Friends asking me about knives

[spykez]

Ontario RAT-1 or RAT-2 is my suggestion. Not a flipper (has a thumbstud) but fits all other criteria.

I agreee with the RAT suggestions. Awesome knife for the money.

If he wants more blacktical, if it's discounted, or for a few dollars more, the Kershaw Emerson CQC-8K could get him interested in Emersons and the "wave". The CQC-5K is olive drab and smaller at ~3" but also has a black blade. This is a nice light, mini linerlock spearpoint emerson. I think you can get the 6K and 7K in black as well. 7K, I've seen anyway, maybe not the 6K.

Reason I mention the later kemersons is because I found the 8K surprisingly great. Looks ugly AF, but comfortable, and if you're lazy like me, very easy to touch up on the fly with whatever you have around you.

 

[ThePeacent]

All good recommendations above: all below have at least one thing that disqualifies them from your original request, but are often recommended as <$30 folders in this forum:

- Buck Vantage (not black, black handle, flipper)
- Schrade budget knives (some assisted, some are not black...)
- ENLAN EL01 (not black blade, black handle, flipper)
- RATI and II (not flippers)
- HARNDS Nyx (assisted, black handle, black blade, flipper)
- Kershaw Cryo (Assisted flipper) and Chill/OSO Sweet (black handles but not black bladed flippers)

It's hard to tick all your boxes in one under $30 folder with known quality and proven design but there are some very nice options out there, or increase your budget a bit and get a whole new range of blacked out flippers