The Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show is the world’s largest event dedicated to firearms, knives, tactical and outdoor gear, and related equipment and services. It is also the place to see the newest, coolest products and put your finger on the pulse of the latest trends in the industry. One of my jobs at the 2026 SHOT Show was to track the latest developments in the knife market as related to martial arts and self-defense-themed designs.
Martial Arts Knives from SHOT Show 2026
With dozens of cutlery manufacturers eagerly showing their wares, it wasn’t difficult to achieve that goal. Here’s an overview of my top picks in this category.
WE Knife Shadowhook
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This unique folding knife combines a ringed karambit-style handle (a common theme this year) with an upward-angled hawkbill blade and a proprietary lock mechanism. Place your index finger in the ring, press the button, and the blade and an inner “blade housing” pivot out of the handle. When the blade swings to the fully opened position, the housing retracts back into the handle, re-engaging the push button.
Designed for pikal-style (reverse grip) reverse-edge tactics, its point-elevated blade angle is reminiscent of Ed Calderon’s Elvia design. The Shadowhook features a flat-ground M390 blade, machined titanium handle, reversible machined pocket clip, and a stealthy all-black theme.
MSRP: $434.70
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TOPS Knives Jared Wihongi JW1
Renowned Filipino martial arts (FMA) instructor and combatives expert Jared Wihongi teamed up with TOPS Knives to create a full-sized, fixed-blade fighting knife. The prototypes displayed at the show were marked “JW1,” but a more descriptive name may follow. Optimized for Wihongi’s Pekiti-Tirsia style, it features a stout spearpoint blade profile, full-tang construction, and deeply textured G-10 scales.
The handle design is reminiscent of a pesh-kabz style of dagger, with both the front and rear portions of the grip “bracketing” the user’s hand. The blade spine also includes a section of jimping for a positive index with a thumb-forward grip.
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In classic TOPS style, the JW1 will be made from 1095 tool steel protected by a non-reflective black powder coating. It will be available with or without a sharpened false edge and will come complete with a custom-molded Kydex® sheath.
MSRP: TBD
Kansept Knives Apex Karambit
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Greg Wegrzycki, aka “Karambit Maker,” is an extremely skilled custom knifemaker, designer, and martial artist. As his moniker suggests, his specialty is karambits. Kansept Knives faithfully translates the refined lines of Greg’s meticulously crafted custom Apex into a practical, affordable production version.
Precision machined from 154CM stainless steel, it features a full-flat grind and a skeletonized full tang. Likewise, you get a choice of G-10, translucent PEI (polyetherimide, widely known as Ultem), or solid carbon fiber scales. The Apex is also available with a choice of a stonewashed or black-coated blade finish and includes a Kydex sheath.
MSRP: TBD
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NexKut PTK75 and Trainer
Known for its excellent illumination tools, NexTorch has expanded its product scope to knives with its NexKut brand. The PTK75 is a formidable fixed blade designed by Tuhon Rommel “Mel” Tortal. He is the nephew and lifelong student of FMA legend Grand Tuhon Supremo Leo Gaje, Jr.
A ringed tanto-style knife with a slightly recurved edge, it is crafted from D2 tool steel and has G-10 scales and a black titanium coating. It is accompanied by an identically weighted blunted trainer made from 30Cr13 stainless steel with red ceramic coating. Both live blade and trainer come with molded Kydex sheaths with angle-adjustable belt clips.
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MSRP: $199.00
NexKut Fierce-NMD76 Combat Knife and Trainer
As the only company to introduce new martial knives with paired trainers, NexKut makes my list twice. The NMD76 is designed by Royce Ramos, founder of Nomad Kali and a senior instructor of Pekiti-Tirsia and many other disciplines. It features a trailing point blade with a harpoon-style swedge and shares the same materials and construction details as the PTK75. It and its matching trainer also come complete with molded Kydex sheaths.
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MSRP: $199.00
Yan Knives EMW
The Yan Knives EMW is a unique dual-bladed folder that features both a tanto and “Bushido” (trailing-point) blade. Flawlessly ground from M390 stainless steel, both ride on ball bearing washers and feature “front-flipper” openers. They are housed in a beautifully machined titanium handle with carbon fiber inlays and are supported by dual frame-lock mechanisms with hardened steel interfaces.
