Carbon Steel knives under $80?

C

Call_to_Arms

Joined
Apr 13, 2011
Messages
394
I have been obsessed lately with putting a dark patina on every carbon steel knife I own and I want MORE!! but they are not super common. I was just going to ask for folders because its easier to justify money on an EDC-able blade, but I don't want to leave out fixed blades altogether, so anything goes. I picked the $80 price because I figure most of us could come up with that for a folder if we wanted to and those of us that couldn't might put it on their Christmas list or something. Im not ruling out customs but the price probably will.

So, ill start it out:
Opinel Carbone
Carbon Mora


Thanks for the help guys.
 
A ton of traditional slipjoints, many of them under $80, use 1095 (or slightly modified versions thereof). Should give you more than enough carbon steel blades to put a patina on. :)
 
Opinels, Moras, many Case CV pieces, just about all of Condor's knives, OKC Old Hickory, Mercator, Svord, Okapi, Douk Douk...there are actually tons within that price range. :D:thumbup:
 
Becker BK2, 9, 7, 11, 14.

Most Kabar

older case and schrade.

anza's

enzo's I blieve.

Queen Cutlery uses D2 for their knives including slip joints.
 
Check out Great Eastern Cutlery, Queen, Boker, and of course Case. Depending on how fancy you want to be there's economy/work line-ups produced by Queen which are great from what I hear, also Utica's Catskill line is in 1095. A great place to checkout a bunch of traditional folders is collectorknives.net i think. If you need a locking blade there's also the Mercator K55 which can be found at about the same price as an opinel.


What I edc while here at campus is a Case Slimline Trapper in CV, love it!

Edit: for locking carbonsteel knives, I used to have both a Case Trapperlock and Boker Trapperliner which were both very nice but not for "hard use." Queen makes some STOUT and strong locking knives but they're at the opposite end where they're VERY VERY stout and strong and even difficult to open/close.
 
Call_to_Arms said:
I have been obsessed lately with putting a dark patina on every carbon steel knife I own and I want MORE!! but they are not super common. I was just going to ask for folders because its easier to justify money on an EDC-able blade, but I don't want to leave out fixed blades altogether, so anything goes. I picked the $80 price because I figure most of us could come up with that for a folder if we wanted to and those of us that couldn't might put it on their Christmas list or something. Im not ruling out customs but the price probably will.

So, ill start it out:
Opinel Carbone
Carbon Mora


Thanks for the help guys.
Click to expand...

Green River-style knife, cheap proven utility blade.
 
ESEE Izula. Can be had for ~$50 knife and sheath only, or ~$62 with the whole kit. Free shipping from my usual website.
 
Landi Knives sells one for $89, steel is 1095. I have one in the for sale threads under your $80 price range =-o
 
Wicked suggestions guys, thank you. I should have thrown in that im not much of a slip-joint guy. Svord Peasant has been on my list for a while now, not super common in Canada. The Izula is around 60 here and about 75 for the kit, the BK11 is 45, I think its gonna win out.
 
Get that Svord. You'll really enjoy it, I think. I got one recently and am well on my way to developing a rich patina as I've been using it as my main kitchen knife. It's fun to practice all the different opening techniques the tang design allows. It's also a fun knife to experiment with due to it's low cost and simple, hardy construction. I'm trying things with sharpening that I've been reluctant to on blades that cost money. It would be hard to completely ruin one, but if you manage to, it's only a trivial amount to replace. I plan on getting the wooden handle version to try out some alteration ideas.

Has Okapi been mentioned? Another historic brand with roots in European colonialism that is still in production today. I have an old, German made Okapi clasp knife in pristine condition, so I don't want to mess with it, but I ordered a couple of the South African ring lock knives yesterday (a mere $12 for each). While it's not designed to do as such, apparently there is a trick to opening them with one hand that should be fun to learn.
 
In addition to what's already been mentioned, authentic FHM (Filipino Hand Made) balisong knives tend to use 1095 or similar steel.
 
Tsujigiri said:
In addition to what's already been mentioned, authentic FHM (Filipino Hand Made) balisong knives tend to use 1095 or similar steel.
Click to expand...

More like 5160 or 52100 since those are the only steels available from scrap metal. Unless of course, the smith imports knife steel.
 
For locking traditional knives from GEC you can look at their recently release #73 liner lock models or #72 Lockbacks. You should be able to find these just under $80 shipped. There are also clip blade and wharncliffe #72s out there but they may be a little harder to find now.

735111-cocobolo-LT.png

722111-mlb-ebony1.png
 
Look closer to the kitchen. I've put in an order for a CKTG exclusive Tojiro Wa-Gyuto 240mm in Shirogami carbon steel for about $50. A kitchen knife needs no justification, you will use it unless you constantly mooch off your wife to make dinner:D.
 
Higo-naifu (incorrectly referred to as Higonokami). Citadel, Hultafors, Karesuando, all of the Svord range (not just the peasant) should suit.
 
If you like the Izula, you might be able to find the Eskabar in your neck of the woods a little cheaper.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top