Folding knives are not traditionally known as throwing knives. For one, a throwing knife is supposed to be a single slab of metal built in a streamlined shape, and even the best folding throwing knives have trouble addressing that problem. Secondly, while there are some throwing knives that have plastic handles, we have recommended in the past that you remove those handles and use the knife without them (or replace it with a cord grip).
Knife throwing depends as much on the knife as they do on the thrower. In fact, even a professional knife thrower will have trouble throwing a pocket knife, as the pocket knife comes under the section of utility knives as opposed to sport knives. Our list of best folding throwing knives should help address that.
So, while we won’t recommend that you throw a folding knife, it is still possible for you to do so. As such, I have gone ahead and listed some of my favorite folding knives that I have found to be adequate for throwing.
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Our Folding Throwing Knife Recommendations
Remember that before you purchase one of these knives, they are never going to be as great as dedicated throwing knives. For example, when we covered the best no spin throwing knives, those knives included everything from a well-rounded option to a serviceable no-spin throwing knife that you could get for the lowest price.
Here, these knives are going to be at best adequate for throwing. Still, if you have a penchant for folding knives and you would like to be able to throw them too, the following models should get the job done.
Here are four folding knives that you can use as throwers:
- Overall Best: 556 Benchmade Pardue Mini-Griptilian
- Easiest to learn: Spyderco Endura 4
- Cheapest: SOG Flash II
- Intermediate / Expert Choice: Spyderco Tenacious
Folding Throwing Knife Choices
Overall Best: 556 Benchmade Pardue Mini-Griptilian
There are two reasons why I think the Pardue Mini-Griptilian is the best folding throwing knife overall. For one, it is a great folding knife. And second, it is very durable.
Benchmade Griptilian series knives come with a limited lifetime warranty, although I doubt using the knife as a thrower would still allow you to claim it. More importantly, the knife was designed by Mel Pardue, a household name in the knifemaking industry known for making his own steel by hand. While I still won’t rate him in the same category as Gil Hibben, he is not that far behind.
WIth a glass-reinforced nylon handle, the Mini-Griptilian comes with an axis lock, allowing it to fold and unfold with ease. As for throwing, it managed to survive a day of rigorous testing, and that alone warrants it a special place in the world of folding throwing knives.
With a rating on Amazon of 4.6 out of 5 stars, I found the Mini-Griptilian to be the only knife that allowed me to perform somewhat close to how I do with standard throwing knives. However, it was almost impossible to hit the target at longer distances.
Still, if you want a utility knife that can also be hurled at targets from short distances, the 556 Benchmade Pardue Mini-Griptilian is my recommendation.
Easy to Learn: Spyderco Endura 4
Spyderco Endura 4 is the folding knife that I found the easiest to get accustomed to (while throwing). This is mainly because it has a longer handle than usual, giving you more control when throwing it. However, that can also be a problem when trying to perform advanced throwing techniques (such as those with multiple spins).
On top of that, while it is easy to pick up the knife, it is also easy to break it. I had to stop my testing a little bit early as the handle and the blade snapped in two.
The overall rating for this knife on Amazon is 4.7 out of 5, a testament to its quality as a folding knife. As such, I would suggest that if you are someone that only occasionally wants to throw their folding knife, you should get the Spyderco Endura 4.
Cheapest: SOG Flash II
I won’t say that the Flash II is the ideal option for a throwing knife. The main reason for that is that it is simply too lightweight for you to be very accurate. Still, it is durable enough to get the job done. Pretty much all of the other knives I found in this price range broke within the first few minutes of testing. This one lasted for almost two hours before snapping.
It may not be the best knife in the market, but this is the most affordable. It can be considered a good folding throwing knife option if you are on an extremely tight budget.
Expert Choice: Spyderco Tenacious Folding Knife
I found the G10 laminate handle on the Syperco Tenacious to be very fun for throwing. It makes the knife extremely easy to grip and allowed me to practice all the throwing techniques with ease. Spyderco Tenacious Plain Edge is a very durable folding throwing knife with a 4.7 out of 5 rating on Amazon.
While it uses the 8CR13MOV stainless steel (known for being low-end), the Tenacious is perfect for throwing in terms of weight, and it didn’t break even after a full day of testing. If this was a single slab of steel, I get the feeling that it would be one of my favorite throwing knives.
Choosing a Folding Throwing Knife (Beyond Looks)
Since folding knives are not meant to be thrown, you need to be extra careful when purchasing them with the intention of throwing them. Here are some of the things that you need to be on the lookout for.
Size and Weight
Size is very essential when buying a folding throwing knife since how you will throw the knife also depends on the size of the knife. To be honest, the size is a personal preference, and you should purchase one that feels right in the hand. If you have knives laying around, then you will know what you prefer and what you don’t. I usually prefer smaller knives when it comes to throwing knives, and I found that this preference still existed when picking folding knives.
For the weight, I usually found folding knives between 4-5 ounces to be perfect for throwing. Still, once again, this is a personal preference, and you should test various knives to form your own conclusion.
Quality & Durability
Folding knives break very easily when thrown. They usually snap in the area that connects the blade to the handle. As such, durability should be your first priority when considering which knife you should purchase.
As you will have read above, two of the knives we recommend still broke under testing. Even the two that didn’t will probably break if I use them for a little while. As such, make sure that you get the most durable option available (if you can afford it), and be prepared to replace it as it will still probably break at some point.
Style and Shape
Having tested an assortment of knives, I found the four choices mentioned above to be streamlined enough to be thrown accurately (although to varying degrees).
Overall, the things you need to watch out for are whether or not the knife has a shape that would allow it to travel through the air and spin, and whether or not the knife has a tip sharp enough to make it stick to the target.
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