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Reminiscent of the spirit of the ancient Indian haladie, this distinctly different folder comes with a clip-carry leather pouch.
MSRP: $269.00 – $429.00
CRKT M16® Balisong
The late custom knifemaker Kit Carson’s M16 is one of the world’s most recognizable and iconic folding knives. It is also one of CRKT’s most enduring models and the inspiration for a number of variations. Their newest M16-02BALI and M16-03BALI expressions of it render this timeless design as a balisong.
Available in both tanto and spearpoint formats, they feature stonewashed MagnaCut® blades, sandwich-style machined aluminum 6061-T6 (sandblasted and black anodized) handles, dual tang pins, and removable titanium pocket clips. Faithful to the profile of the original M16 when opened, their slightly asymmetrical handles include a loop-style latch attached to the “free” handle.
MSRP: $300.00
Spyderco Retract™
Designed by renowned custom knifemaker and bladesmith Ed Schempp, the Retract features a dramatically curved, full-flat-ground blade reminiscent of a classic Nepalese kukri. Crafted from 9Cr18MoV, the blade’s signature negative angle—a Schempp trademark—significantly enhances the knife’s cutting leverage. Likewise, it instinctively aligns the point with the bones of the forearm for powerful thrusts.
The recurved blade is supported by a handle featuring full skeletonized stainless steel liners, peel-ply-textured G-10 scales, and a stout LinerLock mechanism. A deep-pocket wire clip provides discreet left- or right-side tip-up carry and ensures immediate access and quick deployment.
MSRP: $95.00
Condor Zompopo
From the mind of renowned survival expert and prolific knife designer Joe Flowers, the Condor Zompopo is a small but remarkably capable fixed blade. It is inspired by the Zompopo de Mayo—the iconic leafcutter ant of Central America.
Its unique Scandi-ground hawkbill blade offers exceptional edge geometry and control, making it suitable for everything from bushcraft to self-defense. The Zompopo is crafted from powder-coated 1095 tool steel and has a full tang capped by contoured Micarta® scales. It carries in a Kydex sheath with a leather belt loop.
MSRP: $109.98
Condor Viking Ironside Dagger
Condor’s Viking Ironside Dagger captures the authentic look and style of a classic Viking weapon in a fully functional form. Its construction combines the best of traditional and modern materials, starting with a 420HC stainless steel blade. Its recessed center spine is adorned with Viking runic symbols and flanked by convex-ground bevels that offer exceptionally keen and strong edge geometry.
The blade is hafted with a metal crossguard, a leather-wrapped hickory handle, and a classic lobed pommel. Amazingly light, fast, and well-balanced, it comes complete with a handcrafted leather sheath.
MSRP: $149.98
Reate EXO-D
Closed, the Reate EXO-D looks and functions like an impact weapon. It is capable of delivering focused strikes with both the butt of its handle and knuckle-like index-finger ring. With a push of a button and a snap of the wrist, however, a double-edged blade swings into place.
Crafted from Elmax stainless steel, the gravity-driven blade transforms the EXO-D into a potent push dagger. The EXO-D’s handle is precision machined from 6AL-4V titanium and available with a variety of different handle scale options, as well as a more spartan machined “frag” texture.
MSRP: $350.00
Work Tuff Gear Maddog
Based in Taichung, Taiwan, Work Tuff Gear takes extreme pride in the craftsmanship and quality of its products. Most of its beautifully crafted knives err toward the larger size, and many of them have serious martial spirit. One that caught my eye was the Maddog, a recurved Bowie just over 19 inches long with an amazingly deft balance.
Made from Böhler K329 for an excellent synergy of toughness and wear resistance, it features a high saber grind that terminates in a breathtakingly sharp convex edge. Its contoured G-10 scales have a machined texture to ensure a grip that is exceptionally comfortable and secure. Like all Work Tuff Gear knives, it comes with a precision-molded Kydex sheath that offers multiple carry options.
MSRP: TBD
Boker HK FX03
The legendary German knife company Böker is now fittingly the official manufacturer of knives for the equally renowned German gunmaker, Heckler & Koch. The FX03 is a concealable fixed-blade knife with a stout Americanized tanto profile.
