3 Best Knife Oils to Keep Your Blades Smooth & Sharp

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Choosing knife oil is not something a lot of people really think about that often. You think about it only when your knife pivot is gritty and jammed up. Or your knife blade is starting to rust on you. There are a lot of different types of oil out there that you can use for knives. However, you will get the best results using a knife-specific oil. These types of oil are usually better for protecting against rust and keeping bearings and washers clean and running smoothly. They also won’t naturally degrade over time, so they are good for storing your knives in humid environments. So to save you some time, I made a list of some of the best knife oils on the market today. Let’s dive in!

Key Takeaways

• The Best Overall Knife Oil is Sentry Solutions Tuf-Glide Dry Lubricant.
• The Best Premium Knife Oil is KPL Knife Pivot Lube Premium Knife Oil.
• The Best Budget Knife Oil is the Kershaw Knife Oil Lube.

Best Overall Knife Oil: Sentry Solutions Tuf-Glide Dry Lubricant – Precision Applicator

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PROS	CONS
Includes needle nose applicator tip Dry lubricant is less sticky and easier to work with Helps weather seal micarta scales	Does not last as long as other types of lubricant Not food-safe

When I am needing to re-oil any of my knives, my go-to lube is by far the Sentry Solutions Tuf-Glide Dry Lubricant. I have a few reasons for this. The biggest reason is the fact that it is a graphite-based dry lubricant, which reduces the amount of dust, dirt, and debris that get jammed up over time. I really like the Tuf-Glide Dry Lube because it not only will help keep your knife running smooth, but it will also help protect your high-carbon steel knives from rusting. And it does this without making the blade excessively oily or sticky. Additionally, this knife lube is fantastic for applying to micarta handle scales that feel and look dry, enhancing the colors and overall durability of the material over time. I also really appreciate the needle nose applicator that comes with the oil. It makes it super easy to apply, without needing to disassemble your knife. All in all, this is my favorite knife lube, and I’d happily recommend this to anyone. 

Best Premium Knife Oil: KPL Knife Pivot Lube Original Premium Oil

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PROS	CONS
Works extremely well on washer-type pivots Very effective  Feels smoother than dry lube	Attracts debris much more easily than dry lube Can get sticky when it gets cold Needle tip isn’t as fine as other brands

KPL is pretty much considered the “Industry Standard” by most who care. Is phenomenal for loosening sticky knife pivots, keeping them running smooth as butter for a long, long time. It does require a bit more maintenance than dry lubes do, because pocket lint and dirt can stick to the oil pretty easily, from my experience. I usually had to disassemble my knife every month or so depending on how much I used it. This was mostly just to keep the grit out of the action. The pivot was still very smooth otherwise. It also seems like the KPL knife oil gave me better results than other types I’ve tried, including dry lubes. But again, it seemed to require a little bit more upkeep than those. All in all, KPL is a top choice for me and many others, if we’re wanting the most premium-feeling knife pivot possible. 

Best Budget Knife Oil: Kershaw Knife Oil Lube

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PROS	CONS
Very cost-effective Great results	No needle nose tip

If you want some good-quality knife oil for the lowest price possible, just get the Kershaw Knife Oil. It gets the job done; it’ll give you fantastic results basically every time. It does attract debris like most other knife oils, and it doesn't have a needle nose applicator tip. But it doesn’t cost as much. And because it is oil, it will work great for protecting your blade from rusting, which is obviously very important, especially if you live somewhere very humid. This oil does feel slightly different from KPL. I would say it's easily not as effective as the competition. Is the cost of upgrading actually going to get you better results than what you get with the Kershaw Knife Oil? Yes, but whether or not that matters to you is the better question to ask yourself. 

How To Choose The Best Knife Oil

The most important thing to decide is whether or not the knife oil you are considering buying for your beloved knife collection has a needle nose tip. For me, I don’t really need the most premium oil possible. I just don’t want to disassemble my knives. So if I can just drop a little bit of oil into the knife pivot in 10 seconds or less, then I'm happy. If you do want the best of the best, then I would say to go with the KPL. It’s considered the industry standard for a good reason. But personally, I really like the Sentry Solutions Tuf-Glide Oil. I actually use it more on micarta scales than I do on knife pivots, which I find a lot more useful on a day-to-day basis. 

Why Trust Us

I’ve had the opportunity to work behind the scenes for many EDC knife brands and distributors in the last four years. I’ve carried, tested, handled, and purchased many knives from basically every brand on the market. I have extensive experience in EDC pocket knives especially, since that is what I carry mainly on a day-to-day basis. I’ve distilled my personal experience and preferences down into a solid list of many great budget EDC knives that I would trust day in and day out. I will never recommend any knife that I haven't either personally carried or have some form of hands-on experience with.

Final Thoughts

My personal preferences may vary from yours, but I do believe that this list is a great starting point for anyone looking to buy some true knife oils for the first time. My top recommendation: get any of the three products on this list and you and your knife will be happy campers.

FAQ’s

Question: What is the best oil to use on a knife?

Answer: Dedicated knife oil is the best oil to use on a knife. If you are needing to oil a kitchen knife, then I would just use whatever oil you have that is food-safe and won’t degrade over time. If you are looking for oil to use on outdoor knives, then I'd pick dry lubricant like Tuf-Glide. 

Question: What is the best lubricant for a pocket knife?

Answer: Dry Lube is a great, reliable option for pocket knives. But there are different types of oil from KPL that you can get that will give you different results because of the differences in viscosity, and that will help you get the exact result you’re wanting.