Am I on the right track buying these budget knives?

[Stahlmann]

I bought a TwoSun on a whim off Amazon. It took about a month to arrive directly from China.

The knife sorta blew me away and ticked me off at the same time.

The quality is very high. The material quality is very good, assuming it is indeed titanium and M390. The details and machining were noticeably well done. The action is buttery. The design is strange yet intriguing. The blade grind near perfect. Centering perfect.

It is hard to believe they can make a profit, and it certainly reaffirms how difficult it is to compete for local US makers.

I know the feeling...

It's not all about labor costs either. Chinese companies are getting very good at manufacturing just about anything.

 

[samclaymore]

You can buy some STUNNINGLY good knives for very little money these days. Look into the WE Knife Company, Sanrenmu Knives and Ganzo.

Domestically, I think Buck Knives offers the greatest bang-for-the-buck.

What this☝guy said. There are a world of good knives at all kinds of prices. Basic quality is high especially with a reputable company. (that's most important when putting more money down) $$$$ just offers a higher possibility of quality. If you're new like you say, then play around. A 5 dollar walworld knife might suit a basic need while being durable and able to lose. (I personally have bad luck with my small knives being stolen or lost.) And a $400 chris reeve is like grandads coveted gold pocket watch. Real knife collectors have wanted or bought both the pauper and prince knife. Don't let brand and steel snobs bully you into being an elite blow hard and dull boorish human. If you like it and you aren't hurting no one, enjoy all of it.

 

[Boombats]

One bit of advice about Twosun- stick with the titanium handles because their G10 and other non-titanium models can be bulky and clunky and have weak linerlocks.

 

[scdub]

My advice - go slowly and try a diversity of knives/cutting utensils. Know that over the years your tastes will likely change and there will always be new and interesting materials/designs to try. Don’t dedicate yourself to a particular company/style of knife (eg don’t be a fanboy).

If you’ve really got the bug, and you aren’t wealthy, I think it’s vital to keep a lookout for good budget knives, while reserving some of your budget (long or short term - you know yourself best) for an occasional “expensive” knife (whatever that means to you).

That said.

I don’t buy from any company that I believe is selling knock-offs, clones, etc. If a company is willing to rip off a designer, rest assured they’re willing to rip off their customers as well.

I am certainly open to knives made in different places however, and some great deals can be found overseas. One of my favorite finds is this Marttiini “Mini Chopper” (aka Big Bear Skinner) that I frequently use in the kitchen for herbs, tough vegetables/materials and other quick jobs. $14 with a nylon sheath. It’s our main car-camping food-prep knife but it lives on a magnet board in the kitchen. It’s a fun knife to use because of its shape (my wife agrees) and it came with a somewhat thick but beautiful polished edge.

 

[CR888]

With a nice knife you can sell it and get most of your money back to go towards another knife if you don't like carrying it. With a cheap knife you just throw it in a box or give it away. Seems to me to be more cost effective to buy nice knives any way you look at it. The only exception to me is if you're just learning to sharpen knives. In that case it would be better to have some cheaper knives to practice on.

Would you consider TwoSun knives that bad that you would through them away? Sounds a bit crazy to me I don't know a lot about knives but the TwoSun knives I do have use ceramic bearings and tracks T8 Torx fasteners, use titanium, s90v, M390, D2, VG10 etc. My little experience and I could be wrong is that you would be hard pressed matching the components and quality with western made knives for their price. I just dug out my Buck 191 (zipper) I bought about 20 years ago. Skinned and dressed a few animals with that!

 

[bayouace]

My last 3 knives are a Civivi, an Artisan, and a CJRB, none costing more than $52. They are all very well-made and good-looking.

 

[CR888]

---

I've always bought the best I could afford with tools, machinery, kitchen knives which are Felix, F-Dick, Henkle from Solingen Germany. I have a few Japanese knives too. I just don't want to spend a bunch on a hunting/camping knife that I might lose or whatever. I even would like something perhaps a bit softer steel that's a bit easier to sharpen in the field. I've seen folding knives that to me look very similar to the TwoSuns that go for $250-$1500+. Mind you some of the Twosuns sell for over $200. What's good for me about them is I can get them delivered to my mailbox free. I live in the country and don't have days to go shopping.

