good knives at walmart or target?

R

reptilezs

Joined
Jul 30, 2004
Messages
87
any good knives that can be bought at wal mart for a reasonable price (~30$)? i saw a kershaw vapor at walmart but i didnt like the metal handles.
 
The most talked about news lately has been that 1/3rd of all Wal-Marts now stock Spyderco Natives in plaine edge CPMS30V steel. Don't know if you are familar with that steel but it will basically out cut everything else in the display case it competes with hands down. At $40 it is a steal and the fact that its a Spydie known for the sharpest new in the box knives doesn't hurt.

By the way. The Vapor is not a bad knife for the money. The blade won't keep its edge all that long being the steel it is though. Most of the stuff Wal-Mart sells is 420HC or 440A steel blades which are both bottom of the barrel steels. Some are probably 420J2 which is the bottom of the barrel steel in my humble opinion. You may find some AUS6 or 8A which I'd take over these steels but none are going to be up there with the S30V. That is a premo blade steel and what makes the Native a standout in the crowd if your Wal-Mart has them.
 
Im pretty sure the buck 110 can be bought at walmart, and its a very good knife.
 
If you have the time to look, Walmart has some decent knives. They dont spec alot of high dollar knives because they dont sell. Buck, Kershaw, Gerber all have some representation as well as Victorinox.
P.S. My Buck 442 holds an edge better than my Small Sebenza by 50 %.Bottom of the barrel????
 
Mill rolled steels are generally considered bottom of the barrel steels yes, and that is what the 442 model has on it for a blade steel being 420HC steel. I have knives with that steel also, including my Buck 110 and several others of 440A from Kershaw but I no longer carry them.

Better edge geometry and grinds as well as a more optimum edge angle can help to make these edges last longer or cut and slice better for these steels but most just take a crappy edge to begin with and lose it after the first few cuts in something tough. When the carbon content is that low I don't think there is any reason to expect more from it. My Buck 110 seems to hold its own for the most part but it won't keep up with any of my good Spydercos with premium blade steels. I whittle a lot and you can really come to appreciate a good high carbon steel over a bottom grade one when you carve into hard woods for any length of time.

Personally, I shy away from anything less than 440C in stainless or 1095 high carbon for a blade and prefer at a minimum .90 carbon in anything I actually plan to use for the things I do in wood carving. Otherwise I'm spending as much time touching up the edges as I do for carving.
 
Target pretty much only carries Gerbers, Victorinox SAK's, and Leatherman. However, they do carry the SOG Seal 2000 and SOG Revolver on their website.
 
I personally saw the above mentioned the S30V Spyderco Native this past weekend at Walmart. I was sorely tempted to buy it ut didn't as I already have a limited edition Native with G10 scales andan inlay, but a lesser CPM440V blade steel. It seems like the most knife you can buy at a power retailer and I'll probably end up buying a couple as gifts.

On another note, when I asked to look at it, as it's a New Item, the clerk pointed to a few "old items" that were clearance priced in another display case and really missed some deals. Once I got home I did a little research and wish I'd bought a couple Buck Rushs at $20.00 and perhaps some $20.00 Gerber Multi Tools for gifts. I went back tonight and all of the clearance items were gone :( Some smoking deals to be had if you get there soon enough.
 
Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but are the S30V Natives at Walmart marked a certain way? Should I be looking for a particular model number? Or would all Natives be made with the same steel? Thanks :)
 
mine says:
Golden Colorado
USA Earth

other side of the blade says:
Spyderco
CPMS30V

Also my WM had the Kershaw Blackout on closeout for $40.00. what a fun knife. I carry it everywhere.
 
The wal-mart near me now has Buck 110 holiday tens on sale for about $23. It is a metal case with a 110 and a sheath. I just thought i mention it seamed like a pretty good deal.
 
I was in Target the other day, and they had a limited selection of Gerber MTs and paraframe folders, very limited Victorinox SAKs, some Leatherman MTs (no Charges), including Micras for $15, and some Eddie Bauer crap.

OT, but Target also carries several Inova lights, including some plastic bodied ones that I've never seen elsewhere, including AAA, AA, and even C cell lights. Pretty cool.
 
Planterz,

I bought one of those Eddie Bauer knives for a non-knife person as a Christmas present, and surprisingly, it came out of the package very sharp and locked up pretty tight.

Those Inova lights are pretty cool aren't they? I picked up one of the keychain lights, and my only complaint is that it keeps switching modes while I'm carrying it in my pocket.

I'll let you all know if they start putting any of the knives on clearance.:D
 
I checked at Walmarts in the Baltimore metro area and southern PA, and didn't find any Spydies. You can get SAK's and multitools at Walmart, although the steel on my brand new Wave is 420. For it's purpose, I think that 420 is okay, it sits in my center console in my truck. The Buck stockmans made in China are not as good as I thought, and I just got a Stockman and Cadet made in USA.

I bought my Juice and Squirt from Target, the Squirt is on my keychain, and the Juice is in my drivers side door pocket. Both are top performers.
 
Academy Sports in the OKC area has Buck 110's with leather sheath for $21.63. Target runs various SAK's on good sale prices fairly frequently. Last year, I bought the little SAK with the scissors and nail file for $6. I bought 27 of them and used them for stocking stuffers.
BTW, I've given away many knives and asked no coin in return and have not had any negative repercussions.
 
Just picked up a Spyderco Native last night at the Super Wal-Mart in Elkton, MD. The guy at the sporting goods counter said they had just come in and I was the first person to buy one. I was impressed with the overall fit and sharpness of the blade. One issue I noticed later was some roughness in the Spyderhole. Looks like it wasn't polished in one spot. Should be able to fix that with the Dremel.

For $40, I'm not sure you can find a better deal on a CPMS30V folder.:D
 
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