10 Best MagnaCut Knives of 2026
In 2026, basically every knife company is making knives with MagnaCut blades on one hand. We have an entire article explaining what’s the big deal with MagnaCut, but in short, it’s really tough, really rust resistant, and holds its edge darn near forever. It’s one of the best blade steels on the market! Here, you’ll find the best knives you can get today that feature MagnaCut!
In This Article
- Best MagnaCut Knife – Kershaw Bel-Air
- Best MagnaCut Folding Knife – Benchmade Mini Crooked River
- Best MagnaCut Automatic Knife – Pro-Tech Duke 2
- Best MagnaCut Fixed Blade Knife – Gerber Strongarm Camp
- Best MagnaCut Budget Knife – Bestechman Dundee
- Best MagnaCut High-End Knife – Chris Reeve Sebenza 31
- Best MagnaCut Outdoor Knife – Spyderco Manix 2 Salt
- Best MagnaCut EDC Knife – Hogue Mysto
- Best MagnaCut Tactical Knife – Cold Steel Recon M1
- Best MagnaCut Hunting Knife – Buck Alpha Guide
- Learn More: All About MagnaCut
- FAQs
1. BEST MAGNACUT KNIFE – Kershaw Bel-Air
A simple knife that lends itself to all sorts of cutting tasks!
Features:
- Slicey flat-ground blade available in multiple blade styles
- Ambidextrous DuraLock is strong and one-hand operable
- Drop-shut action thanks to tuned bearing pivot
2. BEST MAGNACUT FOLDING KNIFE – Benchmade Mini Crooked River
A classy folder that cuts as good as it looks!
Features:
- Dual thumb studs complement the AXIS lock for a fully ambidextrous knife
- Micarta handle scales are both grippy and look better with time and use
- Reversible pocket clip with lanyard hole for customization
3. BEST MAGNACUT AUTOMATIC KNIFE – Pro-Tech Duke 2
Tactical action meets pocketable design!
Features:
- Flat-ground drop point blade excels at many cutting tasks
- Solid metal construction can take a serious beating
- Tip-up pocket clip with recessed screws for easy pocketing
4. BEST MAGNACUT FIXED BLADE KNIFE– Gerber Strongarm Camp
No-frills user with one of the best sheaths on any knife!
Features:
- Full-length tang is tough and provides a strike pommel
- Rubberized plastic handle is lightweight and ergonomic
- Ambidextrous sheath with many attachment methods
5. BEST MAGNACUT BUDGET KNIFE – Bestechman Dundee
Buttery smooth action for under $100!
Features:
- EDC-friendly blade profile with slick bearing pivot
- Simple and sturdy liner lock for safe use
- Reversible pocket clip accommodates righties and lefties
6. BEST MAGNACUT HIGH-END KNIFE – Chris Reeve Sebenza 31
The original grail knife!
Features:
- Gently hollow ground blade is slicey and built for a lifetime
- Luxury titanium handle scales with ceramic lockbar insert
- Made with aerospace-grade tolerances
7. BEST MAGNACUT OUTDOOR KNIFE – Spyderco Manix 2 Salt
Stout folder that wants to go to work!
Features:
- Easy one-hand opening thanks to round hole opener
- Crisp action and supreme lock strength from ball bearing lock
- Hair-splitting sharpness from laser-guided robot sharpening
8. BEST MAGNACUT EDC KNIFE – Hogue Mysto
Slim in the pocket, substantial in the hand!
Features:
- Thin and slicey blade gobbles up every day cutting tasks with ease
- Ambidextrous ABLE-Lock is strong and fidgety
- Reversible deep-carry pocket clip for righties and lefties
9. BEST MAGNACUT TACTICAL KNIFE – Cold Steel Recon M1
A tactical classic upgraded with MagnaCut!
Features:
- DLC-coated blade offers low-visibility cutting power.
- Textured G-10 handle gives you a secure grip of the knife even when gloved.
- Super-strong Tri-Ad lock can tolerate chopping, prying, and more.
10. BEST MAGNACUT HUNTING KNIFE – Buck Alpha Guide Elite
Break down game all season and still be sharp at the end!
