Many people collect bowie knives.
Their shape makes them widely recognized as top choice tools for all kinds of cutting tasks.
If you’re looking for the best bowie knife, you’ll need to look a little further than just the shape of the blade.
The best bowie knives will all have similar blades, but it’s the smaller details that make them each great in their own right.
If you’re looking for the best bowie knife on the market, you’ll need to understand what about these little details makes such a big difference.
Doing your research and reading some reviews can make the decision process easier.
Knives are important tools, and you want to make sure you have all of your information lined up before you make a purchase.
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Contents
What Exactly is a Bowie Knife?
Bowie knives were originally designed as fighting knives, but they serve so many purposes that they’ve been adopted by hunters, campers, fishermen, and even survivalists.
This is because the bowie knife is essentially a short sword, designed for easy carry or convenient portability in a holster.
The thing that makes a bowie knife recognizable as a bowie knife is the unique clip point. The point of the blade is sharp on either side.
The top of the blade dips down in a concave shape from the tang and drops into the point formed by the bottom.
This little crescent moon shape sharpened out of the blade is one feature that all new style bowie knives will share.
This unique tip makes it easy for outdoorsmen to skin rabbits or bucks. It’s also great for peeling fruit or filleting fish.
This is why so many campers and hunters prefer to carry bowie knives.
They take the place of so many other tools, and it’s all thanks to their signature design that makes them so versatile.
Finding the Best Bowie Knife
Since all bowie knives feature the same tip shape, there’s no need to consider that shape any further.
When you’re looking for the best bowie knives, you should be considering a few other factors.
Outside of the tip, the handle and the length also play huge roles in what makes a bowie knife great.
The Handle
Bowie knives are heavy. This is what gives them their durability.
In order to use a bowie knife to its fullest potential, you’ll need to find one with the right handle.
You need a solid, heavy handle to provide better balance when you’re using your knife.
Since they’re designed like swords, they’re meant for easy swinging. If the handle is too light, it can be ineffective or even dangerous to swing the handle.
An ergonomic grip and a thumb guard are also crucially important.
The last thing you want is for a heavy knife to slip out of your grip while you’re using it.
You need to be able to hang on tight while you’re using it for the sake of safety and precision.
The Length
The length of a bowie knife affects the way you’ll use it. Some bowie knives can be over 15 inches in blade length.
These are a little more difficult to wield, and larger sizes are best left for the professionals. The best bowie knives will be sized according to their intended usage.
A larger bowie knife is great for clearing through the brush, whereas a smaller bowie knife is better for hunting tasks like skinning a deer.
Trying to skin a deer with a giant bowie knife will be almost impossible, and clearing through the brush with a 5-inch blade will take way too long.
Before you decide on a size, make sure the size directly relates to the way you want to use the knife.
TOP 5 Best Bowie Knives Reviewed 2024
These are the best bowie knives in a variety of lengths and handle styles.
The top bowie knives range in size, so picking which size is the best for you will be a major factor in deciding upon the perfect knife.
Schrade SCHF45 Leroy Bowie Fixed Blade Knife
Schrade makes a ton of knives, and this is one of their top bowie knives.
The blade is 10.35 inches long with a 6.14-inch handle. The total weight of the knife is 1.31 pounds, making it hefty and giving it a lot of swinging power.
The handle is equipped with a lanyard hole, and the knife comes with a nylon fiber sheath that can attach directly to your belt.
PROS
- Handle features deep finger grooves and a textured surface for a superior grip.
- The bottom of the knife serves as a finger guard to help prevent injuries when you’re utilizing the tip of the knife.
- The blade is made of high carbon stainless steel, so it’s easy to sharpen and clean.
CONS
- Since the knife is so heavy, you might want to consider upgrading from a nylon sheath to a leather one. The nylon sheath will eventually come apart with age.
CONCLUSION
This is reasonably priced for such high-quality steel. The blade is almost a quarter of an inch thick, so it can withstand many sharpening sessions before wear and tear will get the better of it.
It’s built to the same specifications as competitive bowie knives that will sometimes sell for twice as much.
If you’re enticed by top-dollar bowie knives but don’t want to contend with such a high price tag, you’ll find that this one is a great compromise.
Timber Rattler Western Outlaw Bowie Knife
This is an 11 3/8 inch bowie knife with a full tang and an intricately crafted gray hardwood handle.
The handle is affixed to the blade with brass rivets, and the pommel is designed to prevent your hand from slipping while you use it.
The front of the handle features a dual-direction thumb guard for extra safety, and the slight curvature of the handle gives your fingers a place to rest.
PROS
- Comes with a full leather sheath that hooks right onto the thumb guard.
- The knife weighs almost two pounds. The weight combined with the height makes this bowie knife perfect for swinging and chopping.