 

[Bob Denman]

My last 3 knives are a Civivi, an Artisan, and a CJRB, none costing more than $52. They are all very well-made and good-looking.

Congratulations! Now: where are the pictures?

 

[bayouace]

Here you go, Bob. Civivi Odium, Artisan Biome, and CJRB Small Feldspar. Did I mention I like Natural G-10?

 

[JeremiahWeaver09]

twosun is underrated, their quality is high for what you pay and they have a ton of different designs, every one i have handled was extremely sharp and had good action and good detent and solid lockup

 

[sgt1372]

There's no doubt that there are many cheaper knives that can serve you well. Indeed, I own many (like an Ontario Rat 2, a Spyderco Tenacious and at least 5 Swiss Army Explorers) but what's the "fun in collecting such knives?

None IMO.

So, if your purpose is to find a cheap knife that will serve, there are many that will fit the bill but, if your purpose is to own knives of unique quality (in terms of design and materials), again, there are many available that will not "break the bank" for most people who are "in to" the hobby.

Just depends what your goals and pocketbook look like.

 

[Chronovore]

I've got a Petrified Fish coming in the mail, and I think it was made by them.. .

Petrified Fish is a different company. I've been watching them for a few years now. They've come a long way from making knives in 8Cr13Mov and AUS-8 for other companies. Now they do one of the best heat treatments on Chinese D2 and have started using Bohler K110 with fun handle materials like Micarta, wood, and novel patterns in G-10. They recently started selling on Amazon and are also available at White Mountain Knives.

TwoSun is interesting. Like PF, their steel stamps have been confirmed multiple times via XRF. Build quality is decent. I have a few of their knives. Their kitchen knives in 14C28N are nice. Their TS262 is the most comfortable front flipper I've tried. While they are also available at White Mountain Knives, auction hunting on eBay remains the best way to get them if you don't mind the shipping time from China.

The only real complaint I've seen about TwoSun is that their heat treatment on "super steels" isn't great. For instance, their S90V did not perform as well as S90V from some better-known companies in a test by Cedric&Ada Gear and Outdoors. However, it's worth noting that the edge retention was still pretty good relative to the price of the knife. This actually happens a lot for affordably priced mass-production knives in "super steels". Watching cut testing from Outpost 76, we've seen this with a lot of mass-production knives in S35VN and M390 from different companies.

Overall, the best budget knives are still coming from WE via their sub-brands, Civivi and Sencut. Oppositely to the issue above, they've perfected the heat treatment for 9Cr18Mov. In the same testing format from Outpost 76, WE's $40-50 knives in 9Cr18Mov were able to achieve edge retention a lot closer to those less stellar knives in S35VN or M390 that cost two or three times as much.

 

[Stahlmann]

Back in the day there was a great deal more truth to the old saying "you get what you paid for."

To use hand tools as an analogy, the socket set or combination wrench set you bought on sale at K-Mart got the job done for many. If you used them long enough or frequently enough or hard enough, you'd run into problems. A stripped ratchet or socket, a bent or broken wrench, etc. Often the failure analysis consisted of proclaiming "damned Jap-Crap."

Those who used their tools more often or in more demanding application often stepped up to Sears Craftsman hand tools. Not only would they stand-up to use/abuse a great deal better than the K-Mart specials, they would typically be replaced if they failed.

The Craftsman owners would often laugh at those who paid ridiculously high prices for Snap-On tools (and with good reason in many cases!) Especially the newbies entering the trade seeking some status, who bought a full set for many thousands of dollars on credit. Nasty.

Yet if they found themselves banging wrenches for 8-10 hours/day they would often succumb to the lures of the Snap-On man. The truly smart ones waited and observed the veteran mechanics. If they were lucky, one would mentor them. Explaining that Craftsmen wrenches were "like clubs." Solid but crude. Same for Craftsmen ratchets. "Get ya a set of Snap-on combination wrenches, and 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" Snap-On ratchets and use them with all the rest of your Craftsmen gear." Great advice.

Times have changed though! Sears no longer owns the Craftsman brand. Most Snap-on tools are no longer made in the US (hello China!) Most befuddling of all, the ratchets and wrenches now sold at the lowest of the low discounters like Harbor Freight now look/feel/perform a great deal like the Snap-On of generations past.

