Budget Buyer: What knife should I get?

From your picture, I got the impression you’re looking for Chinese Ti frame lock, I could be mistaking but still,
let me try, and I’m going out of my way offering those but…
Search in A-zon: TwoSun TS212, Rike Red CF RK 1902, Kubey Dandy KU247 or Two Sun TS287.
All decent Ti knives, below $200, all flippers but some you can open like thumbstud knife, using the groove on the blade.

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I have well over 100 knives - not all of them folders, but most - and so far my Kizer Sovereign (like the one in your photo, except mine is blue instead of black) is still in my EDC rotation! Knives are very personal, but for me, that relatively inexpensive Kizer really fills a niche for me and checks a lot of boxes as a user.

I think you are doing yourself a disservice by avoiding Spydercos, but they do take some getting used to.

I second the Demko 20.5S - that is a nice knife for around $150 if you can find one. I personally would only be interested in the Sharkfoot blade, but YMMV. I have a black Sharkfoot, couldn't find a gray in stock.
Spartan Astor is a nice knife that isn't too expensive.
Viper Start - if you want really nice fit and finish and 'something different' from Italy.
WE makes several really nice models you can find for around $200 or less.
Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter
Cold Steel AD15

For around $200 or less - you've got a ton of good choices to pick from.

And hey! EVERYDODY loves the Cold Steel AD10! :D
 
POCEH KOCEB said:
From your picture, I got the impression you’re looking for Chinese Ti frame lock, I could be mistaking but still,
let me try, and I’m going out of my way offering those but…
Search in A-zon: TwoSun TS212, Rike Red CF RK 1902, Kubey Dandy KU247 or Two Sun TS287.
All decent Ti knives, below $200, all flippers but some you can open like thumbstud knife, using the groove on the blade.

​

​

​

Click to expand...
So, just ordered a WeKnife Kitefin, but thanks anyways! I'll keep those in mind. If I'm going Chinese in the future, I'll probably look for one with a premium steel, though. Or at least one that says it does.

The middle knife in the picture is (supposedly, hopefully) m390 and cost about $100. It's yet to be seen what actual quality it has, but it genuinely feels good to me, so I might get another.

I just have to keep cutting and keep paper testing... and see if it falls apart.
 
rje58 said:
I have well over 100 knives - not all of them folders, but most - and so far my Kizer Sovereign (like the one in your photo, except mine is blue instead of black) is still in my EDC rotation! Knives are very personal, but for me, that relatively inexpensive Kizer really fits a niche for me as a user.

I think you are doing yourself a disservice by avoiding Spydercos, but they do take some getting used to.

I second the Demko 20.5S - that is a nice knife for around $150 if you can find one. I personally would only be interested in the Sharkfoot blade, but YMMV. I have a black Sharkfoot, couldn't find a gray in stock.
Spartan Astor is a nice knife that isn't too expensive.
Viper Start - if you want really nice fit and finish and 'something different' from Italy.
WE makes several really nice models you can find for around $200 or less.
Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter
Cold Steel AD15

For around $200 or less - you've got a ton of good choices to pick from.

And hey! EVERYDODY loves the Cold Steel AD10! :D
Click to expand...
I probably bought the Sovereign for too much, but I really do like it. It's smooth, fits my hand well, and it works like a breeze as a kitchen knife...
 
WE is a Chinese knife. A good one. :thumbsup: I think you’ll be happy with it.
(I f@#!ng HATE this dumb iPad I have to use once in a while, it keep autocorrects my posts to the absolute nonsense.... :mad: )
 
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Leo Greer said:
I probably bought the Sovereign for too much, but I really do like it. It's smooth, fits my hand well, and it works like a breeze as a kitchen knife...
Click to expand...

Again, I love mine! I probably have about 30 knives that I paid more for - some MUCH more - than the Sovereign, that I don't like as well. I paid around $70 for mine back in 2016 and it still looks almost new. And I have carried it and used it A LOT.
 
cold steel drop point voyager large, solid and reliable and well under $100
Cold-Steel-Voyager-Large-4-AUS10A-Drop-point.jpg
 
eisman said:
For $200 you're in Benchmark territory.

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I'm really weird--I don't love the axis locks on most BMs. I know they're good quality knives, and all of the ones that I've held were comfortable, I just don't love the way the axis lock works.

Except, I have to say, a very nice Bugout in Titanium that I took a look at. That thing was sweet. And pricey.
 
I have to ask - and no judgement, we all like what we like - what’s wrong wit ZT flippers ?
 
ferider said:
I have to ask - and no judgement, we all like what we like - what’s wrong wit ZT flippers ?
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So, was in a knife store trying out various BMs, ZTs, and then the Cobratec that I bought, and the ZT flippers, for some reason, were just really hard to operate and open in terms of force applied. One was better than the other. One was so difficult that the attending salesman said, "Yeah, ZTs can be pretty hard to open..." and then proceeded to frown as he messed with it himself.

Honestly though, I think ZTs are really nice knives. There was definitely one that I looked at that I would totally have bought if not for the price tag being north of $400. Don't ask me what model. I heard $400 and erased it from my very limited memory space.
 
You generally get what you pay for, at least if you're careful. One of the best bangs for your Buck (sorry 😁) is the 110, either the classic brass framed one or any of the slim models, in 420HC or S30V. My Buck Slim Pro in S30V with textured black G-10 scales has found its way into my EDC rotation; it's light, has a deep carry clip, is amazingly sharp and holds a great edge. Micarta grips are also available.
 
Alberta Ed said:
You generally get what you pay for, at least if you're careful. One of the best bangs for your Buck (sorry 😁) is the 110, either the classic brass framed one or any of the slim models, in 420HC or S30V. My Buck Slim Pro in S30V with textured black G-10 scales has found its way into my EDC rotation; it's light, has a deep carry clip, is amazingly sharp and holds a great edge. Micarta grips are also available.
Click to expand...
Even though I know the 110 is a really solid knife (called a classic or a great by many), I can't get my head around two things; the styling puts me off, and I have flashback memories of the $20-$40 buck knives you can buy at Academy. (but really, anything you can buy at most Academies is low grade steel at best)
 
Check out the cold steel recon, I don't have one but I'm buying one tomorrow because new year new knife and I've wanted to pick one up for a while so you should go on smkw or blade hq and check it out. They have a lot of variants so if the fixed blade version pops up first don't be surprised.
 
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