What you need in an everyday-carry knife depends on what you do every day. Here are the author’s favorite models

Contrary to what knife-control proponent Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, tweeted earlier this year, there is always a good reason to carry a knife. My grandfather gave me a Barlow pocketknife long before I’d ever kissed a girl, and I’ve had a knife in my pocket ever since. Not a day goes by when I don’t find a good reason to use it.

There’s a lot to consider when selecting an everyday-carry (EDC) knife—mostly, the things you do every day. The needs of sportsmen, woodsmen, and other people of a rugged nature vary. This means that the best knife for you may look very different from the best one for your buddy. Here are 10 EDC knives London won’t like, but that you should consider. Their recommendation is not offered on idle speculation; I’ve used them all—a lot. Damn, I’m glad we won the Revolution.

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Spyderco Southard Folder

After nearly half a century of carrying scores of EDC knives, the Spyderco Southard Folder is my favorite. The Carson flipper makes it easy to open with one hand, the G-10 handle is indestructible, the Reeve Integral Lock with titanium scale is foolproof, and the clip enables the preferred tip-up, edge-forward, carry method. CTS204P steel provides a nice balance of sharpening ease and edge retention, and I’ve used this knife for everything from skinning a kudu to working on a Jeep. Although the Southard Folder is recently discontinued, you can find it online for around $270.

Case Hobo

One thing all outdoorsmen do every day is eat, and that’s why the Case Hobo might be the perfect wilderness hunting or camping knife—because it separates into the three essential eating tools: a knife, a fork, and a spoon. Beanie weenies or Snack Pack pudding cups by the campfire are no challenge for the Hobo. I’ve also used mine to skin a woodland caribou. Don’t sit around a campfire or hop on a train without one.

Cold Steel Lucky

Not everyone needs to carry a knife like Crocodile Dundee’s. For everyday business or casual carry, a bit more sophistication is in order. Cold Steel’s Lucky is a gentlemen’s knife. It’s slim, trim, weighs only 1.2 ounces, has two blades—one smooth and one serrated—made of S35VN steel, and a pocket clip. It’s just right for cleaning fingernails, opening letters, or for field dressing a rabbit or pheasant. One gentlemen I know calls it “as useful as a four-way lug wrench.”

Southern Grind Spider Monkey

I was a Southern Grind junky for a time, and I carried their Bad Monkey until my African PH begged me out of it. I then switched to the smaller Spider Monkey for about a year and came to really like its compact size, its short-but-robust pocket clip, and how well the S35VN steel holds an edge. The 6AL4V titanium liner lock will hold up to anything you can dish out, and the carbon-fiber handles look cool. It’s not cheap, but the good ones never are.

Moore Maker 5105BLB

Knives make good man gifts. One of my most cherished is a well-used Moore Maker 5106LB, given to me by former Texas Sheriff Jim Wilson. Though a tad big for everyday pocket carry, it’s not too big for everyday chores done by men who live on a farm or work outside. Moore Maker knives are made in Texas, they’re affordable, and they’re a staple with real cowboys and ranch hands in west Texas. The 5106LB is no longer made, but the 5105BLB is similar and a bargain for what you get.

Boker AK-74 Automatic Knife

I picked up a Boker Kalashnikov automatic knife when I was still a cop and carried it until I darn-near wore it out. That took a while, even though I used that knife like I’d borrowed it from one of my wife’s high-school boyfriends. In Africa, it once saved me from an overly aggressive warthog that was unimpressed with the 174-grain .303 caliber bullet I’d poked through his midsection. That Kalashnikov remains the best $40 I’ve ever spent, and I still smile when I push the button and that AUS-8 stainless steel blade swings out.

Spyderco Delica

Spyderco’s patented one-hand-opening hole in the blade sets their knives apart, and once saved a friend’s life when he found himself trapped under water with his shirt-sleeve entangled in the prop of his outboard motor. With his one free hand, he swung his Spyderco open and cut himself free. The Delica, which comes in a variety of styles with plain and/or serrated blades, is one of the company’s best sellers because it’s sized and configured just right for everyday carry. I’ve done about everything you can do with a knife—short of heart surgery—with a Delica. It retails for around $115 and up, but you can find them for under $100.

AL MAR Mini SERE 2000

Originally designed by AL MAR and Colonel Nick Rowe for the U.S. Army’s Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) School, the AL MAR Mini SERE 2000 features pillar construction, dual thumb studs, and a reversible, deep pocket clip for discrete carry. It weighs 3.5 ounces, has a 3-inch VG-10 blade, and G-10 scales available in black, digital camo, or olive. As one the best-built and toughest tactical folders you can buy, the Mini SERE is pricey—but it will last a lifetime.

Case Stockman

The Case Stockman is a real-man’s knife. I know this because it was the knife my grandfather carried every day. I still own it, and though it’s as old as Dave Petzal, it’s still a viable contender for daily carry. Grandpa used it for slicing apples, skinning raccoons, castrating sheep, and some things knives were never intended for. Available in three sizes and dozens of styles, the Stockman has three blades that allow you to dedicate a specific edge to a specific chore, and it’s very affordable. If you don’t carry a Stockman, at least have one in your truck.

Leatherman Original PST

It’s not ideal for pocket carry, but in locations where a belt sheath is not considered politically incorrect, few things are as handy as a Leatherman. Modern versions are offered with enough specialized tools to work on a nuclear submarine, making most Leathermans more like toolboxes. The original Personal Survival Tool (PST) is a better option for everyday carry, but it has been discontinued. A collector’s edition is available, but you can find the originals online for much less. When you find some on sale, buy them all; you can thank me later.

Written by Richard Mann for Field & Stream and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].