- This is like a combination of a bowie knife and a machete.
- You can swing it and process wood with it, and then turn around and skin a hog with the same tool.
CONS
- This bowie knife is too large to use for fine detail work. You couldn’t use it to skin a squirrel or a rabbit.
CONCLUSION
This is the best bowie knife for the money. This boasts incredible quality for a price that is almost shockingly low.
You wouldn’t expect to get such a durable, lengthy bowie knife for such an inexpensive price.
The craftsmanship of the handle alone is like something you would see on a knife that costs five times the price, making this knife an unbelievable deal.
If you need a bowie knife that’s a little on the longer side, you’d be a fool not to buy this one.
Night Stalkers Marine Force Recon Bowie Sawback Knife
The length of this blade is an astounding 12.2 inches. If you’re a fan of giant bowie knives, they don’t get much larger than this one.
The blade and the thumb guard are made of high-quality 440 stainless steel.
This is one of few bowie knives that offers a wide variety of cutting surfaces that turn in into one of the most versatile tools available.
If you want a bowie knife that doubles as a survival knife, look no further.
PROS
- The top of the clip tip features a serrated edge that’s perfect for sawing through rope or thin branches, and it features a full saw back for even heftier cutting work.
- Holes through the center of the blade make it a little more aerodynamic while swinging the knife. It also cuts down on the weight without reducing the durability of the knife.
- The blade is coated with a diamond texturized rubber-coated grip that’s rated for high friction durability. It won’t slide around in your palm.
CONS
- The included sheath is made of nylon. A nylon sheath may last for a few months of constant carrying, but you’ll eventually want to replace it with a more durable material like leather.
CONCLUSION
Not only is this a top-rated bowie knife, but it’s also very cheap. This is an absolute bargain buy, and it’s perfect for people who want a bowie knife they can use in place of a machete or a hatchet.
It’s great for processing wood and clearing brushes, and the variety of cutting surfaces means you can do more with less.
If you like to camp or hike, this is definitely a bowie knife you’ll want to bring with you. You’d be lost without it.
Winchester Large Bowie Knife
This is a compact bowie knife that’s very easy to carry with you. The blade is 8.57 inches long and made out of surgical-grade stainless steel.
Small bowie knives are ideal for precision work.
If you have small tasks you want to get to and you need a knife that functions more as a specialty tool for fine work, this bowie knife is the perfect size for those applications.
PROS
- Wooden handle features precisely etched finger grooves and a steep pommel for a great grip.
- Pins that affix the handle to the blade and the thumb guard are made of brass.
- The perfect size for skinning a doe or even a rabbit. This is great for the hunter who cares about precision, specifically if you intend to tan the hides and need them looking clean.
CONS
- The knife is only ¾ tang. It’s almost as secure as a full tang knife, but it would be inadvisable to use this as a throwing knife or for any other activity that involves shock and rebound.
CONCLUSION
This is the best bowie knife for all of the small stuff. You can still process wood and cut tree branches with it, but the biggest advantage is the precision you’ll be able to get from the perfect point of the blade.
You can skin an orange with it just as easily as you could skin a squirrel, making this an excellent choice for the avid hunter.
Ridge Runner Executive Wooden Bowie Knife
If you’re in search of a bowie knife that’s sized perfectly for a regular carry tool, you’ll be really impressed by this model.
The blade itself is a modest 5 inches, which lends itself to the ease of use of this blade. At size this compact, you could even utilize the fine point for things like wood carving.
This knife is more than durable – it’s also a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship.
PROS
- Handle features finger grooves to improve grip, as well as decorative hardwood inlays that keep the metal from becoming too slippery.
- Blade is made of high-grade steel and boasts a full tang.
- Knife is lightweight, making it easy to work with on detail-oriented projects. Your hand won’t get tired.
CONS
- Included sheath is made of nylon material.
CONCLUSION
This is somewhere between a bowie knife and a pocket knife. It doesn’t fold, but it’s certainly a lot more portable than most other bowie knives.
This can be used for home defense or even woodworking. The small size makes the point especially precise, and you’ll be able to use it for fine details.
Which Bowie Knife Should You Buy?
The best bowie knife will be different for everyone. Just be sure that the knife you choose is one you can actually picture yourself using on a regular basis.
Bowie knives are versatile tools, and you shouldn’t settle for a knife that won’t perform for you. There is no doubt, that some of these are also great knives for bushcraft and survival.
Whichever knife you decide on, make sure you regularly sharpen and maintain the edge. So choosing one of the best knife sharpeners might just help you a lot.
A little bit of time every now and then can keep your knife holding on strong for many years to come.
Bowie knife isn’t the style you are looking for? Take a look at the best Kershaw knives we have reviewed.