Both FlexCut and BeaverCraft make great quality whittling knives and are priced perfectly for beginners and intermediate skill levels. If you want to start wood carving, I would look into either one of these companies.

Still, there are a few differences worth looking into before purchasing a wood carving set from either one of them, so lets cover that first!

Quick Stats

There are lots of things to consider when buying your first wood carving tool set, but as a general overview, the tools are pretty close in overall quality if you look at the tools themselves.

If you want an in-depth review video on most of the tools each company has to offer, I will have them at the bottom of the article, or you can just click here to jump down to the video reviews!

Who Has a Better Wood Carving Tool?

Lets not bury my opinion on the page, you came here to see what is the better knife and why.

FlexCut makes a slightly better overall tool than BeaverCraft when comparing similar knives side by side. FlexCut’s steel quality is a little better, the handles are more refined, and they have thinner blades than BeaverCraft knives.

However, if you are on a budget and want to buy everything you need to get started for a good price, BeaverCraft sells better complete wood carving kits. BeaverCraft kits come with just about everything you will need for about 30% cheaper than buying similar FlexCut versions.

Still, there are dozens of other companies out there so if you want to see my absolute favorite whittling knives you can see them here: https://carvingisfun.com/best-whittling-knives/

What Type of Carvers are BeaverCraft and Flexcut For?

Both BeaverCraft and Flexcut wood carving tools are designed for beginners to intermediate carvers alike, but both companies have some specialties that they focus on more than the other.

Beavercraft tools are great for beginner wood carvers wanting to get into whittling, but they are also great for those looking to get into spoon carving and kuksa carving. This is primarily because BeaverCraft sells much more ridged hook knives and gouges to really get into and scoop out wood.

Flexcut Tools are great for beginner wood carvers wanting to get into whittling, but also great for those looking to get into figure carving and shallow relief carving. This is primarily because Flexcut sells thinner knives that allow for great detail as well as more variety of chisels and gouges.

BeaverCraft and Flexcut Blade Comparison

The side profile between the two companies are very similar to each other and have similar handling. Lets dive deeper and compare the differences.

Steel Quality

Both companies use quality, hardened steel for their blades. This improves edge sharpness and allows you to hone the knife to a super sharp edge.

– FlexCut

FlexCut uses a High Carbon Spring Steel blade with a Rockwell Hardness (RC) of 59 – 61. This steel is very durable and allows you to create a razor edge quite easily.

I can easily whittle for 30 minutes straight without worrying about honing the knife. Compaired to most of my other whittling knives, these are one of the best knives I own for edge retention.

– BeaverCraft

BeaverCraft uses a 30MnB5 Steel blade with a Rockwell Hardness of 58 – 62. This is a good quality steel that both allows you to create a razor sharp edge and is quite durable.

When compared to the Flexcut knives, I find that they need to be honed more often and wear down faster. These knives may be around 58 – 62 RC, but they seem to be more on the lower end of the hardness scale.

Edge Grind

The knife edge on both FlexCut and BeaverCraft have similar flat grinds with no secondary bevel. Both are super easy to sharpen and can easily hold a razor sharp edge.

The only real difference between the two knives on how the cutting edge is formed is that the BeaverCraft knives have a slightly steeper edge angel. This does make the BeaverCraft knives a hair more difficult to whittle with, but not by much.

For most people, this may be purely asthetic, but I really like how the FlexCut Knives come honed smooth out of the box. The BeaverCraft knives have a bit of a rougher grind on the edge. A smoother edge may translate to a better cutting edge, but the BeaverCraft knives can still remove wood quite quickly.

Blade Thickness

Part of the reason for the steeper edge angle on the BeaverCraft knives is due to the blade thickness. BeaverCraft whittling knives are nearly twice the thickness of the FlexCut Knives and can make it slightly more difficult to wedge into tight spaces.

I personally stick with the FlexCut knives for just this reason alone. FlexCut’s nice thin blade has helped me make some pretty nice detailed cuts into wood without any struggle.

If you want to see how these compare when slicing through wood, check out this video below.

Handle Comparison

Both FlexCut and BeaverCraft have similar shaped handles, but the FlexCut knives feel more refined.

FlexCuts’s Whittling knife handles are more rounded and form fitting to the hand. Plus they finish them in what feels like a clear lacquer that still shows the wood grain and protects the wood. The only down side is that it may get a little slick if your hands get sweaty.

BeaverCraft uses what feels like a generic handle that seems to match the economy priced wood carving knives. They aren’t anything special but are still somewhat formfitting to the hands and provide a better grip than some other knives I have used.

Available Tools

Both BeaverCraft and FlexCut have a massive selection when it comes to whittling knives and they both seem to have similar knife styles available. While they may not be a direct copy of each other, they will have tools designed to do the same exact task.

BeaverCraft will have the more affordable options in every knife style, but I think the FlexCut knives are still better quality for just a little more money.

I have some videos at the bottom of the page with a general overview of what both companies have to offer.

Knife Kit Comparison

Both companies have their own knife kits, but this is where BeaverCraft products really shine when compared to FlexCut.

BeaverCraft Whittling Knife Kits

My favorite thing about BeaverCraft is that you can buy an entire whittling kit that will have all you need to get started for less than $45. Some of these kits also come with wood to carve and band-aids in case you accidental poke your finger (I’ve used a few of mine already).

FlexCut tools come in small kits but currently don’t sell a full kit complete with rolling tool bag and sharpening tools like a strop, along with the tools. Some of the knife kits come with some polishing compound to put on an old piece of leather, but that’s it.

They do sell all the extras you may want separately but that can really start to raise the price. The FlexCut knife kits do come with offers inside the packaging to pick up free mail in items or rebates, so that does help a bit.

Full Knife Reviews

If you are looking for more information on each knife, feel free to check out my complete review on each brand by clicking the link below. I honestly believe that you will enjoy the FlexCut tools better than BeaverCraft, but still feel like BeaverCraft tools will still more than get the job done.

BeaverCraft Review
FlexCut Review

If you want to pick up some for yourself, check out the Amazon links below.

Click here to check out everything BeaverCraft has to offer.
Click here to browse Amazon for some amazing deals on Flexcut knives!

Video Reviews

If you want to see a video on the differences between the knives themselves, check this one out!

I also went in detail on different tools offered by each of the companies as well. For a good idea of what BeaverCraft has to offer, this is the video for you!

To get a great look at what Flexcut has to offer, I show a good portion of everything they have in this video!

Full FlexCut Review: https://carvingisfun.com/flexcut-review/
Full BeaverCraft Review: https://carvingisfun.com/beavercraft-review/
Best Whittling Knives: https://carvingisfun.com/beginner-whittling-knives/

If you want to see more cool carving tools, tips, and projects, check out my YouTube Channel Below!

All of these knives listed below have been tediously researched and tested by me to ensure that I am providing you the best possible options regardless if you are an absolute beginner or have years of wood carving experience.

Every knife on the list was picked for you to ensure that you are getting a quality knife that comes sharp from the manufacture, has the proper steel hardness, can maintain a sharp cutting edge while whittling, and are properly designed for carving wood.

There will also be a mixture of both quality and value on this list, so beginners can also find something really nice without spending too much money.

Quick Table of Contents:
– Key Aspects to A Good Wood Carving Knife
– Best Whittling and Wood Carving Knives on the Market
– Best Budget Friendly Whittling Knives for Beginners
– Best Sloyd Wood Carving Knives
– Best Folding Pocket Knives for Whittling

Key Aspects to A Good Wood Carving Knife

Before we start, there are 3 very important things to consider when buying a good wood carving knife; blade length, blade shape, and steel hardness. These factors alone can actually make or break your entire carving experience.

– Blade Length

The ideal whittling and wood carving knife blade length is between 1-1/4 to 2 inches in length (30 to 50mm) with most people desiring a 1-3/4 inch blade (45mm). This is important as if the blade is too long it is harder to add fine details with, if it is too short, it cant remove a lot of wood.

The exception is a sloyd style knife, which is typically longer and curved to remove larger pieces of wood at a time. These are typically between 2 inches and 3-1/2 inches in length (50 to 90mm).

– Blade Style

Then there is the blade style itself, you will see primarily 2 styles of knives; upswept blades and straight blades.

The straight blades basically have a flat cutting edge, and this is where I generally point beginners to first as the edge is easy to maintain and you know where the point is at any given time for detail work.

Upswept blades, or just curved cutting edges in general, have a wonderful benefit of naturally slicing through the wood when using them and making it easier to cut through the wood. However, the curved edge requires some technique for maintaining and the tip may be a little harder to use for detail work.

– Steel Hardness

While you can use most any knife for whittling, steel hardness plays a key factor in maintaining a super sharp cutting edge while using your wood carving tools.

