I would not say it is a bad steel but, there are knives with better steel in your price range.
Personally, if I was buying knives for you, I would start you with a SAK and then move on to a US made Buck Ranger. A decent multi-tool would be next. And then would be a Spyderco or Benchmade of some sort. Or maybe a fixed blade if it fit your lifestyle.
Here’s why...
Many of us have been where you are at. It is real easy to buy knives based upon what looks cool. We all have done it at some point. What we ended up with was a bunch of cool looking knives that did not meet our needs.
More to come...
I’m back. Sorry for the delay. Had to take my wife to work.
So, if I may continue... as much fun as a new cool knife can be, the “right” knife is even better.
It fits your hand, holds an edge, easy to sharpen, and is a joy to use.
The gear I mentioned above (SAK, Buck 112 Ranger, etc.)
has proven its worth over the years. It is practical, reasonably priced, and made by Yanks here in the US (not the SAK).
More importantly, nobody gives it a second thought. Sometimes not even a first one.
When I was your age, having knife was not a big deal. It was commonplace.
Now we have a large segment of the population that feels that a knife is not needed outside the kitchen. If you have a pocket knife, they consider it a danger.
Why do you need need to carry something dangerous? To cause someone harm of course. Crazy, I know. But, they do feel that way. Just the way times going. And, it is getting worse. (If your parents were like that, they would not even consider your desires.)
The knives I suggested are so common place that they just naturally seem to fit into everyday life. No one really bats an eye when they see a SAK and the basic Buck 110/112 knife has been around since 1964. (It too, caused some fear when first introduced. Cities and counties all over banned “Buck” knives. The reason we have the Ranger 112 is because of a ban on the 110 Folding Hunter on the USS Ranger.)
Many of the features that make a cool knife “cool” can trigger a fear response from these type of people. The black finish on a blade is common for this. An odd blade shape can do it too. Sorry, Spyderco, this means you. Most people have never seen a Spyderco knife, much less heard of one. But, they seem to know what they are afraid of. Nuts.
Also, many things that make a knife “cool” also make it “tactical”. If you want to have some fun and learn at the same time, look at the running threads about tactical knives.
So, if your parents and adults like me are not telling you what you want to hear, it’s because we are speaking with experience and wisdom. Not because we want to spoil your fun. Just saying.
Rant off.
Now we return you to your regularly scheduled program.
I still want to know what you end up with.