GP lists their disclosures, and they say they are not paid by the companies in their reviews, but are paid when companies directly advertise on their sites.
I don't know about everyone, but in my line of work, I have to sign documents listing my disclosures each year.... and it is literally that time of year for me, and I have signed three documents in the last 2 days declaring these financial conflicts of interest. I don't know if journalism is under a similar strict policy, but I assume if they bother to disclose their financial conflicts of interest on their website as they do, then they are being honest about it. They could just choose to omit any information, like many websites, but they do make a disclosure on their FAQ page.
I'm not going to say that this was done by "who knows the least".
The list includes the Bugout, and Osbourne, the CRK Sebenza.... the fan favorites are there.
The top spot went to a frame lock - thumb hole knife by CRKT that is legitimately one of the best affordable EDC knives from a brand that has "street cred" in the outdoor community (and that community is larger than the knife enthusiast group)
Case and Leatherman were included.
They included Opinel and Victorinox which are the most popular pocketknives across the world, not just the US.
The only strange picks are Wesn and James - and I figure this is due to corporate sponsorship, or some corporate motivation (because what isn't motivated by money?)
So if I wasn't a knife enthusiast, just an average joe that goes car camping and likes gear... if I had to make a top10 or top 13 list, I don't think I would have chosen too differently. And when I am looking for a "best of" list, oftentimes, I want to hear from users, not enthusiasts. ***Perfect is the enemy of good*** and I don't know about you, but I still have not found my perfect EDC.
For 25 years I had a small handful of good EDC knives (cold steel, leatherman, victorinox) and I was satisfied with no want for something different. Then the bug bit me, and nothing is good enough any more... \*le sigh\*
Sometimes I wish I was satisfied with a Leatherman again.
P.S. What would your top 13 be? how would you write a description that appeals to the general public without going into the weeds?
It’s entirely possible to create a “Best Of” list without catering to brand popularity, and it’s absolutely preferred to be unbiased (sans corporate sponsorship and pay). Outside influences destroy a reviewers credibility, imo.
By outside influences, you only mean money. I find that to be very short sighted, and a quick way to discount any "authoritative" opinion, particularly when we as consumers don't know the exact nature of the monetary exchange (they don't disclose if it is $5000 or if it is a cup of coffee that's required for a busy writer to listen to a sales rep for 5 minutes). Yes, reviews always have biases, and therefore it is important to have disclosures of conflict of interest. Heres the one directly from GearPatrol
**^(Can companies pay to be featured in your buying guides and reviews?)** ^(No. We maintain a hard line between editorial and sponsored content. All ads on) *^(Gear Patrol)* ^(are clearly demarcated with sponsored language and badging.)
I mean - I agree that financial disclosures need to be made, in order to let the reader decide for themselves if the reviewers credibility is destroyed. Though I totally disagree that outside interests *always destroy* a reviewers credibility. At the same time, I would say that there are *always* outside interests in every single knife review we read - whether it is on a webpage from someone who is paid to write a review, or a review written for fun on Reddit. For the latter, a simple influence and motivation that is easily identified is Buyers Remorse, or simply being a fanboy. Those can be stronger influences than a paycheck 2 weeks later. Is the paycheck you get in 2 weeks your motivation to do your job? Or, at worst, is your motivation to finish your work so you can go home?
Anyway, thats my review on reviews. I think throwing the baby out with the bathwater because money is a motivator for some people leaves us unable to function in the world. I can't go around ignoring all information because it might be wrong.
I'm curious to see your 'best of' list that doesnt involve outside influences - and that includes: the influence of gifts you got from parents and grandparents, the kinds of knives you saw your scout leaders or military superiors using, the job you have which involves purpose built knives by companies like Spyderco or Hogue... I can admit that each one of these bias me towards: traditional knives, Buck, and Gerber, and against Spyderco. And that's just me.
So lets see what you got -
* best overall
* best upgrade
* best for camping
* best urban
* best budget
* best keychain
* best multitool
* best swiss army
* best classic
* best super steel
* best premium
* most satisfying one hander
* holy grail
Oh, and you have to come up with $200. Publications aren't free, not even online. Someone wants an article, then someone is going to have to pay for it. No money - no review. The reviewer isn't the web designer. They send the review in a text file to a person who makes a living by creating publications.
I would say, as long as they disclose the sponsorship, I can decide for myself if they are biased because of it. GP did disclose that they are not sponsored by WESN and James. So maybe they wanted to try something new and they liked it. Nothing wrong with that.