For reference, I will be using Rockwell Hardness (HRC) to judge the steel hardness. Ideally, you want a HRC between 58 and 62. Any less than 58 and the cutting edge will wear out quickly, but any more than 62 and the edge becomes too brittle and may chip during use. For more information, check out my page on whittling knife hardness here:
https://carvingisfun.com/whittling-knife-hardness/

Best Whittling and Wood Carving Knives on the Market

The first several knives on this list are what I believe are the absolute best whittling and wood carving knives currently on the market. These are considered by experienced whittlers and wood carvers alike to be premium whittling knives that are hand made with meticulous attention to detail and decades of experience.

However, as of 2024 there are some on here with long wait times due to popularity, being made by hand, and life disruptions. I will make notes of these so you are made aware.

But still, you will be hard pressed to find better knives than these anywhere. Seriously, if you want the best, this is it. I have bought knives from about 20 other companies that didn’t make it to this list, nobody is paying me to say anything, and I don’t get a commission from anyone not on Amazon (which is the entirety of this section).

– Deepwoods Ventures

First on my list is Deepwoods Ventures! These knives not only look great, but are made with amazing quality control. I can always find exactly the type of knife I need from them at any time and am always satisfied with the result.

These knives come in a wide variety of different blade styles to fit almost any wood carving need, including tools for spoon carvers. So, if you need a good thin detail knife or you like your knives to have some strength to them and look good, Deepwoods Ventures is the way to go!

Many beginners and experienced carvers alike may get nervous when using a super thin blade like Helvie or Drake knives, but Deepwoods Ventures provides options for both thin details and tough roughing knives for a one stop shop!

Not only that, you can upgrade the handles on most any knife for a little more money to a more premium wood handle for extra beauty and uniqueness to may anyone jealous of your knife collection.

Some people may find that the flatter handles on their regular wood carving knaves to be a little uncomfortable or awkward if swapping back and forth between different knife sets. You will eventually find that they naturally fit into the palm of your hand and are easy to curl your fingers around after some use. So stick to Deepwoods for your entire toolbox and you will be a happy camper!

To pick up your Deepwoods Ventures knife, check out their website below:
https://deepwoodsventures.com
If you want a good beginner kit, complete with leather strop, I highly recommend their Level 2 Beginning Carving Set.

– Silvern Works

A relatively new option that is just as good as the others on this list are the knives from Silvern Works. These knives have a well shaped blade and a selection of comfortable handles to choose from!

Since they are just starting out, they only have a few varieties of blade and handle options available but all of them are the right sizes and shapes for just about anyone looking to have a great whittling knife available.

The blade size, shape, edge, and thickness are all ideal for working with basswood and even work great when carving cherry and walnut. Everything from the blade to the handles are well thought out and are perfect for anyone looking for a quality made whittling knife!

Silvern Works is still relatively new to the scene and have plans for future growth with different blade shapes and tool options in the future.

This is definitely a brand to keep an eye on and will be a great addition to the other hand crafted knives on this list. I highly recommend their tools and have had nothing but great experiences using the knives.

You can pick yours up from their website: https://www.silvernworks.com/shop/

– Lee Ferguson Knives

If you are looking for a classy and well made whittling knife, Lee Ferguson will be the perfect fit for you!

Lee Ferguson makes some excellent knives and has a few beautifully crafted wood carving knives available for purchase.

From tip of the blade to the end of the handle, Lee Ferguson wood carving knives are quality knives for an amazing price! The nice and thin blade allow you to make super precise cuts and the smooth rosewood handles are very comfortable to hold for hours on end.

If you are looking for an elegant and effective hand crafted whittling knife, you won’t be able to beat the Lee Ferguson knife prices for what you are getting.

The only thing you may want to be aware of is the handles are on the slender side, so users with bigger hands may find them to be a little small.

You can pick up your knives directly from his website at FergusonKnives.com

– Helvie Knives

If you are looking for what many consider to be the pinnacle of premium whittling and wood carving knives, Helvie is the way to go.

I did move this one down on the list due to availability and an 18 month+ waitlist. Plus, at this time, one of the people running the company is experiencing serious health issues and are currently halting new orders. You can see updates on their home page here: https://helvieknives.com/

Still, if you have one of these, you have my absolute favorite knives out there!

I personally love my Helvie knives and believe that they are, without a doubt in my mind, the best wood carving tools that I own. They come right to you with a professionally honed, razor sharp, blade and just hold their edge for a long time.

The only issue you may run across is that because the are so sought after there is a hefty wait list and, as of today, is over 18 months. If you are willing to be patient, they are absolutely worth it.

To pick up your Helvie knife, check out their website below:
https://helvieknives.com/

– Drake Knives

For the price, Drake knives are very hard to beat. They are exceptionally well made tools that are beautifully crafted from tip to handle.

I did move this one down on the list due to availability and an 8 month+ waitlist. Also, the main person running the company recently passed away and his family is stepping in to continue his work.

Regardless, if you want a classy whittling knife designed to last, Drake knives are hard to beat!

Without a doubt, these knives just ooze “premium” when you hold them in your hands. They are smooth, comfortable to hold, and easily cut through woods like basswood.

These knives are some of my favorite tools on the market to day and all knives are made to order. You also get different types of wood handles with each knife, making every one of your tools a unique work of art on its own!

Since these knives are all made to order, there may be a 2-3 week wait time, depending upon how busy they are and how complex the knife is to make. Still, they are very much worth the wait and are perfect for experienced carvers.

The only things you may want to keep an eye on is the fine tip on the detail knives as they can be damaged if improperly handled. If you are going to do roughouts, I highly suggest the Gil Special for any major cuts and only use the detail knives for fine detail work.

Also, the original maker of the knives has recently passed away but his family is keeping the company going. There is a long wait time on the tools as they are made by hand, which is about 6 to 8 months as of today, so if you are patient these are wonderful knives to have in your toolbox!

To pick up your Drake Knife, check out their website below:
https://drake-knives.myshopify.com/

Best Budget Friendly Whittling Knives for Beginners

– Schaaf Tools 5 Piece Carving Set

This is a new addition to the wood carving market, but I absolutely love this set. I love it so much I bought 2 of them!

Schaaf Tools decided to shake up the whole market with this one. You get really nice steel quality, good and super sharp cutting edges, comfortable handles, an ideal spread of tools for beginners, and a nice tool wrap to put them in.

I’m telling you now, you will not find a better value beginner set for wood carving and spoon carving than this set from Schaaf Tools. End of story, go buy it, just do it. Here’s the link to pick one up for yourself: https://amzn.to/3VOt4yb

– Flexcut Carving Knives

Quite a few of you coming to this page are beginners who are looking for a nice set of knives to star your whittling hobby off right, so these next few knives are going to be your best options for a cost effective price that will last you for many many years to come.

The best and easiest whittling knives to find on the market right now are Flexcut wood carving knives!

If you look up whittling knives on the internet, Flexcut will be one of the most prolific brands available and can be purchased at many different retail outlets that sell wood carving tools.

Flexcut offers a wide variety of different tools to fit just about any wood carving need at a great price. That combined with their excellent steel quality and handle finish, makes it a hard tool to pass up.

These knives are quality made, mass produced wood carving tools that are sharp and ready to use right when from the beginning. Not only that, they sell knife sets and kits to get beginners started off right with properly balanced tools that complement each other. If you want to see my full review, click the link below:
https://carvingisfun.com/flexcut-review/

For the price of the Flexcut tools, they are really hard to beat and are good enough to be the only knives you will need for whittling! If you want to pick up a great starter kit, check out the Flexcut Beginner Knife and Palm set on Amazon: https://amzn.to/37z3XrY

But if you just need a single knife for an all purpose whittling knife, the Flexcut Roughing Knife will satisfy almost all of your whittling needs: https://amzn.to/3PWJq3X

– OCC Tools

For a whittling knife with that hand crafted feel at an affordable price, look no further than OCC Tools!

OCC Tools makes some very well crafted whittling and wood carving knives to fit just about any occasion. Each tool comes with a super sharp and well made blade that is perfectly suited for beginners to experts.

Each OCC tool is hand crafted and made specifically for wood carving. You can find a wide variety of different blade shapes and lengths matched with a wide variety of different handles to fit just about any carvers needs.

The only real complaint that I hear from people is the slightly blocky shape to the handle. Because of the affordable cost of the hand crafted knife, the handle isn’t as refined as many other hand crafted knives but they are still comfortable enough to use for hours at a time. For my full review, click the link below:
https://carvingisfun.com/occ-knife-review/

These knives are primarily sold at smaller and more specialized wood carving stores, here are a list of my favorite places to buy them:
TreelineUSA.com
TheWoodcractShop.com
MountainWoodcarvers.com

If you live in Canada, check out ChippingAway.com

If you want to get into whittling and wood carving but don’t have the budget for some of the more expensive knives, there are a few great options that perform really well at a great price!

– BeaverCraft Wood Carving Tools

When it comes to the bare basics for what you need for a decent whittling knife, Beavercraft has you covered.

