EDC Knife Suggestions for =<$30

[paulhilborn]

Why do you guys keep saying Rat 1 when its not an assisted opener?

Electro, any of the budget-priced Kershaws will do the trick for you. They rock.

Just an example: Kershaw Burst, at around $20.

You know none us follow directions very well Todd

Paul

 

[csisland]

Mora.

 

[craytab]

Mora.

That doesn't conform to some of the most basic requirements the OP requested. Nice knife though.

 

[CDKJudoka]

Why do you guys keep saying Rat 1 when its not an assisted opener?

I dunno, but my RAT 1 deploys faster that my ZT0350 does.

 

[Nic S.]

Kershaw tanto blur from kershaw guy is the best option here. It fits the bill, Tanto combo edge, assisted opening, all black, tactical looking. And its only 5 bucks more. Get this and you won't be disappointed. Kershaw guy is the man too. Ive bought a lot from him and never had a problem.

http://kershawguy.com/products-page/kershaw/tanto-blur-blem/

 

[grownstar]

I know you're leaning towards assisted opening, but that Ontario Utilitac II is just a killer. Can't speak highly enough of this tanto. And like others have said, you can flick it out just as fast as an assisted opener with the thumbstud.



If you're still looking for that budget AO, Kershaw is still king. The Cryo is a great knife. Small, great design and although it's a little heavy for it's size, I've never found that to be a problem.



The Clash is another great option that doesn't get much attention. I used to have a combo edge Clash and it served me well.



Hope the pics help, bro.

EDIT: Can't believe I forgot the Kershaw Blackout. Made in the USA, Sandvik steel, assisted opening, has that tactical look AND kershawguy.com has blems for $29 shipped. You can't really beat a deal like that. Here's mine:

 

[ElectroPulse]

Thank you for the replies, everyone! Went through and looked at all (I think) of your suggestions.

At this point, definitely looking for a knive with a very distinct tanto blade. The more I look at tanto blades, the more I love them...

The one thing I am not 100% about at this point is serration.

I am liking the Kershaw Blur... $8 above my budget (thanks, Nick S.! I did a search for the Blur on the website you linked, and found a non-blem one for only $3 more here: http://kershawguy.com/products-page/featured-items/1670tblkst-tanto-blur-new-in-box/). It has received stellar reviews, is made in the USA, and is all metal... The only thing I'm not sure about it is the serration. It seems like if I need a non-serrated edge, there isn't much usable space between the tanto-style end and the serrations. I know very little about knives, so am unsure as to whether this is ever an issue. Is it? (other than for whittling... if I ever decide to pick that up I'd get a separate knife with a standard blade)

By the way, for knives like these, what all can you do with them without damaging them? Again, I am pretty much completely new to knives, so have no idea what decent-quality knives are capable of. Does cutting things like boxes dull them too much? Can you cut out thin pieces of metal? Would cutting through cables dull them much? Also, how often do you need to sharpen them? And do the blades ever get too thin to use at some point after having used/sharpened them for a long time?

Thanks!