$30 Knife for a Friend

irsh said:
I looked up Petrified Fish after seeing it mentioned a few time in this thread. Now I have a few more knives on my (now longer) short list. Thanks a lot Blade Forums! 😠
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While you're at it: spend some time at CRK, Hinderer, and Olamic...
You bank accounts will hate you! 😎👍
 
What about a traditional? They are cheap and practical.
Case makes some great knives, such as the Sodbuster jr. Or a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife would be a great choice.
 
The CRKT Squid and the CRKT Pilar can be found in micarta+D2 or G-10+D2 for around $40-$45..CJRB has several knives in micarta+D2 or G-10+D2 for around $40..if you are on Reddit I would recommend checking out the r/Budget Knives subreddit and look through what others have posted.I would also ask others in there what their favorite budget knives are.A lot of those guys entire collections are made up of budget knives so they should have some good recommendations over there
 
Another for the Kabar Dozier Folding Hunter. Just to make it interesting, I’ll suggest the Steel Will Cutjack or the ESEE Avispa (the SK5 or 1095 versions). Best of luck.
 
Leo Greer said:
That P801 looks pretty darn like what I’m looking for… and yeah, I’m a big fan of 14C28N.

It’s basically LC200N with a tiny bit less edge retention and a tiny bit less corrosion resistance, and more toughness.

I own one Ruike and for $20 used it’s amazing… the P121.
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I received a P801 today. The stonewashed one, not the blackwash. I took it apart and inspected the innards. The typical caged ball bearing design, and the steel is Sandvik, which I like. Well built. They grease the bearings. I cleaned that up and replaced with 3-in-1 oil, my preferred knife lube. The thumb studs are useless, but the flipper works very well. But, still not as well as my Civivis (Chronic, Backlash and Brazen). A little stiffer than the Civivis, but still crisp and efficient action and pivot. Well worth the $30 in my opinion. If you were willing to up it $10, I would opt for Civivi, though.

PS-it is a frame lock, which an inexperienced knife guy may appreciate for its improved lockup.
 
CVamberbonehead said:
What about a traditional? They are cheap and practical.
Case makes some great knives, such as the Sodbuster jr. Or a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife would be a great choice.
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That's the kind of knife I started on (sometime in the last century). Since getting into modern knives, I haven't looked back for the most part. The main exception has been for putting knives on key rings where I don't want "fast opening".

There are two main reasons for not looking back. First, one-handed opening is just too convenient. Second, modern action is fun! Snapping out a blade with just a finger or thumb flick, hearing it lock up... it's just great. I don't sit around doing it all day or anything, like some weirdo in a closet popping away at a sheet of bubble wrap. (Not judging.) It's just that every single time I open up a modern knife to perform a task, I get a small bit of joy from that action.
 
Greetings...

I'll Assume $30 is a suggested amount. Since you gave no other info, I have 2 Suggestions:
One or the other AND Both.

Fixed Blade: Old Timer Capybara. Currently about $32 on Amazon.
Folder: Old Timer 29OT Currently about $25 on Amazon.
Both come with High Quality Leather Sheath,
Both are BEAUTIFUL with Rosewood and Ebony Rare Hardwood inserts, with Nickel Silver accents.

However, the most important is "The Story"!
You remove it from the box, and tell him that it's a hand-me-down from a long lost dead Uncle/Aunt/Cousin/Friend/Whatever
and that you just got it hand delivered by a one eyed man in black who handed it to you with a hand written letter and
NEVER said a word! Mysteriously, the letter disappeared in a puff of smoke the instant you had finished reading it!

NOW! Important! When you get it in the mail, Likely the Leather will be somewhat Desiccated. It's important that you distress it up a bit
and let it soak in 3in1 oil for a couple hours.
Optional - Use it to slice your finger slightly, and let a drop smear across the back. Make up a nice story that was in the missing letter...

Trust me, your friend will treasure it for the rest of his/her life!
 
Kandaje said:
Greetings...

I'll Assume $30 is a suggested amount. Since you gave no other info, I have 2 Suggestions:
One or the other AND Both.

Fixed Blade: Old Timer Capybara. Currently about $32 on Amazon.
Folder: Old Timer 29OT Currently about $25 on Amazon.
Both come with High Quality Leather Sheath,
Both are BEAUTIFUL with Rosewood and Ebony Rare Hardwood inserts, with Nickel Silver accents.

However, the most important is "The Story"!
You remove it from the box, and tell him that it's a hand-me-down from a long lost dead Uncle/Aunt/Cousin/Friend/Whatever
and that you just got it hand delivered by a one eyed man in black who handed it to you with a hand written letter and
NEVER said a word! Mysteriously, the letter disappeared in a puff of smoke the instant you had finished reading it!

NOW! Important! When you get it in the mail, Likely the Leather will be somewhat Desiccated. It's important that you distress it up a bit
and let it soak in 3in1 oil for a couple hours.
Optional - Use it to slice your finger slightly, and let a drop smear across the back. Make up a nice story that was in the missing letter...

Trust me, your friend will treasure it for the rest of his/her life!
Click to expand...
Ha!
 
CVamberbonehead said:
What about a traditional? They are cheap and practical.
Case makes some great knives, such as the Sodbuster jr. Or a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife would be a great choice.
Click to expand...
Traditionals are great cutters but they don't always appeal to first time knife owners and the OP did mention that he wanted to impress with the action. It's a small thing but having to use both hands and often a finger nail to deploy a blade is just not convenient for the average person and that knife will get left at home.
 
I second the Kabar Dozier folding hunter. Bought one because, well, why not, and ended up giving it to my sister -in-law who works around horses all the time. She opens all sorts of stuff with it, and generally beats up on it, and it has been a good knife for her. A little stiff to open, but I couldn't find my lube at the time. Looking forward to lubing it for her, and checking the pivot pin.
 
My choices for this price range would be Ontario Rat 1-2, Kabar Dozier, Buck 110-112 slim select (this would be my first choice). Personally I prefer fixed blades, so I end up gifting the plain Jane Izula or the Buck 140(?) PakLite Skinner to people, because I’m pushy like that and think everyone needs a fixed blade 😂. Good luck with your hunt!
 
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