Lower Cost Knife Recommendation

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Looking for a low cost (ideally under $50) knife for everyday use; opening boxes, letters, and anything else that may pop up.

Located in GA, so not restricted on suggestions.
 
Hard to beat this deal that Zappa posted.

Bob

Today Only at "Meh"

2-Pack: CRKT Ruger Go-N-Heavy Compact Veff Serrated Knives

Two for $29

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I carry one of these when/where I don’t care if I think I might lose it... also recommended by Nutnfancy.... only down side is painted G10 is a little slick, but never has been a problem to cause my grip to slip. Blade came razor sharp and holds an edge well for a $20+ knife.

Enlan EL-06PF 9Cr13mov G10 Handle Liner Lock Outdoor Camping Folding Knife Tool Enlan EL-06PF 9Cr13mov G10 Handle Liner Lock Outdoor Camping Folding Knife Tool | eBay



I should also note, I also carry Benchmade and Kershaw too, as well as a Kizer (also recommended by Nutnfancy). A very nice knife, but the blade is a bit narrow for daily duty use. Think of it more as a Gentleman’s Folder.

Kizer Cutlery Begleiter Folding... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0714N88JK?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf


Let us know what you settle on...
 
CRKT M16-10KZ. Fast-open flipper, double safety lock, serrated and straight tanto-type blade. I also like KISS from CRKT which is a little smaller, and for something larger the CRKT Hitchcock Hole-in-One if they still make it. I have an Emerson but I don't like carrying a $300 knife!
 
Steel Will Knives for sale - Knives and Outdoors Gear - Huge Selection | Blade HQ
$50 is a tough price point to get a truly decent knife in. There are going to be sacrifices made in one area or another.

Steel Will cutjack or modus. I recently picked up a green modus. D2 steel, great detent on the flipper action, good centering, fit/finish is decent and the ergonomics are great.
I’ve been EDCing it for a month now. I do installations, so it’s probably opened and broken down 250+ boxes. Needs a touch up, but the D2 will take a nice edge.
It’s IMHO the best bang for buck I’ve found. It’s got a place in the rotation of Spydercos and ZTs for sure. I used to be a Kershaw fan, but they moved a lot of their styles to the speed safe spring assist opening. I prefer a good flipper. The torsion bars in the speed safe knives will eventually break. Kershaw will send you replacements for free (I’ve got a bag with 3 or 4 in it) and replacing them isn’t terribly difficult, but, without that torsion bar, they don’t have built in detent, so they just sort of flop around. Not a big deal, but after 10+ years with a Blur, it’s just something I picked up on.
With that said, my go to letter opener is a damascus Leek.
 
For under $10 the Sanrenmu 7010 is hard to beat. It’s a Chris reeves knockoff that’s actually well done. 8cr13mov steel which is the Chinese equivalent to aus8. Frame lock with a clip.
GearBest USA: Sanrenmu 7010 LUI - SGT Pocket Line Locking Foldable Knife Stainless Steel Blade - $9.97 Free Shipping

Or most of the kershaws will do well with their sandvich steel that is slightly better than both aus8 and 8cr13mov. I prefer their cryo model with its slightly beefier blade and frame lock. Cryo II if you want under 3 inches.
https://www.amazon.com/Kershaw-Cryo-Blackwash-Knife/dp/B07C1ZX6CJ

With any daily use pocket knife I would also suggest using a good thread locker to keep the screws in place. I like vibra tite vc3 since you can easily unscrew it with hand tools and its reusable. If it’s good enough for the M1 abram tank it’s good enough for me.
https://www.amazon.com/Vibra-TITE-VC-3-Threadmate/dp/B008D6GHY6

...for more money I am a big fan of kershaws older brother zero tolerance. Especially their 0566 black wash carbon model with Elmax steel which is just the tits in terms of edge retention, resistance to chipping, ease of sharpening, and the fact that it’s stainless...Elmax is a powder steel...super steel.
Zero Tolerance Hinderer 0566BWCF Assisted Opening Knife Carbon Fiber (BlackWash) - Blade HQ
 
when you buy a knife, you're really buying the steel the blade is made from. for a budget of 50 bucks and under, if you really don't know knives, just buy what appeals to you. they all will cut, it's just a matter of how long it retains an edge and how often you want to touch up the edge. I know people who have never sharpened their knives in 10 years and it's fun to watch them rip and tear an envelope open. a dull knife is like having a gun without ammo, useless. the cheapest knife I own is a case I just bought for ~ $22, love the knife but I just use it for light work, cutting fruit and opening mail. every couple of days it gets touched up.

if you cruise the interweb, stay away from knives that say they're made from "german surgical steel." 'nuff said about that.

some people mentioned the Kershaw leek and scallion. I carried a scallion for 12 years daily to work. it's date stamped '94 and made with 440c steel. that's marked on the blade also. not the best but pretty common for budget knives. super little assisted opening knife. the larger onion series, the leek, while a nice knife, the blade looks too thin and fragile for it's length to use. I own one but I've never taken it out of the box since I bought it for that reason. the designer, ken onion, worked for Kershaw for a few years. I believe he now designs for crkt.

