I would go with the starter between the two. Have you looked at the USA made kershaws like the skyline? The skyline is a manual knife though. If you want speedsafe knives look at the cryo series the cryo 1 is really small even for my sized small hands, i barely get my hand on the scales completely. Now the cryo 2 is better because you get more purchase on the handle. Another chinese made speedsafe would be the clash nice knife that can be had for around $20. If you prefer thumb studs over flippers you can look at the Blur models that start in the $50 range. However if you prefer a flipper Kershaw will be coming out with a flipper version similar to the blur in the $100 range, i forget the name but im sure someone else will chime in. I had one more knife in mind but it slipped my mind, i stood up all night helping my dad fix his brakes and change a couple poped tires so i need to hit the hay soon. Others will chime in and inform you of other kershaw knives, but those are some knives i thought i should give you a mention of. I own the cryo 1, blur, skyline; the blur and skyline are awesome, and the cryo 1 is ok due to the size issue. Ive played with the cryo 2 and clash alot at my old job, nice budget knives. One side note, if you are a person that worries ahout the weight of a knife, you will most likely not like the cryos.
Edited to add: when i said i would go with the starter it was purely based on my blade shape preference. I havent looked at the actual specs of them, but after hearing 3CR i wouldnt get either.
) and it is easy to close for a Speedsafe knife. A little pricier than what you're looking at but it is a great USA made Kershaw.