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

359 Results

Honshu Senjutsu Ball Bearing Opening Pocket Knife

$66.99

Bear Armor Piercing Black Butterfly Knife

Bear & Son Precision Point Butterfly Knife

$59.99

Ghost Series Black Double Edge OTF Knife - Stainless Steel Blade, Metal Alloy Handle, Pocket Clip - Length 9”

Viper-Tec Ghost Series Black Double Edge OTF Knife

$89.99

Benchmade CLA Knife

$273.00

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

USMC Scorching Sands Assisted Opening Hawkbill Pocket Knife - G10 Handle - Officially Licensed

$19.99

Kissing Crane Genuine Abalone Trapper Pocket Knife

Kissing Crane Genuine Abalone Trapper Pocket Knife

$46.99

Bear & Son Butterfly Knife Trainer

$42.99

The Black Lever Lock Automatic Stiletto Knife open view

Black Lever Lock Automatic Stiletto Knife - Stainless Steel Blade, Brass Pins, Stainless Steel Bolsters - Closed 4 1/4"

$39.99

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

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.