Grafting is a wonderful technique for replicating your favorite trees and plants. But for it to work, you have to use proper tools to get the job done.
An essential part of those tools is a grafting knife. The best grafting knife will help you cut your scions and bark effortlessly. It will save you a lot of time and will make your work look effortless.
Since they are so useful, there are quite a few grafting knife models out there. So which one is the best?
We compiled a list of the 6 best grafting knives that are sturdy, sharp, and affordable. The list will help you choose the best grating knife for you, and our informative guide will help you make an informed decision.
Last update on 2024-04-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Best Grafting Knife – Reviews
In this section of the article, we will present you with the top 6 best grafting knives that are sturdy, sharp, and high-quality. All of the models reviewed are perfect for grafting, and you can’t go wrong with any of them!
Our Pick
Victorinox Budding & Grafting Knife
Victorinox is a Swiss company that makes high-grade reliable knives that are sharp, sturdy, and durable. This grafting model definitely lived up to that standard and didn’t disappoint. It’s the best grafting knife we tried!
It’s got a nice sturdy 2.25-inch blade that goes through the bark and scions like butter. Made from high-grade Swiss stainless steel, it is extremely durable and has excellent corrosion resistance. The blade is single beveled, which makes it ideal for grafting work. The knife holds its edge excellently and comes razor sharp out of the box.
On the spine of the knife, a bark lifter is located. This is a super handy feature that allows you to cut and open the bark easily. You will get access to the cambium layer in no time using this convenient little bark lifter.
The blade is compact and lightweight. Since it’s folded, it is only 4 inches in length when closed and can be carried easily in your pocket. The weight of this knife is only 0.7 ounces. Because of that, the knife is very easy to handle and is so light that you might forget that it’s in your pocket.
We really like the grip of the handle on this Victorinox grafting knife. The material used for the handle is textured plastic which makes it very stable in hand. No slippage of the handle occurs even when the hands are wet or sweaty!
The handle is very well balanced with the blade, which makes the overall handling of the knife very enjoyable.
This is the knife you get if you’re serious about grafting. It’s professional-grade through and through and will make the results look expert-like!
NAYE Grafting Gardening Knife
This Naye grafting knife kit combines affordability and high quality, which is something we usually don’t see. It comes with a few useful accessories that will make your grafting work more effective.
This folding grafting knife comes with two blades, straight and curved. The length of the blades is 2-5/8 inches, and both blades are made of sturdy stainless steel. The hardness of the steel is high, and it has terrific corrosion resistance. You won’t have to worry about the durability of these extra sharp blades.
The curved blade works great for pruning and harvesting different plants. It comes super sharp out of the box and will cut right through anything that comes your way.
The straight grafting blade is of the same quality. The bark lifter that comes with it makes grafting work a breeze. You will cut the bark and the dormant scions easily with this razor-sharp blade and bark lifter combo!
Apart from the great two blades, this knife has a solid handle to go with them. It’s made out of polished rosewood and looks very stylish. The grip is good, and the handle feels comfortable in hand. The overall quality of the handle is very reasonable for the price.
What we really like about this set are the accessories. You get 12 metal write-on labels to put the date and the name of the plant on them. Along with the labels, you also get grafting tape for wrapping up the scions and securing them. These additions are essential for every grafter and will make your work a lot easier and more effective.
This set offers great value for money. The knife is one of the best grafting knives for the price, and the bonus tape and tags definitely make this knife a worthwhile purchase!
Due Buoi Grafting Knife
Due Buoi is an Italian family company that makes knives from the end of the 19th century! This company doesn’t settle for anything but the highest quality and takes pride in its top-notch products. This grafting knife is one of their quintessential products, having all the characteristic high-grade features of Due Buoi knives! It’s in the top 3 best grafting knife models we tried.
The blade of this Italian knife is made of C100 carbon steel that is extremely hard and corrosion-resistant. The length of the blade is 2.17 inches, and the sharpness of the blade is super high. Intended for right-handed people, this knife has a single beveled edge that is perfect for cutting scions and bark.
