Cheapest knife that you can rely on

Victorinox, Opinel, Mora, Marttinni, Svord, these are all brands that are genuinely inexpensive and offer reliable products with good value.
 
Guess it all depends on what you mean by "depend on" Out of the 30 or so knives I currently have there is one that goes with me every single day. I can open mail, strike a ferro rod, saw a limb, open a bottle, remove a splinter etc. and that is my leatherman surge.
 
I depended on a Victorinox Spartan SAK as my only carry knife for well over a decade. I bought it in 1981 for $5 at a Christmas sale in a hardware store. Even though I long ago retired it for sentimental reasons, it’s still 100% usable.

Jim
 
Buck knives is still the best bargain around IMHO.

Specifically The 110. It is bullet proof. Use it hard everyday and it will easily last 20years about $2 a year.
 
I depend on a two layer Vic SAK everyday (currently the Small Tinker) which are pretty inexpensive. I sometimes carry others, but they generally aren't really necessary.

I could easily see myself depending on a Rough Ryder slip joint as well and they are generally under $15.

I don't pro-rate my knife costs as it just seems to be a situation where a person is trying to justify a high dollar knife (not a Buck 110) when in most cases you simply wanted it. Knife money spent is money poured down the drain but at least they are functional.
 
CRKT Crawford/Kasper folder. Had it for 15+ years, carried it every day for about ten of those, and it shows. No pics, it just looks like a work knife. My box knife is a White River Sendero Classic, $300, and perfect for the job. Also cuts steak, roast, ham, turkey, etc, like a scalpel. A really big scalpel...
 
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eveled said:
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This is a $3 knife. I added the single finger groove. It is scary sharp, indestructible, and dishwasher safe.

I bought a case of them. Figuring they were disposable. Boy was I wrong.

The first one still looks brand new. It has opened a thousand boxes then broken them down for recycling. Not just the tape but cut the cardboard into pieces. It’s gone through the dishwasher at least twice a week for 2 years. Never been sharpened and still cuts a tomato paper thin.

Its part of Dexter Russels sani safe line. It is absolutely rock solid dependable. Every kitchen, tackle box, first aid kit, tool kit, survival kit, boat, car, truck etc. should have one of these in it.
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I’ve had a dozen of those marked Tramontina. Mine are 3 1/4” straight edge black handle. Bought them in the mid-90s for $3 a pop like your Dexter Russell branded ones. They’d get lost at work, stolen, or I’d give them away. The thin blade is soft enough to keep an edge on one with a honing steel. You can’t break them. I have two left going on 25 years.

I only found Tramontina 2460/03 White. They’re available singly or in 4 piece blister packs and are almost ten bucks each now.
 
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They look similar but are imported from Brazil. I’d rather buy American. Especially at the same price point.
 
If I had to choose the cheapest knives in my collection to be the "It" knives, as in, that would be all I had or would be able to get in my hands for the foreseeable future, yet still feel like I wasn't "underknifed", I'd have to look at my Cold Steels. I'd take the Hunter pair, my XHP Ultimate Hunter folder, and my Master Hunter fixie in 3v. I can't envision any situation I wouldn't be able to handle with those two.
 
I use my edged tools for fire building, food prep, and light utility.
KA-BAR Dozier Folding Hunter
Victorinox SAK - I have a Hunter, Fieldmaster, Farmer, and PioneerX.
Mora - I have a 2000, but a Companion or Garberg would also be good.
Terävä Jääkäripuukko - Great for fire building.
KA-BAR Short
Cold Steel SRK - Mine is 3V. A Master Hunter would also work.
 
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DangerZone98 said:
Thread’s just for fun and curiosity lads and lasses. What’s the cheapest knife in your collection that you can depend on? Can be an EDC, camping knife, or whatever use is relevant to you. Currently, my cheapest dependable tool is the Spyderco Resilience.
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Well, SK-5 Recon Tanto, hands down that thing is tough :D
 
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