25 Dollar Knives

DShiflet said:
Ontario Rat or Utilitac, Kershaw Oso Sweet
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I was going to say the Utilitac II but the non-tanto has slight recurve to it. The RAT line and the Avispa/Zancudo from Esee would work though. Lots of Kershaws could fit the bill. One I have that does is the Thermite. Take a look at Kershawguy.com for discounted models and even blems.

Etna said:
Ganzo is also an option but most of their knives are at the 3.5" blade length.
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Also, a good amount of Ganzos are copies of other company's stuff with counterfeit locks. Don't know if the OP cares about that but a lot of people do.
 
I agree with the Rat 1. Byrd line as well. Or anything SRM/Enlan/Ganzo. Pick your poison.
Maybe you can pick up some user knife on the "for sale" page here on BF.

Of if you wanna go more traditional...well...then there's plenty of options (Opinel, Douk-Douk, Higonokami,...).
 
tim808 said:
Do not get a crkt m16. Google it.

Also there is a recent thread on BF on most disappointing knives....that knife seems to be named the most

I think kershaws offer a lot of value for your $
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Tim, other than the BF threads, would you mind linking what google searches you are referring to? I haven't been carrying mine for too long, but have had no issues and have been watching info on them for a long time. If there are issues, I'd like to read about them. Every brand has it's haters, but kinda surprised if there's an issue I missed on the m-16's and 21's.
Thanks
 
OK, here you have a list of sub $30 knives that will be way better than any S&Wesson, Schrade, United Cutlery or Mtech crap you can get for any money. All these are proven designs and functional knives that will stand quite a bit of use and maybe abuse, and are proven value options from guys here at BF:

Most Kershaw chinese knives (Thermite, Volt, Chill, Oso Sweet, Nura, Kuro, etc.),
most chinese branded knives (SRM, Enlan, OMUDA, HARNDS, Ganzo, Bee, CYMA, etc.),
Ontario RAT I, Ontario Utilitac II,
KaBar Dozier, KaBar Piggyback, KaBar Mule, KaBar Warthog
most of the Byrd knives (Meadowlark, Cara Cara 2, Raven, Robin etc.),
ESEE Avispa, ESEE Zancuda,
CRKT Padoza, CRKT Crawford Kasper,
Buck Bantam, Bucklite, Buck Vantage
SOG Fielder, SOG Sogzilla

And there are many, many more if you step up to $40 limit. But that's another story.
Hope you find your ideal budget knife(s)!
 
+1 on the Tenacious
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another vote for the Tenacious here. Also check out the Kershaw Cryo g10. A coworker of mine had one out the other day and for a $25-$30 knife, I was pretty impressed.
 
I asked a similar question on here the other day and came to the conclusion that my RAT 1 is awesome, so I'll just continue to carry it.
 
Are these Ganzo ones really all that great? They have a new that looks like a RAT but with an Axis lock.
 
KennyB said:
Are these Ganzo ones really all that great? They have a new that looks like a RAT but with an Axis lock.
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Honestly for the money usually under 25$ you wont find a better knife imo. I have five of them and like them better than the tenacious or rat 1. They are a little heavy but it doesnt really bother me. They get really sharp and hold a decent edge and they are rock solid.
 
KennyB said:
Are these Ganzo ones really all that great? They have a new that looks like a RAT but with an Axis lock.
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The question is how you feel about design theft and counterfeiting. Because when you buy a ganzo that is what you are doing. If you are fine with that? Knock yourself out. Also, you don't get a warranty or a company that has to care if their product has a flaw that cuts peoples fingers off.

For $25 why not get a real RAT, or a Utilitac II, or an Avispa. Known quality made by companies that stand behind their product.
 
craytab said:
The question is how you feel about design theft and counterfeiting. Because when you buy a ganzo that is what you are doing. If you are fine with that? Knock yourself out. Also, you don't get a warranty or a company that has to care if their product has a flaw that cuts peoples fingers off.

For $25 why not get a real RAT, or a Utilitac II, or an Avispa. Known quality made by companies that stand behind their product.
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And that's another reason to go with an American made buck 482 ( the bantams aren't too different, but are a little ugly compared to the bucklite max's ) buck has a great lifetime warranty, plus you gotta love the fact that they were able to bring the bantams back to domestic production without raising the price or skimping on quality.
 
Another on the aforementioned river site: Byrd Cara Cara 2 in FRN. Slightly longer than your max blade length (3.75 inches -- 3.19-inch edge w/ finger choil), but usually around $20, plus or minus a couple bucks (currently MINUS).

EDIT 4/7: Corrected the general price above. And the Lesson for Today is . . . It may be best NOT to post while suffering through allergies.
 
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I dont know nor imagine you are near an academy but if you are or have a friend that is buck 110 for 27.99 couple bucks over but ... its a 110 pretty hard to go wrong with
 
Hickory n steel said:
And that's another reason to go with an American made buck 482 ( the bantams aren't too different, but are a little ugly compared to the bucklite max's ) buck has a great lifetime warranty, plus you gotta love the fact that they were able to bring the bantams back to domestic production without raising the price or skimping on quality.
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Another great one to add to the list. Buck has a fantastic reputation of taking care of its customers and is made in the USA.

Kabar dozier is another for the list as well. No need to buy Knock offs folks! You can get quality with a stand up company to fit your budget!
 
Etna said:
While I would jump at any opportunity to recommend Chinese knives, SRM is not a good option for his case. He wants something with at least a 2.75" blade, and their main lineup, the 7xxx series, typically fall short of that.
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Well, the SRM 7010 is just 2.75".
 
bootzon said:
Tim, other than the BF threads, would you mind linking what google searches you are referring to? I haven't been carrying mine for too long, but have had no issues and have been watching info on them for a long time. If there are issues, I'd like to read about them. Every brand has it's haters, but kinda surprised if there's an issue I missed on the m-16's and 21's.
Thanks
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Very soft steel. Some say it's better now, but I've been burned too many times. Cool design, horrible edge retention.

My pics would be rat-1, tenacious, G10 cryo, sak.
 
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