This is the only knife we found to have two bark lifters while only having one blade. The first bark lifter is located on the blade itself, while the other one is at the butt of the knife.
The bark lifter located at the handle is made of 100% brass and does a phenomenal job. It’s very handy since you don’t have to use the blade to open the bark and get to the cambium layer.
The handle of this knife is by far the best handle on a grafting knife we’ve seen. First off, it looks astonishing with the black finish and the brass liner and rivets. It’s rounded and feels very secure in the hand. The locking and closing mechanism is on point and makes the knife secure to use, with no risk of accidental closing.
It’s a shame that there isn’t a left-handed version of this knife, but we hope that the company will soon start producing it. That way, we can all enjoy grafting with this professional-grade grafting knife!
Yosoo Garden Grafting Pruning Knife
If you want to get the cheapest grafting knife that can do the job, then this model is for you. It has all the standard features we would expect in a grafting knife while being extremely affordable.
This budget grafting knife comes with a curved and straight grafting blade. The blades are made of cheap carbon steel that is hard and has solid corrosion resistance. Both blades are sharp and are sufficient for most of the gardening work like cutting rootstocks, pruning, and cutting bark.
Unfortunately, there is no bark lifter on any of the blades, which is a drawback but definitely expected at this price point.
The folding mechanism is surprisingly good for a budget knife. It holds the knife securely and closes and opens pretty smoothly.
The handle of this budget grafting knife is of good quality. It is made of plastic but isn’t uncomfortable and has a nice grip. It’s definitely usable but has a bit of weight. The color is nice green and doesn’t look bad.
The total length of the opened knife is 7.3 inches and 4.3×1 inches when folded. The folded size is actually pretty compact which makes it easy to carry this knife in your pocket though it’s on the heavier side. Again, this is expected for the price.
All in all, you get what you pay for. This knife is definitely usable for grafting and unbeatable for the price. If you are a beginner or don’t want to spend much money on a grafting knife, go for this one, and you won’t be sorry.
VANNECT Grafting Knife + Pruning Shears
If you need crafting knives and shears, you are in luck since this VANNECT combo offers just that. It’s super affordable and is very well made considering the price point.
Both the shears and the knife blades are made of high-grade stainless steel that is resistant to corrosion and very sharp. With the two of them, there isn’t much you can’t cut in your garden.
The handle of the knife is made of polished wood and looks very stylish. It feels good in the hand and the grip is excellent.
The folding mechanism on the knife is very solid. Closing and opening work smoothly while the knife stays securely open when in use.
The locking mechanism of the shears is smartly designed and very well made. It’s out of the way and isn’t in the handle area like with other shears.
Both the shears and the knife are super easy to use and incredibly affordable for the quality. If you need both tools, you can’t go wrong with this set.
HAINABC Grafting Garden Knife
The last model on our list is a HAINABC affordable crafting knife set. It ticks all the boxes and doesn’t cost a fortune.
It’s a two-blade knife with one straight and one curved blade. The blades are solid stainless steel that has good corrosion resistance and hardness. Both blades come sharp out of the box and will cut rootstocks, scions, and bark easily.
The straight blade has a bark lifter on the spine which isn’t spectacular but can do the job. Some of the other models have done a better job with their bark lifters but since we didn’t even expect one in this price range we really can’t complain.
The knife comes with a couple of useful accessories. First, we got a grafting tape that will help us secure and protect sensitive scions. Along with the tape, we also get 15 labels so that you can put a name and a date on the plant. This is an excellent tool for organizing your garden.
The handle of the knife is made out of wood and feels good in the hand. It’s nicely balanced with the blade, and there is no fatigue when working for extended periods.
This company is very friendly and has excellent customer support. They provide a 3-month warranty for the knife and lifetime customer support if you face any problems.