Some are simply in denial about these watershed changes. Changes which apply to knives as well.

 

[Bob Denman]

Petrified Fish is a different company. I've been watching them for a few years now. They've come a long way from making knives in 8Cr13Mov and AUS-8 for other companies. Now they do one of the best heat treatments on Chinese D2 and have started using Bohler K110 with fun handle materials like Micarta, wood, and novel patterns in G-10. They recently started selling on Amazon and are also available at White Mountain Knives.

TwoSun is interesting. Like PF, their steel stamps have been confirmed multiple times via XRF. Build quality is decent. I have a few of their knives. Their kitchen knives in 14C28N are nice. Their TS262 is the most comfortable front flipper I've tried. While they are also available at White Mountain Knives, auction hunting on eBay remains the best way to get them if you don't mind the shipping time from China.

The only real complaint I've seen about TwoSun is that their heat treatment on "super steels" isn't great. For instance, their S90V did not perform as well as S90V from some better-known companies in a test by Cedric&Ada Gear and Outdoors. However, it's worth noting that the edge retention was still pretty good relative to the price of the knife. This actually happens a lot for affordably priced mass-production knives in "super steels". Watching cut testing from Outpost 76, we've seen this with a lot of mass-production knives in S35VN and M390 from different companies.

Overall, the best budget knives are still coming from WE via their sub-brands, Civivi and Sencut. Oppositely to the issue above, they've perfected the heat treatment for 9Cr18Mov. In the same testing format from Outpost 76, WE's $40-50 knives in 9Cr18Mov were able to achieve edge retention a lot closer to those less stellar knives in S35VN or M390 that cost two or three times as much.

Thanks for this info!

 

[Oklahoma Outlaw]

Back in the day there was a great deal more truth to the old saying "you get what you paid for."

To use hand tools as an analogy, the socket set or combination wrench set you bought on sale at K-Mart got the job done for many. If you used them long enough or frequently enough or hard enough, you'd run into problems. A stripped ratchet or socket, a bent or broken wrench, etc. Often the failure analysis consisted of proclaiming "damned Jap-Crap."

Those who used their tools more often or in more demanding application often stepped up to Sears Craftsman hand tools. Not only would they stand-up to use/abuse a great deal better than the K-Mart specials, they would typically be replaced if they failed.

The Craftsman owners would often laugh at those who paid ridiculously high prices for Snap-On tools (and with good reason in many cases!) Especially the newbies entering the trade seeking some status, who bought a full set for many thousands of dollars on credit. Nasty.

Yet if they found themselves banging wrenches for 8-10 hours/day they would often succumb to the lures of the Snap-On man. The truly smart ones waited and observed the veteran mechanics. If they were lucky, one would mentor them. Explaining that Craftsmen wrenches were "like clubs." Solid but crude. Same for Craftsmen ratchets. "Get ya a set of Snap-on combination wrenches, and 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" Snap-On ratchets and use them with all the rest of your Craftsmen gear." Great advice.

Times have changed though! Sears no longer owns the Craftsman brand. Most Snap-on tools are no longer made in the US (hello China!) Most befuddling of all, the ratchets and wrenches now sold at the lowest of the low discounters like Harbor Freight now look/feel/perform a great deal like the Snap-On of generations past.

Some are simply in denial about these watershed changes. Changes which apply to knives as well.

So, we’re going down this road now?

Inform yourself with Knipex, Wiha, etc made in Germany. Most, if not all, Klein tools are still US made. Ridgid hand tools..yep US made. SK tools for sockets, ratchets, breaker bars…yep US made. You don’t have to buy Chinese made goods…you choose to.

 

[000Robert]

Would you consider TwoSun knives that bad that you would through them away? Sounds a bit crazy to me I don't know a lot about knives but the TwoSun knives I do have use ceramic bearings and tracks T8 Torx fasteners, use titanium, s90v, M390, D2, VG10 etc. My little experience and I could be wrong is that you would be hard pressed matching the components and quality with western made knives for their price. I just dug out my Buck 191 (zipper) I bought about 20 years ago. Skinned and dressed a few animals with that!

I don't know, I've never owned one. You are right about the cheaper knives. Nowadays they are better built than they used to be. But I am more picky about where things come from that I buy for other reasons than the price. I'll gladly pay more to keep from helping a communist country.

