What are some great budget knives?

A

Alkurasin

Joined
Jun 12, 2022
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Hi I currently have a small collection going I have a pm3 lightweight, pm2 sv45, honeybadger 8cr, and dragonfly sv10, for fathers day my sons giving me 100$, I like all my current knives but I don't really use my dragonfly much, I think I'd like to get somthing that's not a spyderco and somthing with a more standard blade shape like drop point or even a tanto or sheep foot. Anyways any suggestions are appreciated! Thanks
 
Welcome to the forums ! In this price range, I would highly recommend a Ontario Rat1 in D2 steel, natural Micarta scales. It is Knife center exclusive, below $50.
it’s a nice size knife with decent steel and excellent working ergonomics.
‘Micarta scales makes it unique to some extend, conventional geometry blade.
‘I used few of those Rat1 models and I’m very happy with the D2 version.
‘I’m sure they will be few more options offered by other forum members, in this price range.
‘Good luck !

 
POCEH KOCEB said:
Welcome to the forums ! In this price range, I would highly recommend a Ontario Rat1 in D2 steel, natural Micarta scales. It is Knife center exclusive, below $50.
it’s a nice size knife with decent steel and excellent working ergonomics.
‘Micarta scales makes it unique to some extend, conventional geometry blade.
‘I used few of those Rat1 models and I’m very happy with the D2 version.
‘I’m sure they will be few more options offered by other forum members, in this price range.
‘Good luck !

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Thanks for the suggestions I'm actually from Canada so I can only order from warriors and wonders, blades canada. They have the rat 1 with a nylon handle d2 which I was considering previously, seems to be around the same price 65$cad, do you think that's a fair price without the upgraded handle material?
 
Alkurasin said:
Thanks for the suggestions I'm actually from Canada so I can only order from warriors and wonders, blades canada. They have the rat 1 with a nylon handle d2 which I was considering previously, seems to be around the same price 65$cad, do you think that's a fair price without the upgraded handle material?
Click to expand...
The blade you’re considering is a fantastic work knife! You’ll love it. Also, hello fellow Canadian.
 
Giving their website a quick glance, I would look at their CIVIVI offerings. They're extremely well made for the price and have several models in your price range. Maybe a Praxis if you want a larger knife or an Elementum if you prefer something a little more compact.
 
I don't know what the Canadian restrictions are, so I hope these are available. A Cold Steel 4Max Scout is about $75USD. It is a big knife that it feels great in my hand. A Cold Steel Tuff Lite is about $30USD. It's a lot smaller, but punches way above it's price and size. The Buck 110 and 112 Slim Selects are about $25-30USD. They are very nice knives also. I hope this helps. Let us know what you decide to buy.
 
I had Rat1 with nylon scales and didn’t have any issues with it, Further down a line, if you like the ergos but prefer different scale material, you can always find aftermarket scales, they are plenty of options.
Price wise, yes, I think it’s a fair price, but I’m not very familiar with the Canadian to us $ exchange…
‘Comparing the Rat to other knives, IMO it’s better to work with slightly larger blade and handle, than with smaller.
 
Thanks everyone for your input right now I'm looking at the rat 1 and civivi elementum, I might up the budget a bit and get both, the civivi chevalier also caught my eye I think it has 14c28n steel for 86 us, from what I understand it's comparable to d2, so not sure if it's worth the price.
 
I see you have a few folders. So I’ll recommend a fixed-blade, if you’re interested in something different.

With $100 I’d pick up a Buck 119. They currently cost about $70. Until I purchased my Buck 124 a little while ago, my Buck 119 was my EDC for about seven years. It’s extremely versatile, and has done about every knife task under the sun for me. Always comfy to use for long periods, easy to clean, easy to sharpen, tough as nails, and never corrodes.
 
If under $100 is your definition of a "budget knife," there are simply WAY too many to mention, even if you exclude Spydercos.

