Everyday Carry

An Introduction to Damascus Steel EDC Knives

Authored by:
Jonathan Tayag
Reviewed by:
Bernard Capulong
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
14+ Years Reviewing EDC Products
An Introduction to Damascus Steel EDC Knives

Related Gear:
  The 25 Best Pocket Knives In 2024 - Ranked and Reviewed
  The 10 Best High-End Knives In 2024 - Pocket Knives and More
  Best Blade Steel for Knives: A Beginner’s Guide

A handy pocket knife is one of those things we EDCers love to collect. Some zero in on their favorite material, like titanium or wood handles, others might collect knives from their favorite designer. But for many enthusiasts, knives with a damascus blade and their distinct wave pattern are a prized part of their collection. While they're stunningly beautiful knives, they shouldn't be thought of as just display pieces — they're capable tools in their own right. In this guide, we'll explain what makes a Damascus knife so special and list some great options worth a spot in your collection.

What is a Damascus knife?

While you might see a knife proudly featuring a Damascus steel blade, it's worth mentioning that Damascus steel isn't actually a specific kind of steel at all. Rather, it refers to the process of forging different steels together to form a single blade, which you can see in its characteristic wavy, layered pattern.

They get their name from the ancient knives and swords forged in the Near East. They exhibited extraordinary strength, sharpness, and durability for their time. Unfortunately, history has long since forgotten the original process of making them.

The modern Damascus blades you can purchase today are not archaeological artifacts. Bladesmiths mix excellent blade steels like VG-10 and more to make these knives. So while they aren't exactly historical, they'll perform well and hold a great edge. And unlike the blades of old, they usually have the modern features you want in a good everyday carry knife.

Damascus steel knives are sometimes referred to and marketed as pattern-welded steel knives. Beware of knives that aren't actually Damascus and only have lines etched or painted on. If it isn't different steels welded together, it isn't actually Damascus. Here are 8 examples of knives with a Damascus blade.


Spyderco Endura 4 Titanium Damascus

The Endura 4 is a classic EDC blade, and Spyderco has put out a Damascus variant of the knife to celebrate its longevity and popularity. The sub-4” blade is made out of DPS 15, a Japanese stainless steel mixed with VG-10. The handle is also special, made out of 6AL4V titanium, and it holds the blade in shape with a lockback mechanism.

View on Amazon


SOG Arcitech Damascus

The Arcitech is a classy knife in its own right, but with a Damascus blade and carbon fiber handle it's on a different level. It has a 3.5” clip point blade made out of a Japanese mix of VG-10 and nickel. It's been acid-etched to emphasize the 15 layers in the blade.

View on Amazon


Boker Plus Damascus Gent 1

The Gent 1 features a stunning 3.25” Damascus steel drop point blade with 67 layers. It's a beautiful knife that has a discreet and classy element when closed because of its ebony wood handle.

View on Amazon


Victorinox Swiss Army Outrider Damast

This is not your grandfather's Swiss Army knife, but it can be your own heirloom to pass on in the future. The limited edition Outrider Damast features a 4.4” blade with 115 layers of steel welded together. It also features 10 useful EDC features including a pair of scissors, numerous screwdrivers, and bottle and can openers.

View on Amazon


Kershaw Damascus Chive

The standard Kershaw Chive is an EDC favorite, and this one is made even better now that it features a ladder-patterned Damascus blade. This version also includes a frame lock to complement the blazing fast SpeedSafe assisted flipper opening of the knife.

View on Amazon


Mcusta MC-16D

This Japanese knife marries the elegant VG-10 core Damascus steel aesthetic with a refined quince wood grain handle. This combination makes for an attractive modern gent's knife.

View on Amazon


ESEE Damascus Izula

If you're looking for a fixed blade, the Damascus Izula is for you. It has the same lightweight minimalist skeletonized construction of the regular knife, but this one's been forged out of a single piece of Damascus steel.

View on Amazon

Do you like the idea of Damascus steel on your EDC blade? Whether it's for the looks or the performance, let us know in a comment below.

