Budget Edc knife under 3 or at 3 inches

M

MAkives

Joined
May 5, 2015
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I would like it to either have a flipper or be assisted cuz i am used to and like those and no hollow grinds would prefer full flat or regular flat i know this a repeated question but ive been sesrching for days and it takes forever
Budgets under 50
 
EDC for what purpose?
Your question leaves an opening for (literally) thousands of possible answers.
 
Yeah sorry im tired i was gonna use it to open bixes and for food prep hence the no hollow as the shoulder gets stuck when cutting cardboard and it doesnt seem to perform as well eith food as full flat
 
MAkives said:
I would like it to either have a flipper or be assisted cuz i am used to and like those and no hollow grinds would prefer full flat or regular flat i know this a repeated question but ive been sesrching for days and it takes forever
Budgets under 50
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Flat grind+<3" blade+$50+flipper/assist might be tough.

Are you ok with knives that are great but only 70-80%, like a Benchmade Mini Presidio Ultra?

Axis locks rock, I'd take Axis>all other considerations for a safe and fast lock.

Maybe try to get your budget up to a small HK Axis? I have the full size and it's unbelievable for a lower cost BM.

Glassy action and fun to flip, I've been learning to 'wave' mine using a similar draw and inertia, it's ridiculously fun.
 
- Kershaw leek.
- SOG flash
- Kershaw Skyline
- Kershaw Blur (a little out of the price range)

For non flippers/assisted opening.

- Ontario Rat model 2
- Spyderco Delica 4 (a little out of the price range)
- Spyderco Tenacious

If it were up to me I would just get an ontario rat model 2. Great beater knife. It costs under $30. It is full-flat ground, 4 way position pocket clip, decent steel and grippy handles.
 
I know you can get the RAT 1 with assist as well (RAT 1-A SP model), not sure if that applies to the RAT 2 though. How about some of the lower end Kershaws, like the Kershaw Ember (see pic) or Kershaw Oso Sweet (3.1" blade), or Kershaw Swerve? There's also the Clash, Zing, and a lot of others that fit the criteria.
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I know those will be hollow grinds almost every edc knife is for whatever reason but i am not a fan of them so lots of great knives out of the way unless kershaw happens to be the outlier and theyre flat grind but be honest what are the chances of that
 
I was hoping the rat 2 was gonna have an assist but that didnt pan out so im looking for other options
 
Rat 1 or 2 even though they aren't assisted, they fly open as fast as one.
 
The knife you're describing is the Kershaw Swerve; 3" blade, assisted flipper, high flat grind, $25 on BladeHQ. That said, if you can go up to a 3.3" blade, the Kershaw Strobe is just better in my opinion; it's a bit lighter despite being longer, a great bearing flipper, and an excellent slicer with a full flat ground blade. Or, if you're willing to get used to manual thumbstuds, the Kershaw Injection 3.0 is actually a very nice knife (it manages to get some pocket time with me despite competing with knives 6-7 times it's price.)
 
I admit that the emphasis on a flat ground blade confuses me - yes, all of my French and Japanese chefs knives are flat ground - but a folding pocket knife!? How much difference can the grind make?

I would be more concerned with the steel. While I did not review all of the suggestions people have offered, I noticed that most didn't have the best steel.

The knife that fits your description - other than the grind - is the Kershaw Leek. 3 inch blade (thin - great slicer), assisted opening, all stainless (for food prep) and 14C28N blade steel - Google the steel and see - it's good stuff.

The Leek is a steal at ~$42 on Amazon, but be sure it has the right blade, I think they still have some old stock.

Hope this helps,
Steve-O
 
Steve-O said:
I admit that the emphasis on a flat ground blade confuses me - yes, all of my French and Japanese chefs knives are flat ground - but a folding pocket knife!? How much difference can the grind make?

I would be more concerned with the steel. While I did not review all of the suggestions people have offered, I noticed that most didn't have the best steel.

The knife that fits your description - other than the grind - is the Kershaw Leek. 3 inch blade (thin - great slicer), assisted opening, all stainless (for food prep) and 14C28N blade steel - Google the steel and see - it's good stuff.

The Leek is a steal at ~$42 on Amazon, but be sure it has the right blade, I think they still have some old stock.

Hope this helps,
Steve-O
Click to expand...

The Elmax Leek is also a good option, and it's flat ground as opposed to the hollow grind on the regular Leeks. It's a bit pricier, but I think it's worth it for the Elmax steel.
 
I have a Kershaw Zing that I use as my "gentleman's" knife (always in my pocket at the office, minor cutting tasks, including cutting up some food at lunch if needed).
It's a utility flat grind, and it does the job just fine.
Clip can be adjusted for 3 positions of carry, can be easily disassembled and cleaned, adjusted, etc., has Speedsafe, and the thumbstuds are easily removed.
And the price is right at street price under $20.

It's not a CRK, but if you're expecting THAT for your budget, you may be in for a very long search :-)

And what good is all of my verbage without a picture?

7992646527_e4bfb38b4e.jpg
 
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Ontario Rat 2. Opens faster than many assisted knives. It honestly doesn't need assist and is IMO the best knife available under $30.
 
SpydrMan said:
Opens faster than many assisted knives.
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Threadjack, but I've read this in other posts.
My assisted blades open almost faster than you can see, with just a flick of the finger.

How can opneing a non-assisted blade be faster (even with a blade adjusted loose enough to open with a wrist flick)?
 
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