Favorite Knives of 2023

[Synov]

I got my grail knife! Tom Mayo Dr. Death in Bjorkman's Twist and carved Ti

 

[shunsui]

A little something outside the box. Cold Steel Mayhem

 

[Wolverine666]

A little something outside the box. Cold Steel Mayhem

I’ve never heard of this one. Looks delightfully sinister

 

[stevejams]

Favorite overall is still the Sebenza

An old favorite that got new life breathed into it by modification was the Cru-Wear Manix

Favorite combo was a Buck Sprint pro and Vic Cadet that I customized to match a Boker Trapper

Favorite hiking knives were the Tagged out and a Benchmade fixed blade that I can never remember the name of

Favorite new purchase was the Victorinox Winemaster

And the one that got the most work, as I bought and renovated a house in 2023, was the S90V Para 3

Great knives, great pics, and that pica marker is a great tool

 

[Terry M.]

My most carried knife of this year would go to the Hawk Deadlock. This was carried nearly everyday due to its ambidextrous capabilities In my weak side front pocket. All others got switched out on a rotation but this one. I just recently retired the knife in favor of a weak side carry fixed blade the CPK DEK2

 

[Chronovore]

Unlike years past, I can't really pick a single knife of the year. I bought and carried more from Kizer than any other brand this year. A major issue is that my penchant for modification, mostly in rounding crisp scale edges, changes how I feel about the knives I have in rotation (and if they stay in rotation).

For instance, the Kizer Agressor already had a wonderfully ergonomic shape but was hurt a little by crisp scale edges. In its stock form, the crisp edges not only distracted from the good ergonomics but made the handle feel chunkier or more block-like. With some minor rounding, it became an easy A+. So I guess it's my favorite front-flipper of the year?

The Kizer Seahorse in its stock form was vaguely comparable to the Ontario Rat (obviously with a different blade shape). Rounding those crisp scale edges took it from okay to awesome.

The Swedge got only a very minor touch-up along the outer edges. I feel like it could use a little more attention where the lock-bar meets the scale but overall, the ergonomics are decent. Being a long-time fan of good budget knives though, one thing makes this one stand out. It's a sub-$50 knife running on multi-row bearings. The action and lock-up are superb. As a full-sized budget knife, I feel like this one could be a good workhorse too.

 

[Kettleman]

Interesting year for me as I became an actual collector not just a user with a few knives.

In putting my collection together I bought and sold a bunch of knives. My favorite of them hasn’t been with me long and has seen very little pocket time.

The P Sebenza is the knife that has had the most impact on me so I’ll call it my favorite of 2023.

My most carried is easily my Mnandi as it was in my pocket everyday of this year no differently than last year or the year before. ( minus 3 days in Vegas).
View attachment 2440791

 

[Alberta Ed]

Bradford Guardian 3 in Magnacut.

 

[Hammer67]

While I have older knives that are still among my all-time favorites, I'll limit this to favorite/most carried knives acquired in 2023:

Folders (top to bottom)
Chris Reeve Large 'Sebenza' ebony inlay
Chris Reeve Small 'Inkosi' red micarta inlay
Pro-Tech (Les George) 'Rockeye'
Pro-Tech 'Malibu'
Spyderco 'Swayback'



Fixed blades (top to bottom)
RMJ Tactical 'Da Choppa'
Siegle 'Mike's EDC'
Hinderer 'Ranch Bowie'
Wachtman 'Kliff'
Les George 'Magnate'
Pro-Tech (Les George) - 'SBR'
RMJ Tactical 'Unmei'
Carothers 'EDC2'

 

[Owen K.]

 

[awjones]

My three favorite from ‘23

 

[CyberRacer]

For me it wasn't a close call. This.

 

[rtc71]

 

[tony281sc2]

2023 was a good year knife wise. I’m learning not to get suckered into buying every cool new thing coming out and instead save my money for less frequent, better purchases. I have plenty of <$100 users. I Bought some of my best knives this year, I’m pretty sure these were all 2023…






And I bought a few titanium scales for some knives that really took them to the next level, so that’s almost as good too

 

[Wolverine666]

My three favorite from ‘23

The Vallotton is such a sick knife. One of the best “thwack” opening sounds ever.

 

[Chronovore]

I was just thinking about brand new knives from this year... If we can count a new version of an existing knife, then the Vosteed Nightshade in Nitro-V and the Skaha II in MagnaCut are both big wins for me.

(I'll swap a picture of my older dyed Nightshade in 154CM because my Nitro-V version is awaiting dye in another color. There are lots of new versions of the Nightshade out now in different steels with either flipper, thumb stud, or thumb hole.)

 

[rlewpolar]

The Vallotton is such a sick knife. One of the best “thwack” opening sounds ever.

The Vallotton might be my favorite of 2023 also. Had one of our members here make a sheath for it. Love carrying this thing

 

[Wolverine666]

The Vallotton might be my favorite of 2023 also. Had one of our members here make a sheath for it. Love carrying this thing

View attachment 2441538

That’s awesome.

 

[ferider]

I think my favorites of the last year are these:

Nathan’s masterpiece, IMHO:

Cruwear goodness:

Always wanted a Dozier, and this one is special:

Never thought I’d like thumb studs, but here we are:

 

[mitchnola]

Without a doubt the Les George MK3! I love just about everything about it. A big knife that’s light and less than a 1/2” thick so it carries great in the pocket for a large knife. It’s excellent in the hand and the blade is beautiful and slices effortlessly. And the most impressive part is the action is incredible! It functions like it’s on bearings but it’s pb washers. All in all the best functioning knife I’ve ever put my hands on.