What’s the Best Bowie Knife?
A Bowie knife is a must-have on any outdoorsman's packing list. Flexible, reliable, and durable, it's the most-relied-on knife in the world.
And if you're looking for the best Bowie Knife, you've come to the right place. But don't take our word for it - we've canvassed the twenty most respected fixed-blade experts in the world and put together a list of their 50 most recommended blades.
How do our Bowie knife reviews work?
Everyone's got an opinion, and everyone has a website, so how are you to know what the best products are when you're prepping?
The Intelligent Prepper believes in wisdom of the crowds and unbiased reporting. So we canvass the world's most trusted experts for any given prepping product or service, and we tell you what they think. What the consensus is.
It's like Rotten Tomatoes for survival gear.
How many bowie knife reviewers did we canvass?
Everyone has an opinion on the best Bowie knives, so we had no trouble finding a ton of experts on the reliable blade. We surveyed the world's top twenty experts, and they in turn had opinions on fifty different knives.
What does Alex think of the recommendations?
The most recommended bowie knives
So which Bowie knives did the experts recommend most? There's a surprising amount of consensus at the top with a lot of outliers or personal favourites. Sixteen of our twenty experts recommended the Ontario Spec Plus Marine Raider Bowie Knife, while fourteen tipped the Timber Rattler Western Outlaw Full Tang Bowie Knife.
KA-bar, the USMC favorite, claims two of the top seven spots with the Ka-Bar Becker BK9 Combat Bowie Fixed Blade Knife and KA-BAR Full Size US Marine Corps Fighting Knife each claiming 55% recommendations.
Have a play around with the sortable table then skip down to see in depth reviews of the seven Bowie knives recommended by at least half the experts.
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The seven best Bowie knives
Let's take a deeper look at the top seven most recommended Bowie knives. Each blade has its own pros and cons, and we'll give the the consensus opinion about each.
Consensus opinion of the Ontario Spec Plus Marine Raider Bowie Knife
Built by Ontario, a trusted global brand, the Spec Plus Marine Raider is an affordable Bowie knife that delivers great bang for the buck. It's exceptionally well made for the price.
Pros | Cons |
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Consensus opinion of the Timber Rattler Western Outlaw Full Tang Bowie Knife
The Timber Rattler Western Outlaw is a great looking knife that anyone can afford. Because it's so big, though, it may not be suitable for everyone.
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Consensus opinion of the SOG Super Bowie Fixed Blade SB1T-L Raider Bowie Knife
Very high quality blade with a gorgeous leather handle. If you can afford the SOG Super Bowie Knife, and you like hunting, this is a great option.
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Consensus opinion of the Buck Knives 124 Frontiersman Fixed Blade Knife
Backed by Buck's famous forever warranty, the highly versitile 124 Frontiersman is perfect for a wide variety of heavy duty tasks.
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Consensus opinion of the Ka-Bar Becker BK9 Combat Bowie Fixed Blade Knife
One of the best large blades around, the mid-priced Ka-Bar Becker BK9 is top of the class for chopping and wood processing, and it looks and feels great.
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Consensus opinion of the Schrade SCHF45 Leroy 16.5in High Carbon S.S. Full Tang Fixed Blade Knife
Good enough for most, the Schrade SCHF45 is a good entry level knife. Its full-tang blade is made of titanium, which ensures durability.
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Consensus opinion of the KA-BAR Full Size US Marine Corps Fighting Knife
The most famous knife in the world, the KA-BAR USMC fighting knife is a classic. It's easy to maintain and handle, though it's not full tang.
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