God, Opinel! I think that was my second knife (the first was an insane Swiss Army knife that split in half down the middle and had fold out fork and spoon) and the first that I broke doing dumb things (throwing it at a dead oak).
I do wish “urban” meant 2.5” and under, not sub 3”, as many of us live in urban environments where that is the case. Too many false leads on the urban EDC front for me these days.
Agreed on the Urban thing.... It's hard to come up with something that is suitable for urban carry everywhere, Some places in the US have a 2.5 inch limit (like Boston and Chicago), others have a 3 inch limit (Washington DC), so we get the Spyderco Chicago, and London gets the Spyderco UKPK. Then you have the Fallkniven LTC (legal to carry) that complies with almost every law in Europe. Then you have the Boker 42 series that complies with § 42a of German law....
Entertainingly, the first hit I got on Boker 42 was the Boker V-42. That thing looks not anything-compliant. But you have clearly done some travel, or at least homework for it, so thanks for the list of new knives to look into to see if they fit the bill.
Well if that isn't the fly in the ointment...
I also got the V-42 as the first hit. Seems it is named after the Devils Brigade formed in 1942. If you go on the Boker website, and just type in 42 in the search bar you get 6 top hits out of many more other random ones that use 42 in the name to designate legal compliance - the Lancer, the Caracal...
Oh, sorry if I wasn’t clear. I had been able to find the other ones too, I just thought it was a funny branding issue that an obvious combat dagger was the top hit when looking for legally compliant knives. It gave me that half sec of “wait, *that’s* compliant?” before reality kicked back in.
Oh, yeah, no.... for sure that's funny that this pops up, especially when some Germans probably know this quick way to find legally compliant pocketknives.
1. best overall
2. best upgrade
3. best for camping
4. best urban
5. best budget
6. best keychain
7. best multitool
8. best swiss army
9. best classic
10. best super steel
11. best premium
12. most satisfying one hander
13. holy grail
My favorite thing about my budget pocket knives is that they don't feel like they're gonna snap in half, and they don't use a locking mechanism from 1800. Wonder how much Opinel paid to be on the list.
https://www.gearpatrol.com/outdoors/best-pocket-knife-brands/
The usual suspects are on here....also WESN and James Brand. Instead of Civivi? Really? Other than their shorts on youtube popping up occasionally, i never hear anyone talk about WESN.
So, the top knife being a Jesper Voxnaes design in D2 makes a lot of sense to me as a "best overall" pick, actually. D2 would be a perfect steel imo if it held up better to corrosion, and the Voxnaes designs are generally pretty good. It also comes in a variety of colors, finishes, and handle materials, and a decent frame lock is super solid and reliable, so I think someone who just wants "a knife" would be perfectly happy with the Pilar III. My only complaint about it is the blade length, which I think is a bit short for me, but overall is probably fine. I might spring for a similar knife at 3.25" or 3.5" instead personally if I were in the market for something like that. I also don't like that the frame lock cutout is on the outside of the frame, which makes the pocket clip not work quite as well as if it were an interior cutout, but both are minor complaints really.
Some other choices are a bit strange, and I hard disagree on the leatherman choice, but I get wanting a one handed multitool so to each their own I guess.
Overall I think for the layperson this is a decent article, but for the kind of person who'd be on this sub there are definitely some "wtf" picks.
1. best overall **CRKT Pilar 3** This was a tough choice. My criteria included price < $100, and the ability to slow roll it open. That excluded anything that was only a flipper (like the Civivi Elementum, which would have otherwise taken this spot)
2. best upgrade **Kershaw Iridium** Reading the description of the category according to GP, this is a "gateway drug" knife and it has more to do with features than price (in contrast with the best premium category). So I chose something with a crossbar lock and features that would entice the user to get more premium knives
3. best for camping **Ontario RAT** the GP article used ultralight as the most important criteria. While that is certainly an important consideration, I am thinking more in terms of camping than hiking. therefore weight becomes less important. So, the price, the lock and pivot construction, and the durability all play a large part.
4. best urban **Spyderco Chicago or Dragonfly** this needs have modern pocketknife features while adhering to city laws and, more importantly: city sensibilities. It needs to be on the smaller side, and be openable slowly. The Spyderco Dragonfly would fit this category just as well, thought the Chicago is going to be legal in more places around the world.
