Getting into whittling or just need a good wood carving knife to accompany your other wood carving tools? Well, you came to the right spot!
A good whittling knife blade will typically be between 1.5 and 2 inches, with most people agreeing the perfect length is 1-3/4 inches long. Combine that with good steel, a thin blade, comfortable handle, and already razor sharp you have yourself a good blade!
Lets go over some of my favorites on Amazon, if you need a pocket knife instead, check out this link instead: https://carvingisfun.com/best-on-amazon/pocket-knives/
Best Overall – Flexcut Roughing Knife
If you need just one knife to rule them all (yes I like LotR, not sorry) the Flexcut KN14 Roughing knife is the first and last stop for any beginner.
This knife covers all the basics; good steel, the ideal length blade, comfortable handle, thin blade, and comes super sharp right out of the box! You will find yourself reaching for this knife quite a bit for most of your whittling projects! Pick yours up here: https://amzn.to/3xvHNnt
Best Budget – BeaverCraft Whittling Knife
Yes, the monetary budget is always something to consider. So the BeaverCraft C2 Carving Knife will be the rout many of you take!
This is a good basic whittling knife for smaller projects and still fits the criteria for a good and effective whittling knife. The only differences from this knife that you will experience from that of Flexcut is the blade is a little thicker and the handles are a little bigger.
Other than that, this is the cheapest whittling knife worth considering on Amazon. Seriously, don’t go cheaper. Pick one up here: https://amzn.to/43XUDHd
Great For Smaller Carvings – Flexcut Cutting Knife
Is the Flexcut Roughing Knife too big? Than give the KN12 Cutting knife a shot!
This is basically everything the roughing knife is, but with a 1-1/2 inch blade. I typically use this for a lot of my smaller carvings and keep it at my desk at work. Pick one up here: https://amzn.to/3vAQg8r
For Larger Hands – Flexcut Skewed Detail Knife
This is an oddball knife at a glance when compared to Flexcuts regular carving knives, but man is it nice!
For those of you who want a whittling knife to do it all, slicing, cutting, and detail work, the KN34 will do it all for you! I wouldn’t say it’s the most beginner friendly knife, but it definitely is a great option if you need it.
My favorite thing about this knife though, is the bigger handles. Sometimes the smaller standard Flexcut handles cramp up my hands after a while, but this one fits my hand much better! Pick one up here: https://amzn.to/49uSeVN
Best For Removing Lots of Wood – Flexcut Sloyd Knives
Need a really nice and durable sloyd knife to strip off a lot of wood quickly? The Flexcut Sloyd and Stub Sloyd knives are the way to go!
Both of these are great choices, but you may want to consider the length of the blades for your needs. I personally keep the KN53 Stub Sloyd at my workbench as I prefer the 2-1/2 inch blade, but some of you may want the KN50 Sloyd with its 2-7/8 inch blade.
Just a word of note, the KN53 doesn’t come with a sheath wile the KN50 does. It kinda sucks but if you look around (not on Amazon) the sheath you want is KN06.
If the flexcut sloyds fit your fancy, you can pick up the KN53 Stub Sloyd here: https://amzn.to/4aqkQRf and the KN50 Sloyd with Sheath here: https://amzn.to/49sg30j
Best Budget Sloyd – Morakniv 120 Carbon Steel
Need a good sloyd knife but at a better price than the Flexcut versions? The Mora 106 and 120 are going to be the best options for you!
These may not have the nicer finish of the Flexcut versions, but they will absolutely get the job done better than anything else that’s cheaper on Amazon. They both come with basic plastic sheaths and are razor sharp out of the box. The 106 has a 3-1/2 inch blade while the 120 has a 2.4 inch blade and is my preferred option.
This knife is probably one of the most prolific wood carving knives in the world, and with good reason. Its durable, affordable, and made with quality. You can pick up the larger 106 here: https://amzn.to/3xm3ZQM or the smaller 120 here: https://amzn.to/3TQjQyP