These knives may be on the cheaper end of the spectrum, but they shouldn’t be overlooked if you need a decent whittling knife at a good price.

BeaverCraft wood carving tools are a great stepping stone into whittling and wood carving. They have a large selection of different tools to choose from and sell complete wood carving kits that provide you with the tools you need, a way to maintain those tools, plus a way to store them for under $45.

These tools are more on the simple side with a basic wood handle, slightly thicker blade, and no frills design. Even then, they come razor sharp right out of the box and allow you to get started carving right then and there.

One of the only things that I wasn’t fond of with the BeaverCraft knives are the blade thicknesses on most of their tools. They are a little thicker than your standard knives like Flexcut, but even then this makes them ideal for beginners as they are less likely to be damaged from misuse.

If you want to get started whittling with everything you need (minus carving gloves) check out BeaverCraft’s Whittling and Woodcarving kit on Amazon at an amazing price: https://amzn.to/3LXaonG

Best Sloyd Wood Carving Knives

Some of you may just need a tool that can easily remove large sections of wood quickly, and that’s where sloyd knives come in to play. These are typically longer bladed knives with thicker blades and a full tang so you can put some power behind your cuts. These are exceptionally handy for roughing out wood to carve.

– Flexcut Sloyd Knives

My overall favorite sloyd knives on the market are hands down the Flexcut variants. They are more expensive but have excellent edge retention and feel great in the hands.

If you are looking for an absolute workhorse of a sloyd knife made with quality steel, the Flexcut knives are a great option.

The Flexcut Sloyd Knife (KN50) and Stub Sloyd (KN53) are exceptional quality knives that are made to last a lifetime! The edge retention is superb and overall design is top notch. If you are looking for that one and only sloyd knife that will last, grab a Flexcut Sloyd knife.

Like I mentioned, these are slightly more expensive knives than some other variants on the market, but for me they are worth every penny.

Possibly, the only real complaint that I have is the Stub Sloyd does not currently come with a sheath, which Flexcut sells separately for $17 to $20. However the regular sloyd knife does come with a sheath, but costs a little more than the stub sloyd by itself.

If you want to pick up your own Flexcut Sloyd knife, check out Amazon for some great prices:
Stub Sloyd – https://amzn.to/375H4wy
Regular Sloyd – https://amzn.to/3LQffGY

– Mora Carving Knives

For a quality sloyd knife at a much more affordable price, look no further than Morakaniv (Mora) Knives!

Mora knives come at a very affordable price and come with a basic sheath to protect the knife for storage and make them easy to carry with you.

Without a doubt, Mora Knives are the the best choice for an affordable yet quality wood carving knife on the market. With its laminated high carbon steel blade, full tang blade, and comfortable handle, you will have all of your sloyd knife needs fulfilled with a Mora Knife.

My only real complaint about these knives are the laminated steel itself. The core of the blade is made of high carbon steel, but the thin outer laminated layer is made of a slightly softer steel lamination. This can sometimes lead to the edge dulling out with heavy use. Even then, it is easy to sharpen back to a nice razor edge in no time at all.

To pick up your Mora knives, check out Amazon for the best prices:
Mora 106 (longer) – https://amzn.to/3rjZ9hg
Mora 120 (shorter) – https://amzn.to/3xjg7zW
Mora 122 (flat edge) – https://amzn.to/3KCgqK3

Best Folding Pocket Knives for Whittling

For many of you, the whittling knife will have to be portable as you will primarily whittle while camping or just on the go in general. This is where a dedicated and quality folding knife that you can just put in your pocket and whittle wherever you want will be ideal.

– Great Eastern Cutlery (Farm and Field)

One of my favorite whittling pocket knives currently on the market is the Great Eastern Cutlery #62 Pocket Carver (Farm and Field variant). This knife is a little on the pricey end and can be hard to find, but is an amazing pocket knife for what you are getting!

Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC) is known for making quality, hand crafted knives, and with their Field and Stream varieties, you get their quality blades at a more affordable price!

The GEC #62 Pocket Carver is an exceptional whittling pocket knife that is pretty well thought out in design. You get three blades in total with two of them being identical so if one starts going dull on you, just switch to the other identical blade and keep carving!

Even in its simplified version with the Farm and Field logo, you are getting a quality knife that will last you a lifetime. Compared to the collectable, more expensive versions, these were definitely designed to be used every day without any remorse.

If you do get the #62 Pocket Carver, I do recommended grinding back the bevel on the cutting edge for a smaller edge angel. This will make the knife cut through wood just a little bit easier and improve your overall experience.

To pick up your GEC, check out Ebay for the best prices by clicking here.

– Flexcut Detail Jack

If you want what I consider to be the best and most easiest to find dedicated whittling pocket knife available today, it will be The Flexcut Detail Jack. This knife has a permanent home in my traveling wood carving kit

The Flexcut pocket knives use the same quality steel as their regular pocket knives and put them in a compact and portable pocket knife.

If you are looking for a versatile, quality made, whittling pocket knife look no further than the Flexcut Detail Jack. With this excellent folding whittling knife, you get a locking blade and a wonderful knife to both shape the wood and add small details with!

Flexcut makes great knives that are purpose built for whittling and wood carving. These tools are affordable and are most likely exactly what you are looking for!

If you want to pickup your own Flexcut Detail Jack, check out Amazon for the best prices: https://amzn.to/43WGv15

– Mastercarver

If you are looking for a more traditional, single blade pocket knife with a locking blade, Give the MasterCarver Pocket Whittler 2 a shot!

The MasterCarver Pocket Whittler 2 has that classic look, beautiful curves, and purpose built blade to make any experienced whittler jealous.

For those of you who need a locking blade for their carving knife, the MasterCarver Pocket Whittler 2 will be one of the best options on the market today! With its properly hardened 440C steel blade combined with its classy good looks, this will be a hard knife to beat for the price!

Just holding this knife in your hands is impressive on its own as it is finished smooth to fit in your hands without any strange or sharp points bumping into your hands. This is indeed a fine tool that is designed to last.

To buy yours, check out Amazon for the best price here: https://amzn.to/3jseGHj

More Woodcarving Tips

If you are new to whittling and are looking for a place to get started, check out my one stop resource for whittling and woodcarving at https://carvingisfun.com/Whittling/

I have thoroughly tested and researched each and every one of the pocket knives listed below to ensure that I am providing you with the best possible options from beginners to the seasoned whittler.

For reference, I will be using Rockwell Hardness (HRC) to judge the steel hardness. Ideally, you will want to use a knife with a HRC between 58 and 62. This hardness range has the best balance of edge retention without becoming too brittle to carve with.

Video Review

Best Folding Pocket Knives for Whittling

The key to a successful whittling project is to use a quality made and well sharpened knife, but can you whittle with just a pocket knife?

Anyone can start whiting with just the pocket knife that they keep in their pocket. This is the simplest and most convenient tool that the majority of whittlers typically use. There are even specially made pocket knives that are designed for whittling, making it easier to slice through wood.

Not all pocket knives are ideal for whittling, but you can use any one of them to whittle if it is all you have. For best results, you will want to use a pocket knife that both fits your hand properly and that you are comfortable using.

Flexcut Tri-Jack

If you are looking for one of the absolute best whittling knives on the market, look no further than the Flexcut Tri-Jack!

The Flexcut Tri-Jack is a pocket knife that was designed to carve wood and comes honed razor sharp right out of the box. They come with 3 different sized knives and use a liner lock design to ensure the blades don’t close on your fingers.

The only issue you may have is a very slight front to back wobble on the blade when fully opened. This is primarily due to the tolerances of the liner lock and the blade but isn’t noticeable while carving. Even with this minor flaw, it doesn’t stop me from carrying it around with me every day.

There are two places I like to shop for the best prices, Amazon and Ebay. Make sure you compare prices from both locations and get the best deal.
Link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vkJJdM
Link to Ebay: https://ebay.to/3483zvR

Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC) #62 Pocket Carver

If you are looking for a more classic folding pocket knife with multiple blades, The GEC #62 pocket carver may be the right choice for you!

The Farm and Field branded Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC) #62 Pocket carver is the perfect pocket knife for anyone who prefers the look and feel of a traditional whittling knife and prefers to have more than one blade. With its 3 carving blades made of 1095 Carbon Steel and comfortable handles, you will be whittling in no time!

If you do purchase a #62 pocket carver, I do recommend reducing the angle of the bevel grind to about 20 degrees to improve your whittling experience. This will provide you with a blade edge that will easily slice through wood and make cleaner cuts.

The best and cheapest place I have found to buy the GEC #62 Pocket Carver is on Ebay. They have the best prices and usually have better availability when compared to most other online stores. Pick yours up here: https://ebay.to/3lejdN9

MasterCarver Pocket Whittler 2

For those of you looking for a single bladed pocket knife with a classic look, the MasterCarver Pocket Whittler 2 is the perfect knife for you.

