Cool Knives: Clever, Odd and Classic Blades Worth Giving

The CardSharp2 Credit Card Folding Knife lives in a wallet slot looking like any other card, 2.2 millimeters thick. Three folds turn it into a utility knife with a 2.6-inch blade, a built-in sheath and a small hilt that appears to keep fingers off the edge. At about $15 it’s the easiest stocking stuffer here, for anyone who opens a lot of boxes.

The CRKT Provoke Kinematic Folding Knife skips the usual flipper tab and thumb stud. A push from the thumb drives a linkage that swings the D2 steel blade out, a motion most people watch a few times before they believe it. It’s for the folder fan who has seen every standard opening and wants a new one, and it takes a few days of practice to feel natural.

Butterfly knife tricks look great and nick knuckles while you learn them, which is the problem the Kershaw Lucha Trainer Butterfly Knife solves. Its 4.6-inch blade has a blunt edge and a rounded tip, while the dual ball-bearing pivots and tapered blade are built to flip like Kershaw’s live Lucha. It suits someone who has watched balisong videos for months and is ready to try, and the made-in-USA build is what the premium price pays for.

The Shun Premier 8-Inch Chef’s Knife is handcrafted in Japan around a VG-MAX steel core, with a hammered finish that helps food fall away from the blade. It’s thinner and lighter than a typical European chef’s knife and hand-sharpened to 16 degrees per side. Give it to the cook who still uses the knife that came with their block.

Then there’s the Damascus Steel Viking Pizza Axe, which is exactly what it sounds like: a 6-inch hand-forged Damascus blade of 1095 and 15N20 steel on a wood handle, with a leather sheath. It’s for the backyard pizza-oven owner who wants slicing to be an event. It needs hand-washing and a light coat of oil after each use.

For a lighter joke, the KA-BAR ‘Za Saw Pizza Cutter comes from the company behind the famous Marine Corps fighting knife. It’s a 3-inch 440A stainless wheel on a Creamid handle, made in the USA, and it gets a laugh from anyone who knows the name.

Storage counts too. The Drop Block Under Cabinet Knife Rack mounts under a cabinet and swings down on heavy-duty hinges, with magnets that keep the knives from shifting on the way. It frees the counter from a bulky knife block; measure the space under your cabinets before ordering.

The Opinel No. 08 Carbon Steel Folding Knife is a French classic: a beechwood handle, a 3.28-inch X90 carbon steel blade and 1.6 ounces in the pocket. A twist of the Virobloc ring locks the blade open or closed, one of the simpler designs in KnifeCenter’s rundown of folding knife lock types. It’s an inexpensive first knife, as long as the owner wipes the carbon blade dry.

The Victorinox Tinker Swiss Army Knife, Metal Is Our Business Edition is a KnifeCenter exclusive with a heavy-metal theme. Under the band-shirt look it’s a standard Swiss-made Tinker with two blades, three screwdrivers, a can and bottle opener, a wire stripper, an awl, tweezers and a toothpick. The pun is the gift, and the screwdrivers are why it stays in a pocket.

Al Buck designed the Buck 110 Folding Hunter in 1963 for hunters who wanted a strong locking blade without a long fixed knife, and it became one of America’s best-selling knives. This version has genuine ebony handles, a 3.75-inch 420HC blade, a leather belt sheath and Buck’s Forever Warranty. At 7.2 ounces it’s heavy, which suits someone who likes a tool with enough heft to hand down later.

The Morakniv Companion Fixed Blade Knife (Orange) is a Swedish favorite with a 4-inch stainless blade and a Scandi grind that carves tent stakes and shaves kindling well, plus a rubber grip and a belt-clip sheath. It’s cheap enough to use hard, and the orange handle is easy to find when you set it down in the leaves. It makes a good first fixed blade for a scout or a new camper.

For the backyard, the Cold Steel True Flight Thrower Throwing Knife is cut from 3/16-inch 1050 carbon steel, 12 inches long, with a handle wrapped in paracord. Cold Steel heat-treats it to bounce back from bad throws instead of bending or snapping. It’s for anyone with a target board and a clear area behind it, and practice goes faster with more than one.

The Denix Excalibur Letter Opener With Scabbard is a metal miniature of King Arthur’s sword, almost 11 inches long, with a detailed scabbard of its own. It turns opening the mail into a small ceremony and suits a fantasy reader’s desk.

For a real wall piece, the Folded Steel Chinese Jian Sword has a helical pattern folded into the blade, so the steel looks twisted, along with heavy bronze dragon fittings. It’s a serious display for someone who appreciates traditional metalwork over mall replicas.

The Snake Eye Tactical WWII M1 Garand Knife is styled after the bayonet for the M1 Garand rifle: 21.5 inches overall with a 15.7-inch carbon steel blade and a green scabbard. It fits a military-history shelf, and it’s sharp, so store it like a real blade.

The Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker holds triangular ceramic stones at a fixed 30 or 40 degrees, so you draw the blade straight down and the base takes care of the angle. Medium and fine stones handle plain and serrated edges, and it all packs into its own base. Spyderco sold it before it made knives, and KnifeCenter’s pocket knife sharpening guide covers the basics for a first-time sharpener.