Best folder under 250

[carnifex knifeworks]

Zero Tolerance 0512. There are lots of ZT choices though.

Spyderco shaman has a thicker blade. Don't shy away from their frn handled models. They're very well made.

 

[Glen Juntunen]

If I was in the market for a $250 knife, I’d be giving Emerson a look. I can see myself adding another to my small humble collection in the near future.

 

[Mick Boardman]

This a nice little folder that is an easy carry. Opens when you pull it. Only place that had it available was the bestech website and they soaked me for it. Red carbon fiber/m390 frame lock.

 

[DavidABQ]

Let’s see; if I had $250 to spend on a knife, what would I get? Probably a second sprint run of the Spyderco back lock version of the Lil’ Native with 15v blade steel.

 

[Biochemdawg]

I think the buck vantage is a perfect starting point for anyone..Posting Frankenstein monster for visual purposes

 

[JTR357]

Zero Tolerance 0512. There are lots of ZT choices though.

Spyderco shaman has a thicker blade. Don't shy away from their frn handled models. They're very well made.

My only problem with Spyderco is how much more they charge for their G10 knives as opposed to FRN. They're like $100 more for G10. That seems excessive. I know this seems off topic, but it needed to be said. I am anything but a "hater" of Spyderco. I have more of their knives than any other manufacturer. It's just that one thing that bothers me about them.

 

[norcalAF]

My only problem with Spyderco is how much more they charge for their G10 knives as opposed to FRN. They're like $100 more for G10. That seems excessive. I know this seems off topic, but it needed to be said. I am anything but a "hater" of Spyderco. I have more of their knives than any other manufacturer. It's just that one thing that bothers me about them.

Hater alert!

 

[carnifex knifeworks]

My only problem with Spyderco is how much more they charge for their G10 knives as opposed to FRN. They're like $100 more for G10. That seems excessive. I know this seems off topic, but it needed to be said. I am anything but a "hater" of Spyderco. I have more of their knives than any other manufacturer. It's just that one thing that bothers me about them.

Yeah, I still think they're more reasonable than benchmade.

 

[91bravo]

A Spyderco in k390 is a force to be reckoned with.

 

[edgelion]

My only problem with Spyderco is how much more they charge for their G10 knives as opposed to FRN. They're like $100 more for G10. That seems excessive. I know this seems off topic, but it needed to be said. I am anything but a "hater" of Spyderco. I have more of their knives than any other manufacturer. It's just that one thing that bothers me about them.

Fair thought, but Spyderco's FRN knives have partial or no steel liners, while their G10 knives are fully framed/lined. So it may be that the price difference has more to do with the amount of structural steel than the outer handle material. It certainly puts a bigger gap in their pricing tiers. It bothers me, too, especially considering the miles I put on a 30 year old budget Buck in fiberglass nylon that has never warped or cracked or failed me in any way, and wonder why I ever pay that premium for more weight just to "feel" more solid in hand.

Even with that in mind, Spyders are definitely more reasonable than Benchmade.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

I just looked at two different Spyderco models on one dealer’s site and they averaged a little over $46 difference between frn and g10. Small sample but I don’t think it’s quite $100 difference overall…

 

[unwisefool]

Just bought another Gayle Bradley 2. It's everything I don't like in a knife.

 

[Blues]

Just bought another Gayle Bradley 2. It's everything I don't like in a knife.

I'm trying to follow the logic...

(But I also don't like mine. A lot, I guess.)

 

[unwisefool]

I'm trying to follow the logic...

(But I also don't like mine. A lot, I guess.)

I don't like liner locks, prefer other handle materials over carbon fiber, and usually try to buy stainless steel. But despite that, the GB2 just works for me really well and I like the overall design. I carry it more than all of my other knives. Saw it had been discontinued so bought one in case I lose my current one or it gets eaten by a shark.

 

[Blues]

I don't like liner locks, prefer other handle materials over carbon fiber, and usually try to buy stainless steel. But despite that, the GB2 just works for me really well and I like the overall design. I carry it more than all of my other knives. Saw it had been discontinued so bought one in case I lose my current one or it gets eaten by a shark.

I bought mine after the original owner had changed the scales. So I got that going for me...(plus a great deal at the time.)

 

[John Phillips]

Big Fan as well of the GB2. Hard to beat.

 

[Therom]

You can find a lot of very good folders in this category
My personal choice is the Native 5 LW. It is my favorite platform for ESC: light, good slicer, robust. But not that good for self defence IMHO.

If self defense is a need, at this price range I would choose the Emerson CQC-7BW
The Emerson Elvia is great too and for edc (excluding food prep) it is amazing.

You can check at cold steel (code 4 for example), ZT (0562cf or 0452cf), Benchmade (940).

On a cheap side the Civivi Vision FG is nice but again more for edc than defense.

 

[abbazaba]

So many options, but if I could only have one...

 

[Monofletch]

You should hang out in the exchange for a bit. You might score a $350 knife for $250! That changes things a little. Opens up a whole new world of knives to consider.