The MasterCarver Pocket Whittler 2 is a single bladed pocket knife designed for whittling and wood carving. It uses a 440C blade hardened to a HRC of 61 and has a blade lock to prevent the knife closing on your hands.

From its perfectly designed blade with a slight upswept tip to its beautifully designed classic handle, this is a knife that you will proudly show off and want to carry around with you everywhere.

My only issue is availability. Due to the pocket whittler being such a popular knife, they tend to sell out quickly. So keep an eye on Amazon to see if they are in stock by clicking here: https://amzn.to/37V8MMf

Flexcut Whittlin’ Jack

If you need a more affordable multi bladed pocket knife designed for whittling, the Flexcut Whittlin’ Jack may be the right knife for you!

The Flexcut Whittlin’ Jack is a quality made whittling pocket knife that comes with two different blades. It is reasonably priced and comes honed razor sharp for immediate use.

I carried this pocket knife with me for a while before I picked up the Tri-Jack and can tell you that it is a very capable pocket knife. The only issue you will experience is that the blades are very stiff and can be hard to open, so take care when opening and closing the blades.

You can pick up your own Whittlin’ Jack on both Amazon and Ebay for a great price! It would be best to see who has the better deal as they tend to change from week to week.
Link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/37V8MMf
Link to Ebay: https://ebay.to/3ahrScx

Sarge Vision Maker Carving Knife

If you are more into chip carving or want smaller blades, the Sarge Vision Maker is a great option!

The Sarge Vision Maker is a wonderful chip carving and whittling knife for the carver on the go. It comes with two 440C blades and has a lot of value for what you are buying.

This knife excels at being a perfect chip carving knife that just fits in your pocket. The wood scales on the sides are beautiful coloration and it sits very nicely in your hands.

Some issues you may see is that sometimes the scales could be cracked around the rivets as this seems to be a common issue. You could fill it with adhesive if you want but it is unlikely to break while using it. Also, it may be ideal to hone the blade before use.

The best place to pick up your Vision Maker is on Amazon as they usually sell them for less than $25, which makes it an exceptional price for the knife you are getting. To pick up yours, click the link: https://amzn.to/3O8Ad69

Victorinox Swiss Army Knives

If you are new to whittling or just want an EDC knife that you could use for whittling, Swiss Army Knives are the way to go!

Swiss Army Knives are perfect for new whittlers as they come in many different varieties to fit just about any need. With their affordable prices and endless utility options, you will be hard pressed to find a better universal knife that works well for whittling.

Just about everyone has a swiss army knife somewhere as they are super useful. If you don’t, they are readily available at nearly every hardware, outdoors, and big box stores.

The only thing you will want to do is hone the knife edges a little more as they don’t come whittling sharp, but just sharp enough for every day use. Also, I wouldn’t reduce the cutting edge angle too much as the steel is just a little softer than the targeted hardness range.

If you are going to pick up a Swiss Army Knife for whittling and wood carving, I suggest getting the Camper or Huntsman as they both come with two different sized blades and a wood saw to give you more options when carving. You can pick yours up on Amazon for a great price by clicking here: https://amzn.to/3O8Ad69

Schrade Old Timer 44OT Workmate

For those of you who want as many different blades as possible without spending a lot of money, check out the Old Timer 44OT!

The Old Timer 440T Workmate is a traditional folding knife that comes with 4 different blades to maximize the whittling potential. One of the biggest draws for this knife is affordable price point.

Since it is a more affordable price, the overall build quality isn’t the best, but it is still a very durable knife built for every day use. You will also have to hone the blades as the manufacture edge is a little on the dull side.

You can pick up your 44OT both in the traditional brown or bright yellow for a steal of a deal on Amazon by clicking here: https://amzn.to/3uKZITd

Opinel Carbon Steel Folding Knife

If overall price is an issue but you still want a high carbon steel with a blade lock, the Opinel Carbon Steel folding knives will fit any budget!

The Opinel Carbon Steel picket knives are simple but quality made pocket knives that are highly affordable. They come with a single carbon steel blade that folds into a comfortable beechwood handle. With its twist lock collar, the knife feels just as ridged as a fixed bladed knife.

These knives come in various sizes so if you need a specific size, you have many different options. However, the knives that are size 5 and smaller do not come with the twist lock for the blades.

If you want to pick up one of these knives, check out both Ebay and Amazon for the absolute best prices anywhere.
Link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/3JJVzTJ
Link to Ebay: https://ebay.to/2DAvbQu

Best Wood Carving Pocket Knives

For those of you looking for a pocketknife that has more tool options, you are in luck! Flexcut makes several high quality wood carving pocket knives that come with an assortment of different tools to give you more options when carving wood.

Flexcut Carvin’ Jack

The king of wood carving pocket knives is, without any doubt, the Flexcut Carvin’ Jack.

The Flexcut Carvin’ Jack comes with 6 different wood carving tools, providing the carver a wide variety of different carving options right in their pocket. All the tools come honed razor sharp and are made of high carbon spring steel, making it ready to use right out of the box.

Not only that, the Carvin’ Jack comes with a leather sheath and a specially made slipstrop to easily hone each one of the tools after use. Plus, they come in both right hand and left hand configurations!

The only real downside to these tools are the overall cost, so be prepared to spend a little extra for the convenience of having all of the 6 tools fitting directly into your pocket. You can pick yours up on both Amazon and Ebay, so compare the prices between the two to find the best deal.
Link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/38NyliN
Link to Ebay: https://ebay.to/3gQv9C8

Flexcut Spoon Jack

For those of you who like to carve spoons and want a dedicated spoon carving knife that you can take with you everywhere, the Flexcut Spoon Jack is the perfect companion.

The Flexcut Spoon Jack is a dedicated spoon carving pocket knife that comes with one blade and two scoop knives that easily allow you carve a spoon anywhere you go. From its 3 locking high carbon steel tools to the comfortable grips, you won’t find a better option.

I really like how Flexcut made the handle. It comfortably fits in your hand at any angle and has the hatching pattern on the handle really grips your hands and prevents any slippage while holding the knife.

You can pick these up either on Ebay or Amazon and I highly recommend that you compare prices as sometimes one has a better deal than the other.
Link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xs0uXb
Link to Ebay: https://ebay.to/2IHQ7HE

Flexcut Pocket Jack

If you really like the Carvin’ Jack but want a cheaper option, check out the Flexcut Pocket Jack!

The Flexcut Pocket Jack comes with all the basic tools that any wood carving beginner will need. With its four locking high carbon steel tools and its comfortable aluminum handle, this pocket knife will easily fit in to your collection.

I consider the Pocket Jack to be the Carvin’ Jacks little brother. It has many of the same exact tools at half the price. You really can’t go wrong with how much value you get out of the Pocket Jack.

You can easily pick these up on both Amazon and Ebay for great prices. Make sure you compare the two places for the best deals as prices can fluctuate from month to month.
Link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/3uLm72X
Link to Ebay: https://ebay.to/3a5J86H

More Whittling and Wood Carving Tools and Tips

If you are new to whittling and wood carving and are looking for some other great options, check out my Ultimate Whittling Knife Guide to see what the absolute best whittling knives are.
https://carvingisfun.com/best-whittling-knives/

For more whittling and wood carving tips, check out my One Stop Whittling Resource for more information.
https://carvingisfun.com/Whittling/

The Flexcut Jack Knives are purpose built tools to allow anyone to have a variety of whittling and wood carving tools in their pocket so they can carve on the go and allow them to be easily stored in a toolbox or backpack.

Here is a comparison of all the Flexcut pocket knives (Detail Jack, Whittlin’ Jack, Tri-Jack, Spoon Jack, Pocket Jack, and Carvin’ Jack) that are currently on the market so you can quickly see some of the key differences between them.

Lets go over each knife in a little more detail to see what knife is best for you.

Video Review

Flexcut Detail Jack Review

If you are looking for a dedicated folding whittling knife with a pointed tip for detail work, the Flexcut Detail Jack is the knife for you!

The Flexcut Detail Jack is a single bladed folding pocket knife designed with whittling in mind. It has a high carbon steel blade and that allows you to quickly remove wood and has a comfortable aluminum handle with finger grooves for a comfortable grip.

Combined with its easy to open liner lock blade, affordable pice, and portable design, this will be a great addition to anyones wood carving tool collection.

Quick Stats

Where to Buy

My favorite places to buy knives are Amazon and Ebay. Amazon usually has great prices and more wide spread availability than any other store online. You can check out Amazon prices by clicking here.

For the best deals and prices, I go and check out Ebay as they usually have better prices for both new and used tools than any other place. Find yours for a great price by clicking here.

Flexcut Whittlin’ Jack Review

For those of you looking for a great whittling knife with more versatility at a decent price, the Flexcut Whittlin’ Jack may be the knife for you!

