4 Tight Budgets

S

ScottyD

Joined
May 19, 2008
Messages
112
I just wondered how many members out there have a tight budget & are useing for example; (a Buck Special 6" fixed blade knife or another knife); until you are able to get the RC6 or a different model. I have the RC3, RC4, RC5, the Lite Machete, the ESEE Fire Starter, & the Izula.
I am not knocking down any ESEE knives or owners, just curious. :eek:
 
life is a budget..

more and more I find myself in the frame of mind to 'make do' , have a thought right now to make my own personal water filtration system instead of just buying one.. just cuz I can.

yeah, I'm frugal like that but again I support 4 in my family. There are a lot of quality products out there and very inexpensive and get the job done..

example: I'd love to have a junglas to add to my load but instead I use a tramotina machete and folding saw to handle my needs..works great, makes me wonder if I did have a junglas if I'd change it..

some things work some don't, this is one of the reasons I'll be selling all my Himalayan machetes, they just don't do it for me, and are not very user friendly nor functional, yeah they're cool knives but I like function.. my $6 machetes out perform them..
 
We've been fortunate lately. We buckled down and paid off the CC's and my car and now we only have my wife's car to pay on, so we've freed up a lot of money.

If debt is taking up a good portion of your income, I encourage you to suffer with as tight a budget as you can stand and get rid of it quickly.
 
Lots and Lots of budget knives. Gerber's and Ontario's and all sorts of stuff. Mostly because I like messing around with blades, and let's face it, it hurts a lot less to damage a $25 Blackjack Grunt, then a $120+ RC-6. And I have a ton of folders, especially SAK's because I think they are ingeniously designed. I love the thought and craftmanship that goes into something like a SwissChamp or a Leatherman Crunch.

But to get back to your question, sure. I use a Gerber Profile, a Blackjack Grunt, Ontario 102, Buck 103, Smith and Wesson Bulleye series blades, and of course, a few Mora's which are required of anyone that goes into WS&S :). I have been known to pick up a blade simply to find out why everyone seems to hate it.

Budget knives are fun to practice your sharpening on as well. Most of them have to be sharpened often. :)
 
I’ve been working my full time job, doing part time work from home in the evenings for 2 years and since March been teaching about 1 CCW class per month. I’ve been trying to cut back my toy spending because I’m starting to get gear that I rarely use. We don’t have kiddos yet so the whole “buy all your toys before you get married” advice, hasn’t rang too true to me yet (I have a VERY patient and understanding wife :D) so I squeeze in a few purchases now and then.

One of the nice things about this forum is the opportunity for winning knives. Jeff and Mike are very generous when it comes to giving folks an opportunity at an ESEE blade, regardless of income or situation. This time last year, I really wanted one of the old style Rat Pack Kits with a 6 but couldn’t justify the expense at the time. Jeff posted the shelter building contest, several of us got out their and put in the work and I was lucky enough to win a kit. I keep it sitting out on display in The Man Cave instead of being tucked away with my other knives. Great conversation peace and a great memory.

I never owned a knife over $40 until I bought my ESEE-4. Money well spent and it started the addicition. My acquisition went something like 4 in October, 3 and Izula for Christmas, 6 kit from the contest came in January, Lite Machete in April. Less expensive knives will get you by. Jeff will be the first person to tell you he can do pretty much everything an ESEE blade will do with a $6 machete. You pay for quality and customer service.

A good Buck, $12 Swedish Mora, $6-10 Tramontina of Imacasa machete.
 
Well, for many years, I made due with a SAK, a cheapo ax that I found in my parent's tool shed, and a machete that I found in my grandmother's basement. Through the years I've saved and upgraded slowly, but the most expensive fixed blade that I had until about three years ago was a under $30 Gerber and some Moras.

Over the last two years I've purchased several RAT/ESEE and BHK knives. Now don't get me wrong, I love them and use them hard. But realistically I don't do anything now that I didn't do before I had my prize knives. I mean look at any of the shows on the history channel or discovery and watch the types of knives that the people all over the world use. These people can do things with an old beat up blade that I will probably never be able to do with my $200 prize knives.

Skill is 95% and equipment is 5% of the package so in reality any blade that holds an edge will suffice for outdoors. I mean I just saw an Old Hickory carbon steel full tang butcher's knife at a big box store for $8 and that along with a scrap piece of leather for a sheath will do so much more than the garbage knife I paid $20 as a teenager many years ago before I knew anything about different types of steel and what constitutes a "good" knife.
 
I used a #2 mora and a folder for a long time - then sold a bunch of fixed blades I had never used and started buying ESEE blades.
I also do a lot of OT and some side work for discretionary funds.
 
There are many great substitutes, and I've been doing this for a long time.
The Buck Paklite Skinner, Condor Windfang substituted for the Izula
The Buck Daimondback Outfitter, substituted for the 4
Camillus Ti substituted for the 3
GI Tanto, Condor Rodan, Woodlore, BK2 etc substituted for the 5
Kumunga substituted for the Rodan
lots of potential substitutes for the 6.
There's a common line of thought when it comes to getting the most bang for your buck, and it tends to be practical steels when it comes to use and maintenance, (420HC, AUS8, 1055-1095 high carbon, etc etc.) along with practical designs, such as a large bellied drop point with a flat or saber grind.
 
