Best Folder under $40

LightGuy

LightGuy

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I was just about to pull the trigger on a Spyderco Tenacious, when I saw a thread where someone said there were many other knives better than the Tenacious for $40. So, I decided to see what those other options were before pulling the trigger.

I've read a lot of posts that menion the Tenacious is one of the best knive values out there for the money.

So, what other knives compete with the Tenacious at less than $40?

Great Folders Under $40:
  • Benchmade Monochrome
  • Boker Chad Los Banos Designs
  • Buck 110
  • Buck Bantam
  • Buck Vantage Pro (a little >$40..)
  • CRKT Drifter
  • Gerber 650
  • Kabar Dozier (orange handle!! :))
  • Kershaw Cyclone
  • Kershaw Junkyard Dog II
  • Kershaw Leek
  • Kershaw Needs Work (Wharncliffe blade)
  • Kershaw Nerve
  • Kershaw OD-1
  • Kershaw Skyline
  • Kershaw Storm (tank-like :))
  • Kershaw Zing
  • Ontario Rat-1
  • Sanremu Land Axis Lock
  • Sanrenmu SRM 710
  • Spyderco Persistence
  • Spyderco Tenacious
  • Victorinox SAKs
 
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i like my kershaw zing a heck of alot and i think its priced under 40. the kershaw skyline comes in at a low price too and ive only heard good things about it.
 
Kershaw has several models (Storm, Skyline, etc). The Tenacious and any of the Byrd line of Spydercos are nice. I'll start a firestorm here but the SRM 710 is a VERY nice little knife in this range ($7-15).
 
I've heard some very good things about Kabar Dozier knives. I plan on getting some soon to see for myself.
 
i have one of the axis lock sanrenmu/land knives that is pretty nice. its well made but wasnt too sharp, i fixed that though. its a good work knife. i think it was $12-$15 shipped.

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buck vantage pro, ontario rat-1 and kershaw junkyard dog II are a few of my favorites
 
At the under $40 point, my favorite is the Benchmade Monochrome.

I've not seen the Buck Vantage Pro for less than $50. If you wanted to spring for the extra, I think you'd be satisfied with the purchase.
 
You can find a whole lot of Kershaw knives for 40$ or less, and their quality is outstanding :thumbup:. My favourites are probably the Cyclone and the Leek. Since the Cyclones were discontinued you can find them for dirt cheap online (I bought one as a backup for the cyclone I usually carry - right around 30$ for one of the best work knives I've ever owned :eek:). You can find Leeks on a certain auction website for well under 40$. There's also the Skyline, the Zing, the JYD, and the Storm as others have mentioned. For my uses, the steel on these knives (Sandvik 13c26/14c28) kicks the hell out of the steel on the Tenacious (8cr13MoV).

Other knives well within that price range include the Buck 110, Buck Vantage series (the Pro models are a little pricier), Ontario Rat-1 folder, and all manner of Victorinox SAKs (I bought an Alox Pioneer for just under 20$ and just ordered an Alox Farmer for 29$ :thumbup:).

Soyeah, there are a lot of other sub-40$ knives I'd pick over a Tenacious. :thumbup:
 
I'm a Kershaw fan, too, in that price range, but my favorite is the Needs Work model, w/Wharncliffe blade. Made in USA, too.
 
knarfeng said:
I've not seen the Buck Vantage Pro for less than $50. If you wanted to spring for the extra, I think you'd be satisfied with the purchase.
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you can find them on fleabay at times ;)... right now its $43.49 + $4.99shipping :thumbup:
 
Tenacious (/Persistence) and Rat 1 as previously mentioned.

To add a few more; CRKT Drifter, Kershaw Skyline & OD-1, Buck Bantam, and the Boker Chad Los Banos designs (Subcom, Trance, Hyper, etc.)
 
Dorito Monk said:
You can find a whole lot of Kershaw knives for 40$ or less, and their quality is outstanding :thumbup:. My favourites are probably the Cyclone and the Leek. Since the Cyclones were discontinued you can find them for dirt cheap online (I bought one as a backup for the cyclone I usually carry - right around 30$ for one of the best work knives I've ever owned :eek:). You can find Leeks on a certain auction website for well under 40$. There's also the Skyline, the Zing, the JYD, and the Storm as others have mentioned. For my uses, the steel on these knives (Sandvik 13c26/14c28) kicks the hell out of the steel on the Tenacious (8cr13MoV).

Other knives well within that price range include the Buck 110, Buck Vantage series (the Pro models are a little pricier), Ontario Rat-1 folder, and all manner of Victorinox SAKs (I bought an Alox Pioneer for just under 20$ and just ordered an Alox Farmer for 29$ :thumbup:).

Soyeah, there are a lot of other sub-40$ knives I'd pick over a Tenacious. :thumbup:
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A big +1 to all of this. :thumbup:

To the OP: which of the many excellent knives under $40 is best for you is mostly going to come down to what you're going to be using the knife for. If you'll mainly use it for light or medium-light tasks, the Leek or Skyline will give you a better blade steel (see the quoted post), better slicing ability (because of the thinner blade stock, not to mention 14C28N's ability to take an extremely fine edge), and a less heavy knife. If you want something a little more robust but with a lesser (but still very usable) blade steel, the Spyderco Tenacious, Ontario RAT 1, Kershaw Nerve, Ka-Bar Dozier, among other possibilities using AUS-8/8Cr13MoV, might be the way to go. And then, of course, there are SAKs if you want a very stain-resistant steel and additional tools.
 
ThePharce said:
Dang, completely forgot about the Doziers....that's a helluva knife!
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That or the Kershaw Junkyard dog II are my usual EDC knives. They are inexpensive and have lasted. I like the orange handles of the Dozier but the Kershaw is made in the USA and is stout.
 
tsacain said:
That or the Kershaw Junkyard dog II are my usual EDC knives. They are inexpensive and have lasted. I like the orange handles of the Dozier but the Kershaw is made in the USA and is stout.
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Copy that...one of the knives I keep in my bug out bag is a Kershaw Storm, because it's built like a tank and I trust it to work.
 
I second the Kershaw JYD which is being sold for less than 30 bucks online. Kershaw Skyline is one of my favorite edcs and I love the well made flipper design. If you dont mind Chinese made products, you cant go wrong with some of the Sanrenmu designs like the 710.
 
kawr said:
I second the Kershaw JYD which is being sold for less than 30 bucks online. Kershaw Skyline is one of my favorite edcs and I love the well made flipper design. If you dont mind Chinese made products, you cant go wrong with some of the Sanrenmu designs like the 710.
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That little 710 is a GREAT little knife. It and the Ka Bar Dozier are IMHO two of the best values in knives, PERIOD.
 
Walmart carries Kershaw leeks for under $40 iirc.
Also i second the skyline its what is in my pocket as I'm typing
 
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