The Flexcut Whittlin’ Jack is a great wood carving knife that comes with two different sized blades to allow the user to have both a longer roughing knife and a shorter detail blade for a more versatile user experience.

This combined with the high carbon steel blades and comfortable aluminum handle make for an excellent tool, the only real downside is that the blades are a little stiff to open at the beginning and need to be broken in.

Quick Stats

Where to Buy

My favorite places to buy most of my knives are Amazon and Ebay. Amazon will usually have the prices and more wide spread availability than any other store online. You can check out Amazon prices by clicking here.

For the best deals and prices, I go and check out Ebay as they usually have better prices for both new and used tools than any other place. Find yours for a great price by clicking here.

Flexcut Tri-Jack Review

By far, the best and most versatile pocket knife of the Flexcut line is the Tri-Jack.

The Flexcut Tri-Jack has 3 different length blades that allow the user to have different options available to them when carving wood. These carbon steel blades with its aluminum handle makes it an ideal option for any whittler.

With its 3 high carbon steel blades, liner lock design, and comfortable aluminum handle, this is a great option to cover just about any whittling need in one tool. If you only want to get one knife for whittling, the Tri-Jack has you covered!

Quick Stats

Where to Buy

The two best places to buy these knives are on Amazon and Ebay. Amazon usually has great prices and more wide spread availability than most any other webstore. You can check out Amazon prices by clicking here.

For the best deals and prices, I go and check out Ebay as they usually have better prices for both new and used tools than any other place. Find yours for a great price by clicking here.

Flexcut Spoon Jack Review

For those of you that want an all in one spoon carving knife, the Flexcut Spoon Jack is without question, the best on the market.

The Flexut Spoon Jack is by far the most useful and versatile spoon carving pocket knife on the market with two different hook knives and a carving knife made of high carbon steel enclosed in a comfortable aluminum handle.

You will notice that the handle has a very aggressive hatching pattern, providing the user with exceptional grip while carving so the tool wont rotate or slip in your hands. This, combined with the locking blades make this an outstanding tool for any traveling spoon carver.

Quick Stats

Where to Buy

If you want the best deals, Ebay and Amazon will be your first and only stops. Amazon usually has great prices and more wide spread availability than any other store online. You can check out Amazon prices by clicking here.

Some of the best deals can be found on Ebay as they usually have better prices for both new and used tools than any other place. Find yours for a great price by clicking here.

Flexcut Pocket Jack Review

If you are a general wood carver and want an inexpensive but versatile carving tool to throw in your pocket, the Flexcut Pocket Jack is the tool for you!

The Flexcut Pocket Jack comes with all the basic tools that any wood carver will need to cut and carve wood into a beautiful work of art. The detail knife, scorp, v-scorp, and straight gouge are all made of high carbon steel and are safely held in place with the knifes blade lock mechanisum.

Adding in the comfortable aluminum handle, this is the perfect pocket carving tool for anyone who camps, hikes, or just likes to carve in the back yard and is definitely work your consideration.

Quick Stats

Where to Buy

The best deals for these knives can be found on Amazon and Ebay. Amazon usually has great prices and more wide spread availability than any other store online. You can check out Amazon prices by clicking here.

For the best deals and prices, I go and check out Ebay as they usually have better prices for both new and used tools than any other place. Find yours for a great price by clicking here.

Flexcut Carvin’ Jack Review

Without a doubt, the Flexcut Carvin’ Jack is the king of wood carving pocket knives and will be your best all around choice.

The Flexcut Carvin’ Jack is the most versatile wood carving pocket knife in the Flexcut inventory. All 6 tools are made of high carbon steel and provide the user with a wide variety of options with the most common woodworking tools available.

Adding in the comfortable aluminum handles and locking tools makes this tool highly sought after by many experienced wood carvers. As an extra bonus, these tools come in both right hand and left hand configurations.

Quick Stats

Where to Buy

These tools typically run for over $100, and the best prices will almost always be found on Amazon and Ebay. Amazon has great prices and wide spread availability. You can check out Amazon prices by clicking here.

For the best deals and prices, I primarily check out Ebay as they usually have better prices for both new and used tools than any other place. Find yours for a great price by clicking here.

OCC Tools are made by Mike Shipley and offer high quality whittling knives at an affordable price. OCC uses O1 tool steel for their knives and gouges, and have excellent edge retention. As an added bonus, they come razor sharp out of the box, making them a great option for anyone starting their wood carving journey.

Quick Stats

Video Review

What I Liked

OCC whittling knives are quickly becoming one of my favorite set of wood carving knives, even rivaling my fondness of FlexCut Knives. From their wide variety of tools to simply coming sharp out of the box, you will have a hard time finding a knife to compare them to.

Ready for Immediate Use

The most important aspect of a wood carving tool is its cutting edge. Just having the knife or gouge sharp and ready to use from the beginning saves you a lot of time and headache from having to create a proper cutting edge.

OCC tools come to you sharp and ready for use from the manufacture. There is no need to sharpen or shape the cutting edge at all, just take from package to wood.

Excellent Edge Retention

With a RC of 59, it is within the sweet spot for blade hardness and edge retention. I have found that after whittling for an hour straight with these knives, there was no need for any serious sharpening at all.

From tip to handle, I have not had any issues with advanced wear to the cutting edge and the knifes just keep slicing away the wood.

Variety of Handles

One of my favorite things about the OCC tools are the variety of handles that are available! You can find a comfortable grip to fit any hand, large or small.

My personal favorites are the “grip handle” and the “large handle” as they fit in my hands perfectly (I wear XL gloves). Even their regular knife handles are comfortable and easy for most people to hold on to securely.

Compared to FlexCut knives, the grips are not lacquered and allows for a more secure, non slip grip. This is perfect for those of you who will be whittling outside, or live in a warmer climate like myself.

Lots of Tool Options

OCC has an impressive selection of tools that come in different shapes and sizes. You can find anything from super small 1/2″ detail knives to longer 3″ roughing knives to fit just about any whittling need.

I had to stop myself from buying more of their knives as they had so many different options to choose from that you can’t find from other manufactures. You really do feel like a kid in a candy shop when looking at all that they have to offer.

Flat Edge Grind

Lots of knives have a thick blade and a much wider cutting angle. Having a wider cutting edge angle makes it a little harder to make those thin, precise cuts for details and finishing your wood carving.

OCC Tools have a flat grind that makes whittling wood, like basswood, an easy and enjoyable experience. The thin blade easily glides through the wood and allows you to make precise, detailed cuts for better details.

What I Didn’t Like

No knife is perfect, and there are a few things on these knives that may hold them back for you. They are more minor issues to me, but are worth mentioning to help your decision making process.

Even with these minor issues, OCC knives outperform 90% of all the other whittling knives on the market (even some more expensive knives.) These are definitely worth your consideration.

Handles Aren’t Round

The first thing that I noticed when holding these knives is that the handles are a little blocks, even with their other handle designs. Now, I’m not saying that the handles aren’t comfortable, they just may feel different in your hands at the beginning.

All the corners are smooth, so there are no sharp edges digging into your hands, but I feel like the handles don’t fit inside the hand too well compared to some other knife handles (Flexcut and Beavercraft for example.)

Cutting Edge May Be Thin For Beginners

I mentioned earlier that the thinner blades make it easier to cut through the wood, this does come with one small caveat: a thinner blade is easier to damage.

New wood carvers are more likely to damage the cutting edge of their OCC knives with improper knife technique and handling, making me more hesitant to recommend them to beginners. Knives like FlexCut may be a better choice for you.

Not Polished Smooth

This is more cosmetic than anything, but I didn’t like how the blade has some of the grind marks on them still. They aren’t rough like some other knives are, but you can still see some roughness on the side of the blade.

Even with these minor cosmetic issue, it doesn’t degrade the cutting edge at all. The knife is still razor sharp and needs no extra stropping before you start whittling.

Best Places to Pick Up OCC Whittling Knives

Because these knives are hand made and are more limited in supply, you can only buy OCC tools from woodcarving stores. You won’t find them in major retailers like Amazon, which allows you to support smaller companies instead.

The 3 stores I prefer for picking up great woodcarving tools and supplies are: Treeline USA, The Woodcraft Shop, and Mountain Woodcarvers. You can find a wide variety of OCC tools from the 3 of them to fit any need. If you want the full list of where to find OCC tools, click here for the complete supplier list.

Treeline USA

My favorite woodcarving shop that I frequent the most is Treeline USA. From tools to wood, they have everything you will need for all of your woodcarving needs.

Treeline’s OCC tool selection is quite expansive and have the best prices available. They are my first stop if I need a new tool and was the first place I purchased my OCC knifes. Click here to browse Treeline USA’s complete line of OCC knives.

The Woodcraft Shop

One of the coolest woodcarving shops online is The Woodcraft Shop. You can find a wide verity of tools and wood available for carving all in one stop.