Crafted from MagnaCut® to offer a superior synergy of edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance, its full-tang blade is cloaked in a non-reflective black coating and paired with fiberglass-reinforced nylon scales molded with a signature HK texture. It rides in a slim, taco-style Kydex sheath with a versatile spring-clip mount.
MSRP: $239.00
Boker HK FX02 Push Dagger
Fans of the classic push dagger will appreciate Böker’s Heckler & Koch FX02. It boasts a double-edged D2 blade, a stealthy black titanium coating, and an injection-molded fiberglass-reinforced handle with HK’s signature texture pattern. Its symmetrical Kydex sheath comes with a ball chain for low-profile neck carry.
MSRP: $74.95
Benchmade Mini SOCP® Dagger
Designed by Greg Thompson, founder of the Special Operations Combatives Program, the SOCP Dagger has become widely accepted and used by both armed professionals and civilians. In its original form, however, it is a bit large for concealed carry. Additionally, the steep edge geometry of its double-edged grind limits its cutting ability.
Benchmade’s new Mini SOCP Dagger addresses both these issues by scaling the knife down from 7.25 inches to 6.25 and making it single-edged. Like its bigger brother, it features one-piece construction and has an integral index-finger ring. Made from 440C stainless steel, its spear-point blade has an unsharpened swedge and is available with a choice of desert sand, OD green, or tungsten gray Cerakote® finishes or a black epoxy powder coat.
Sized for easier carry, especially in civilian clothes, the Mini SOCP Dagger comes with a slim injection-molded sheath with a spring clip.
MSRP: $100.00
Benchmade Mini SOCP Folder
Benchmade also introduced a Mini version of their SOCP Folder. About 14% smaller than the original, it will feature a modular blade opening attachment. It offers a choice of a Wave-style pocket hook, a thumb stud, or a disk. It will also offer a choice of a removable finger ring at the butt of the handle or standard backspacer.
The Mini SOCP Folder boasts a spearpoint CPM S30V blade, an Axis® Lock, and G-10 scales. It will be available in black and tan color themes.
MSRP: TBD
Bear & Son BlackHawk Garra Fixed Karambit
Continuing the legacy of the former BlackHawk Blades brand, Bear and Son’s BlackHawk product line has resurrected some of its classic patterns, reimagined others, and added some new designs of its own. One of the newest is a fixed-blade expression of their Garra (Spanish for “claw”) third-generation folder.
Crafted from D2 tool steel and cloaked in a stealthy black PVD coating, the Garra Fixed Karambit features full-tang construction capped with a choice of black or tan injection-molded Zytel handle scales. It carries in a pancake-style Kydex sheath that can be used alone or attached to a larger ballistic nylon platform. Mounted to the platform, it is straddled by two molded plastic clips that provide inside-the-waistband carry.
MSRP: TBD
SOG Rapid Hawk
Based on the platform of their ultra-compact Rapid Series, the Rapid Hawk is an incredibly discreet knife that looks like a zipper pull. Its glass-reinforced nylon handle includes an aluminum pull ring that provides a solid purchase for an index-finger grip. This allows the 420 stainless steel hawkbill blade to cut with authority well beyond its size.
The knife is paired with an injection-molded quick-deployment sheath with a lanyard and even includes a tungsten glass breaker.
MSRP: TBD
SOG Rapid Dagger
The SOG Rapid Dagger shares the same handle and sheath construction as the Rapid Hawk, but boasts a wickedly sharp double-edged blade. It significantly elevates the concept of the classic WWII thumb dagger and delivers it in a low-profile “urban camouflage” format that easily flies below the radar.
MSRP: TBD
CIVIVI Entelodon
CIVIVI’s latest contribution to the karambit market is the dramatically styled Entelodon. Unique in its use of a button-lock mechanism, it features a black stonewashed 14C28N hawkbill blade, a meticulously machined aluminum handle, and G-10 scales.
The flat-ground blade rides on caged ceramic ball bearings and opens via a flipper tab or a removable Wave-style opener. The handle’s bold black-and-red color theme is complemented by a reversible pocket clip that offers left- or right-side tip-up carry.
MSRP: $127.00
There you have it, a round-up of the martial arts and self-defense-themed knives that caught my eye at SHOT 2026. For more information on specific models and their release dates, please visit the appropriate manufacturers’ websites.
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