Features:
- Drop point blade is great for skinning, butchering, and deboning.
- Textured G-10 handle scales remain grippy even when wet or bloody
- Lightweight Kydex sheath for belt or bag carry
Learn More: All About MagnaCut
MagnaCut is a fascinating steel with a pretty cool backstory. If you want to get into the nitty gritty details, watch our YouTube video below to learn more about how it came into being!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is MagnaCut?
CPM MagnaCut is a stainless steel developed specifically for knives. It’s what we call a "Balanced Steel," meaning it offers a balance of respectable edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance. There are plenty of steels that will outperform it in one or two of these areas, but none outperform it in all three. That makes it a great choice for knives of all shapes and sizes!
Is MagnaCut the best knife steel?
While MagnaCut is a great steel, there is no such thing as a "best knife steel." MagnaCut offers a great balance of traits. But there are other steels that are better for certain applications. You can learn more about various knife steels on our Knife Steel Guide.
What is the best MagnaCut HRC?
Crucible Industries, the manufacturer of MagnaCut, recommends a hardness of 62-63 HRC to get the advertised performance. That said, many makers have chosen to harden it to 63-65 HRC to get more edge retention, but this comes at the cost of some toughness.
Is MagnaCut easy to sharpen?
Not compared to many other blade steels. Because of its high finished hardness and wear resistance, it can be a challenge to sharpen MagnaCut. If you’re having a hard time with it, try bonded diamond plates. Even the hardest blade steels are way softer than diamonds, so that will make your sharpening experience much better.
What is MagnaCut comparable to?
MagnaCut is a "balanced steel," meaning it has a balance of edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance. Other steels in this category include, but are not limited to, CPM S35VN, Vanax, CTS XHP, and CPM 154. Each of these steels has slightly different characteristics from MagnaCut, and each of them has their place.
Does MagnaCut Rust?
Not easily. It offers some of the best corrosion resistance of any blade steel, and that makes it a favorite of knives used in and around water. But it’s not corrosion proof. If you’re cutting open car batteries in a vat of salty and electrified hydrogen peroxide (I don’t know why you would), MagnaCut absolutely will rust. But with normal use, rust should not be an issue!
Is MagnaCut Worth It?
MagnaCut isn’t much more expensive than other super-steels, and like other super-steels, it’s overkill for most people’s knife needs. If you like knowing you have a steel that can withstand it all, then yes, it’s worth it. If you aren’t a steel snob and just need something to make the odd cut now and then, it might be worth saving money and getting a less expensive steel.
Is MagnaCut better than M390 (or S30V, or Cru-Wear, etc.)?
MagnaCut is better than these steels at some things, and less good at others. There will always be a tradeoff. Knife steel performance is deeply complicated, and your knife’s edge geometry and heat treatment often have more to do with how your knife will perform. But if you’re on a quest to find the perfect steel for you application, you can check out our steel guide for more info!
Who invented MagnaCut?
Dr. Larrin Thomas, a professional metallurgist and writer at KnifeSteelNerds.com, created MagnaCut. Most knife steels you know and love were made with some other application in mind, but MagnaCut is one of very few made specifically with knives in mind. It’s a great steel, and Dr. Thomas did a great job with it!
Why is MagnaCut so expensive?
MagnaCut costs a lot of money because it’s hard to make and hard to work with. First of all, simply making the steel pushes the boundaries of existing technology. In fact, when Crucible was first making it, they weren’t sure it would come together at all. Its composition isn’t like most knife steels, and it must be made with powder metallurgy. All of that costs money.
Second, because of its odd composition, its heat treatment process is difficult to get right. Once again, it’s not like other steels, and the process is different. That’s why it took so many companies a couple of years to get the steel to market. They had to put in all the research and development to gurantee the end user a quality heat treatment.
And lastly, MagnaCut is hard to grind and shape. Because it’s so hard and such high wear resistance, it takes more endmills to cut it out, more grinding belts to shape it, more abrasives to finish it, and more time to sharpen it. All of that adds up to the end cost of the knife.
And with all that considered, I think it’s impressive that it isn’t more expensive.
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