarter

$14.99

Full image of the Blue Damascus Automatic OTF Knife open and closed.

Close up image of the Damascus Automatic OTF Knife blade.

Details and features of the Automatic OTF Knife.

Damascus Blue Premium OTF Knife

$59.99

Ridge Runner Folding Fillet Knife - Hardwood Handle

$14.99

The Viper-Tec Knuckle OTF Pocket Knife is one of the meanest knuckle knives around

The knuckle handle is crafted of metal alloy to help maintain extreme toughness and it has a carbon fiber inlay pattern

Viper-Tec Knuckle OTF Pocket Knife

$89.99

Benchmade CLA Knife

$273.00

Classic Silver Butterfly Knife Specifications

Classic Silver Butterfly Knife halfway open

Armed Force Tactical Classic Butterfly Knife

$24.99

Executioner Edge Auto Pocket Knife Specifications

Executioner Edge Auto Knife

$18.99 ~~Price reduced from $29.99 to~~

TimberTrigger Auto Pocket Knife Specifications

TimberTrigger Auto Knife

$18.99 ~~Price reduced from $29.99 to~~

Hardness and durability are the hallmarks of the richly veined zebra wood used to craft the handle scales of the Bushmaster Bushcraft Explorer Pocket Knife

The rugged pocket knife is 7 3/4” in overall length, 4 3/8” when closed, and it has a pocket clip for ease of carry

The knife has a sharp, 3 3/8” S35V steel blade, which can be accessed using the ball bearing axis lock opening mechanism

The handle scales are richly veined zebra wood, securely fastened with brass pins, giving you durability that you can rely on

The combination of super strong zebra wood and high carbon steel makes this camping and survival pocket knife invincible

Bushmaster S35VN Zebra Wood Pocket Knife

$59.99

Bear India Stag Bone Butterfly Damascus Blade

Stag Bone Damascus Butterfly

$123.99

Galaxy Karambit Knife

$26.99

The Benchmade Black Composite Lite Automatic Knife is 7 4/5” overall.

The automatic has ultra-smooth, black G10 handle scales.

The Benchmade Black Composite Lite Automatic Knife has a sturdy pocket clip

The automatic pocket knife is 4 2/5” when closed.

The Benchmade Black Composite Lite Automatic Knife has a has a 154CM stainless steel, drop point blade.

Benchmade Black Composite Lite Auto Knife

$283.00

Black OTF Karambit Knife - Stainless Steel Blade, Stonewashed Finish, Metal Alloy Handle, Pocket Clip - Length 9”

Viper-Tec OTF Karambit Knife

$89.99

Full image of the Gold Damascus Automatic OTF Knife open and closed.

Full image of the OTF Knife open being held in hand.

Gold Damascus OTF Dagger

$59.99

The 2021 Trail of Tears Trapper makes a great gift for the historical knife collector or Native American collectibles enthusiast

The handle has a white bone panel with a Native American woman carved into it, accented with turquoise and black jigged bone

The trapper has two sharp 440 stainless steel blades, which feature the Trail of Tears themed etchings and a limited edition stamp

Kissing Crane Trail of Tears Trapper Knife

$36.99

Kissing Crane Black Pocket Farmer Knife

$14.99

Perfect for those of you who want to carry a full-size knife without the extra bulk but that is still built for hard use

The black handle is made of high-quality carbon fiber with the deployment button placed along the spine for fast opening

The tough handle also features a stainless steel reversible pocket clip and has a “battle-tested” glass breaker pommel

Viper-Tec Carbon Fiber Double-Edge OTF Knife

$89.99

Steelworkers literally built this country and Kissing Crane is proud to pay tribute to them with its Steel Worker Trapper Pocket Knife

The handle has black bone panels and a white bone panel with 3D-printed steelworker artwork, separated by rivet accents

The trapper has two sharp 440 stainless steel blades, which feature Steel Worker themed etchings and our limited edition stamp

Kissing Crane Worker Trapper Knife

$16.98 ~~Price reduced from $36.99 to~~

The Benchmade Auto Presidio II is an expeditious automatic opening knife that leaves nothing to be desired

It features both a lanyard hole and a reversible, tip-up pocket clip for carry options

The 6061-T6 aluminum handle has a burnt bronze finish, and it features a lanyard hole and a pocket clip for carry options

It has a serrated, 3 7/10” CPM-M4 steel, drop point blade with a grey finish and it can be deployed with the Auto AXIS mechanism

The automatic pocket knife is 5”, when closed, and 8 7/10” overall

Benchmade Presidio II Auto Knife

$378.00

The Gil Hibben Whirlwind Yellow Jacket shown open and closed

A close-up look at the handle with its pocket clip

A detailed look at the pocket knife's textured handle

The Hibben pocket knife in its deployed position

Gil Hibben Yellow Jacket Whirlwind Pocket Knife

$46.99

POCKET KNIVES FAQS

What is a pocket knife?
A pocket knife is simply a knife with a blade that folds out or “opens” from the handle, where it is housed when not in use. The idea being that it will easily fit in the pocket for everyday carry. Generally, a pocket knife is either assisted opening or manual opening.
What is an assisted opening knife?
These knives are opened by the user employing either the “flipper”, which is a lever on the back spine of the knife or a “thumb stud”, which is a small stud on the blade. This action starts the deployment of the blade and a mechanism like a spring or ball-bearing finishes opening the blade and then it locks into place.
What is a trapper pocket knife?
This is a style of manual opening pocket knife that has two blades, which fold out from the handle. Traditionally, there is a spey blade and a clip blade, each having a nail nick so that they can be deployed with just an upward pull on the blade.
What is an OTF knife?
When you see a knife listed as an OTF, it stands for “out-the-front” and means that it is a knife with a blade that extends straight from the handle. An OTF pocket knife can be opened with a manual slide, with assisted opening, with an automatic mechanism or by using gravity.
How do I choose a pocket knife?
A good, quality folding pocket knife should be a tool that you can take for granted because it will be able to perform whenever and wherever you need it. Choose one that will perform the specific tasks that come up for you in your everyday life. For example, if you’re in emergency services, a rescue knife with an integrated seatbelt cutter and glass breaker would be perfect for you.