Top 10 Knife Finishes in CS:GO

You are looking to buy a CSGO knife but are a bit overwhelmed by all the different options available? No problem! In this list we take a look at the 10 best knife finishes available in CSGO to help you with the decision. While the finish is important, the choice of which knife you want the finish on is a necessary step in finding your dream knife. If you are unsure about that, our knife tier list is worth a look. Not all knife finishes are available for every knife though - our guide on CSGO knife case origins can be helpful to find out which combinations are available in the game so far. Our ranking is based on the general look of the finish and not based on any specific knife. To make comparing the finishes easier, we are only showing the finishes applied on a normal Bayonet. If different rare patterns exist, they are not ranked separately but instead included with the base finish.

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10. Case Hardened

The first knife finish on our list is the Case Hardened finish. This classic finish offers a lot of variety in the looks of each knife, with 1000 fully unique patterns for all 19 different knives in CSGO. The Case Hardened finish includes gold, silver and blue, each in varying amounts. Some knives have no blue parts, while others are completely or largely blue. The very blue knives - often referred to as blue gems - can be worth thousands of Dollars and are some of the highest tier items in CSGO. While blue gems look great, a lot of other Case Hardened knives can look quite rough, especially if they contain absolutely no blue and lots of silver in their pattern. Since bluegems are the rare exception, most Case Hardened knives will not look that good. This leads to the Case Hardened finish only coming in at 10th place.

9. Autotronic

The Autotronic finish was introduced with the Gamma finishes and adds a unique touch to all available knives. While most knife finishes only add some form of paint to the knives, the Autotronic finish also adds the effect of steel mesh to different parts of the blade and handle. While this is also just painted on, it at least gives the illusion of more depth. These knives have never become super popular amongst the general CSGO player base, but they are a more than solid choice. Their prices are relatively high though, so other finishes might give you better value for your money.

8. Slaughter

Next up on the list is one of the all-time staples of CSGO: The Slaughter finish. With its red base color and stripe pattern, this knife is more than solid and will always look good. If red pairs well with the rest of your CSGO loadout, you really can not go wrong with this finish. And the best part: The stripes on the knife can form different patterns, some resembling diamonds, hearts etc. While not too many people collect rare slaughter patterns anymore, this still gives the finish a unique look for every different knife.

7. Crimson Web

Crimson Web knives in Factory New are still some of the rarest and most sought-after knives in CSGO. Due to the small float range of 0.06-0.07 in Factory New condition, only a small number of knives have been unboxed. But even if you do not look at just the rarity of the Factory New knives, the Crimson Web finish is a great-looking option. With its crimson red base color and the black webbing, this finish is a real sight to behold. The webbing on each particular knife is randomized with the pattern ID, so some knives have more webs and also centered webs on their blade, making them look nicer and much more valuable to collectors. Sadly, the capped float at 0.06 also means that all the Crimson Web knives will look a bit scratched, even in Factory New condition. If you can live with a slightly scratched knife though, the Crimson Web finish is worth a look.

6. Tiger Tooth

While the name Tiger Tooth might not be entirely accurate, this finish with a tiger stripe pattern is one of the nicest-looking knife finishes in CSGO. The mainly yellow design fits in well with a lot of gloves and gives you an eye-catching knife at a decent price point. While there are variations in the pattern, no real rare patterns exist for this finish. Therefore, any Tiger Tooth knife is just fine if you are looking to buy one.

5. Gamma Doppler

The Gamma Doppler finish is the first one that has distinctly different variants that are not just pattern based. These are the 4 different phases and the super rare Emerald gemstone finish. Phase 1 is generally considered to be the worst-looking phase, while phase 2 is very well-liked due to its solid green blade. With the right pattern, looks almost like a fake Emerald finish. But since not everyone has the same taste, every phase is at least worth a look.

The real Emerald knives are extremely rare and can thousands of dollars, depending on the type of knife. Emerald knives without any dark spots on the blade and good float value can cost even more, making them some of the highest tier knives in CSGO.

If you are looking to create a green-colored loadout, the Gamma Doppler knives are the obvious choice, since they are the only knives with a lot of green on them. Gamma Doppler knives also pair extremly well with gloves like the Moto Gloves Turtle, Sport Gloves Hedge Maze or Specialist Gloves Emerald Web.

4. Lore

With its golden color and intricate knotwork design, the Lore finish is one of the best knife finishes in CSGO. While not everyone likes the green-colored handle, the blade design makes more than up for it. Lore knives are not the flashiest skins, but they are still some of the most well-liked knives in the CSGO community, especially due to their close relation to the legendary AWP Dragon Lore. Being part of the Gamma finishes, the Lore finish only exists for the 5 original knives so far, but Valve might add the design to more knives at a later date. Until then, the prices of these original Gamma knives will most likely continue to rise steadily. The Gamma and Gamma 2 Case were discountinued and new knives are therefore not unboxed that frequently.

3. Fade

Fade knives are a staple in the CSGO skin economy. All knives in CSGO have a fade variant available. With different fade percentages, not every fade knife will look the same. The Fade finish is colorful while not being too over the top. It is one of the more elegant and less flashy finishes, while still being very colorful. Sadly, the bottom part of the blade on a lot of fade knives is not painted. This is especially noticeable on knives like the Bayonet and M9 Bayonet. Overall, Fade knives still look amazing and especially the Karambit Fade became a well-recognized icon for CSGO skins over the years. Fade knives pair well with a lot of gloves and other skins and are therefore a good start for any kind of CSGO loadout.

2. Marble Fade

Take the basic idea of the three colors in the Fade finish and make them stand out a lot more. What you get is the Marble Fade finish. Unlike normal Fade knives, the blades of Marble Fade knives are fully painted from top to bottom. While the basic marble fade finish has all three colors – blue, yellow and red – some knives can come in the so-called “Fire and Ice” rare pattern. These only include red and blue on the playside of the knife. Fire and Ice patterns are worth much more than a regular Marble Fade knife and give this knife finish the potential to be included as a high-tier finish.

1. Doppler

Just like Gamma Doppler knives, the normal Doppler knives also come in 4 phases. Unlike the Gamma Dopplers, they have three different gem patterns though. Those are the Black Pearl, Ruby and Sapphire gems.

The doppler finish is the finish with the most variety. While Phase 2 knives are pink and purple, phase 3 knives can include the colors blue, green, brown and black. This also leads to noticeable price differences between the different phases. Phase 3 is generally considered to be the worst phase. It is followed by Phase 1, which usually only has a small pink part and lots of dark blue. Phase 2 and 4 knives are both very desired since they feature big parts in pink and blue, respectively. The exact price difference depends on the specific knife, but these two phases are considered to be the best ones across all knives.

The three gem patterns are on a totally different level when it comes to rarity, looks and price. The Ruby finish is fully red, the Sapphire is blue and the Black Pearl is a mix of black and brown. The Black Pearl finish is usually considered to be the worst Doppler Gem with prices being comparably low, even though it is far rarer than the other two gems. Rubies and Sapphires are both very well-liked, though Sapphires are still much more desired by majority of the player base, leading to higher prices.

Overall, the Doppler pattern just fits very well on all available knives. Every variant comes with a unique look and even the cheaper P3 knives look amazing. With the rare gem patterns, Doppler knives are also some of the highest-tier knives, making them the overall best knife finish available in CSGO.