At what price point would you consider a knife to be decent?

Really depends on wants and needs.

I have preferences when it comes to modern folders. No G-10, or plastic (with exception), no plain Ti.

I prefer carbon fiber, wood and micarta.

CTS-XHP, S35VN, S30V, or better.

This puts me in the $80+ range. I buy American if I can.

However, all I usually need is an SAK.
 
Rough Ryder slip joints are generally $15 or less. Vic kitchen knives are generally <$10 each. Mora's or Opinels are not on my look at list regardless of pricing. So, it's easy to get a "decent" knife for under $30. Many of the small Vic SAKs are under $30 also.
 
There are some great budget brands and knives available Opinel and Morakniv are 2 prime examples but if we want a general price point for when I expect a consistent level of quality that meets my standards I would say it doesn't happen until the $40-$50 point before that it is hidden gems from there on you either make garbage or you make worthwhile products. The final opinion on any given knife will take lots into consideration such as materials, price, brand reputation (ie F&F, CS, and Failure rep), etc so perhaps it is more so that at the $40+ price point the options begin to open up to provide a reasonable amount of choice.
 
Lots of good quality sub $20. knives. Plenty of decent sub $10~$15 knives, come to that.
MAM, Mora, Opinel, Rough Ryder, and Marbles, just to name a few.

A high price does not necessarily guarantee anything but an emptier wallet, or a smaller bank balance, and/or a higher credit card balance.
For example, one of the most expensive/valuable knives I have (it was gifted to me) is a GEC/Northfield UN-X-LD 852211 Harness Jack, with burnt stag covers. Serial number 24 of 35.
I don't know what the guy who gave it to me paid. He was the original purchaser, though.
I'm sure it cost in excess of $100. At one of the bolster/cover transitions, you can feel it. The bolster is just a hair lower than the cover.
A cosmetic "defect". It does not affect functionality, nor notice/feel it when in use.
Why mention it? None of my (mostly) sub $12 Rough Riders have that.
The GEC and my Rough Riders do share the same gotta look for em' with a bright light gaps between the backsprings or between cover and liner cosmetic "defects".

In a SHTF or "survival" situation, any one of these sub $20 knives is more than sufficient to make a shelter, whittle a spoon, or feather stick, drop a 5 inch diameter branch (without batoning), or fell a sapling, skin a critter or fish .... and with the obvious exception of the D2 stockman, be sharpened using nothing more than a smooth river/stream/brook/lake/pond rock, when needed. All knives need sharpened sooner or later; no matter what thee blade steel is.

In photo:
Rough Rider RR1419 4inch closed Stoneworx stockman. $15.99 or $16.99, I forget which.
Covers are real black lip pearl (ends) re-constituted Red Jasper, re-constituted Turquoise, real mother of pearl (center) blades are 440A.
"Re-Constituted" stone is powdered stone (in this case red Jasper and Turquoise) mixed with epoxy. Real stone, but not as fragile as natural stone.)

Marbles MR431 D2 Sowbelly Stockman. $16.99. Black Canvas Micarta covers, all three blades are D2.

Under the Marbles stockman is a MAM "Operario" large (non-locking) friction folder, made in Portugal. $6.99. It is a stainless blade, but I don't know which.Ut may be the same that Opinel and Mora, (among other European manufacturers use.) It will take a "razor edge".

Rough Rider RR603 "Large" (4 3/16 inch closed) stockman. Yellow acrylic covers, $9.99. 440A blades.

Marbles MR278 "Demo Knife" $6.99. 100% 440A

(Faux ... Identical to the original (tho 3mm longer closed length)High Quality, but still faux) Cold War era GAK Bundeswehr. $5.99
Nylon covers. It will take and hold a fine edge, and the saw cuts hardwood, without noticable dulling.

All of these have been part of my weekly EDC. This particular Marbles Demo Knife has been carried every day for roughly 15 consecutive months, excluding the two weeks I carried either the Bundeswehr or a (BTI) Old Timer 23OT. (Although at $23 the 23OT was considerably more costly than the Marbles Demo Knife and Bundeswehr combined the 23OT is the one to lose its bail. The can opener doesn't work as well as the one on the Marbles, either. The bail can be replaced for under $2, so I'm not worried about that. The can opener though ... that is one of my most used of the four blades ...