I could tick off all pocket folder manufacturers and tell you why I don't buy 'em but instead i'll tell you what I like and think is the best knife for the buck. everything in the spyderco line. our friend nutinfancy has several in his hall of fame. the delica is in my opinion the best pocket folder on the planet. the base model with vg-10 steel and frn scales runs about $75. it's made with either a sabre or flat ground blade and they offer a wharncliffe model also. and different steel upgrades with the sprint runs.

important to me is one handed opening. every spyderco folder features the thumb hole or are assisted opening flippers for one handed opening. and while not extremely a pretty looking line of knives, some are quite harsh looking, they are all designed to be ergonomic.

there is a tight price structure with knives. most of the major manufacturers are their own distributors and hold vendors to a price line. there's a msrp, a recommended selling point, and the lowest price the knife is allowed to be sold. that's why when you cruise from internet vendor to vendor the prices all are the same. if you see, say a spyderco, with a deep discount, it means the knife has been discontinued or it's a counterfeit. if I saw a $40 new delica on ebay, i'd pass on it. these price guidelines are followed to the letter cause if they're violated, the manufacturer will pull your right to sell the product. the vendors actually sign an agreement.

enough...I just felt like writing this morning.

eta: the date stamping on the scallion says july '04, not '94 as stated above.
 
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If you want/are okay with a fixed blade, CRKT Obake will set you back about $30. It’s a good size for edc/utility use (like you mentioned).
 
How i feel about knives.
If your looking to abuse them as stated above buy a knife that feels good in your hands and opens well for folders.
I have many sub $30 knives and most are shrade,buck or other walmart shit branded stuff. I also look at yard sales.
I have found nice basic folders at yard sales for cheap and just hit the edge and carry on.
Maybe its me but i dont see a huge gain in that $50-100 range. My favorite knifes right now are a few older gerber that IIRC cost me around $60 many years ago.

I sold off my knife collection to help by my house.
I miss some of them. I had some nice 1950s buck s.
Mg dad was a 110 serries fan and im sure if i poke around theres a few stuffed somewhere.
I love a good knife but hate loosing them for EDC.
My EDC is a Kershaw ken oinion design model 1580.
 
What kind of envelopes you guys get that you need to use a knife to open!? And then that knife needs sharpening often too?
I have a bunch of <$10 knifes from Walmart to open boxes, cut string for the trimmer, etc around the house and shed that I never have to touch up and they work just fine. Maybe my needs are different, but hell a $3.99 knife in a shed with no insulation year round for 3 years now that still cuts fine and doesn’t have the slightest rust on it makes me happy.
 
I’ve had good luck with kershaws and spyderco knives. I currently carry a spyderco endura wave. It’s about $70 I think. The wave is a nice feature and well worth the small premium you pay for it over the traditional endura and delica.

If I really had to stick to the $50 price tag I’d probably do a kershaw leek.
 
Steel Will Knives for sale - Knives and Outdoors Gear - Huge Selection | Blade HQ
$50 is a tough price point to get a truly decent knife in. There are going to be sacrifices made in one area or another.

Steel Will cutjack or modus. I recently picked up a green modus. D2 steel, great detent on the flipper action, good centering, fit/finish is decent and the ergonomics are great.
I’ve been EDCing it for a month now. I do installations, so it’s probably opened and broken down 250+ boxes. Needs a touch up, but the D2 will take a nice edge.
It’s IMHO the best bang for buck I’ve found. It’s got a place in the rotation of Spydercos and ZTs for sure. I used to be a Kershaw fan, but they moved a lot of their styles to the speed safe spring assist opening. I prefer a good flipper. The torsion bars in the speed safe knives will eventually break. Kershaw will send you replacements for free (I’ve got a bag with 3 or 4 in it) and replacing them isn’t terribly difficult, but, without that torsion bar, they don’t have built in detent, so they just sort of flop around. Not a big deal, but after 10+ years with a Blur, it’s just something I picked up on.
With that said, my go to letter opener is a damascus Leek.

I have the Cutjack, nice knife but hate the blade shape. My fault for even ordering. I've run through most of the cheaper knife options - Tenacious, RAT, Cryo/Cryo II, couple other Kershaws, my absolute favorite is the Byrd Raven II.

Byrd Raven 2 G-10 - Spyderco, Inc.

I've seen them from $35-$50.
 
For sub $50 folders

Ontario RAT II
Kershaw Leek
Sanrenmu 7010
Spyderco Tenacious
SOG Twitch 2
Victorinox Cadet/Pioneer/Farmer or similiar
 
I second the rats

I have a Kershaw leek and it's a sleek and slick bastard, but it is flimsy as a work knife.

Gerber bear folders from Walmart are surprisingly awesome for the cost
I have had several as disposable knives and none ever failed.

I like the crkts, but they nerfed the lock mechanism and I don't like liner locks in a working knife.

My favorite is by far the $20 Cara by Spyderco or it can still be had and you need a big knife.

For under three inches:
1. Spyderco delica 4 combo edge .you can find them under $50
2. Gerber with the orange and gray handle form Walmart. Small is like $22
3. Ontario Rat folder.
4. Booker subcom (also around 20-30)

All are Rock solid and hold up well.

I have cut a piece of 2ft diameter plastic drain tube by hand with a delica 4 all the way around the diameter using a hammer and my strength before. Would never do that with a liner lock.

(The battery fell overboard for the saw. It was stupid.). Still have that knife. i spent a few minutes with a bastard file and then the sharpmaker and youd never know I abused it suffered years ago.
 
What kind of envelopes you guys get that you need to use a knife to open!? And then that knife needs sharpening often too?
I have a bunch of <$10 knifes from Walmart to open boxes, cut string for the trimmer, etc around the house and shed that I never have to touch up and they work just fine. Maybe my needs are different, but hell a $3.99 knife in a shed with no insulation year round for 3 years now that still cuts fine and doesn’t have the slightest rust on it makes me happy.
I bet a donut that that 3.99 knife slips and takes more effort to cut than a half decent blade with a edge?
 
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