The most important tool for whittling is your knife, and a poor quality knife or one not meant for wood carving can ruin the whole experience.
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/
| Average Price | $18 – $23 per tool |
| Rockwell Hardness (RC) | 59 – 61 |
| Comes Sharp | Yes |
| Comfortable Handle | Yes |
| Recommended For Beginners | Yes |
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
| Average Price | $23 – 28 per tool |
| Rockwell Hardness (RC) | 59 – 61 |
| Comes Sharp | Yes |
| Comfortable Handle | Yes (different varieties too) |
| Recommended For Beginners | Yes |
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/
| Average Price | $15 – $20 |
| Rockwell Hardness (RC) | 57-59 |
| Comes Sharp | Yes |
| Comfortable Handle | Yes |
| Recommended For Beginners | Yes |
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/
| Average Price | $45-58 |
| Rockwell Hardness (RC) | 59-61 |
| Comes Sharp | Yes |
| Comfortable Handle | Yes |
| Recommended For Beginners | Maybe |
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/
| Average Price | $25 – $30 |
| Rockwell Hardness (RC) | 59 – 60 |
| Comes Sharp | Yes |
| Comfortable Handle | Yes |
| Recommended For Beginners | Yes |
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/