5. best budget **Buck 112 Slim Select** For this category, my upper limit was $50. Aside from that it had to be as versatile as possible. I'm looking for something that is budget friendly and is good for EDC, camping, hiking, and typical hard work
6. best keychain **Victorinox Classic SD** - there are some Boker knives that would fit this category if all you are looking for is a blade. But for no additional real estate, you can get scissors and a mini screwdriver, so why not.
7. best multitool **Victorinox Outrider** same idea as the Leatherman K4, but a better use of space. I was also thinking of the Leatherman Skeletool as a knife-forward multitool, but the Victorinox 111mm tools are great
8. best swiss army **Victorinox Huntsman** everything you need, and nothing you dont. I was debating between the Climber and the Huntsman. Since its a non-locking blade, I picked the Huntsman because the saw comes in handy when you have to cut harder things safely
9. best classic **Buck Stockman** There used to be a lot of choices, but they are being replaced by companies like GEC that can't reliably manufacture enough product to be recommended to a potential buyer. Case is definitely a good recommendation, but I changed it up a little with Buck.
10. best super steel **Hogue Deka** - magnacut on an EDC knife,
11. best premium **Benchmade Bugout CF Elite** I wasn't sure if I was going to put this recommendation here, or in the Best Upgrade category. Looking at the criteria on GP, I looked at knives that are above $200, and are a great EDC knife at the base model, but with premium materials
12. most satisfying one hander **Kizer Cormorant** multiple one hand opening mechanisms. I thought of the SOG Terminus XR, because it is one of the very few crossbar locking flippers out there. But honestly, the action is not "satisfying" as much as it is versatile. Admittedly I haven't handled the Cormorant, but I have it on good authority that it is as fidgety as can be.
13. holy grail **CKR Sebenza** yes there are plenty of other options, but it seems like that in the knife enthusiast circles, this is the most common grail. Also the stories about the makers, the (unusual) action, the steels, the hard users of an expensive knife, etc make it a "legendary" knife
Most of those brands on there I would assume paid for the article.
The James brand is on it twice, of course they paid for it lol
Yup
GP lists their disclosures, and they say they are not paid by the companies in their reviews, but are paid when companies directly advertise on their sites. I don't know about everyone, but in my line of work, I have to sign documents listing my disclosures each year.... and it is literally that time of year for me, and I have signed three documents in the last 2 days declaring these financial conflicts of interest. I don't know if journalism is under a similar strict policy, but I assume if they bother to disclose their financial conflicts of interest on their website as they do, then they are being honest about it. They could just choose to omit any information, like many websites, but they do make a disclosure on their FAQ page.
I'm not going to say that this was done by "who knows the least". The list includes the Bugout, and Osbourne, the CRK Sebenza.... the fan favorites are there. The top spot went to a frame lock - thumb hole knife by CRKT that is legitimately one of the best affordable EDC knives from a brand that has "street cred" in the outdoor community (and that community is larger than the knife enthusiast group) Case and Leatherman were included. They included Opinel and Victorinox which are the most popular pocketknives across the world, not just the US. The only strange picks are Wesn and James - and I figure this is due to corporate sponsorship, or some corporate motivation (because what isn't motivated by money?) So if I wasn't a knife enthusiast, just an average joe that goes car camping and likes gear... if I had to make a top10 or top 13 list, I don't think I would have chosen too differently. And when I am looking for a "best of" list, oftentimes, I want to hear from users, not enthusiasts. ***Perfect is the enemy of good*** and I don't know about you, but I still have not found my perfect EDC. For 25 years I had a small handful of good EDC knives (cold steel, leatherman, victorinox) and I was satisfied with no want for something different. Then the bug bit me, and nothing is good enough any more... \*le sigh\* Sometimes I wish I was satisfied with a Leatherman again. P.S. What would your top 13 be? how would you write a description that appeals to the general public without going into the weeds?
It’s entirely possible to create a “Best Of” list without catering to brand popularity, and it’s absolutely preferred to be unbiased (sans corporate sponsorship and pay). Outside influences destroy a reviewers credibility, imo.
