By Christopher Cogley
Year after year, the knife industry continues to evolve. And 2025 is going to be no exception. One of the biggest changes you’ll see as you browse the knife booths at SHOT this year is subtle, but possibly profound. Everyday carry knives continue to be among the most prominent products in most knife companies’ offering, but the style of those EDCs is slowly turning away from the utilitarian to one that is distinctly more tactical. While these EDC knives can still pull everyday duties, more and more they’re also complementing consumers’ personal protection gear. This new trend doesn’t mean, however, there is a shortage of hunting, fishing, and traditional EDC knives that you’ve come to expect from these prominent knife manufacturers. So, make sure you make your way to each of their booths, and you can be sure you’ll find a wide selection of the knives your customers have been asking for.
5.11
5.11 will be featuring its Pryme Double Duty DP folder in 2025. Featuring a 3.25-inch blade made from 420J stainless steel, the Pryme Double Duty has a rugged, sturdy construction, which allows it to tackle nearly any job thrown its way. Adding to its versatility, the Double Duty has a built-in pry bar extension of the tang. Designed as an alternative to a multi-tool on law enforcement officers’ belts, the Double Duty has a robust G10 handle and a deep, reversible pocket clip. SRP: $80.
During the 2025 SHOT Show, find them in: Booth #72448
Website: 511tactical.com
Bear & Son Cutlery
The Bear OPS model MC-1000-ALBK-B has a 3.25-inch blade made from 14C28N steel with a black carbide finish and quick-release thumb stud. The drop-point blade is housed in a black aluminum handle with a slide-lock release mechanism. The U.S.-made knife weighs in at 3.1 ounces. SRP: $90.
During the 2025 SHOT Show, find them in: Booth #12865
Website: bearandsoncutlery.com
Benchmade
Benchmade continues its commitment to quality with several new knives set to release in 2025. Among them is an upgrade to Benchmade’s popular Bugout knife. The new Bugout has a chassis built with premium blade steel and a bolstered/onlay design. As part of its new Blue Class offering, the Bugout has a 3.24-inch CPM-S90V stainless-steel blade and an Ash Gray aluminum handle with Redstone Richlite Onlay. (SRP: $400).
Benchmade is also expanding its Water Class collections with the Adira (SRP: $260) and Mini Adira (SRP: $240). Both knives feature MagnaCut steel blades housed in Benchmade’s Grivory handles, which offer a sure grip even with wet hands. The Adira has a 3.9-inch blade while the Mini Adira has a 3.2-inch blade. Both have the saltwater blue finish that has come to define Benchmade’s Water Class Collection.
During the 2025 SHOT Show, find them in: Booth #13460
Website: benchmade.com
Buck
Buck is expanding its EDC offering in a big way for 2025 with several new knives covering a wide range of price points. At the top of the list is the 791 Range Elite (SRP: $220) with a 3.4-inch MagnaCut drop-point blade. For those looking for a slightly smaller option, Buck is also releasing the Mini Range Elite with a 2.6-inch MagnaCut blade (SRP: $210). Both knives have anodized aluminum handles and are available in gray, olive green, or black. Adding to the prestige of the Mini Range, these are the first knives in Buck’s offering to feature a Cross Bar Lock mechanism.
Buck is also releasing the Range Pro (SRP: $125) and Mini Range Pro ($115). Both of these knives also feature the Cross Bar Lock and are available in the same colors as the Range Elite knives. To meet a lower price point, the blades on the Range Pro knives are made from 154CM steel instead of the MagnaCut and feature glass-filled nylon handles. The Range Pro has a 3.4-inch blade while the Mini has a 2.6-inch blade.
During the 2025 SHOT Show, find them in: Booth #13651
Website: buckknives.com
Coast
The new Founder’s Series of knives pay tribute to Coast founder Henry W. Brands, who was always a proponent of knives that are as functional as they are stylish. And the Founder’s series certainly checks both those boxes. All of the knives in the line feature a slim design not much wider than a fountain pen to make it easy to carry unnoticed in anything from work jeans to a three-piece suit. The line includes two different knives and five different styles and price points. Both styles of the Founder’s Series Select feature 3-inch tanto-style blades that deploy with a flip tab. While the standard Select ($50) has a micarta handle, the Select Titanium ($90) features a titanium handle. The Origin and the Origin Damascus both have a 3.35-inch stiletto-style blade made from 9Cr18Mov steel. The Origin ($50) has a stainless-steel handle with a flat finish while the Damascus ($100) has a stainless-steel handle with a Damascus-style finish. Rounding out the offering is the Origin Tanto that features the same design as the other two Origin knives but features a tanto-style blade ($50).
