Looking For an Everyday Carry Pocket Knife? Here Are The Top Brands and Models
Written by John Wren|
Leek for slim assisted. Delica 4 for a known hole. RAT-1 for work. Sharpen it. Read the law.
Key takeaways
- One knife.
- A lock you trust.
- A clip you set.
- A stone before butter.
An EDC pocket knife you will still carry is a lock you trust, a clip you will actually use, and a steel you will still sharpen — not a catalog “tactical” you cannot open one-handed on a Tuesday. The short answer: buy a Kershaw Leek if you want slim and assisted, a Spyderco Delica if you want a hole and a lock you already know, or an Ontario RAT-1 if the job is already abuse.
Short version. The ESEE 3 if you wanted a small fixed blade. The ESEE 6 if the belt is already the carry. Pair with a sharpen habit. Check live prices.
This page is a folder in a pocket. A 12-in-1 shovel-knife is a listing. This is the Leek, the Delica, the RAT-1.
One knife. A rotation you never grab is a drawer.
Do: the same clip side every day. Don’t: a legal fight you have not read. A kids knife is a rounded tip and a parent. This page is an adult folder. Hunt knives if the other Saturday is already a deer.
A Leek if slim and assisted is the Tuesday
The Kershaw Leek is the live 3-inch assisted we named: a tip-lock, a clip you can still reverse. Check live prices.
Do: the tip-lock when it rides. Don’t: a wave at a security line you have not emptied. Sharpen before it is a butter knife.
A Delica if you already live in a hole and a lock
The Spyderco Delica 4 is the live VG-10 we named. Confirm edge type on the listing. Check live prices.
Do: a four-way clip you actually set. Don’t: a steel-handle hope if you wanted FRN weight. The 3 if a folder was never the job.
A RAT-1 if the job is already a box and a rope
The Ontario RAT-1 is the live AUS-8 workhorse we named. Check live prices.
Do: the liner lock you practiced closing. Don’t: a “tactical” tanto you will not slice an apple with. A 72-hour kit if the other pocket is already a pouch.
| Want | Honest tool |
|---|---|
| Slim Tuesday | Kershaw Leek |
| A hole you already know | Spyderco Delica 4 |
| Abuse | Ontario RAT-1 |
| A fixed blade | ESEE 3 or 6, a different page |
One knife. Check live prices.
A lock, a clip, a stone
That is EDC. Check live prices. Come home with one knife in the same pocket.
One knife. A rotation you never grab is a drawer.
The Kershaw Leek we named still wants the tip-lock when it rides. Check live prices. An EDC folder. Sharpen.
The Delica we named still wants a clip you set. Check live prices. The ESEE 3. The ESEE 6.
The RAT-1 we named still wants a liner you practiced. Check live prices. A 72-hour kit. Hunt knives.
Read the law where you stand. Empty a security line.
Do: the same pocket. Don’t: a wave at a checkpoint. An EDC folder. Ownership.
A kids knife if the other Saturday is already a child. A Leek is an adult.
Sharpen. A butter edge is a knife you stopped carrying.
A stone before it is butter
Sharpen. An EDC folder. Ten minutes at the table.
A 72-hour kit. A handheld. A folder is not a 72-hour kit.
Hunt knives if the other Saturday is already a deer. This page is still a pocket.
Wipe the blade. Clip the same side. Then the pocket.
A wet folder in a jeans wash is a hinge you replace. An EDC folder. Storage.
Check live prices. The ESEE 3. Sharpen. Come home with one knife.
Last line: a catalog 12-in-1 is not EDC. A Leek you carry is. An EDC folder.
Guests will try to gift a tanto they will not slice an apple with
Say the rule: one folder, a lock, a stone. An EDC folder. Sharpen.
A kids knife. Kids outside. A rounded tip is a different page.
The ESEE 6. Hunt knives. A belt knife waits.
A weekday check is the hour you still have
Do: the same card you wrote. Don’t: a scavenger hunt at dark. An EDC folder Sharpen
The Leek, Delica, and RAT-1 we named still want one pocket and a stone. Check live prices. The ESEE 3 A kids knife
A 72-hour kit Hunt knives Come home wanting Thursday.
Guests will try to add a second job
Say the rule at the house. One classroom. An EDC folder Ownership
The Leek, Delica, and RAT-1 we named still want one pocket and a stone. Check live prices. Sharpen The ESEE 3
A kids knife A 72-hour kit A grin is enough.
A cancel you already wrote is a cancel you will still take
Hunt knives Ownership Pavement is allowed.
The Leek, Delica, and RAT-1 we named still want one pocket and a stone. Check live prices. An EDC folder Sharpen
The ESEE 3 A kids knife That is a successful Saturday.
Coil it. Dry it. Then the bin.
A 72-hour kit Hunt knives Mice eat webbing.
The Leek, Delica, and RAT-1 we named still want one pocket and a stone. Check live prices. Ownership An EDC folder
Last line: a catalog hope is not the tool. The one you named is. Sharpen
A lock, a clip, a stone
An EDC folder Sharpen The ESEE 3
A kids knife A 72-hour kit Check live prices.
Hunt knives Ownership That is enough.
The five-minute leave includes the thing you will forget
An EDC folder A kids knife Coil so the next day can start.
Sharpen A 72-hour kit Check live prices.
The ESEE 3 Hunt knives Come home wanting the next hour.
The driveway is the class. Then the Saturday.
Ownership An EDC folder Do the boring hour at the house.