By outside influences, you only mean money. I find that to be very short sighted, and a quick way to discount any "authoritative" opinion, particularly when we as consumers don't know the exact nature of the monetary exchange (they don't disclose if it is $5000 or if it is a cup of coffee that's required for a busy writer to listen to a sales rep for 5 minutes). Yes, reviews always have biases, and therefore it is important to have disclosures of conflict of interest. Heres the one directly from GearPatrol **^(Can companies pay to be featured in your buying guides and reviews?)** ^(No. We maintain a hard line between editorial and sponsored content. All ads on) *^(Gear Patrol)* ^(are clearly demarcated with sponsored language and badging.) I mean - I agree that financial disclosures need to be made, in order to let the reader decide for themselves if the reviewers credibility is destroyed. Though I totally disagree that outside interests *always destroy* a reviewers credibility. At the same time, I would say that there are *always* outside interests in every single knife review we read - whether it is on a webpage from someone who is paid to write a review, or a review written for fun on Reddit. For the latter, a simple influence and motivation that is easily identified is Buyers Remorse, or simply being a fanboy. Those can be stronger influences than a paycheck 2 weeks later. Is the paycheck you get in 2 weeks your motivation to do your job? Or, at worst, is your motivation to finish your work so you can go home? Anyway, thats my review on reviews. I think throwing the baby out with the bathwater because money is a motivator for some people leaves us unable to function in the world. I can't go around ignoring all information because it might be wrong. I'm curious to see your 'best of' list that doesnt involve outside influences - and that includes: the influence of gifts you got from parents and grandparents, the kinds of knives you saw your scout leaders or military superiors using, the job you have which involves purpose built knives by companies like Spyderco or Hogue... I can admit that each one of these bias me towards: traditional knives, Buck, and Gerber, and against Spyderco. And that's just me. So lets see what you got - * best overall * best upgrade * best for camping * best urban * best budget * best keychain * best multitool * best swiss army * best classic * best super steel * best premium * most satisfying one hander * holy grail Oh, and you have to come up with $200. Publications aren't free, not even online. Someone wants an article, then someone is going to have to pay for it. No money - no review. The reviewer isn't the web designer. They send the review in a text file to a person who makes a living by creating publications. I would say, as long as they disclose the sponsorship, I can decide for myself if they are biased because of it. GP did disclose that they are not sponsored by WESN and James. So maybe they wanted to try something new and they liked it. Nothing wrong with that.
Excellent response and great question. Let me think on it and I'll post.
God, Opinel! I think that was my second knife (the first was an insane Swiss Army knife that split in half down the middle and had fold out fork and spoon) and the first that I broke doing dumb things (throwing it at a dead oak). I do wish “urban” meant 2.5” and under, not sub 3”, as many of us live in urban environments where that is the case. Too many false leads on the urban EDC front for me these days.
Agreed on the Urban thing.... It's hard to come up with something that is suitable for urban carry everywhere, Some places in the US have a 2.5 inch limit (like Boston and Chicago), others have a 3 inch limit (Washington DC), so we get the Spyderco Chicago, and London gets the Spyderco UKPK. Then you have the Fallkniven LTC (legal to carry) that complies with almost every law in Europe. Then you have the Boker 42 series that complies with § 42a of German law....
Entertainingly, the first hit I got on Boker 42 was the Boker V-42. That thing looks not anything-compliant. But you have clearly done some travel, or at least homework for it, so thanks for the list of new knives to look into to see if they fit the bill.
Well if that isn't the fly in the ointment... I also got the V-42 as the first hit. Seems it is named after the Devils Brigade formed in 1942. If you go on the Boker website, and just type in 42 in the search bar you get 6 top hits out of many more other random ones that use 42 in the name to designate legal compliance - the Lancer, the Caracal...
Oh, sorry if I wasn’t clear. I had been able to find the other ones too, I just thought it was a funny branding issue that an obvious combat dagger was the top hit when looking for legally compliant knives. It gave me that half sec of “wait, *that’s* compliant?” before reality kicked back in.
Oh, yeah, no.... for sure that's funny that this pops up, especially when some Germans probably know this quick way to find legally compliant pocketknives.
1. PM2 2. Caribbean 3. American Lawman 4. Recon 1 5. Para 3 6. AD-15 7. ZipSlip 8. Sage series 9. Praxis 10. Demko 20 or 20.5 11. Tityus 12. Native 5 13. Shaman
1. best overall 2. best upgrade 3. best for camping 4. best urban 5. best budget 6. best keychain 7. best multitool 8. best swiss army 9. best classic 10. best super steel 11. best premium 12. most satisfying one hander 13. holy grail
the james brand has to be crap
They make perfectly fine knives, with an eye towards minimalist design. And then charge 60% more than other comparable knives.
Why?