The Woodcraft Shop’s OCC tool selection is quite extensive and has a few things that some other stores may not have. If you do pick up your OCC knife here, pick up some basswood or even their cutouts to practice with! Click here to browse The Woodcraft Shop’s selection of OCC knives.

Mountain Woodcarvers

Finally, if you can’t find what you need at the other shops, you will probably find it at Mountain Woodcarvers. They have a large seclection of knives, tools, supplies, and instructional material for wood carvers of all levels.

My favorite thing that Mountain Woodcarvers does is create their own knife kits of their best selling tools. You can pick up several OCC knives in a more affordable package deal than you could if buying them individually. Click here to see what Mountain Woodcarvers have to offer!

More Knife Reviews

If you want to see more knives I reviewed, click the link below and find what whittling knife is best for you!
https://carvingisfun.com/category/whittling-knife-review/

Allow me to save you some time and money, don’t bother with this knife unless you have decent experience in reshaping knives and have the tools to do so.

If you don’t want to read through this post and see what other whittling knives you should buy for about the same price, click this link to go to my top 5 whittling knives. You can also use the Table of Contents below to jump to the suggested knives a the bottom of the page.

Quick Stats

What I Liked

Now I didn’t completely dislike this knife all together, there were a few things that makes this knife decent after you put some work into it.

Just to get it out of the way, the price is within the affordable range. However, I can get a heck of a lot better quality knife for the same price or pay just $5 more and get a substantially better quality knife instead.

That being said, lets get on with what I liked about this knife.

Blade Length

My ideal blade length for my whittling knives fall between the 1.25″ and 2″ range as this gives me enough knife to cut away large sections of wood and yet still have enough control to add small details in the wood.

The Murphy Hand Crafting Knife fits in this range perfectly at 1.5″ in length and with a nice, strong blade design. You can easily get into small corners and add tiny details in your wood carving with this knife all day long.

Plus, the blade is nice and thin which allows you to easily slice off slivers of wood at a rapid pace once the knife is properly sharpened.

Quality Steel

R. Murphy uses quality high carbon steel in all of their knives that have great edge retention. After whittling with the knife for a few hours, I only had to strop the knife a handful of times to maintain the razor sharp cutting edge.

This does make for a great knife once the cutting edge is properly defined, but lets move on to the next section.

What I Didn’t Like

Where to begin… From the moment I took this knife out of the packaging, I could tell that this was a sub-standard knife. The steel may have been decent and the blade length just right, but the final product looked and felt bad.

I have purchased other whittling knives for the same price with much a much higher quality finish to the knife from how sharp the blade is to how well the final assembled product looked and felt in the hands.

Now don’t get me wrong, this knife will indeed cut wood once sharpened up. But what I am getting at is you can buy other whittling knives that provide more value for the same price than this knife can.

Terrible Cutting Edge From Manufacture

I don’t exactly know what they did with this knife, but the edge looks like it was ground down too much, even some of the original logo that was etched on the side wasn’t visible anymore.

The cutting edge was rough and seemed like they only sharpened it up to a 400 grit sharpening stone, definitely not whittling sharp by any means.

This took a little while to grind down on my own sharpening stone and finished off on my leather strop. Nothing too bad but not something I want to do on a new knife.

Uncomfortable Handle

Lets start off from initial handling of the knife. The design of the handle was “OK” at best and left a lot to be desired. It was just a basic handle that I have seen on other knives, but nothing that I could hold on to for long periods of time.

If you have a smaller hand than I do, then maybe it will be better for you, but I have used other knives in the same price range that work much better and with a better handle.

Uneven Cutting Edge

This is what really bothered me as even the super cheap $13 whittling knives don’t have this problem. The knife edge near the handle of the handle of the knife wasn’t even ground flush to the handle and stuck out at a hard to sharpen angle.

Just look at the picture above, that isn’t in any way acceptable to me when I can buy a $13 whittling knife from Beavercraft that both comes in sharp and has a flat knife edge right to the handle. It just makes me feel like I spent too much on this knife right out of the gate.

Sub-Par Product Finish

Another thing was how the back of the knife was finished. The picture shown above and shows the metal not fully extending the length of the cut out and sticks up past the wood handle a bit. Maybe it won’t matter to some of you, but I can pick up other knives with better finish quality for the same exact price.

What to Buy Instead

FlexCut Wood Carving Knives

If you are looking for a full range of wood carving tools, look no further than FlexCut. These are truly out of the box sharp and ready to use, unlike Pfeil.

Flexcut offers a ton of different knife styles, gouges, scoops, and even some folding variants for whittling while you are traveling or camping. Their tools are in the same price range as Pfeil and provide a much better user experience overall.

Check out my full review on FlexCut Knives by clicking the link below:
https://carvingisfun.com/flexcut-review/

Butz Carving Knife

For $ a $20 knife, the Butz Carving Knife is hard to beat. It comes with a comfortable handle, high quality steel, perfect blade length and it just slices right through wood like it’s nothing.

There is one thing you need to know, this knife does need to be sharpened before use and they tell you this in the item description. Sharpening mine took very little time (especially compared to what I had to do for the Pheil knife) and you end up with an amazing blade for whittling.

Check out my full review by clicking the link below:
https://carvingisfun.com/butz-knife-review/

More Knife Reviews

If you want to see more knives I reviewed, click the link below and find what whittling knife is best for you!
https://carvingisfun.com/category/whittling-knife-review/

In an effort to find the best whittling knives on the market today, I purchased well over $500 in knives from a dozen different manufactures. Then I spent several days with each knife to see what knives come ready to use and provide the most value for the purchase price.

All of these knives were then filtered down to the following 5 knives. I Picked the best two fixed blade whittling knives, best two folding whittling knives, and a perfect all around wood working knife to fit just about every situation.

There were many many other knives that never made the list, and some of which should be avoided to save yourself valuable time, effort, and money. To see all of my reviews click the link below or at the bottom of the list:
https://carvingisfun.com/category/whittling-knife-review/

Video Review of All My Whittling Knives

Best Whittling Knives

When reviewing these knives below, I had 5 things in mind; price, edge retention, sharp out of the box, comfort, and usability. I really wanted to find you the best possible whittling knives that can be immediately used and keep using for a long period of time.

FlexCut Wood Carving Knives

For my full review, click the following link: https://carvingisfun.com/flexcut-review/

If you are getting into whittling, look no further than the FlexCut woodcarving knives. These are just about as ideal as you can get for quality and affordable whittling knives.

Right out of the box these are sharp and ready to go with no need to hone the edge. Plus, they hold their razor sharp edge for a long time so you don’t have to constantly re-hone the edge while you are whittling.

These knives are super comfortable to hold on to and come with a bunch of different blade options to choose from. I personally like picking these up in knife sets as it is cheaper than buying each knife individually.

The most convenient place to buy these are from Amazon as they have nearly every single kit and knife available from FlexCut. Plus, they are usually the cheapest place to buy them.
Click here to browse Amazon for some amazing deals on Flexcut knives!

OCC Woodcarving Knives

OCC Tools are my favorite knives to use under the $30 price range. From the quality of the blade to the different styles of grips, you can find a knife to fit your needs.

These knives come to you razor sharp and ready to whittle. I didn’t find any need to hone the blades at the beginning and they really hold up well to extended whittling sessions.

One great thing that keeps me picking up my OCC knives first is their thin blade. You can easily remove wood fast using these knives as the blade just glides almost effortlessly through the wood. This lets you shave off large sections of wood with little to no fatigue.

My favorite places to buy them from are TreelineUSA.com and TheWoodcraftShop.com. I will usually bounce between the two places to find the right blade and handle combination I want and are easy to purchase from.

Opinel Carbon Steel Folding Knives

For my full review, click the following link: https://carvingisfun.com/opinel-carbon-steel-knife-review/

My absolute favorite folding whittling knife for the money is the Opinel Carbon Steel Folding Knives. You get an absolutely wonderful knife right out of the box and has a super simple design.

Right from the start, these knives are ready to whittle with. The edge is super sharp and if you get a No. 6 or larger version, they have a blade locking feature (a must have if you ask me).

They come in several sizes, but I would only recommend picking up a size 6, 7, or 8 otherwise you risk having a blade that is too long or a handle that is too short for whittling. I myself have a No. 7 as it was a perfect fit for my hands.

A great place to buy these from is Amazon as they have all the sizes available at a great price.
Click here to check out Amazon for Opinel Knives.

FlexCut Whittlin’ Jack Folding Knife

For my full review, click the following link: https://carvingisfun.com/flexcut-whittlin-jack/

If you are looking for a high quality folding knife that is designed for whittling, the FlexCut Whittlin’ Jack may be exactly what you are looking for.

You get two razor sharp knives in this super thin pocket knife that are perfect for whittling on the go. Both knives are ready to use and require no honing to start whittling.

One of the nicest things about this knife is its portability. You can slip it into your pocket and not notice it bumping against your side while you are moving around.

