What is the cheapest knife you will carry?

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kgriggs8

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At some point when you get past a certain price, you are not getting much more for your money. What point do you think you are getting less for your money in a cheap knife. For example, a $9.00 el cheapo POS Pakastan knife is probably not worth $8.00 since for twice the price you can get a decent knife like the Ka-Bar Dozier or Kershaw Vapor. The El Cheapo is probably not even going to be half the knife the Dozier or Vapor are so why buy something that is actually not a good deal?

I'll carry a Dozier or Kershaw Vapor at work but after work, I'll carry a better knife. I don't want to ruin a $100 knife at work but I need something that will still do the job. A POS Pakastan knife is going to be more hassle than it is worth to me. I won't go cheaper than say $20 but it has to be a decent knife for $20 since you can still get junk for that price most of the time.

After work and on weekends I carry my Al Mar Shrike, it is still the best of all the knives I have. I have paid more for some knives but nothing so far is the equel to the Shrike. One sweet knife BTW.
 
This really isn't a valid question. What about an Opinel? Cheap but a wonderfully constructed knife, as good as any high end folder.

The term cheap has negative connotations, cheap in price doesn't always mean cheap in quality. I carry a Kershaw Vapor II, in terms of price, it was cheap. But it's a high quality, excellently made knife. I own a Sebenza that I picked up cheap at $275... I EDC'd it for a while until I stumbled on the Vapor II which has a better handle design, IMO. The fact that I put a nasty scratch in the Sebbie is just something that happens when you use a knife, doesn't bother me a bit.

Show me a $5 knife that locks up tight, is made of quality steel, and I'll buy it and use it. There are plently of poorly made knives that cost several times what you'd pay for an Opinel that aren't worth carrying.

But at what point do the quality/price point begin to slide? That's hard to say. Apart from holding an edge better, the Sebenza and Vapor II seem to be around the same quality in terms of construction (yes, the Sebbie is made from higher grade materials, but in terms of fit and finish, both are similiar); but remember, I've never handled a new out of the box CRK, mine was used.

I think you begin to get less than you pay for when you start getting the higher end steels just for the fact that they're higher end steels. D2 and 440C will perform about the same in a smaller knife. The D2 will hold an edge longer, but at that size both steels are simliar in stability.

It's all in the eye of the beholder I guess.
 
I work in the Point of Sale industry , I have a multitide of daily uses for my work knife , for work I carry a cheap Gerber EZ out , for the dough it's been one of the best investments I've made in a knife , had it for going on 5 years and still locks tight , etc. Think I paid a little over 20$ for it.
Yea I have nicer knives but this one is something I can carry and not get bummed if it breaks or gets ganked or lost.
 
Right now the cheapest knife I EDC is an Endura. I don't know how cheap I'd go, but I carry on the philosophy that it's better to spend a few extra dollars on reliable folder than pay a few thousand on medical bills.
 
A Swiss Army Knife.

I'd rather have a slim SAK than any random knockoff "tactical" folder or whatnot.

I carry Spydercos for cutting and the SAK just in case I need something a bit less pricy to do the job.

N2
 
Probably the one I carry now, Cold Steel large Voyager.
Kershaw Vapor II is nice, too. Had one of those before this one.

_z
 
The cheapest I would cary is the cheapest I would buy.
My Doug Ritter's RSK Mk1
rsk_mk1_combo_03-800w.jpg
 
Psychopomp,
I know what you mean. It is hard to put a dollar amount on what I am talking about so naming a few models is good enough for us to get what you are talking about. It is just a question to see what level of quality people feel they can't do without. I think it is going to depend on how much you use and sharpen your knife. I use my knives a lot at work so I expect to have to sharpen them more often than an office worker would have to. For this reason, super hard steel are not needed. It would only make them harder to sharpen.

I like a steel that a little better then AUS-8 but it doesn't have to be some kind of super steel since I am going to dull whatever blade I have by cutting things that I don't intend to cut. A lot of times, I have to cut tape or plastic tie wraps off of cables and once you hit the steel cables a few times, it is going to dull your edge. I can't really help it, that is what I use the knife for.
 
rebeltf said:
Ifor work I carry a cheap Gerber EZ out , for the dough it's been one of the best investments I've made in a knife , had it for going on 5 years and still locks tight , etc.
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I used one of these as my EDC for 3 years and I was always pleased with it's performance. Never let me down, held a good edge, and had decent ergonomics. I carried it since I got out of HS and as you say, it's cheap enough that you won't get too upset if it breaks or you lose it, but I was upset when I lost mine just because of the sentimental value. Only knife I ever lost though. Right now the cheapest knife in my rotation is a Kershaw Chive. About $30 bucks but great fun and comes with and retains a nice edge.
 
I often carry a Camillus Barlow, sawcut black derlin. $9 on eBay.

Regards,

Jeremy
 
I occasionally throw my $15.00 V'nox silver Alox Bantam in my pocket as a back-up to one of my Mnandis. I would call the $15.00 price inexpensive but I would never call any V'nox "cheap". ;)
 
I had a job where we could only use the company issued knives which happened to be 'Made in China' and 'Made in Pakistan'. They looked like fixed blade wooden handled butter knives with a flat tip. They were used to open up and break down boxes. They worked just fine. I kept a small diamond file which I used on it every 3 or 4 days, but besides that the knives performed just fine. We weren't allowed to take them home, and the warehouse was closed down in 2003. I wish I had swiped one of them as they were one of the best utiliy blades I've ever used even though they were 'cheap'.
 
excludeing my kabars, the cheapest folder that i would edc is my benchmade 806d2. i do occasionally carry a 5 buck early 70s buck 110 but i never carry it for more than a hour or so.
 
Opinels and Eriksson moras.

I use an Opinel at work all the time, and a mora when I need a tougher blade.

These two knives are everything I need for most situations, ironically they are the two cheapest knives I own.

I usually have a more expensive folder in my pocket or in a belt pouch, but they don't see half the action my Opinels see.

Luckily, where I work, you can get Opinels Nº8 for free (two or three a year), because we give them out to customers with their names on them and the date of their journey (I work for a tourism company that focus on hunting, hicking, etc.).

SAKs are the other great bang-for-your buck knives. My Vic Soldier has been with me for years.

Of course, this doesn't stop me from spending every dollar I can get in new knives. :)
 
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