Jonathan Tayag

Senior Contributor


About the Author
Jonathan Tayag is secretly an information technology and corporate security expert who prefers to moonlight as a creative event and commercial photographer whenever possible. His varied experience and substantial travels have led him to seek, without even thinking about it at first, the best gear for the best use at the best price available. Before the concept of EDC (everyday carry) firmly took hold, Jonathan already spent untold amounts of time optimizing for the best-in-slot pieces of gear, from cameras and lenses to pocket knives, pens, and bags and packs. In November 2015, Jonathan joined EverydayCarry.com and has since written numerous articles and guides to help impart his knowledge to the community as a whole.

Jonathan's photographic works have appeared on numerous online websites, print, video, and television outlets for over a decade. Jonathan's previous clients include Blizzard Entertainment, Red Bull, ESL, Razer, and several other endemic and non-endemic esports sponsors and brands. His work also features heavily in online competitive gaming communities, especially those of the StarCraft and Fighting Game genres. You've likely seen his work if you've spent time in a stream or in-game chat over the years.

Bernard Capulong

Founder and Editor-in-Chief


About the Reviewer
Bernard Capulong is an everyday carry (EDC) gear expert, entrepreneur, all-around nerd, and the founder and editor-in-chief of EverydayCarry.com—the largest online community for EDC gear enthusiasts. Since founding Everyday Carry in 2009, he’s built over a decade of experience in the industry, reviewing and highlighting brands and products, including pocket knives, flashlights, wallets, watches, bags, pens, and much more.

Bernard is known for bringing everyday carry out of obscurity and into the mainstream, having been published or featured in various publications such as GQ, TIME Magazine, The New York Times, VICE, HYPEBEAST, Outside, and many others. He has also played a part in curating, designing, and developing digital and physical products, resulting in successful crowdfunding projects or limited edition collaboration products with established softgoods brands. He stays on the pulse of the EDC industry by attending trade shows, participating in online interest communities, and actively engaging with fellow gear enthusiasts on social media.

In addition to being the editor-in-chief and main social media personality for EverydayCarry.com, Bernard is an avid gearhead and collector in general. His personal collections span technical bags, fountain pens, digital cameras, retro gaming hardware, personal hi-fi audio gear, and mechanical wristwatches, to name a few. Bernard Capulong is a prominent figure and trusted authority in the everyday carry industry with a career dedicated to helping people discover this hobby and stay prepared with quality gear.

Discussion (10 total)

Jamie Mahoney ·
Damascus knives hold an edge no better than any other knife as long as it's made from a good steel that's all that counts, plus Damascus steel needs no more maintenance than normal steel and just as easy to sharpen.
The intro to Damascus, more properly known as pattern welded steels, is a poor rendition of previous mythology and magical thinking about this type of material. There are corrections required. The idea of microteeth on the blade edge are one of those. The idea of carbon averaging does not increase carbon in separate materials. There are excellent stain resistant PW steels, Damasteel, Chad Nichols or Devin Thomas are highly rated for performance and stain-resistance. A simple discusssion with a reputable PW maker would have helped before publishing. It propagates errors and makes for poor customers. As to the problem with Spyderco's, it is very likely that during manufacturing, the blade tang was completely etched creating a very rough surface for the pivot bearing surface. This could have been eliminated by masking the pivot surface before etching.
Adam Douglas ·
I would not recommend the Spyderco Endure 4 with the damascus blade. If you read the reviews people say the knife is difficult to open. Something about the damascus they use has bad friction with the bearings and the blade kind of sticks. Apparently Spyderco acknowledges this too.
Oisin OBrien ·
I have one, and yes, it is a terrible pain to open, especially since the blade hole on mine wasn’t deburred. In fact, none of the edges on mine seem to have had any attempt at deburring. It only serves to bring out to dress functions, and there are far better out there. A shame, because I love my other Spyderco knives.
Boris Ho ·
Where's the knife with DamaSteel or Chad Nichols Damascus??
DH ·
And you should mention that the different layers adds a micro tooth edge to the blade, making it sharper for longer and an easier cutting edge. The only con is that it is susceptible to rusting if not maintained after use in wet conditions as it is not stainless steel.
Please explain how the microteeth develop on such a material.
Blackthorn ·
Nice article! I love Damascus blades and it's great seeing some nice variants. I didn't know Victorinox made a Damascus blade. Very cool.
Britt ·
Uh, no, not exactly correct, the process also allowed more carbon in the steel, without increasing the brittleness of the steel. Thus it is more than just the process. It is also the steel, and how the steel changes through the process.
1 more comments