I just position my buys so they can be more expensive, but just buy less blades. It works well enough for me. I know I could do the same with a cheaper blade, but I like the look and feel of customs, or ESEEs if that is what I am inclined to buy. I could spend $200 on a nice custom, or buy 5-10 Condors for that.. or save the money til I can afford the more expensive knife.
 
The Ontario CT1 machete is the favorite of any I have tried. It is 1095 steel and with a good edge will chop with anything out there for alot less bucks. Heck you could totally clean a deer with it too if you wanted.
 
ScottyD said:
I just wondered how many members out there have a tight budget & are useing for example; (a Buck Special 6" fixed blade knife or another knife); until you are able to get the RC6 or a different model. I have the RC3, RC4, RC5, the Lite Machete, the ESEE Fire Starter, & the Izula.
I am not knocking down any ESEE knives or owners, just curious. :eek:
Click to expand...

Use what works for you and what you can afford. Jeff and Mike won't hold it against you, they even encourage it.
 
ScottyD said:
I just wondered how many members out there have a tight budget & are useing for example; (a Buck Special 6" fixed blade knife or another knife); until you are able to get the RC6 or a different model. I have the RC3, RC4, RC5, the Lite Machete, the ESEE Fire Starter, & the Izula.
I am not knocking down any ESEE knives or owners, just curious. :eek:
Click to expand...

Life has got everyone knocked pretty badly atm, its seen everywhere, but for me? I don't skimp, true it does take much longer than normal to get stuff, but its worth it. Jmho. Like tools, I am ALWAYS making or fixing stuff, so if I settled for $5 100pc set found in the same store as milk and cereal? I don't think it'd hold up to what I need it to do. I have heard Jeff (RAT) speak gratifyingly of other makers knives, and thats awesome, the Esee people are a humble lot, demi gods among men ;) hahaha. But honestly. If I was going to stake my life on a knife? I learned my lesson FIRST hand, don't skip a beat when it comes to it.

For day to day chores, I find my 3 or Hest to be adequate for most things, when I want to make a mess, chomp it up, make a spectacle? And feel like rambo? Just to clear some stuff from the yard and landscape? lol...I use the Lite or Junglas. And oh boy do those things rip 5h*t up. lol.

For everything I tell people buy the best you, and make sure you aren't settling, justly and only; that the item you are buying can do the job you need it to, properly, safetly and correctly without fear of harm to yourself or others, and also that it can withstand use, failure is a terrible feeling especially if you spent hard earned $ on something and that $ couldve gone to something better.

For me? Base line for top notch high quality at a low price? IS Esee, I wont play with anything else. They set the standard, and pretty damn high.

Anyone else chime in?
 
I agree with most of the above.

There are still some real bargains out there. Like the Ontario CT1 machetes at around 20 bucks to your door.
 
LittleSpartan said:
Life has got everyone knocked pretty badly atm, its seen everywhere, but for me? I don't skimp, true it does take much longer than normal to get stuff, but its worth it. Jmho. Like tools, I am ALWAYS making or fixing stuff, so if I settled for $5 100pc set found in the same store as milk and cereal? I don't think it'd hold up to what I need it to do. I have heard Jeff (RAT) speak gratifyingly of other makers knives, and thats awesome, the Esee people are a humble lot, demi gods among men ;) hahaha. But honestly. If I was going to stake my life on a knife? I learned my lesson FIRST hand, don't skip a beat when it comes to it.
Click to expand...

buy quality, cry once.

now, you can find some very reasonably priced, high quality stuff if you hunt around and pay attention to the reviews from people who've actually used the stuff.
 
not too long ago, i was going through some old boxes and ran across my Pakistani tanto. it's a fixed blade. the 440W (as in whatever) blade is about 6" and has a definate curve (i mean look down the spine from handle to tip and it's bowed). it has wood scales and a stainless bolster.

my point is - that was my carry piece in '94 scored it the fleamarket for 9bux. times were tough, did what we had to, got by on what we could.
 
I did get by for a long time on a camillus pilots knife, now in the hands of a friend. Spent too much on folders that I no longer carry, and have replaced "tactical" with "simple" but I in general try to find the cheapest thing that will get me by, like buying almost used up cars that are cheap to insure, and that I can pay cash for(figuratively) I've found ways of getting knives cheaper and finding what I expect of them, so I can be efficient. I try to wait for a good deal, like most of my hand tools. I've found that knowing is half the battle, finding that instead of an assisted opener that I never used in front of people, I get better use from a little lockback or an old SAK. At the same time, buy once, cry once, I wanted a good fixed blade that I knew I could rely on, and saved for a RC-3 and an Izula. It is a balance, and the fight is not to envy what other guys use, but be confidant that what you have will see you through even if it isn't the most "stylish" A cheap Victorinox or Mora is much more knife than a pretty looking piece of chinese cutlery that costs much more. heck, there is a big bunch of useless crap in the price range between an opinel and and benchmade!
 
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