Neck Knives

A neck knife is a small fixed blade worn on a cord under a shirt, sitting flat against the chest in a friction sheath. It solves a specific problem: you want a fixed blade, with no pivot to seize and nothing to open, but you do not want it on your belt. Everything here is hand-forged in our Memphis, Tennessee workshop.

Who actually carries one

Hunters use them as a backup when the main knife is bloody or buried in a pack. Anglers like them because there is nothing to open with wet hands. Hikers carry them because the weight is close to nothing. And a lot of people carry one simply because a two or three inch fixed blade is faster into the hand than any folder ever will be.

What makes a good one

Weight first. Anything over about four ounces stops being comfortable against the chest and starts swinging when you move. Blade length between two and three and a half inches. Full tang, because the whole reason to choose a neck knife over a folder is that there is nothing to fail. And a sheath with real retention, tested upside down before you trust it.

Carry positions

Most people wear it point down on a cord. Some clip the sheath inside a waistband, some drop it in a pocket and use the sheath as the pocket clip. All three work. If you wear it on a cord, use a breakaway.

Steel

Our Damascus is 1095 and 15N20 forge welded at 58 to 60 HRC. On a small blade that hardness matters more, not less, because there is less edge to work with. It is carbon steel and it will take a patina from skin contact, which most owners come to like.

Questions people ask

Will it sit comfortably against skin? Yes, if it is light and the sheath is properly shaped. That is why the weight limit above matters.

Is a neck knife legal to carry? It is a fixed blade, and fixed-blade carry rules differ everywhere. Please check your local law before ordering.

Can it be engraved? Yes, in house before it ships.

Related: neck knives category, everyday carry knives.