Having a knife on you is always a good addition to your everyday essentials. While you may not always need it to fend off an attacker, you could be in a position the knife tip or edge can prove to be very useful. But unlike most knives that you could carry, EDC knives can be a little on the heavier side.
You might just want a small blade that you can carry on without it weighing you down. So with that in mind, here is a small guide on how you can choose the best lightweight blades for your everyday carry. We will also go over the best ones you can buy, depending on your price range and preference.
The Best Lightweight Pocket Knives
- WE knife co. Miscreant
- CRKT Stylus
- Zero Tolerance 707
- Kershaw Random Leek
- Kershaw Launch 4
- Ferrum Forge Lackey
- Spyderco Para 3
- Benchmade Bugout
WE knife co. Miscreant
We Knife Co.’s Miscreant is a wonderfully durable knife with a very smooth mechanism and a beautiful handle. The Titanium skeleton handle gives you a look inside the blade when it is closed and helps keep the blade lightweight. The blade is also a comfortable length of 3″, made from the CPM-20CV material, perfect.
You also get a nice frame lock, along with a smooth flipper mechanism that is fast and satisfying. It also looks very good, despite its relatively simplistic design, another of its main selling points. However, there is a very visible lack of ergonomic grooves for a dedicated grip, which only makes it good use in short bursts.
CRKT Stylus
The CRKT Stylus is a wonderful-looking knife with a slim drop point blade, which also has a length of 3.125″. The material consists of 12C27 stainless steel, ensuring that the blade never rusts or corrodes. Overall, the blade is very good, but it is not even the highlight of this lightweight blade. It features a slim handle, which houses the blade and the spring-assisted flipper.
The flipping motion feels very nice with a satisfying click that brings out the blade, with a liner lock to keep the blade in place. And while the handle doesn’t feature any ergonomic grooves, it does have a very light, textured aluminum handle, which looks very good, especially with the beautiful satin finish.
Zero Tolerance 707
Very few knives give you a feeling as premium as the Zero tolerance 707. The blade manages to weigh a very light 2.3 oz., thanks to a few very impressive decisions by the design team. The blade features a textured carbon fiber grip that is comfortable to hold and very comfortable to use. And despite the small size of the knife, it still managed to fit some ergonomic groves and a finger guard for optimal comfort.
The stainless steel blade opens with a very simple flipper opening mechanism, along with a titanium lock to hold it in place. You can even use the deep carry pocket clip to carry it around easily.
Kershaw Random Leek
The Kershaw Random Leek is a unique knife in this list because it takes a completely practical approach. There are absolutely no design elements throughout this knife, except for the blade that carries a deadly-looking reverse tanto blade. The handle has a blackwash finish and comes in the same color as the blade. And even though the design was never the most important concern for this blade, it remains one of the most stylish additions.
The Leek also features a very comfortable handle, which comes with a fairly deep finger guard a slight groove at the edge. And with a 3″ reverse tanto blade, it is one of the best blades to use.
Kershaw Launch 4
Despite their notoriety and issues over their legality, automatic knives are quite popular in the community. And with a knife like the Kershaw Launch 4, they have brought the automatic mechanism to a much smaller size. It has a very comfortable blade at just 2″, made from CPM-154 material. It is very comfortably sharp and has a very nice handle that you can easily grip without worrying about it slipping.
Housing a sharp spear point blade, you can eject it using the automatic, spring-assisted push. The best thing about the spring-assisted button is that it is smooth and near-instantly deployed.
Ferrum Forge Lackey
While many of the blades we have mentioned here have been folding knives, the Ferrum Forge Lackey is a fixed blade. But thanks to its fixed blade nature, it is very easily able to shave off a considerable amount of its weight. Thanks to the black textured grip on the handle, it can blend into your belt seamlessly.
The knife also has incredible blade retention, along with being remarkably sharp. And with the full tang body, it is also one of the most durable blades you can find at just 2.35 oz. It also comes with an ergonomic finger guard that, when combined with the textured handles, gives it an incredible grip.
Spyderco Para 3
Spyderco brings new meaning to lightweight pocket knives, with the Para 3 bringing new meaning to lightweight pocket knives. As a smaller and lighter version of the original Para, the Para 3 had an incredible blueprint to work off of, which has also allowed it to have a much better blade. Made from CTS-BD1N material, the knife can have an incredible edge and manages to retain it for a very long time.
The FRN handle is also one of the most effective tools you can buy. Its handle also features a textured plastic grip, which just feels great no matter how you hold it. Not to mention, it also comes with a very good finger guard and ergonomic grooves.
Benchmade Bugout
The Benchmade Bugout is possibly the best for pocket knives in general. Not only does it come with a very good handle and a comfortable grip, but it also comes with a modified drop point blade that matches the aesthetic of the entire knife. The CPM-S30V is a very effective material for this blade, as it manages to strike the perfect balance between sharpness and sharpness retention.
At just 1.85 oz., it also happens to be the lightest blade on our list, featuring an AXIS lock mechanism. It can keep the blade in place effectively and holds its own as the best.
How to Select a Pocket Knife
Price
Good knives are very much an investment, and these lightweight variants are no exception. While you can certainly find plenty of cheap options that can get you by most of the time, they are rarely as good of an option. These cheaper options will usually compromise blade durability, sharpness, and overall performance.
But when you make the necessary investment for a good lightweight knife, you can rest easy knowing that it will last you a long time. Of course, you don’t want to be spending too much money on a small knife, so keep a budget in mind before you consider your options.
Ergonomic Design
Many people overlook just how important a good design is to an EDC blade. Having a good ergonomic grip will allow you to hold it comfortably while you’re using the blade. So even if you’re using the blade for a long time, it will not hurt your hand.
Furthermore, the best thing about an ergonomic design is that it improves your overall grip, allowing you to hold the blade better. So even when you’re sweating or working in a wet environment, you can maintain a steady hand. Different knives come with different grips, with the most popular ones coming with dedicated groves for your fingers.
Smooth opening
The opening mechanism for a knife should always be smooth enough for the knife to open instantly and without fail. It shouldn’t get stuck, nor should it ever have any problems when trying to open it every time. Besides, it’s very satisfying to watch a knife with a smooth mechanism open and close.
Cheaper knives will usually have a janky mechanism inside, which either will stutter or will get stuck often. More expensive ones will also come with a very smooth mechanism, with the trade-off being that they are a lot more expensive.
Edge Retention
Edge retention is always an important thing to consider when buying a knife because you don’t want to sharpen it constantly. Furthermore, the knife should be sharp and ready for those important moments, which is why you should always look for knives with good edge retention.
The material of the blade, or steel, will determine its overall quality. Premium metals will have the perfect balance between toughness and hardness, determining a knife’s edge retention and sharpness.
Sharpness
Speaking of sharpness, you always want your lightweight knife to be good at its primary task, cutting. Knives that aren’t sharp are practically useless and can be even more dangerous. Since you have to apply force inconsistently on a dull knife than a sharp one, you could accidentally cut yourself in the process.
Sharpness, very similar to edge retention, depends on the quality of the blade. The steel used can only get so sharp, depending on its hardness. You can learn more about the metals used in knives to make a more informed decision.
Durability
Finally, you always want a durable knife. A simple rule to remember is that thinner blades are sharper but less durable. They are most likely to snap, or they could chip. Either way, a durable blade can go a long way in helping you keep your blade in good shape.
