Executive Knives Characterized by narrow handles, and long, slender blades, these fancier knives are more refined than the typical, broadbladed framelocks we’ve gotten used to these days. Nice and elegant, they’d fit right in when dressed in a suit or office attire, and are just what you need to create the right impression.

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But they aren’t just good looks, they are ready to throw down as well. One could even argue that these blade shapes are more useful. They have more in common with old school slipjoints than anything else. Their precision and ability to execute fine cuts in tight places are what has made these shapes useful for generations. Add in the best modern steels and locking mechanisms, and they can still get the job done today. Here are just a few of this new wave of Executive Knives that you might want to check out.

The first is the titanium framed Boker Plus Urban Trapper, a flipper designed by Brad Zinker, who has been making this style of knife for years. Like it’s namesake, the classic Trapper slipjoint pattern, the blade is a long, narrow clip point.

The materials are quite nice. VG10 steel ensures plenty of edge retention, and although you can get it without any overlays, which keeps the profile very thin, the versions with wood, G10, or carbon fiber feel and look even nicer.

Next up is the CRKT Crossbones, a design by Jeff Park. This start with a distinctive twotone aluminum handle design. A brushed satin finished shape sits higher and follows the lines of the frame, while the lowered section is anodized gray and features a diamond checkered texture giving this knife plenty of grip. It sits in the hand quite nicely and makes the knife pleasant to use.

Moving on, we come to the Real Steel Metamorph series. There are actually two tiers, the first being the G5 Metamorph. This is a front flipper design with a more deliberate opening action, and come equipped with anodized aluminum handles. A few different colors are available but I especially like the intense blue.

We see a few similarities here to the Crossbones, at least when it comes to the construction. The milled aluminum scales also features a deep carry clip and inset liner lock. It even goes a couple steps further with a semifloating backspacer and a lanyard attachment point integrated into the spine.

Stepping up the ladder we see the S5 Metamorph. It trades the aluminum duds for titanium, upgrades to S35VN blade steel, and adds a traditional flipper for even easier deployment.

All these knives so far have featured blades that sit at or near the 3.5” mark, so let’s check out a couple of smaller options.

First is the Americanbuilt Benchmade 485 Valet. It isn’t quite as fancy as some of these other knives we’ve just looked at, but the smooth gray G10 handles offer just enough class that the knife won’t look out of place wherever you carry it.

The really nice thing with the Valet is the efficiency in packaging. It has a 3inch blade and just enough handle to keep it concealed when folded up. Moreover, we get truly premium steel with Bohler’s fantastic M390.

Another example of this genre is the ArtisanCutlery Shark. Although you can get this knife with a 4inch blade, we think the 3.15” version hits the sweet spot. The nicer variants in this series are full titanium frame locks with snappy, bearingequipped flippers.

The blade itself features a nice continuous curve along the edge, and is made from premium S35VN steel with a stonewash finish which will help scratches to blend in when you actually use it. We don’t get a deep carry clip with this design. Instead, it is milled titanium, adding an extra touch of elegance.

The real standout though is the large carbon fiber inlay on the presentation side. This dignified feature looks great, and is fully contoured with the handle, for a very comfortable grip.
WE has been killing it lately; offering worldclass materials and fitandfinish for a lot less money than you would think, and the 618 is no exception. This is about as good as it gets on a production piece.

This knife has a ton of reach with a fourinch M390 blade riding on ceramic bearings. It doesn’t have a flipper, only a single thumb stud, but it is still easy to pop the blade open with very little effort, and it is held in place by the sturdy frame lock.

Of course, production companies aren’t the only ones serving up this style of knives. A number of custom makers are putting out excellent interpretations of the executive knife, including the aforementioned Brad Zinker, as well as Michael Zieba, whose MS3 flipper has become a favorite of many of us here at the Knife Center, myself included.