A Comprehensive Guide To Selecting One Of The Best EDC Knives

Without any doubt, choosing one of the best EDC knives is the most difficult and overwhelming decision. We all have our own requirements and uses for different tools, and consequently, choosing an everyday carry knife becomes more of a matter of personal preference.

However, the one thing you need to keep in mind when choosing EDC knives is that it should be tough and strong enough to help you cut through anything when you are in an emergency. It should be able to help you in the most ordinary tasks to the most stressful emergency tasks.

The long story short of an EDC knife is that it should be useful for you in all kinds of situations and it should meet all of those criteria for you that would make you want to carry it with you every day.

It is not necessary for the knife to be extremely expensive. A $5 knife is making sense to you and if you think it will help you in cutting and slicing different things, you should get it right away.

When it comes to knives, know that price is just a figure and you can even make things work with a cheaper knife. Therefore, there is absolutely nothing left to worry about the money.

Some Crucial Factors To Consider While Looking For EDC Knives:

However, there are some other factors that you should be considering when choosing an EDC knife. Starting with:

1. Purpose
By far one of the most important considerations when choosing an EDC knife is the purpose that you want it for. Ask yourself about what you are planning to do with the knife and what exactly are you expecting out of it?

Some of the best knives are versatile and they can help you in a variety of situations. Thus, you should probably go for the one that can be used for all purposes. But again, it is you and the purpose that you want the knife to serve.

For example, for some people, a knife with a serrated blade would make a huge difference than a knife with a long plain edged blade.

You can make a start by thinking of the ways that you will be using the knife or the ways in which you’d need the knife. For instance, if you work in a warehouse, you’d typically need something to cut the boxes every now, and then so, you should buy a knife accordingly. Once you have a good understanding of how the knife will be used, it will be easier for you to buy a quality one.

2. The Size And Weight
You have to carry your knife with you all day, after all, that is what EDC knives are for. Carrying it with you all day means that you will have to put it inside your bag or your pocket which is why you need something that is light in weight and compact enough to fit your pocket.

There are indeed larger knives with bigger blades, and they are quite good with different cutting tasks too. But, here we are talking about practically right? Also, that is what the EDC pocket knives are about.

They are about you being practical. The weight and size decision will also be dependent on how you want to carry your knife. Do you want to hang it in your pocket? Do you want to keep it inside your pocket or do you want to put it inside a gear bag? These are the questions you need to ask yourself to make a decision.

3. The Type Of Blade
The next thing to consider is the type of blade. What you should know about EDC knives and all the other types of knives is that the sharp side of the blade is also called the “edge” and it can be either plain or serrated.

A serrated blade comes with grooves down its length and with the help of these grooves, slicing things and cutting them becomes way easier. The downside of a serrated blade is that it is a whole another level of hassle to make it sharp. This can be a big-time problem for you.

On the other hand, there are knives with plain edges that are better if you want to do some accurate cutting. If you want a midway for everyday carry knives, opt for partially serrated edges because these blades come with more options when there is a need.

Honestly, the decision between serrated, partially serrated and plain will become a lot easier for you to make only if you know the purpose of the knife that you are buying. If the purpose is clear to you, the decision will be easier.

4. The Material
Now comes the point where you have to consider the material of the blade and the handle. You should know that when it comes to EDC knives, the blades are either made up of stainless steel or they are made up of high carbon steel.

The former one is quite common and popular too, and therefore, you should think about getting your hands on that one. You see, stainless steel is the kind of material that will serve your purpose of buying a knife in the best possible way.

It is durable, it is always rust-resistant and on top of everything else, and it is strong. Conversely, when we talk about carbon steel knives, well, you should also know the fact that carbon steel rusts quite fast, especially in moist environments.

But where rust can be an issue, carbon steel knives come with a longer edge than the stainless steel ones. This is again where your purpose of buying the knife should be considered. If you have the kind of money, we’d recommend you opt for Elmax stainless steel or M390, S90V as they qualify as premium steels, but they can be a little too expensive.

Hence, if you are on a tight budget, there is this cheaper alternative for you and that is the S30V. It is famous for being all-purpose steel. If you want to go even cheaper at a reasonable price, go for 14C28N, 440C, or AUS-8.

Knives and blades that are made up of this steel, they always serve the best. As far as carbon steel is concerned, our top recommendations for the carbon steel EDC knives will be X90 or L6. X90. These are extremely tough and extremely difficult to sharpen too which is something you should bear in your mind.

The issue with this material is the zero corrosion resistance and if you don’t maintain the knife, it will easily fall victim to rust. Besides this, as far as the handle is concerned, our most favorite material for the handles is the super-tough G-10, it is an industrial fiberglass composite. If not this and you want some more grip, choose the Zytel.

Both handle materials are the best for you if you want to end up with something that is worth your money.

5. Features

Last but not the least, you have to look over the features of the EDC knives before finalizing one that you will be putting your money on. Honestly, an EDC knife isn’t a multi-tool, so you should not expect it to be loaded with dozens of different features and functions.
The simpler the knife is, the better it will be for you, and the more efficiently you will be able to use it for whatever purpose you are buying it for.
However, the three things that you should look for in EDC knives are; a sharp blade, a butt that can easily break glass, and a pocket clip.
If you find any such knife with all these features, don’t wait anymore and just buy it right away because that is what the EDC knives are supposed to be like.
They should be simple, but at the same time, they should serve the purpose that every, everyday carry knife should.

The Final Thoughts:

The next time you look for EDC knives, just keep these things in your mind. Even if it is a $5 knife, you should have the wish to get your hands on nothing but the best.

This is why these considerations are important to you. Also, if you want to buy quality EDC knives, have a look at our collection. We have the most reasonable knives with the best quality handles and the best quality blades.

We can bet on it that once you buy from us, you’d want to do it again and each time, you will be impressed with the quality we offer. Don’t miss out on the best everyday carry knife!