The Ken Onion designed Kershaw Leek. Just my humble opinion on this but - the Leek is probably the closest thing you can get to a cross-over between something with traditional style, tacticool workings & an EDC knife that will do almost everything you can run into in day to day that you need a knife for.
Agreed on the Leek. Lately, I'm finding the delicate tip to be so useful for every "open the package" type job. That tip just glides right in, then I slide that slicey, razor sharp edge through. The blade and handle shapes are
perfect.
I'm not sure if it's a top choice in the < $100 range though. It has some flaws that are inexcusable for a knife of this price and maturity:
- Lanyard hole prevents the clip from being in the best place for tip-up carry. Get rid of the lanyard hole; no one sensible person carries these on lanyards!
- 420HC steel in a $55 knife? C'mon. Ontario gives us D2 for the same price in the RAT series. 420HC should be reserved for a budget $30 model with FRN scales.
- Needs a sharpening choil, even a small one. That last 1/16" of the edge is unsharpened anyway. Just grind a choil there instead.
- Needs more scale options than color anodized aluminum. G10 at a minimum. How about polished micarta?
My onetime - "perfection" knife was a Benchmade Leopard Cub.
Fabulous knife. I carried it for years. One day the blade screw backed out and it came apart.
I might still have all the pieces somewhere - but - I miss that knife a lot.
You should dig up the parts and put it together for a winter/COVID project. It will be like having an old friend back.
Anyhow -for me the $100 and under is the Kershaw Leek.
Hmmm. You put "knives" in the title, but you chose just one. Well, I will play it both ways then:
1. Victorinox CyberTool M ($99.95) - This knife just blows away any single blade knife out of the water, where versatility is concerned. We Swiss Army Knights often find that it's hard to go back to a single bladed folder, unless it is just to have a properly hard blade steel and/or locking blade.
With this model, we have a veritable toolbox in our belt pouch. (or pocket, for the more hardcore Knights!)
- Some folks here want a sturdier folder, so they can pry with it, but with a SAK in the pocket, it's never necessary to pry with a knife blade, as there are nearly always better options. (3 flat screwdrivers, can opener edge, and sometimes the reamer)
- The pliers is perfect for when we need more grip than tweezers or fingers can provide, but not quite enough to justify a larger multi-tool or a trip to the toolbox.
- Victorinox scissors are pretty legendary; no need to elaborate further
- Cyber driver - Once you use this, it's hard to go back to just a dedicated flat or Phillips. The bits are hardened, there's a good variety of them* and it is long enough to reach many recessed screws.
- Bottle opener / large flat driver - I use mine more often as a pry bar and bottle opener, as flat head screws are a dying breed.
- Can opener / small flat driver - A lighter duty pry bar with a sharper edge. Sometimes the 90° point of it comes in handy for pulling something
- Two blades - The blade steel is not hard, but there is a back-up blade, so that goes a long way. I find myself using the small blade for most general utility jobs, and I hold back the large blade as a clean, sharp one for light food prep, and as a back-up for when the small blade gets dull.
- Corkscrew - This is useful to help untie tough knots as well as for wine.
- Eyeglass screwdriver in the corkscrew - I've saved the day of glasses wearers more than once with this handy little driver.
- Stainless steel straight pin - Just the thing, when combined with the tweezers, for getting a sliver out!
- Toothpick - I use this multiple times per day
- Hook - Doesn't get used much, but occasionally, nothing else will do
- Reamer - I use this for drilling holes for fine adjustment in my belts. But it also serves as a general purpose poky tool. (saving the blades from abuse)
- Pressurized pen - I don't know about you guys, but I'm ALWAYS getting caught without a pen. This one (like a Space Pen) writes at any angle.
Other great < $100 knives:
- Spyderco Polestar ($70) - It's like a Tenacious, but with slightly upgraded scales and steel. (BD1 instead of 8Cr) It maximizes cutting edge, unlike Delica, Manix 2 or Native.
- Cold Steel Voyager, large ($50) - My choice for a heavy duty folder. Easy to pinch open, even with thick gloves on, and there's enough room on the grip for gloves as well. I wish they still made the medium...
- Ontario Rat II in D2 "R2D2" ($50) - What a perfect and well-executed design! Every detail is thought of. I'd love to have one of these with a Maxamet blade, and that might even be doable for under a hunge.
- Spyderco UKPK ($70) - This thing is a masterpiece, on par with the Leek, but without any flaws. Be open-minded about the lack of a lock; it really doesn't need it, thanks to a good stop and the forward choil that keeps the blade open.
- A.G. Russell Medium Gents Folding Hunter ($75) - An elegant back lock folder. Ultra-smooth action. Big blade in a small handle. Super light.
- Spyderco Dragonfly Lightweight ($65?) - THIS is the top < $100 old school Spyderco to have, in my opinion. Four finger grip, thanks to the forward choil and good handle design, and a nice VG10 blade and wire pocket clip. Take off the pocket clip and it becomes a "ultra-deep carry" option.
If I had to pick just one from the above list, it'd be the R2D2.