During the 2025 SHOT Show, find them in: Booth #11223
Website: coastportland.com
Cold Steel
Cold Steel is adding to its EDC selection with the new Frenzy II folder. The Frenzy II features a 3.5-inch sheepfoot blade made from 3V steel with a solid black PVD finish. The G-10 handle has finger indentions all along its length providing for a much surer grip on the knife. Designed to be suitable for a wide range of everyday uses, as well as an ideal outdoor or survival knife, the Frenzy features Cold Steel’s popular Tri-Ad locking mechanism. SRP: $170.
During the 2025 SHOT Show, find them in: Booth #12865
]Website: coldsteel.com
Columbia River Knife and Steel
Columbia River Knife & Tool is launching its first OTF knife. Designed by innovative knifemaker Brian Tighe and made in the U.S. in collaboration with Hogue Knives, the CRKT Twist Tighe Compact is a formidable knife with the stylish looks to match. The Twist Tighe Compact features a 2.65-inch MagnaCut steel spear-point blade that is released with the simple slide of the double-action lever, which also retracts the blade. The blade is housed in a carbon-fiber handle with a stylish Twist camo pattern that’s as distinctive as the knife itself. Available in three models, the Twist Tighe Compact weighs a mere 1.6 ounces (SRP: $300).
CRKT is also launching a new version of one of its most popular EDC knives. The M16-03XK is based on the body and blade shape of other members of this iconic collection, but this latest version features the Cross Bar locking mechanism with the IKBS ball-bearing pivot deployment system for even smoother and easier one-handed opening. The spear-point blade is made from D2 steel and the handle is made from Grivory—an aircraft-grade thermoplastic that provides a sure grip in any condition. SRP: $110.
During the 2025 SHOT Show, find them in: Booth #10960
Website: crkt.com
Outdoor Edge
The Razor APX takes advantage of Outdoor Edge’s popular RazorSafe platform and incorporates it into a fixed-blade hunting knife. Available with either a 3- or a 2.5-inch blade, the Razor APX features removable silicone scales on the handle that allow hunters to store up to five interchangeable blades to make it easy to have replacement blades readily at hand. The 2.5-inch model ($60) comes with five black oxide-coated drop-point blades. The 3-inch version ($80) includes three black oxide-coated drop-point blades, two caping blades, and one stainless-steel blade as well as a 3-inch bone saw blade. The skeleton handle is made from titanium-coated stainless steel with anodized aluminum honeycomb webbing.
During the 2025 SHOT Show, find them in: Booth #70933
Website: outdooredge.com
SOG
SOG is adding to its impressive repertoire of tactical knives with the new Gambit XL fixed-blade knife. Forged as a single solid piece, the Gambit is made from Cryo AUS10A steel with a black stonewash finish. The Karambit talon-shaped blade is 4 inches long, and the handle is wrapped in survival paracord. The Gambit features a large finger hole at the butt of the handle and pronounced finger choils on the spine. SRP: $130.
During the 2025 SHOT Show, find them in: Booth #12669
Website: sogknives.com
W.R. Case
Case is launching its new Baby Doc collection in 2025. The collection includes 13 different styles with various handle materials. These limited-edition knives feature a 2.2-inch blade and a 2.25-inch blunt-ended spatula. The Baby Doc knives are a smaller version of the knives that doctors once carried as a tool to do everything from cutting bandages and sutures to crushing pills and mixing medicine. The blades are from Tru-Sharp surgical steel. SRP: $64-$115, depending on the handle material.
Case is also releasing its new Crossroads Series Sod Buster Jr. knife this year. Reminiscent of the folding knives carried by early settlers, the Sod Buster Jr. is outfitted with the latest in handle materials to give a practical application to a timeless design. The 2.8-inch blade is made from S35VN steel with a stonewash finish. Available with either wood laminate or G-10 handles. SRP: $85. caseknives.com
During the 2025 SHOT Show, find them in: Booth #10538
Website: caseknives.com
You may also be interested in:
Find more articles like this in the 2025 SHOT Show Day 3 SHOT Daily:
