Everyday Carry

5 New Traditional Gent's Knives to EDC in 2022

Authored by:
Jonathan Tayag
Reviewed by:
Bernard Capulong
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
14+ Years Reviewing EDC Products
5 New Traditional Gent's Knives to EDC in 2022

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Compared to EDC knives of today, a more traditional gent's knife take things slowly. It's a statement piece in your everyday carry with a considered design that often lets you carry it places where you couldn't otherwise. They usually don't fling open without second thought, instead demanding a deliberate mindfulness and purpose with every use. That especially analogue experience, combined with handsome timeless styling comes with the added benefit of not drawing as much negative attention as your typical tactical folder. Luckily, knifemakers recognize the value of the gent's knife and have reimagined these antique designs today, often with better materials and more modern features. In this guide, we'll show you five of our favorite picks from this category as we continue onward this year.


Buck 112 Ranger Pro

Buck is a venerable name when it comes to carrying a gent's knife for EDC, and their 112 Ranger lockback folding knife is one of the more popular models they make. With this Pro edition, they've stepped up the performance of the blade without compromising the vintage appeal of the original knife's design. With its new premium 3” clip-point S30V vanadium stainless steel blade, it'll cut better and longer than your grandfather's Buck knife. And with its smoothed-out G10 scaling in the handle, it'll stand up to the elements over years better than wood and bone while still looking handsome in your hand.

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Viper Knives Novis

If you're looking to get super-premium blade steel in your EDC while still carrying a knife that holds a decidedly classic gent's aesthetic, the Novis from Viper Knives is just the ticket. It features a super-hard 3' satin-finished Bohler M390 stainless steel blade fashioned into a modified wharncliffe shape that's suited for cutting and slicing your way through repetitive utility tasks. Unlike a lot of other classic gent's knives that have extremely-thin blades, the one on the Novis is built a bit chunkier, and it has a steel liner, making it a more heavy duty knife. Opening the knife is a two-handed affair, and you have to grip the ridge at the top of the blade grind. Once you get it moving, the thrust bearings in the pivot of the handle make the rest of the motion easy to perform. And, speaking of the handle, attractive and lightweight carbon fiber scales mixed with traditional stainless steel bolster round out the hybrid look of this knife.

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Boker Plus 1906

Boker's 1906 is based on a classic knife from that very year, remade in a limited edition for 2019 with a strict adherence to the original. The end result is a thoroughly-traditional gent's pocket knife, with a stately 3.5” 440C steel clip-point blade, manual nail nick opening, a reliable lockback design with springs that hold the blade in place during use, and a rounded handle featuring gorgeous ebony wood scales.

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Case Barlow 2019

Case is another old-time venerable knife when it comes to EDC gent's folding knives, and they've been making them for generations since 1889. With their Barlow knife, they've brought back a vintage 1900s classic folder whose stand out feature is the beautiful bone handle paired with a handy mirror-polished 2.5” Tru-Sharp surgical stainless steel blade that'll give you performance comparable to 420HC. Like the knives of old, the Barlow features a slipjoint for lighter-duty work, but it has the added benefit of being able to be carried in less permissive environments.

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Victorinox Hunter Pro M Alox

Victorinox has been making Alox-handled knives since the 1950s, and they offer advanced durability and lightweight performance of aluminum oxide while still retaining that classic look you expect from their knives. Think of the Hunter Pro M as a large hunting knife that folds into a more manageable solution in your pockets without much of the weight. It features a full-sized, ergonomic 5” aluminum scale handle with dimpled textured scaling for enhanced grip. That handle is paired with a large 3.875” stainless steel drop point blade with an eye hole for easy one-handed opening, even if you're wearing gloves. It's set up for right-sided tip-up pocket carry with its deep pocket clip, but the pommel also has a place for you to attach a lanyard if you prefer.

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If you like gent's knives but are missing some of the modern materials and features, be sure to check out our Modern Gent's Knife guide for more options.

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 (9 total)

Ann ·
I have the Viper Novis and it is not a two handed affair, it is a front flipper. You can open it two handed if you want to but it works very well, even my small hands, as a front flipper. It is very much a gentle person's knife, I recommend it highly.
caligo ·
The Case and Böker knives are both really interesting, but I don't see how the others qualify as classic gentleman knives. The Buck one is basically a slightly shrunk down chunky hunting knife, hardly a gent's folder. The Victorinox knife is a hunting knife with a fairly modern design. I guess the Viper qualifies as a gent's folder, but it's hardly 'traditional' – the manifacturer's webpage even describes it as an "extremely modern design".

The Victorinox and Viper designs are also atrocious, but that's kind of beside the point. There are a plethora of choices that would make way more sense, e.g. something like the Vicorinox Pioneer or one of Otter Messer's offerings.
Syafiq ·
I don't see a blade longer than 3 inches to be a gentleman carry
Kenny ·
Do you as a fellow Malaysian just look at the Boker and think what the f*ck??
$180 for 440C, which is a blade steel you can find on many Ace Hardware knives?
That's outrageous!
Syafiq ·
we malaysians are crapped because of our weak currency. the reason why i opted for the chinese brands like sanrenmu and ganzo most of the time because of the price
Recently bought Ganzo F759M (spyderco delica clone)

Awesome!
Rich ·
We Cornish live in a similar box, crapped on by the rest of the UK and used like a theme park - so thanks for the recommendations
Kobaljov ·
I think many knives can fit into this category but not that Victorinox..
1 more comments