Limiting the blade shape to drop point, sheepsfoot or tanto doesn't help reduce the options either.

So, just let your fingers to the walking thru the many maker/dealer catalogs available online and just pick those you like best.
 
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Repeating my dirty under $30 list - will never stop supporting these dudes, you do not have to support brands in Communist countries or buy bad quality to have a good budget knife. Every time these threads come up people go crazy with Chinese knives.

RAT 1/2 (Taiwan, usually in the $27-30so range depending on steel)
GRIK (Taiwan, got mine for $30)
Buck 110 Slim Select ($27 on sale, even can dye the scales, great great knife, USA made)
Otter-Messer K55 Mercator (German made, classic timeless design, 1867, looks great, less than $20 sometimes)
Douk-Douk (French, comes in various versions, carbon or 14c28n)
Opinel (These can be had for like ten bucks sometimes, no. 6es, they come in Inox or C75)
M.A.M (Brazillian brand that has been around as long as Opinel, the Opinel of South America)
Higonokami (Old school Japanese knives, comes in all different kinds of steels, from VG-10 to SK to Shirogami to Blue Paper....)
Mora (Sweden, carbon or stainless, robust and tough, I would go in the woods and have a Mora be my only knife any day of the week)
Ontario SP series (USA made, guess already covered under RAT, but these are great KA-BAR or Becker alternatives, quite cheap, full tang, 1075 built)

There are lots of small Spydercos like the K390 Wharncliffe Dragonfly or the Cricket that are GREAT cutters and cheap.
 
Hashishiin said:
Repeating my dirty under $30 list - will never stop supporting these dudes, you do not have to support brands in Communist countries or buy bad quality to have a good budget knife. Every time these threads come up people go crazy with Chinese knives.

RAT 1/2 (Taiwan, usually in the $27-30so range depending on steel)
GRIK (Taiwan, got mine for $30)
Buck 110 Slim Select ($27 on sale, even can dye the scales, great great knife, USA made)
Otter-Messer K55 Mercator (German made, classic timeless design, 1867, looks great, less than $20 sometimes)
Douk-Douk (French, comes in various versions, carbon or 14c28n)
Opinel (These can be had for like ten bucks sometimes, no. 6es, they come in Inox or C75)
M.A.M (Brazillian brand that has been around as long as Opinel, the Opinel of South America)
Higonokami (Old school Japanese knives, comes in all different kinds of steels, from VG-10 to SK to Shirogami to Blue Paper....)
Mora (Sweden, carbon or stainless, robust and tough, I would go in the woods and have a Mora be my only knife any day of the week)
Ontario SP series (USA made, guess already covered under RAT, but these are great KA-BAR or Becker alternatives, quite cheap, full tang, 1075 built)

There are lots of small Spydercos like the K390 Wharncliffe Dragonfly or the Cricket that are GREAT cutters and cheap.
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THIS!!!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

For the past 20 years or so as I ged into the genuine bonafide old fart, I've been going backwards in my knife appreciation. I've been using and reveling in the effectiveness of the Opinel, Douk-Douk, Higonokami, M.A.M., Mora, and Svord peasant knives from New Zealand. Most are light weight, easy to use, cut like the dickens, and are very replaceable if you lean on it and break one. I've only managed to break a very small number 4 Opinel, and that was abusing it out in the garden out back, doing something that I should have just went and got another tool for. I've pushed the metal handle Douk-Douk's and Higonakami well past reasonable use and they came up fine. The larger Opinels are very rugged, as are the M.A.M.'s.

If I had used these in my younger days, I would never have wasted the money on that Randall collection and other high end knives that I sold off when I realized they were over kill. All my fixed blade work has been done with a Mora, and my old Buck 102 woodsman. Both have stood up for over 20 years of heavy use camping and fishing.

For the past year, an Opinel number 5 and 8 has been my go-to folders. They've been used hard with no problems.
 
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