The 20 Best Knives Ever Made

[RamZar]

In June 2008 Field & Stream magazine listed its 20 Best Knives Ever Made.

What else would you add / delete from that list in the intervening 5 years?

1. Busse Battle Mistress
2. Russell Canadian Belt Knife
3. D.E. Henry Bowie
4. Ka-Bar Marine Corps Fighting Knife
5. The Leuku
6. Leatherman Wave
7. Loveless Drop Point
8. Randall Model 3
9. Ron Lake Folder
10. Marble's Ideal
11. The Ulu
12. Schrade Uncle Henry
13. Victorinox Swiss Champ
14. George Herron Model 6 Drop Point
15. DiamondBlade Goddard Traditional Hunter
16. Lone Wolf Knives Harsey T3 Ranger
17. Nessmuk Knife
18. Woodsman's Pal
19. Knives of Alaska Brown Bear
20. The Buck Model 110

 

[retzius]

I would most certainly delete the Lone Wolf Harsey T3 Ranger in favor of the Al Mar SERE 2000. When it comes to large survival folders the Al Mar SERE is still one of the originals and still one of the best.

 

[wroughndt]

No Opinel, Mora, Buck 119 or Western bowie.....

 

[KrisOK]

LOL I noticed that there wasn't a Spyderco, CRK, Strider, Hinderer or ZT in the bunch. Mostly fixed blades.

And it's only one guys' opinion anyway. While I think the Buck 110 has been a popular and enduring model, I certainly wouldn't rate it as one of the top knives of all time.

 

[Cypress]

Add: Busse TGLB and Spyderco PM2/Military. It also needs an Axis lock on there somewhere.

I'd delete the Swiss Champ but replace it with a more "normal" Victorinox. I haven't heard of a bunch of the other knives on the list...

 

[cactusjake007]

Not one balisong on that list


Therefore this list is wrong.

 

[Nitaino]

SR Camp Tramp!

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

Woodsman's Pal is a piece of crap, at least in its stock form.

Lists are goofy, this one is pretty arbitrary.

 

[cncpro11]

How does a top 20 list not rate a smatchet?

 

[gadunz]

Fairbairn-Sykes Commando Dagger?

 

[FroOchie]

I love my woodmans pal but I'm not willing to call it a knife.

 

[drducati]

Looks like a good start but needs some fiddling. Pretty good overall representation.

 

[cchu518]

This list is kinda bunk. An opinel has to place...

 

[Kwon Kwang]

Almost the whole list is bunk IMO. Looks to me like, for the most part, it's based on history and how "nice" the knives are rather than performance. I want a list based on cutting power, edge retention, ease of sharpening, handle ergonomics, strength, piercing ability, how well the knife suits the maker's intended role overall, and other intrinsic qualities.

I have a Buck 110 and a SwissChamp. I love them. But I can't tell you with a straight face that they couldn't be improved or that improved versions don't already exist.

 

[marcinek]

Utter nonsense from the outset. It makes no sense whatsoever to have styles like "the ulu" and "the leuku" and "the Nessmu" mixed in there with specific models.

Some ulus are garbage. Some aren't. It's like having:

Greatest Basebal Players of All Time
1) Babe Ruth
2) Pitchers
3) Ty Cobb
.
.
.

Silly.

 

[redsquid2]

"The Leuku." The leuku over there on top of that tool box?

Which leuku? The one I borrowed from my neighbor last week? I saw a nicer one at a yard sale a few years ago. Maybe he was thinking of that one.

 

[Locutus D'Borg]

A list of romanticized knives from the "great outdoors" past. Which makes sense given the magazine.

 

[amflud]

Utter nonsense from the outset. It makes no sense whatsoever to have styles like "the ulu" and "the leuku" and "the Nessmu" mixed in there with specific models.

Some ulus are garbage. Some aren't. It's like having:

Greatest Basebal Players of All Time
1) Babe Ruth
2) Pitchers
3) Ty Cobb
.
.
.

Silly.

Did you read the article? The author goes on to name specific makers/manufacturers of those models you listed.

 

[Pharmagator]

some of those are classics... very specific high-end knives by Randall, Goddard, Lake, Loveless, etc... others are not so much... Schrade, Victorinox, etc...

so, are we talking specific, amazing knives? or generic styles that 'changed the landscape'? this list is all over...

I would love to have a Busse, I have several Letherman knives... who over 50 doesn't (or didn't) have a Buck 110...

It is like the author just thought about this for a few minutes... and wham... a list...

 

[marcinek]

Did you read the article? The author goes on to name specific makers/manufacturers of those models you listed.

Then why not say them in the list? If the Knives of Alaska Ulu is one of their top 20....say it. Is any ulu as good as that one? If not, then saying "The ulu" or "the leuku" is nonsense.