Recommendation? Hello everyone, I'm a newbie, want to buy a starter EDC pocket knife, the budget is 40-60$.

OrangeBlueOrangeBlue said:
WE's Civivi and Sencut lines are great options, as well as QSP (made by Artisan Cutlery).
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I've had a bunch of knives from QSP over the last few years. It could just be very bad luck on my part but I've gotten too many lemons from them.

As far as Spyderco, they are an awesome company that engages with fans and drives innovation. Their more premium knives are awesome. However, their Chinese-made stuff isn't great in my experience. I've had centering issues with a few of them but the bigger problem is 8Cr13Mov at $50+. It's just not a good steel by today's standards and it's hard to recommend in knives costing half as much. This is also a problem with Kershaw, CRKT, and others who do their budget lines via outsourcing.

The Chinese companies have stepped up their game and are offering so much more on the budget level now. It's too easy to find 9Cr18Mov, 10Cr15CoMov, Chinese D2, Artisan's AR-RPM9, Sandvik steels, or even N690 closer to the $50 level. All of those steels have much better edge retention and with the exception of D2, much better corrosion resistance. If you want a good example, check out one of the $30ish Petrified Fish knives in D2.
 
Wow, thought it was pretty much agreed WE and Civivi's heat treat is some of the lowest quality, they do the bare minimum. You dont want expensive, you dont want cheap. So get a Kizer, few months ago I was asking the same question you are. Someone sent me a link to a kizer in N690 (extremely corrosion resistant and the best steel before you get into powdered steel) that was on sale for 30$. SMOOTHEST action out of any mass produced knife in this price range.
 
Drop bear said:
QSP have some fun knives. I have a penguin wich is quite a nice knif and comes in a range of styles. So you can go a little bit flash with say brass or micata or carbon fibre.

Otherwise the knife itself works fine. A easy flick open and close. A very practical sheepsfoot blade. D2 I think steel.

And it looks attractive without looking dangerous. Which I think would be a good first start for what sounds like pocket jewellery.

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Woooooooooooo! They look  awesome!
 
Jdottinger said:
CJRB(Artisan’s budget brand)Feldspar. They come in 2 sizes, various handle materials. D2 but I also think they have versions in other steels. I bought one for my wife and regretted not getting myself one. I think they’re around $35-45 these days.
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How about the material Ar-rpm9?
 
Guplay said:
How about the material Ar-rpm9?
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I don’t have any personal experience with it. But I do believe they have a version in it, I could very well be wrong though. I know the Ria and other models are available in their proprietary blend. I’ve seen mixed reviews about it on YouTube but can’t put much stock in those videos tbh.

Their D2 in the Feldspar has performed well in my limited use. The wife isn’t gentle with her knives, does things that makes me cringe. But sharpening has been on par with D2 from Civivi. YMMV
 
how are we on page 3 without seeing the kershaw leek?

great steel, 14c28n
great wharn blade - ability to do fine work should not be overlooked
made in the USA...

it's only about $5 higher than your budget but used ones often be around 50
 
Gage Link said:
Wow, thought it was pretty much agreed WE and Civivi's heat treat is some of the lowest quality, they do the bare minimum. You dont want expensive, you dont want cheap. So get a Kizer, few months ago I was asking the same question you are. Someone sent me a link to a kizer in N690 (extremely corrosion resistant and the best steel before you get into powdered steel) that was on sale for 30$. SMOOTHEST action out of any mass produced knife in this price range.
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Civivi and Sencut are made by WE. Their heat treatment on super steels is not the best but also not the worst. (Spyderco is significantly better on super steels.) Their D2 is hit or miss but that's true of most Chinese D2. (Coincidentally, Petrified Fish seems to do one of the better heat treatments on Chinese D2 and does it at some of the lowest prices.) They seem to do a decent job with their 14C28N and Nitro-V. Their "Damascus" is made with 9Cr18Mov and 10Cr15CoMov and might be the most functional Damascus you'll find on a budget knife. Their regular 9Cr18Mov is where they really knock it out of the park, taking a humble steel that's already a good step up from 8Cr13Mov and pushing performance past what you'd normally get with Spyderco's VG-10.

Kizer seems to do a decent job with their N690 and they use it in a lot of $50ish knives. They've recently been using more 154CM but I haven't seen testing and don't have enough use to say if it's better or worse. At least on paper, N690 has similar toughness and edge retention but better corrosion resistance. So it seems like a step down but 154CM has a lot of fans. How these steels respond to the heat treatments a manufacturer gives them can matter a lot in terms of ultimate performance. So if one steel is easier to get right or the company really dials it in for that particular steel, it can make a huge difference; such as in consistently under-performing D2, consistently decent 14C28N, and WE's exceptional 9Cr18Mov.

Guplay said:
How about the material Ar-rpm9?
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AR-RPM9 is a powder-metallurgy steel based on 9Cr18Mov. In theory, it should be better. As above though, heat treatment matters. In early testing, edge retention wasn't much better than regular 9Cr18Mov and fell significantly short of WE's 9Cr18Mov. Since this is an Artisan exclusive, we'll only ever know it based on how they treat it.

On the plus side, there have been anecdotal reports of increased toughness and corrosion resistance versus average 9Cr18Mov but nothing concrete. (9Cr18Mov is already very stainless.) Some people say it responds well to stropping.
 
dirc said:
how are we on page 3 without seeing the kershaw leek?

great steel, 14c28n
great wharn blade - ability to do fine work should not be overlooked
made in the USA...

it's only about $5 higher than your budget but used ones often be around 50
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Having carried a Leek extensively from 2004 to the mid-teens, my disinterest today is largely fueled by the combination of assisted action and a safety switch. Like the Blur and some other Kershaw designs, it comes from another time. Back then, the market wasn't saturated with great manual action and by comparison, my Speedsafe knives from Kershaw all seem a little janky today.
 
I've got a good idea for you. You can have a like new never used QSP penguin for free if you will cover shipping. Use it for a while and keep us updated on what you think! I think it would be a great EDC knife man! I'm never going to use it or carry it so I'd rather someone who will have it. Let me know buddy!
 
anthonycastorena2014 said:
I've got a good idea for you. You can have a like new never used QSP penguin for free if you will cover shipping. Use it for a while and keep us updated on what you think! I think it would be a great EDC knife man! I'm never going to use it or carry it so I'd rather someone who will have it. Let me know buddy!
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Thanks guy, but I have just buy a J1906.
 
Can’t go wrong with an Elementum for $55-60. , I think bladehq has some m4 steel exclusives not much more that the regular.
 
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