Sharpen The ESEE 3 Check live prices.
Last line: a listing is not a day. The tool you named is. A kids knife
Write the boring card once. Then stop shopping.
The Leek, Delica, and RAT-1 we named still want one pocket. Check live prices. An EDC folder Sharpen
Do: the same bin every time. Don’t: a new listing the night before. The ESEE 3 A kids knife
A 72-hour kit Hunt knives Ownership That is the hour you still have.
A repeatable Saturday beats a catalog weekend
An EDC folder The ESEE 3 A 72-hour kit
The Leek, Delica, and RAT-1 we named still want one pocket. Check live prices. Sharpen A kids knife
Hunt knives Ownership Come home with the same kit.
Tell someone the plan. A quiet hour is a search.
The Leek we named still wants the tip-lock when it rides. Check live prices. An EDC folder Sharpen
Do: a card on the fridge. Don’t: a solo first in weather you would not boat in. The ESEE 3 A kids knife
A 72-hour kit Hunt knives Ownership
Kids get the boring rule, not a costume
Ownership An EDC folder Kids outside
The Leek we named still wants the tip-lock when it rides. Check live prices. Sharpen The ESEE 3
A kids knife A 72-hour kit A photo waits until the rule is said.
The photo is last. The habit is first.
Hunt knives Ownership An EDC folder
The Leek we named still wants the tip-lock when it rides. Check live prices. Sharpen The ESEE 3
A kids knife A 72-hour kit That is the magazine Saturday.
One folder, a lock, a stone
An EDC folder Sharpen The ESEE 3 Check live prices.
A kids knife A 72-hour kit Hunt knives A catalog hope is not the Saturday.
Ownership An EDC folder Come home with the same kit, wanting Thursday.
Last look: name the job, then the tool
Sharpen The ESEE 3 A kids knife Check live prices.
A 72-hour kit Hunt knives Ownership Write the cancel if the door is ugly.
An EDC folder Sharpen That is the Saturday we meant.
One folder. Three in a pocket is a costume.
The Kershaw Leek we named still wants the tip-lock when it rides. Check live prices. An EDC folder. Sharpen.
Do: the same clip height every day. Don’t: a deep-carry hope you cannot find. A 72-hour kit. Ownership.
Read the law for the door you will walk. A blade is not a permission. An EDC folder.
A hole you already know if you want a Delica
The Spyderco Delica 4 we named still wants the hole you already opened with a glove. Check live prices. An EDC folder. Hunt knives.
A lock you trust is the class. A liner you have not tested is a Monday cut. Sharpen. The ESEE 3.
A kids knife if the other Saturday is already a rounded tip. This page is still an adult folder. An EDC folder.
The RAT-1 if the job is already abuse
The Ontario RAT-1 we named still wants a stone before butter. Check live prices. An EDC folder. Sharpen.
Do: a cardboard box at the house. Don’t: a first live edge on a Saturday you need. A 72-hour kit. Hunt knives.
A fixed ESEE is a different page. This is still a folder. The ESEE 3. Ownership.
Guests do not get your EDC as a toy
Say the rule: closed, then the clip, then a sit. Kids outside. Family days.
Check live prices on the Leek, Delica, and RAT-1. An EDC folder. Sharpen.
First aid if the other hour is already a pouch. A knife is not a first-aid plan. A 72-hour kit.
Last look: one knife, a stone, the same pocket
A dull EDC is a fight you already lost. Touch it up. Sharpen. An EDC folder.
The Leek we named still wants the lock you already heard. Check live prices. Ownership. Hunt knives.
Come home with the same clip, wanting Thursday. That is the folder we meant. The ESEE 3. A kids knife.
Name the job out loud before you buy a second tool
The Leek, Delica, and RAT-1 we named still want one pocket and a stone. Check live prices. An EDC folder Sharpen
Do: the same pocket and the same bin. Don’t: a scavenger hunt the night before. The ESEE 3 A kids knife
A 72-hour kit Hunt knives Ownership A catalog hope is not the Saturday.
Tell someone the place and the hour
An EDC folder The ESEE 3 A 72-hour kit A quiet hour is a search if you did not.
The Leek, Delica, and RAT-1 we named still want one pocket and a stone. Check live prices. Sharpen A kids knife
Hunt knives Ownership Write the cancel if the door is already ugly.
Dry it. Coil it. Then the same kit next week.
Ownership An EDC folder Mice eat webbing in a damp trunk.
The Leek, Delica, and RAT-1 we named still want one pocket and a stone. Check live prices. Sharpen The ESEE 3
A kids knife A 72-hour kit Hunt knives Come home wanting Thursday.
Also in the magazine
Keep going with sharpen, the ESEE 3, the ESEE 6, and a kids knife. Check live prices.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best tactical EDC pocket knife?
A Kershaw Leek if you want slim and assisted, a Spyderco Delica 4 if you already live in a hole, or an Ontario RAT-1 if the job is abuse.
Leek or Delica?
Leek for a slim assisted Tuesday. Delica if you want a Spyderco hole and a lock you already know.
Is the RAT-1 too big?
It is a workhorse. If you wanted slim, buy the Leek.
Do I need a fixed blade instead?
If the job is already a belt, see the ESEE 3 or ESEE 6 pages.
How often do I sharpen?
Before it is a butter knife. See the pocketknife sharpening page.
Can I take it on a plane?
No. Empty the pocket before a security line. Read the law where you stand.