Today’s hype fueled knife landscape forges a wilderness of fresh new blades every month. From hunting knives to daily carrying automatic OTFs and folders, there’s a mountain of knives to choose from. But, most of these knives are either from China or the U.S. We’re so overwhelmed with both the quality and quantity of knives from these two countries, that we hardly step outside to look at blades from other countries - unless you’re obsessed with knives like us. So, today we’ll take you around the world to explore those amazing knives that you should consider adding to our collection.
Victorinox - Swiss Army Knife
This one’s the obvious one and you’d think we’ve all heard of ‘em. Not quite. The iconic knife from Switzerland with its archetypal red scales and brand logo founded a new genre of knives with a design that swept across the world. It’s one of the all-time best. Period. You can choose from any of Victorinox’s knives - we picked the Classic SD just for the sake of nostalgia and history. It’s the Knight of knives, packed with seven tools within a solid compact handle. It’s light, strong, portable, and holds all the tools you’ll need on a backpacking trip, including the famous corkscrew, saw, and scissors. This little badass is the best friend to my rebel hunting knife and the pair goes hunting together.
Nagao Higonokami Folder
This is a stunning everyday carry knife from the far East - Japan. It exemplifies mastery in simplicity and form. You can instantly recognize the shape and design principle of the Katana - the legendary Samurai sword that could slice a silk scarf in mid-air. Beautifully crafted practically the same way by the smiths who served the samurai descendants, this folder comes with a razor-sharp blade. The handle is lock-free and uses friction to keep the blade open when in use. All said this is a knife for those who know their blade and not for the uneducated or careless. That itself is part of the charm.
There’s a very similar American version of the Katana-type knife which you can now buy here. It’s a fixed blade hunting knife for the experts and the trained.
Blenheim Forge
Let’s dig a little deeper in our pockets. Meet the British knife maker who truly stands out with his own league of uniquely distinguishable hand-forged knives. The Santoku Knife by Blenheim Forge of London can be spotted from miles with its unique patterned blade hand-forged with a Japanese Blue Paper Steel core and folded iron cladding. This kitchen knife is a welcome addition to the wild and can serve as a faithful hunting knife.
Opinel No. 8 Folding Knife
Let’s go from London to Paris. France is no stranger to steel mastery. They threw the gauntlet at value-driven Chinese knives with this remarkable folder that cones under $12. Opinel knives are iconic classics and have the quality to slice high price competitors despite their low price tag. The knife is made by the same French family of expert craftsmen that forged bayonets, hunting knives, and utility knives back in the 19th century. This is a workhorse blade of top quality and build.