There are a few things that should be mentioned, this knife can be hard to open and has no locking mechanism. This can be frustrating to some people as they may not be able to even open the knife and may be worried that it may close on their hand (hasn’t happend to me, but I use athletic tape around my fingers just in case).

I found and purchased mine on Ebay as it was the cheapest place selling them. Plus with the free shipping, it made the deal that much better. Click the link to check out the prices on Ebay: https://ebay.to/3ahrScx

If you want to compare prices to Amazon, click the link to see current prices: https://amzn.to/3KpUf9O

Mora 120 Wood Carving Knife

For my full review, click the following link: https://carvingisfun.com/mora-120-knife-review/

If you are looking for an all around high quality wood carving knife for a great price, the Morakaniv 120 is the knife for you.

This knife is razor sharp from the beginning and comes with a protective sheath to both carry and store the knife in. You may want to hone the knife just a little at the beginning, but it isn’t really needed.

One of the things I like the most is that this is a very robust knife, so you can really put some power behind your strokes without worrying about damaging the blade. With its high carbon steel core and full tang construction, this knife is going to last you many years of use.

The cheapest and best place to buy these knives shipped to your door is on Ebay. You can buy them on Amazon as well if you have Prime, but if you don’t Ebay will be your best bet. Click here to check out current prices on Ebay https://ebay.to/3ajO7i7

Or click here to pick up your Mora 120 on Amazon.

More Knife Reviews

If you want to see more knives I reviewed, click the link below and find what whittling knife is best for you!
https://carvingisfun.com/category/whittling-knife-review/

Others are looking for a great general purpose wood carving knife that you can put some power behind and easily strip off a lot of wood. Well you have come to the right place!

The Morakniv 120 is a very well designed wood carving knife with a laminated high carbon steel blade that can quickly remove wood and add fine details to your wood carving.

From its well designed blade to its comfortable handle, it will quickly become one of your favorite wood working tools and be one of the knives you reach for the most.

The Mora 120 is based off of the popular Sloyd knives and are excellent for all around wood carving. I like to pack it in my camping bag to use while on my outdoor adventures.

Quick Stats

What I Liked

At first, I thought that I wasn’t going to like this knife very much because I was use to my small and thin whittling knives, but after getting some serious whittling time with this knife I found it to be highly versatile.

The Mora 120 is perfect for medium to large whittling projects, sits comfortably in the hands, and is ready to use from the manufacture. I had no issue using it and didn’t feel that it was necessary to use my other knives to complete the wood carvings

Comfortable Handle

The first thing you will notice when holding your new Mora 120, is the smooth and comfortable birch handle. This knife handle can easily be held by larger hands and makes the tool that much easier to manipulate.

It has a nice oiled finish that won’t slip in your hands like some lacquered handles. This gives you a firm and secure grip on the knife providing maximum control as you slice away layers of wood.

Sharp and Ready to Use

I am always appreciative of manufactures that send their tools ready for immediate use. This way you know what the ideal condition is when you receive it and can easily maintain them.

The Mora 120 comes from the manufacture sharp and ready to cut through wood. There is no need to sharpen or even hone the knife once you receive your knife.

Full Tang Construction

One major thing I look for with a knife that will get heavy use is a full tang construction, and the Mora 120 has exactly that.

With this knifes full tang construction, I can continuously use the knife without any worry of the blade starting to rock or come loose. This provides the user with a highly durable knife designed for long term use.

Great Edge Retention

At the core of this knife is a high carbon steel blade hardened to RC of 59 – 60. This gives the knife excellent resilience for extended use. Plus, with it’s laminated steel design, you can easily bring the edge sharpness back with little effort.

When using this knife, I found the cutting edge able to withstand extended use without quickly dulling or chipping. I was expecting the laminated portion of the blade to dull out fast and start to loose its edge, but it holds up to whatever I am able to throw at it.

Affordable Price

This knife can commonly be found for less than $30 shipped to your door, and it is worth every penny spent on it. I have tested out a bunch of different knives and this one is provides a lot of value for the price when compared to other whittling knives.

Comes With A Sheath

It is my strong belief that all fixed blade knives should come standard with a sheath or something to store them in.

The Mora 120 comes with a basic, but handy sheath that you can attach to your belt or place in your toolbox. The sheath isn’t anything fancy and is made out of plastic, but it does exactly what you need it to do.

Easy to Sharpen

The Mora 120 comes from the factory with a very easy to maintain cutting edge with no extra bevel. This makes it extremely easy to strop and maintain a razor cutting edge to quickly cut through wood.

All I do is line up the flat portion of the blade on my leather strop and start sharpening. You don’t have to worry about any odd angles to maintain, just match the existing grind to the surface your preferred sharpening tool and start sharpening.

What I Didn’t Like

With all the benefits this knife has, there are a few drawbacks that may make t difficult for some whittlers. My main issues were with the thickness of the blade and the overall length, making it more difficult to whittle smaller details and smaller wood carvings.

Thick Knife

First thing that bothered me, the actual blade width. A thicker whittling knife can make it harder to push through the wood you are cutting as it is a thicker wedge that must be pushed between two sections of wood.

The blade thickness is about double that of other whittling knives like the Flexcut cutting knife shown above. You can really tell the difference between the two knives pictured when doing stop and push cuts. The Mora knife will only sink into the wood about half as easily as the thinner FlexCut Knife will.

This needs to be taken into consideration, especially if you are doing smaller details or smaller wood carvings.

Longer Blade

Personally, I like my whittling knives to be between 1.5″ and 2″ for maximum control and to easily allow detailed paring cuts.

The Mora 120 has a 2.4″ blade that can be a little cumbersome for easily applying small details to your whittling project. Sometimes I find that I have to wrap some athletic tape around my pointer and middle fingers so I can choke up on the blade to add in those small features with the tip of my knife.

Sheath is to Long

One of the reasons why this knife can come with a sheath for such a great price is that Morakniv uses a basic “universal” sheath for some of their knives. This same sheath can be found on the 106 and the 122.

Now since this sheath can fit multiple length knives, it is a bit long for the 120 as you can see in the picture above. It is nearly 2.5″ too long for this knife! But really that doesn’t matter too much as it does exactly what it needs to.

Tip Can Bend

This issue was just recently discovered when I was getting a bit aggressive in one of my wood carving projects (the canoe pictured at the very top of the page).

I found that I had accidentally bent the tip of the knife when I was cutting through a particularly difficult knot in the wood and noticed that some of my cuts with the tip weren’t flat anymore.

This was easily fixed by bending it back in place on a hard surface and flattening it with my 1000 grit stone, but just keep this in the back of your mind if you start cutting through a tough spot with your Mora.

Best Places to Buy Your Mora 120

These knives are available nearly everywhere wood carving knives are sold, but here are some of the places that I have found with the best prices around.

Amazon

Amazon will be most peoples go to source for these knives as they may be able to get free shipping though Amazon Prime. The prices on here are hard to beat and very competitively priced.

Click here to pick up your Mora 120 on Amazon.

Ebay

As I don’t have Amazon Prime myself, my favorite place to go to get things shipped at the absolute best price is Ebay. I can usually find these knives shipped to my door for around $27 and is hard to beat.

If you want to pick one up for yourself and check out the prices on Ebay, click here https://ebay.to/3ajO7i7

More Knife Reviews

If you want to see more knives I reviewed, click the link below and find what whittling knife is best for you!
https://carvingisfun.com/category/whittling-knife-review/

One thing that I have been lacking as of late is a nice folding knife that I can dedicate to whittling various sized pieces of wood. My other knives can do it, but they are a little too thick to be effective.

The Opinel Carbon Steel Folding Knife fills the rolls that my other pocket knives just can’t do. This knife is thin enough that you can easily strip away wood at a rapid pace and uses high quality steel that stays sharp for a long period of time. Plus, at the price that these are sold, you will be hard pressed to find a better knife in the same price range.

Quick Stats

What I Liked

I’m not going to hide the fact that I really like this knife. I like it so much that I purchased an additional sheath to carry this knife on my belt every day and it sits right next to my multi-tool wherever I go.

From knife tip to handle base, this knife has a bunch of features that make it perfect for a folding whittling knife for just about anyone!

Quality Steel

Opinel uses XC90 Carbon Steel on this specific knife series, so if you see the word “carbone” on the side of the knife it is made with carbon steal.

This is a step up from their normal stainless steel knives which is a bit softer on the RC hardness scale. The Carbon series will have a much better edge retention and you can keep whittling for much longer.

Now, there is one downside to using a steel with more carbon in it. This knife has a higher chance to patina and rust if not properly taken care of. Just wipe and clean your knife after use and you shouldn’t have any problems.

Razor Sharp Out of the Box

My knife that I received in was paper slicing sharp right out of the box. I didn’t have any need to hone the blade to start whittling away at a few basswood blocks.