A four blade "Scout" knife or an "Demo Knife" has been in my right front pocket every day (including school and church days) since 1960.
My will instructs there be one in my pocket (along with a large stockman in the same pocket, and a Buck 110 or Old Timer 7OT (USA or offshore, both are good) on my belt) when they close the lid for the final time.

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These came from the Buck factory in Idaho today. The top one was $12 and the larger one on the bottom $15 . Forever warranty and both rock solid.
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Lots of money spent on fit and finish and have $$$$ of those. None cut better for a period of time than a SAK or Opinal
 
jpm2 said:
What happened, screws back out?
Click to expand...
Yep - probably mostly my fault, but, all the same.
I loved those knives a lot.
A Leopard Cub & a Panther - both long discontinued & I wonder if they can be repaired at this point.
 
At what price point would you consider a knife to be decent?

Depends on the purpose. I have $5 Leatherman- like keychain knives that I bought at Cabela's, and $1,000's for custom knives purchased at the Atlanta Blade Show made by some amazing bladesmiths. Bottom line - the question is impossible to answer.


 
Price and quality do not go hand in hand. Find quality then determine if it’s worth the price to you.
 
I was looking for something to satisfy an itch recently and thought about this thread.
Ok, I'm still a knife snob.
With folders, I pretty much skipped over anything less than $50. Actually looked at it if it was $75 or more but also checked country of origin (if available).
I guess once a snob, always a snob.
Maybe I should go play with my Swiss Army a bit...
 
I carried the small Buck yesterday and gave the large one to my son in law. They both lock up tight, no blade play in any direction and came perfectly centered shaving sharp.
 
Cheapest possible "decently made"? Sounds like you want (1) a nice looking knife that (2) works well and (3) won't fall apart with ordinary use. So here's my two cents based on my experience so far:

Folders: Ontario Rat 1 or Utilitac II. These are around $25, made in Taiwan, very nice fit n finish and very good general purpose users.

Fixed Blades: here I think the answer will be around the $50 mark. Yeah, there are really cheap good knives like the Mora, but I'm thinking that the OP wants something that looks a little bit nicer, fancier that can also do a little heavier work. In short, an all around user that still looks good. So I would recommend looking at Kabar, Ontario, Buck for users. And for fancier looks, try Spanish knives like Muela, Nieto and Joker. Those spanish knives all pretty much use a Euro variety of 440A or B. No great steels, just decent for ordinary use. But you can get some really great fit n finish for a $50 knife. And they have a lot of variety to choose from. Plus, they typically come with a leather sheath.
 
Hal said:
The title says it all.
How low can you go and still get a decently made knife?
$20? $30? $50? $100? More?
Click to expand...
I would say a Victorinox Classic for $15 is MORE than a decently-made knife. Same for a Morakniv.

...HOWEVER... if you want a decently hard blade steel, you have to go up to at least the $50 range and give up all the tools.

Above that, you're buying brand, better after-sale support and incremental improvements.
 
I really like my Utiitac II. Right now, they're on sale for $22.95 at an online retailer. Maybe they're cheaper somewhere else. I dunno. In any event, AUS-8A steel that holds a decent edge and an action that is among the best I've used, it certainly strikes me as very decent knife at the price. Probably more than decent. I'm sure there are others...
 
Depends on what you need, how you define "decent". The $5 kitchen paring knife is all most people will have that approximates an EDC knife for us on here, normies would consider that "decent".

The same can be said for wrist watches, pens, shoes, you name it. Buy whatever catches your fancy, I advise setting a budget and to not splurge early on.
 
Around $100, gets me a good blade and enough lock strength to last. My spyderco stretch 2 was the changing point. I do spend more as I like to try different designs, but $100 spyderco is the best value in my opinion. I am a hard use user, scrapping and prying...

My wife loves her case copper lock knife, more knife then she will ever use. More cosmetic for her. Still not a cheap knife but very reasonable.
 
I really enjoy Spyderco, especially the Para 3, Shaman and Native. I like to try out the different blade steels and appreciate their approach to knife design. These are not budget knives, but I believe you still get a lot of bang for your buck.

I also carry a Vic Spartan SAK in my pickup and probably use it as much as any knife I own.
 
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