Cheap knives

[Cory]

Kershaw Emerson CQC6K. I'm a pretty big fan. Carried mine a long time, and was gifted a new one. I have one for swimming and one for normal carry. Plus a trainer.

-Inexpensive
-Wave opening
-Solid lock mechanism
-Great customer support
-Trainer version available
-Can be drawn into reverse edge gril
-Aftermarket parts available.

[LockedBreech]

Its kind of a given that many knives at this price point will be made in China, but the newer brands that I have found are really nice for the price. Much better than a few years ago.

I grabbed a couple Civivis and they're extremely nice for what I paid. My Kizer Begleiter was also great.

I try not to buy Chinese stuff but when it comes to knives I'm definitely not doing great. The current bang for buck is huge.

[vcdgrips]

My kids bought this for me for Father's Day after I had to leave a Spyderco Cat in NYC when I discovered it just prior to going thru security when we moved my daughter back from NYC this past May.

https://www.kizerknives.com/products/swayback-v3566n1

While I would typically avoid a knife made in the PRC, there is no doubt that this knife is nicer and better on every vector relative to the Cat it replaced for the same 60 ish USD.

I accepted the gift graciously and it is part of the weekly rotation. From the box, it was forearm hair shaving sharp and has been easily maintained to that level on my Spyderco Sharpmaker with 10 -20 passes on the edges of the ultra fine rods.

[Jimichanga]

I only carry a folder for utility so I've been over losing expensive folding knives for awhile now. I am a huge fan of the Gerber EAB Lite. It is so small and light that you forget you have it. Blade changes with a coin. At $11 I'm not too worried about losing it.

I will also plug the Milwaukee Tradesman Fixed Blade Knife. I picked it up at Home Depot on my way to an elk hunt when I forgot my havalon. It really did a great job in processing the animal and kept an edge. My only complaints would be the sheath is a cheap dumpster fire and the handle got a little slick with blood. To remedy, I purchased a kydex sheath for it and stippled the grip. I have picked up a few for our family vehicles. It is a great utility blade and if it gets lost or stolen, oh well.

[joker581]

I like the plastic handle versions of the Buck 110 and 112 for an inexpensive knife. I think they are going for around $30-35 now.

These are great. Another good relatively cheap knife is the ESEE Expat Medellin. It’s a great knife with a no-questions-asked warranty.

[Clusterfrack]

My kids bought this for me for Father's Day after I had to leave a Spyderco Cat in NYC when I discovered it just prior to going thru security when we moved my daughter back from NYC this past May.

https://www.kizerknives.com/products/swayback-v3566n1

While I would typically avoid a knife made in the PRC, there is no doubt that this knife is nicer and better on every vector relative to the Cat it replaced for the same 60 ish USD.

I accepted the gift graciously and it is part of the weekly rotation. From the box, it was forearm hair shaving sharp and has been easily maintained to that level on my Spyderco Sharpmaker with 10 -20 passes on the edges of the ultra fine rods.

I like my Swayback quite a bit. It's taken on the role as a "Safe for work" knife. I'm thinking about reducing the height of the button-lock button to make it less prone to accidental closing under a firm grip.

[DamonL]

I think the designs from makers of these less expensive knives are much better than years past.

[revchuck38]

You can often get US-made Kershaw factory seconds from this guy for <$50 with shipping. My current knife is a Leek and it's the sharpest knife I've ever owned. I admit I'm not an aficionado but it's a damned nice knife.

[Joe S]

I like the plastic handle versions of the Buck 110 and 112 for an inexpensive knife. I think they are going for around $30-35 now.

I like the Ka Bar Dozier series. Under $40, for either D2 or Aus8.

https://www.bladehq.com/cat--Ka-Bar-Dozier--971

[Caballoflaco]

I just picked up an Opinel for the first time since I was a kid and I forget what a good value those are for a cheap little slicer. Plus you won’t find a classier picnic folder.