Best Whittling Knife for Your Wooden Crafts in 2023 (Reviews and Comparison)

1. Morakniv 120 Carving Knife

A thin, laminated carbon steel knife that is specialized in woodcarving. Perfect for professional woodcarvers and arts-and-crafts hobbyists. Comes with its own sheath and can be ordered as a gift in a woodcarving kit.

Morakniv brought woodcarvers a laminated steel carving knife with their 120 knife model. The steel is laminated with a carbon alloy which helps the blade become durable against hardwood despite how thin the blade is. The handle is made of oiled birch wood that is smoothed for a comfortable grip with an outer-curved edge for steady carving. It even comes with its own sheath to protect your body while carrying it on your person.

When you hold it in your knife, this Morakniv carving knife is very light, thanks to having a thin, sharp blade. And after you are done carving wood, the knife can be hand washed with a damp, soapy cloth or with a sponge and water.

What makes it a heartwarming gift is that the knife can be purchased in a woodcarving kit with a Dala horse. Or it can be purchased on its own if you need a replacement carving knife that can withstand strong wood.

This knife is perfect for many occasions. While it’s not suitable for hunting, it can still help you carve into any kind of wood shape and any thin and thick wood on the go, at home, or in the woodshop.

A foldable pocket knife designed for outdoor labor made out of carbon steel. Great for woodcarvers and arts-and-crafts hobbyists that work outside.

Following down the line, Opinel offers their model No.8 carving knife specialized for the outdoors. The blade is made of carbon steel that is sturdy against hardwood and tough rope. Instead of a long, rounded handle, the handle is formed for a better grip with inner curves in the middle. And it’s made of beech wood to last longer as it ages.

The carving knife does not need a sheath to be carried around. The handle functions as one while the blade folds inwards. And to prevent it from slipping out of the handle, it has a virobloc locking ring at the tip.

While the handle functions well, the blade reveals to have a breakable tip. In a pocket knife’s design, the upper part of the knife’s tip is curved inward with a line indent. This helps indicate to the user that the blade should be pulled at that area. The curve makes the top thinner while the rest is thicker, leaving it vulnerable to wood carving against any thick wood. To prevent this, start from the inward curve on the bottom of the blade when carving.

This knife is best for woodcarving outdoors and whittling thinner pieces of wood.

A carbon steel carving knife designed with a wooden sloyd handle. The blade is best used on flat wood. A good beginner’s whittling knife to use in wood workshops. Comes with a leather sheath.

Up next, we have a whittling knife from BeaverCraft. Like the previous two knives, the blade is mended from carbon steel, while the handle is natural wood. The knife design is known as sloyd. Its name comes from the handle having outer curves in the middle while both sides have inward curves. The blade is also in the middle of the handle’s edge. And to carry it around, it comes with a leather sheath.

The sloyd handle also gives the knife its drawbacks. While it is made for hand comfort, the blade suffers from its design. Because it’s in the middle of the handle instead of inserted on one side, it can leave behind rough carved edges on wooden crafts. This knife is best used with a flat piece of wood than a round one as the straight lines can help you adjust the blade while carving.

On the bright side, this knife is best suited for workshops for beginners in training to become professional woodcarvers.

A dual folding knife that can be used for carving on the go. Best used for survival to create a small shelter and whittling sticks into stakes. Comes with a detailing knife and the other for roughing. Also great for wood-carving hobbyists on the go.

Now we are heading into multi-blade territory with the carving blades. The first one we have is Flexcut with their Whittlin’ Jack. It’s a foldable knife with not just one but two carbon steel blades. Both blades are 4 inches long while they have two different thicknesses. The first blade is a detailed knife, and the other is a roughing knife.

Having two foldable blades are great for outdoorsmen who enjoy traveling. However, the blades can’t be locked into the handle. For your safety, order an additional sheath to prevent any bodily harm.

Its handle also doesn’t have the best grip for hands, either. The top curve of the handle is comfortable on the palm. On the other hand, the bottom is designed for the insertion of the knife’s folding blades. This leaves an awkward grip for the fingers while trying not to let one of the blades slip from the handle.

This knife is best for survival to create a small shelter out of wood or whittling makeshift stakes. And while durable, they are not best for full-time woodcarvers but best for carving hobbyists who want to craft something on the go.

Our second foldable knife and our last whittling knife is Old Timer’s 44OT Workmate Foldable Multi-knife. Compared to Flexcut’s dual foldable knife, the 44OT Workmate carries 4 knives in one handle. All of them are made of carbon stainless steel to prevent any cleaning. And these knives are used for outdoor activities, including camping, hunting, and carving.

You may think a handle storing 4 knives inside may be heavy. Surprisingly, the 44OT Workmate’s blades are not only capable of giving a sharp cut on wood, but they are also lightweight. And they are slip-proof as the springs are heat-treated to be kept securely inside of the handle.

You do have to be careful with picking your knives out of the handle. On each side of the handle, there are two blades stored inside. It does have the same verdict as the Whittlin’ Jack. This knife is best for survival rather than carving wood. And with 4 different knives, it gets bonus points for having a blade that is useful for skinning animals.