Folding Blade

A folder trades some strength for the ability to live in a pocket, and for the overwhelming majority of daily cutting that is the right trade. The lock is the part that matters: liner and frame locks are simple and strong, back locks are secure and slower, and axis-style locks are ambidextrous and the easiest to close one-handed.

Steel is where the real differences sit. Budget steels sharpen easily and dull quickly. Premium powder steels hold an edge far longer and take real effort and better equipment to bring back. Neither is superior — pick based on whether you would rather sharpen often and easily, or rarely and with more work.