Overall, this is a quality knife for very little money. The extras definitely make it a worthwhile purchase.
What To Look For When Choosing Grafting Knife
Grafting knives have specific features that you should look for when choosing one. Before start going through the features, let’s learn a bit more about the grafting knives.
Grafting knives are gardening knives that come in fixed or folding blade versions. There are also single and two blade options with a flat edge and curved edge.
Grafting knives are characteristic for their flat cutting edge and a bark lifter on the spine of the knife.
The knives are small, and the blade usually doesn’t exceed 3 inches. They are designed to be compact and lightweight so that you can easily carry them in your pocket.
The knives are mostly used for cutting the bark of the tree so that you can get to the cambium layer of the tree. They are also used for cutting and shaping the scions.
Apart from grafting, they can be used for numerous gardening applications, and that’s why they are sometimes called gardening utility knives.
Now that we know a bit more about grafting knives, let’s look at the features that we should look for when shopping for one.
Blade
The blade of a grafting knife should be short, strong, and extra sharp. It should easily cut the dormant scions and the bark of the tree.
The material that is recommended for the blade is heavy-duty stainless or carbon steel. You should look for high hardness steel that has excellent corrosion and rust resistance.
One important feature of the blade that helps with grafting is the single beveled edge. A single beveled edge helps you cut a flat surface ideal for grafting. A double-beveled edge struggles in most grafting tasks and should be avoided.
Along with the usual straight blade of the grafting knife, there is also a curved grafting knife blade that is sometimes found. It’s usually present on folding grafting knives where you can choose between the two blades.
A curved grafting knife is great for tasks such as cutting rootstocks, pruning, and harvesting.
We recommend going for a two-blade grafting knife if you have the means.
Handle
A handle of a grafting knife is usually made of plastic or wood. Both materials work well if they can provide good grip and ergonomics.
It’s important to choose a handle that is well balanced with the blade.
Size & Weight
When it comes to grafting knives, you always want to go for the most compact and light model. The knife shouldn’t get in your way when cutting bark and scions. The size of a grafting knife should be even smaller than a bird and trout knife.
It should be small and light enough to carry in your pocket. You won’t feel the best grafting knives in your pocket for their small size and weight.
Accessories
Useful accessories and extras are always nice to get, especially if they are actually useful. The most common accessories that come with grafting knives are grafting tape and grafting tags.
A grafting tape is used to secure the scions in the bark that was cut. It’s a very important tool that will improve your success rate with grafting significantly.
Grafting tags help you put a name and a date on the plant grafted for better organization. They are an essential part of every gardener’s arsenal and are always recommended.
While all these additions are nice, we advise you to focus on the knife itself rather than the extras. The bonus items are there for marketing and can be easily be obtained for very little money.
Bark Lifter
A bark lifter is a feature unique to grafting knives. It’s used, as the name says, for lifting bark and is very efficient in doing so.
It is mostly found on high-grade grafting knives and is commonly located at the tip of the blade on the spine side.
This feature is very handy and convenient to have if you do a lot of grafting work. On some grafting knives, a bark lifter can be found in the lower handle area. The model we reviewed from Due Buie has this type of bark lifter.
We always recommend going for models that have a bark lifter since those models are usually more grafting designed than others.
Folding Mechanism
Most of the grafting knives are folding types of knives that resemble Swiss knives. Because of that, you should always pay attention to how well made the folding mechanism is.
A faulty mechanism can cause a knife to fold back to the handle when the pressure is applied. A proper, good folding mechanism will hold the knife securely when opened.
Make sure always to pick a knife that has a great opening, closing, and locking mechanism. That way, you’ll enjoy using the knife more and avoid injuries as well.
Conclusion
That about covers it for everything you need to know about the best grafting knives.
Make sure to pick a knife with a good locking mechanism and a bark lifter. Go for a knife that is compact, light, and sturdy.
All of our reviewed models are like that and are all ideal choices for grafting. You can’t go wrong with any of them!
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