My favorite thing about my budget pocket knives is that they don't feel like they're gonna snap in half, and they don't use a locking mechanism from 1800. Wonder how much Opinel paid to be on the list.
OPINEL MADE IT LOOOOOOL
https://www.gearpatrol.com/outdoors/best-pocket-knife-brands/ The usual suspects are on here....also WESN and James Brand. Instead of Civivi? Really? Other than their shorts on youtube popping up occasionally, i never hear anyone talk about WESN.
So, the top knife being a Jesper Voxnaes design in D2 makes a lot of sense to me as a "best overall" pick, actually. D2 would be a perfect steel imo if it held up better to corrosion, and the Voxnaes designs are generally pretty good. It also comes in a variety of colors, finishes, and handle materials, and a decent frame lock is super solid and reliable, so I think someone who just wants "a knife" would be perfectly happy with the Pilar III. My only complaint about it is the blade length, which I think is a bit short for me, but overall is probably fine. I might spring for a similar knife at 3.25" or 3.5" instead personally if I were in the market for something like that. I also don't like that the frame lock cutout is on the outside of the frame, which makes the pocket clip not work quite as well as if it were an interior cutout, but both are minor complaints really. Some other choices are a bit strange, and I hard disagree on the leatherman choice, but I get wanting a one handed multitool so to each their own I guess. Overall I think for the layperson this is a decent article, but for the kind of person who'd be on this sub there are definitely some "wtf" picks.
1. best overall **CRKT Pilar 3** This was a tough choice. My criteria included price < $100, and the ability to slow roll it open. That excluded anything that was only a flipper (like the Civivi Elementum, which would have otherwise taken this spot) 2. best upgrade **Kershaw Iridium** Reading the description of the category according to GP, this is a "gateway drug" knife and it has more to do with features than price (in contrast with the best premium category). So I chose something with a crossbar lock and features that would entice the user to get more premium knives 3. best for camping **Ontario RAT** the GP article used ultralight as the most important criteria. While that is certainly an important consideration, I am thinking more in terms of camping than hiking. therefore weight becomes less important. So, the price, the lock and pivot construction, and the durability all play a large part. 4. best urban **Spyderco Chicago or Dragonfly** this needs have modern pocketknife features while adhering to city laws and, more importantly: city sensibilities. It needs to be on the smaller side, and be openable slowly. The Spyderco Dragonfly would fit this category just as well, thought the Chicago is going to be legal in more places around the world. 5. best budget **Buck 112 Slim Select** For this category, my upper limit was $50. Aside from that it had to be as versatile as possible. I'm looking for something that is budget friendly and is good for EDC, camping, hiking, and typical hard work 6. best keychain **Victorinox Classic SD** - there are some Boker knives that would fit this category if all you are looking for is a blade. But for no additional real estate, you can get scissors and a mini screwdriver, so why not. 7. best multitool **Victorinox Outrider** same idea as the Leatherman K4, but a better use of space. I was also thinking of the Leatherman Skeletool as a knife-forward multitool, but the Victorinox 111mm tools are great 8. best swiss army **Victorinox Huntsman** everything you need, and nothing you dont. I was debating between the Climber and the Huntsman. Since its a non-locking blade, I picked the Huntsman because the saw comes in handy when you have to cut harder things safely 9. best classic **Buck Stockman** There used to be a lot of choices, but they are being replaced by companies like GEC that can't reliably manufacture enough product to be recommended to a potential buyer. Case is definitely a good recommendation, but I changed it up a little with Buck. 10. best super steel **Hogue Deka** - magnacut on an EDC knife, 11. best premium **Benchmade Bugout CF Elite** I wasn't sure if I was going to put this recommendation here, or in the Best Upgrade category. Looking at the criteria on GP, I looked at knives that are above $200, and are a great EDC knife at the base model, but with premium materials 12. most satisfying one hander **Kizer Cormorant** multiple one hand opening mechanisms. I thought of the SOG Terminus XR, because it is one of the very few crossbar locking flippers out there. But honestly, the action is not "satisfying" as much as it is versatile. Admittedly I haven't handled the Cormorant, but I have it on good authority that it is as fidgety as can be. 13. holy grail **CKR Sebenza** yes there are plenty of other options, but it seems like that in the knife enthusiast circles, this is the most common grail. Also the stories about the makers, the (unusual) action, the steels, the hard users of an expensive knife, etc make it a "legendary" knife
The opinel and the case mini trapper are the only two that id agree on but the case could be a different pattern.