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Kershaw Cryo II BlackWash (1556BW), 3.25” 8Cr13MoV Stainless Steel Blade; 410 Stainless Steel Handle, SpeedSafe Assisted Opening, Frame Lock with Stabilizer, 4-Position Deep-Carry Pocketclip; 5.5 OZ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I04OHQ6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_R9bqBbCERR5WP
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 bet a donut that that 3.99 knife slips and takes more effort to cut than a half decent blade with a edge?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.
Kershaw ken onion design model 1580