Ever revert back to budget/value knives?

I currently have a Kershaw Cryo that is on permanent car duty and have been looking at the Lifter. A pretty nice knife for $30
 
Hey I got a Drifter Large and Viva multitool at Walmart on clearance for $9 and it's been an amazing value! It's a lot better than I expected. My only gripe is the tip down only. I prefer tip up but in no way a deal breaker.

I only have a few non-budget blades, but I find the nicer a knife the less I want to use it. Even if it's cheap. Something is wrong with me. I have to buy used or blemished blades so I will actually use them!
 
I have a bar patron friend (I bartend) who bought such a POS knife. He noted the wooden handle which he liked. But didn't seem to notice the 360° blade wobble and dull edge, etc. Forget about edge geometry or steel type.

So I've been hunting for the biggest bang for ~$25-30 I can find. In the running were:

Cold Steel Tuff Lite & Mini
Cold Steel Pro Lite
Buck Vantage
Byrd Somethingorother

Pulled the trigger last night, and with the inadvertant help of @evilgreg, I went with the Buck Vantage Avid which has that Rosewood Dymondwood nonsense that my buddy is sure to love.

The older I get, the more I love a good bang for the buck!
 
I don't see a need - I've got enough knives...I can stop buying and use what I have. That's even easier on the budget than buying inexpensive knives.
 
I carry a bag everywhere. EDC was a custom Al Warren knife and an expensive pen. Since the virus I'm never sure what may have to be thrown out or harshly disinfected. I now carry a Buck 112 Slim Select and a Zebra pen.
 
I'm always on the lookout for high value knives.

My children will learn to respect knives by taking care of carbon steel mora knives or something similar before I trust them with the blades that I tend to use.

That being said, yes. I DO like and use high value budget knives.

I mean, if there is a reason to spend less on something without compromising the end results, I say spend less.
 
In the past 6 years I can't recall picking up anything less than $100 (outside of traditionals) and more often nothing under $200. So the other week I saw a really cool collaboration of a mid-tech knife I've been eyeing. The midtech goes for about $400 and the collab goes for $35. I thought I would pick up the collab with it's ABC123 blade steel just to see if I liked the feel of the design before taking the plunge for the midtech. After having this collab for a week, I must say I'm impressed with everything about it and has me wanting to put my foot back into the budget folder waters to try out some of the other collab offerings being put out.

While I could carry my Sebenza 25, I'm finding myself wanting to carry the $35 budget knife. I say budget, but really more like a value knife in my book. Lots to like for little money. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand the difference in materials and quality, but my EDC tasks can tell the difference between the two price points.

Anyone else ever revert back to budget/value knives?
Short answer, for me. It depends.
 
Last edited:
Previously I had mid tech/high end folders all between $200-$400.
Almost all gone.
Now I have all fixed blades (custom) of which the most expensive is $300. The blades I carry now are less than $200, most less than a hunski.
Not exactly budget, but different from what I used to carry around before.
Now I care more about function than I do about impressing myself.
 
One of my favorites is still an old AUS-6 CRKT. Not the best steel but the ergos are hard to beat. In some ways I like it better than my Benchmades.

I have one of their old Prowlers in AUS 6. I love it. Great design, marginal materials.
 
I have been carrying a CRKT Crawford Kasper lately. Budget yes. For what I use it for it works well for me. It satisfies my preference for big, heavier, loud and shiney.
 
I'm a traitor.
Recently I switch my pocket one from vintage CS Voyager VG-1 to
whooping $1.99 one !!!
Really positively.
I call it a test, but who knows where it will go ...
 
im currently selling off most of my knives and just keeping a few good quality mid tier production blades like spyderco endura, delica, sog trident etc..... and some lower budget knives, im over expensive knives, i dont need super steels or exotic materials, just give me a decent design with solid lockup and im good

my favorite knife lately has been the ugly but beauitufl mtech hawkbill claw that you can find online for less than $11 shipped
e03690eedbda9e078f5223ef02a1bc52.jpg
 
I think it makes perfect sense to look for good value, and that's the point most enthusiast could probably agree upon.

I have a bar patron friend (I bartend) who bought such a POS knife. He noted the wooden handle which he liked. But didn't seem to notice the 360° blade wobble and dull edge, etc. Forget about edge geometry or steel type.

So I've been hunting for the biggest bang for ~$25-30 I can find. In the running were:

Cold Steel Tuff Lite & Mini
Cold Steel Pro Lite
Buck Vantage
Byrd Somethingorother

Pulled the trigger last night, and with the inadvertant help of @evilgreg, I went with the Buck Vantage Avid which has that Rosewood Dymondwood nonsense that my buddy is sure to love.

The older I get, the more I love a good bang for the buck!

If I could get to this thread earlier, I'd recommend also taking a look at a Swiss army knife. I am a big fan of SAK, and at 25-30, a 91mm SAK Climber could easily be the best bang of the bucks right there.
 
Yes, I have been drawn to more budget oriented traditionals lately such as the Opinel. You can get some fancier woods for them too and they still are dirt cheap and look and feel really good, and cut so well!
 
It really depends on what you define as budget. Most of my knives are $100 plus. Why? Well, at this point, uniqueness and a variety of colors and materials are what peak my interest. With the exception of my OTF'S, I don't care for metal handles, be it aluminum or Ti. I don't like G-10 or FRN either. So, not a lot of sub $100 knives that fit my requirements. Add in that I'm not a fan of assisted either.

Micarta, CF, Wood, etc are what I prefer.
 
Whatever meets the need and is at hand is the right knife.

A funny thing happened to me on the way to the forums. The wife and I were out on one of our usual crawls visiting “antique stores”and had just purchase a 19th century bayonet. The cashier didn’t have proper change and had handed me a small stack of quarters.

We had had a rough hike the day before and were planning a light hike that afternoon. I was tired and the last thing I wanted was a pocket full of coins. So I glanced at the counter to see if they had an impulse item that I could splurge on. That was when I noticed a small white bucket full of loose pocket knives (mostly Camillus). The price written on the side of the container read 2 for $3.00. Perfect! I picked a couple of random knives and handed the cashier a pocketful of coins.

When we arrived at the hiking spot, it looked like a simple hike, so decided to leave the Buck 110 and its belt pouch behind as well and grabbed one of the new knives (a stockman) instead. I just dropped it in the pocket and went. That same knife continues to ride in my pocket everyday, where it has now been for over 23 years.

Don’t over think it. Sometimes you just stumble into a knife that works.

N2s
 
Back
Top