These knives come from the manufacture sharp from tip to base and is immediately ready to use. The knife has a mostly flat grind on both sides and a small double bevel on the cutting edge.

Sharpening is easy and I have only needed a leather strop to keep it razor sharp after use.

Compact

I have a knife sheath designed for a 4″ folding knife that I place this in, but this is a small enough knife that you can just put in your pocket and go.

The handle is round, but it isn’t obnoxious when sitting in your pocket. Plus, since the handle is made of beachwood, it is super light weight and wont weigh down your pocket like other full metal design knives.

Comfortable Handle

If a knife handle isn’t comfortable, it isn’t likely that I will be using it for very long.

This knifes cigar shaped handle is super comfortable to hold on to and fits in my hand just right. I have no problems getting a firm grip on the knife and can easily whittle with it for hours.

Super Simple Blade Lock Design

I wasn’t sure how I would like the twist lock design at first, but now that I have used it I absolutely love it. Of all the locking knives I have used, this is the simplest and most reliable design.

Not once did I ever have to worry about the knife blade coming loose, or the safety disengaging on me. This locking mechanism has the added benefit of locking the blade in place with zero movement.

Another awesome feature is the twist lock can hold your knife closed as well! This will prevent your knife from opening in your pocket and is somewhat child-proof as well.

Affordable Price

I think that I speak for just about everyone, I want a nice and effective knife that isn’t going to cost me a lot of money.

The Opinel Carbon Steel Folding Knife series checks off all the boxes for a general whittling knife, and the price of the knife can’t be beat. I picked up my #7 knife for $15 shipped to my door and is worth every penny.

Super Thin Blade

Yes, that picture above is the side profile of the knife. Take another look and you can see the thin line that is the knife.

This thin blade allows you to effortlessly slice through wood. My Leatherman Charge and CRKT M21-14 just can’t compare when it comes to whittling. Those knives have a much thicker blade that makes it harder to make thin controlled slices with.

What I Didn’t Like

Even for a $15 knife, there was very little that I didn’t like. These are primarily nitpicky and easily remedied. None of these “issues” will stop me from carrying my Opinel and using it for whittling.

Blade Length

When whittling, you generally want a smaller blade length for more control and to add detailed cuts. The #7 Carbon Steel knife that I have is 3 – 1/8″ long, that is a bit longer than some sloyd knives on the market!

I still find it easy to whittle with and have adapted to using a longer blade much easier than I thought I would. These knives are still great for an every day whittler and just a fraction of the cost of other dedicated whittling knifes like the FlexCut Whittlin’ Jack.

Minor Chip Out of the Box

Only one thing really bothered me when using my knife for the first time, that was a very small and hardly noticeable chip in the knife edge.

I literally couldn’t see it or feel the defect in the blade, but whenever I made a slice into the wood I could see this long line on this smooth freshly cut surface.

After a few minutes of honing the knife on a leather strop with some polishing compound, the nick went away and all my cuts were nice and smooth.

More Prone to Rust

Because the knife is made of high carbon steel, you sacrifice some of the corrosion resistance for hardness. This can lead to the knife rusting if water sits on the blade for too long.

This is easily remedied by wiping off the knife after use and applying a thin layer of oil like 3-in-1 oil at the end of the day. I haven’t had an issue with mine nor do I oil mine too often. Just normal maintenance is all you need.

Best Places to Buy Your Opinel Folding Knives

I have found 3 excellent sources for these knives and you should check them all out to see who has the best price shipped to you. I personally have found Ebay to be the best price since I don’t have Amazon Prime.

Keep in mind, if you want the versions with a locking blade, select a number 6 or larger knife. The smaller versions do not have the locking blade.

Amazon

This is the go to for most people, and I always see them for a good price on here. Sometimes you have to pay shipping on top of the price listed but that would depend on the seller. Click here to check out Amazon for Opinel Knives.

Ebay

My preferred place to buy this knife is on Ebay as you can find it shipped for the listing price on Amazon. If you want to check out the current prices, click here: https://ebay.to/2DAvbQu

Knife Country USA

A wonderful option to buy these knives is the family owned and operated Knife Country USA. Their entire focus is on knives and have just about anything you could want and need that relates to knives. Click here to check out their selection of Opinel Carbon Steel Folding knives.

More Knife Reviews

If you want to see more knives I reviewed, click the link below and find what whittling knife is best for you!
https://carvingisfun.com/category/whittling-knife-review/

I’m not going to beat around the bush here, Pfeils has high quality steel but the edges they put on their knives are terrible! If you have the time to sharpen and reshape the blade, they may be worth it to you but there are better choices for the same price.

Quick Stats

Video Review

Click the link below to see my favorite knives and full overview on all of my knives:
https://carvingisfun.com/best-whittling-knives/

What I Liked

There are a few things that I liked about these knives, and if you can get over the negatives you may have a great whittling and chip carving knife on your hands.

Thin Blade

Pfeil chip carving knives have a decently thin and strong blade when compared to other knives in its price range. It may not be as thin as the FlexCut or OCC knives, but it is pretty close.

This allows for easy removal of wood and the with little force behind the blade. If you use them for chip carving, they easily sink into the wood and produce nice, clean cuts.

Perfect Blade Length

I have both the #1 and #2 chip carving knives. The #1 is more ideal for general whittling and wood removal while the #2 is designed for chip carving.

Both knives are just the right length for optimal use. Neither one is too long or too short in and is easy to control.

Good Edge Retention

Pfeil uses high quality steel in all of their tools, and these knives are no exception.

Once sharpened and honed, they retain their edge for a long period of time and aren’t too difficult to maintain the edge. But on that note, lets move on to the next section.

What I Didn’t Like

Now to the part that I’m sure some of you are curios about. Like I said at the beginning, I like Pheil’s chisels but not their knives. I had issues with their knives from tip to tip and felt that I just paid way too much for mine.

Not “Pre-Sharpened for Immediate Use”

Despite that these knives are advertised to be sharp and ready for immediate use, the edge they put on these knives are terrible. Not only was it an uneven grind, but it was super rough and wouldn’t even slice through a piece of paper.

Thankfully I had the foresight to take pictures of the #1 knife to show you, but the picture above is straight out of the packaging. What I want you to look at is the beveled edge on the knife. See how it’s uneven?!

This took a while to even out properly and will be covered below why it was such a pain to sharpen.

Handle Felt Too Simplistic

The handles on both the #1 and #2 were very simple and uncomfortable after long periods of use. They just didn’t fit the palm nicely and aggravated the hand that I broke when I was younger very quickly.

I can whittle with knives like FlexCut all day long, but I literally couldn’t do it with these knives. I had to stop and finish the wood carving another day using a more comfortable knife.

Uneven Blade Grind

This is where I was the most frustrated with my knife. The #1 knife had a terrible grind on the edge that actually prevented me from putting on an acceptable bevel on the edge!

Check out the picture above, the dark spot in the middle is where metal was actually being removed on my 400 grit stone. The lighter spots on the left and right are untouched and not sharpening.

My knife had dips in the knifes edge that actually made the straight cutting edge dip near the tip. If you look at the picture, you will see a noticeable dip in the edge right by the tip of the knife. It took me about an hour to shape and correct this issue so that I could actually use the knife.

Price

These knives can get a little expensive for some versions. I see the #1 knife range between $23 to $27 depending on where you get it and this one gave me the most problems! I can buy other knives for the same price that are perfect and ready to go right out of the box.

The #2 chip carving knife was less than $20 and is actually ok for the price that I paid for it. I just wish it came sharp like originally advertised.

What to Buy Instead

I have nearly a dozen different brands of knives from my testing and can tell you that you can get a lot more knife for the same price through other manufactures.

If you want a chisel, yes pick up a Pfeil but stay away from their knives! Here are my suggestions for knives in the same price range.

Butz Carving Knife

For $ a $20 knife, the Butz Carving Knife is hard to beat. It comes with a comfortable handle, high quality steel, perfect blade length and it just slices right through wood like it’s nothing.

There is one thing you need to know, this knife does need to be sharpened before use and they tell you this in the item description. Sharpening mine took very little time (especially compared to what I had to do for the Pheil knife) and you end up with an amazing blade for whittling.

Check out my full review by clicking the link below:
https://carvingisfun.com/butz-knife-review/

FlexCut Whittling Knives

If you are looking for a full range of wood carving tools, look no further than FlexCut. These are truly out of the box sharp and ready to use, unlike Pfeil.

Flexcut offers a ton of different knife styles, gouges, scoops, and even some folding variants for whittling while you are traveling or camping. Their tools are in the same price range as Pfeil and provide a much better user experience overall.

Check out my full review on FlexCut Knives by clicking the link below:
https://carvingisfun.com/flexcut-review/

More Knife Reviews

If you want to see more knives I reviewed, click the link below and find what whittling knife is best for you!
https://carvingisfun.com/category/whittling-knife-review/