 

[000Robert]

Back in the day there was a great deal more truth to the old saying "you get what you paid for."

To use hand tools as an analogy, the socket set or combination wrench set you bought on sale at K-Mart got the job done for many. If you used them long enough or frequently enough or hard enough, you'd run into problems. A stripped ratchet or socket, a bent or broken wrench, etc. Often the failure analysis consisted of proclaiming "damned Jap-Crap."

Those who used their tools more often or in more demanding application often stepped up to Sears Craftsman hand tools. Not only would they stand-up to use/abuse a great deal better than the K-Mart specials, they would typically be replaced if they failed.

The Craftsman owners would often laugh at those who paid ridiculously high prices for Snap-On tools (and with good reason in many cases!) Especially the newbies entering the trade seeking some status, who bought a full set for many thousands of dollars on credit. Nasty.

Yet if they found themselves banging wrenches for 8-10 hours/day they would often succumb to the lures of the Snap-On man. The truly smart ones waited and observed the veteran mechanics. If they were lucky, one would mentor them. Explaining that Craftsmen wrenches were "like clubs." Solid but crude. Same for Craftsmen ratchets. "Get ya a set of Snap-on combination wrenches, and 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" Snap-On ratchets and use them with all the rest of your Craftsmen gear." Great advice.

Times have changed though! Sears no longer owns the Craftsman brand. Most Snap-on tools are no longer made in the US (hello China!) Most befuddling of all, the ratchets and wrenches now sold at the lowest of the low discounters like Harbor Freight now look/feel/perform a great deal like the Snap-On of generations past.

Some are simply in denial about these watershed changes. Changes which apply to knives as well.

I used hand tools for a living back in the day and I know that the difference between Snap-On tools and the Craftsman tools were like night and day. Snap-On tools are just so easy on the hands. I also liked Matco wrenches. You are right that many companies started making tools more like the Snap-On tools. I believe it was the Craftsman Mechanic Series that first came out that were more like Snap-On tools, but it's been a long time and I may be wrong about the name of them. By then I already had Snap-On and Matco tools in both SAE and Metric.

 

[scdub]

If you used them long enough or frequently enough or hard enough, you'd run into problems. A stripped ratchet or socket, a bent or broken wrench, etc. Often the failure analysis consisted of proclaiming "damned Jap-Crap."

I understand you’re using quotes, but that’s not enough. No reason to use that language here, in that context. Not suggesting that you meant any offense. Thx.

 

[Chronovore]

I don't know, I've never owned one. You are right about the cheaper knives. Nowadays they are better built than they used to be. But I am more picky about where things come from that I buy for other reasons than the price. I'll gladly pay more to keep from helping a communist country.

The Chinese government is indisputably terrible. Of course, most big governments are pretty terrible. Do you live in a country where the government doesn't spy on its own people, doesn't encroach heavily upon the rights and liberties of its citizens, doesn't heavily regulate the economy, doesn't "redistribute the wealth", doesn't throw whistleblowers in jail, doesn't interfere with the internal affairs of other nations, doesn't kill people with drones, etc.? Do you live in a country that isn't teeming with Marxist influence or ideology?

Just sayin', if you want to be an activist with your dollars, it's worth considering whether said activism actually accomplishes anything. Honestly, you'd probably accomplish more towards advancing freedom if you bought the well-made knife from China and donated your savings to more direct forms of activism.

 

[NorthernSouthpaw]

The Chinese government is indisputably terrible. Of course, most big governments are pretty terrible. Do you live in a country where the government doesn't spy on its own people, doesn't encroach heavily upon the rights and liberties of its citizens, doesn't heavily regulate the economy, doesn't "redistribute the wealth", doesn't throw whistleblowers in jail, doesn't interfere with the internal affairs of other nations, doesn't kill people with drones, etc.? Do you live in a country that isn't teeming with Marxist influence or ideology?

Just sayin', if you want to be an activist with your dollars, it's worth considering whether said activism actually accomplishes anything. Honestly, you'd probably accomplish more towards advancing freedom if you bought the well-made knife from China and donated your savings to more direct forms of activism.

This is not the place for that kind of discussion.
We got a whole different forum to discuss that nonsense.

"Just sayin,"