Budget collection starters?????

Spyderco tenacious
Ontario Rat 1
Esee Avispa
Kershaw leek
All good knives at reasonable prices
 
Knives i actually do (or have);owned

Kershaw scrambler
Kershaw Thermite
Kershaw Link (don't own but heard great reviews)
Kershaw Blur, Knockout, and Leek (and the like thereof) for entry level"high(er) end" designs.

Esee - Avispa, Zancudo
Ontario - Rat1 or Rat II (haven't owned, but handled and heard)

CRKT Pazoda, Lake 111z, Endorser
CRKT Free Range (currently bladehq has a sale, $40 for both the fixed and folder)

Buck Bantam
Buck Vantage
(Vantage Pro for s30v blade on a budget)

Boker Magnum (Broker's lowest end models), in my experience can be hit and miss at times, but I've had some good luck with them more often then not; not bad for entry level Steel and mostly commercial designs. I have an "Ironworker" I've grown fond of for a work knife.

*Schrade are hit and miss too, but for their $20 stuff, if you really like a design. I'd say go for it. If it's broke their warranty dept. In tennessee is OK.

Kilimanjaro - I only own one, the 3" vertice, a cheap impulse buy, but the build quality is good enough on that cheap little S.O.B. that I would trust buying another (and likely will some day down the road)...
 
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Traditional slip joints: Rough Rider. Consistantly good builds, even grinds, and sharp out of the box. Priced so you can try lots of different patterns without bankrupting the bank.
Locking blade: Buck 110 and/or 112 lock back. The 110 has been in production for 51 years for a reason.
Opinel (size 6 and above have a twist ring blade lock. No locks on size 5 and smaller) It is virtually impossible to find a better slicer than an Opinel. Available with carbon steel or stainless steel blades. Different wood handles (olive wood, Walnut, etc) are available with the stainless blade, they also came out with a plastic handle for the stainless steel blade ... with or without a cork screw.

For a modern one hand opener, I 've not heard anything bad about the Ontario RAT 1 and 2.
 
Here are just a few of my suggestions. There are really a lot more great knives in both groups, especially the $20-$40...

$20 AND UNDER
Kershaw Crown
Lansky Responder
Enlan EL-01
Kabar Dozier
CRKT Drifter
Spyderco Byrd Cara Cara
Cold Steel Mini Tuff Lite

$20-$40
Ontario RAT 1
Ontario Utilitac 2
Kershaw Skyline
Spyderco Tenacious
CRKT Hootenanny
 
Cold Steel models in aus8

Since they upgraded steels, whatever aus8 models you can still find at discount prices are hard to beat as a "budget friendly" blades for the amount of knife knife and design you get vs. price.
 
I love many Boker's, but don't have much love for the Magnum line. They are Boker's rock bottom. But as I was in my psycho buying frenzy, I did bring in a bunch of Boker Plus's. They have a lot of well done collaborations. And they are still catching my eye, even with over 200 blades on the shelf.

Kershaw's are also a great place to start. Good quality for the price. Hard to go wrong with any of them, because you simply get what you pay for with most of their models. Some of the nicer Kershaws are made in the US with ZT. The Blur was my first Kershaw, then quickly added the Onion series from the Chive on up. One of my sons favorites is the Scallion, and my girl adopted my Rainbow Leek.

Really loving all of my Spyderco's also. One of my favorites is the Domino, right there with the iconic ParaMilitary 2. On the left side of the pricing scale, there is the Tenacious. Will let you try out the Spyder Hole functionality cheap. And it seems that pretty much any collector will have a Delica and Dragonfly.

But in the end, collecting is about what you like. Buy what interests you, without regard to what interests others. Soon you'll get a better feel for the blades that you can relate to. And can always be sold (quickly) if you are willing to price reasonably.

I've never thought about my knives as an investment. Very few people actually make money buying and selling. It's really just a hobby for me, so I don't get too wrapped up in it. I buy what I like and can afford, and just enjoy them. Many get used to some extent, most are just eye candy for me.
 
if you want to find a budget one, i think gerber brand is good enough. esp it is one of the cheapest brand, with good quality
 
The AUS-8 Cold Steels are a great suggestion. I will second that. :thumbup: Also look into Ontario's Utilitac II line. :cool:
 
Check out the lower end Kershaws and Spydercos, and there's also the ubiquitous Ontario RAT 1, also worth a look is the Ka-bar Dozier Hunter/Mini Hunter, Cold Steel Mini Tuff Lite, SanRenMu 7010 (or 710, that's the older model), all sorts of Opinels. And if you want a fixed blade, check out Mora or just get a classic Buck.
 
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