While American-made knives often exhibit quality higher than their imported counterparts, it behooves you as a shopper to understand what you’re getting so you don’t buy blindly, as some do. 

So, whether you have your eye on an LT Wright or a White River Knife, here are a few things for you to understand better before you make a several-hundred dollar investment. 

Steel Alloy 

All else being equal this is probably the most important asset of any knife. A low-grade steel with an inconsistent heat treatment will not perform well when the chips are down even if the knife is pretty, made with beautiful ebony scales, and has an immaculate fit and finish. 

But it is important to stress that there is no single best knife alloy. Super steels like MagnaCut offer pretty good performance across the board, but they’re not as tough as 3V; conversely, it’s hard to beat Spyderco’s for toughness and edge retention, but the steel will rust.

So you need to know what you’re getting. Also, if you get an American-made knife in a steel like D2, 1095, or K390, mentioned above, know that regardless of the fact that it’s made in America, that steel will rust if you’re not careful. 

On that note, blade finish is something to keep in mind here. Some American-made knives that are made with steels that are not particularly corrosion-resistant are treated with special finishes like DLC, Cerakote or even powder coatings. These will protect the steel, but they leave the edge exposed, as well. 

The bottom line is research the steel of the knife you’re interested in. Some steels are hard, but brittle and hard to resharpen, some steels are tough but relatively soft and will need frequent resharpenings; others are highly-corrosion resistant but not much of anything else. 

Do your homework before you drop a few hundred bills on an American-made knife.

Knife Construction 

If we’re looking at fixed blades here, and you are going to carry this knife in the field, whether as a camp knife or a hunting knife, purchasing a knife with full-tang construction is your best bet. 

There are still some good knives out there that have hidden tangs, such as Mora and Karesuando Knives, but first off, these are not even American made so it doesn’t matter here, and on top of that, full-tang construction is the most durable knife construction method, period. 

Scale Material and Other Features

Aesthetics should be secondary to function. There are beautiful knives out there with horn, bone, antler, and wood scales, made of ebony, curly birch, and other beautiful materials, but it’s important to recognize that, though attractive, natural knife scales will need more care and attention than high-end synthetics like G10 or Micarta (or some other composite). 

Do not assume that a higher ticket price guarantees a tougher knife. You’ll often pay more for natural scales that will end up being harder to care for than performance synthetics, so be aware of that.

Sheath Material 

Lastly, if you’re looking at American-made knives with fairly large sticker prices, consider what type of sheath the knife comes with. 

A leather knife sheath will look nice and there’s no way to beat leather for comfort, but leather often doesn’t offer the flexibility with respect to carry (or knife retention) that synthetics like nylon and Kydex offer. Similarly, leather can also encourage rust if the knife is sheathed for too long. 

Either way, there’s no right or wrong answer. Just make no assumptions and be aware of what you’re buying before you put good money into a new knife.

Shop American-Made Knives at River’s Edge Cutlery 

In the market for American-made knives from high-end brands like LT Wright, Spyderco, Chris Reeve, Hinderer, and others? Visit River’s Edge Cutlery. They carry a wide range of the highest-quality knives in the industry and if you have questions, they’ll make a personalized recommendation if you reach out.

For more information About Shirogorov Knives and Fixed Blade Knives please visit: River's Edge Cutlery.