There are many different folding hunting knives out there and it is very difficult to find the best one. A lot of folding knives are not high quality and have many flaws making finding the best one even more difficult. But luckily, I have done a lot of testing and research to find the best folding hunting knife.
The best folding hunting knives
Here is what we have found to be the best folding hunting knives.
Benchmade Grizzly Creek
The Benchmade Grizzly Creek is a Folding knife that is great for hunting. It has a 3.5-inch S30V blade, a gut hook, Benchmade’s smooth AXIS locking system, and it weighs 4.8 ounces. This knife will stay sharp for a long time and is super reliable. If you are looking for a super high-quality folding knife for hunting, you will want this knife.
Check out this knife here (link to Amazon)
Outdoor Edge Razor Pro
The Outdoor Edge Razor Pro is a hunting knife that is great for any hunting task. The Razor Pro has a replaceable 3.5-inch blade, a gut hook, a rubberized handle that won’t slip even in wet conditions, and it comes with 6 extra blades. The only problem with this knife is that it can be hard to clean between the handle scales.
Check out this knife here (link to Amazon)
Buck knives Pursuit Large Knife
The Buck Pursuit Large is a folding hunting knife that doesn’t break the bank yet offers many great features. The Pursuit Large has a 3.6-inch 420 HC blade, a glass-filled nylon handle, and this knife comes with a sheath. If you are looking for a knife that has an affordable price and is great for a lot of tasks, then this is the knife for you.
Check out this knife here (link to Amazon)
SOG Aegis
While the SOG Aegis might not seem like a hunting knife at first, but once you get your hands on it you will realize it is extremely capable of any hunting task. The SOG Aegis has a 3-inch D2 blade, a 5-inch comfortable GRN handle, a lanyard hole, and assisted opening. The only downside to this knife is that it is over 8 inches open, so it might not be comfortable for all knife users.
Check out this knife here (link to Amazon)
Havalon Piranta
The Piranta by Havalon knives is a replaceable blade hunting knife that is lightweight and highly functional. The Piranta comes with 12 replaceable 60A blades, has an interlocking design, comes with a carrying sheath, and weighs only 5.6 ounces. If you are a Western hunter who needs a sharp, lightweight knife, you will want to check out this knife.
Check out this knife here (link to Amazon)
Gerber Knives Randy Newberg DTS
Gerber is known for making high-quality knives, and the Randy Newberg DTS is no different. This knife features a replaceable 440C blade, an extra serrated D2 blade for cutting through tough parts of an animal like tendons or bones, a reflective handle so you will never lose your knife in the dark, and a reinforced handle. Whether you are a Western hunter processing elk or an Eastern deer hunter, this knife will work great.
Check out this knife here (link to Amazon)
Benchmade Taggedout
The Benchmade Taggedout is a knife that is made for lightweight backcountry hunters who want a knife they can use for anything. The Taggedout has a 3.5-inch CPM-154 blade, orange Grivory handles, a deep carry pocket clip, and best of all, this knife weighs only 2 ounces. For backcountry hunting, this knife is about as good as it gets.
Check out this knife here (link to Amazon)
Spyderco Leafjumper
This knife is a high-quality knife that delivers in all ways for a hunting knife. The Leafjumper has a 3-inch VG-10 blade, an FRN (fiberglass reinforced) handle, a back lock for extra locking strength, and on top of all that, it has a thumb hole so it won’t get snagged on your pocket when you draw it. Overall, if you are looking for a knife that is high quality and guaranteed to work for any task you use it for, this is the knife for you.
Check out this knife here (link to Amazon)
What makes a folding hunting knife good
Now that we have looked at some folding knives that are good, we can see what makes a folding hunting knife good for hunting.
One of the best features of a folding knife is its weight. The upside most folding knives have over fixed blade knives is that they weigh less. And if you are hunting where the weight you are carrying matters (i.e. Western hunting) then a folding knife might be a better option. That being said, any hunting knife needs to be lightweight.
Strength is a defining factor for a folding knife. Folding knives have more moving parts than fixed-blade knives so they are inherently weaker. Having a weak hunting knife can be detrimental to your hunt as it can mean that your knife fails when it shouldn’t. So, strength is an important quality in a folding hunting knife.
The last most important quality in a folding hunting knife is sharpness. Not having a sharp knife can make skinning very difficult and downright dangerous. This is the appeal of a replaceable blade knife. Whenever your knife goes dull, you just replace the blade and go about your business.
Conclusion
When selecting a folding hunting knife, you need it to be sharp, strong, and lightweight. So before you buy a hunting knife, make sure it has all those qualities, or you can just buy from the knives we selected.