Let's see those Cheapies

A

Astrogator

Joined
Mar 19, 2012
Messages
373
Hello.

I found this knife in our local "Crazy Store", South Africa's equivalent of the U.S.A. "Dollar Store".

I paid the equivalent of about 4 (four) U.S.A. Dollars for it.

I have sharpened it and the blade hardness is about the same as an Opinel or SAK.
I have not used the knife yet, so I cannot report on how it performs.

The blade is made of some nameless stainless steel with the following lightly etched on the blade, "JOHN-BENZEN TOOLS DIV. OF CHICAGO TOOLS", the tang is stamped "stainless steel".

The knife is surprisingly well made for a cheapie, it has no blade play at all.
Can anyone tell me more about this knife, is it made in the U.S.A. etc. ?.

This pattern of knife is widely used by the older generation of South African farmers (who swear by it), the younger farmers are moving to modern "whizz-bang-click" lock blades however.

Let's see YOUR cheapies.

Keep Well.









 
There are all kinds of qualifiers to the word "cheap", and for me personally it kind of depends on what I am looking at and how the word is used. If I get an oil change with a coupon that comes out to 1/2 the normal price, I am pleased and will announce I got it "cheap", and that is a good thing. If I see a product that doesn't hold up well, doesn't perform its inherent tasks well, and has no over all appeal because it seems poorly made, then I describe that as "cheap" and that is not a good thing.

There are a lot of great value knives out there these days, hard working, well made as far as fit and finish go, and have steels that are quite serviceable. They make great work knives, and more importantly they get carried and used because they aren't prohibitively expensive. A good value knife to me is "inexpensive".

An epic thread on all kinds of "inexpensive" traditionally patterned knives of all shapes and sizes is here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/582468-Rough-Rider-amp-Related-Slipjoints

Good stuff.

Robert
 
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My brother has a "lot"of knives.....what does he edc...a Okapi....holds a great razor edge!
Jim
 
Cheap isn't the right word, maybe frugal? A frugal knife? Like an Opinel or douk douk etc. A well made knife, an inexpensive knife. Cheap has a certain connotation, akin to shoddy. Cheap makes me think of a mountain of Frost slipjoints with the Made in Pakistan rubbed off but still visible, with most for a couple bucks.
 
It's hard to beat 3 razor sharp, well built Barlows for under $30.00 delivered.:D

Best regards

Robin
 
$11 RR 5 blade peanut.

DSCN2703_zps500b2a9f.jpg



A friend from Poland bought this for me for 25 cents, it has an aluminum frame and actually has a halfstop.

DSCN2748_zps13dba8c9.jpg
 
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Over here, cheap simply means inexpensive. I try and remember to avoid using it in my posts without qualification, as I know the word has a different meaning in the US :)
 
Jack Black said:
Over here, cheap simply means inexpensive. I try and remember to avoid using it in my posts without qualification, as I know the word has a different meaning in the US :)
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Thanks for correcting me Jack, cheap in South Africa has the same meaning as in the UK.
I did not know that it means something entirely different in the U.S.A.
My apologies to all the U.S.A. forum members.
I will remember this in the future.

Peace.
 
I paid $3.95 shipped for this Steel Warrior ram's horn peanut off the bay. I carry and use it quite a bit around the house.
At a buck apiece for the two covers and the two blades (I guess the frame was free?!) that is cheap!!

sheepnut_zps556b778c.jpg~original
 
This one was $12 (I think) and my first swing guard. I bought it not expecting much and ended up being quite happy with it. The bone has even changed a bit since I bought it.

 
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Astrogator I also like your "cheapie" very much. I'd certainly buy one or three at that price! Great thread. I'm sure I'll add some more pics as I have many knives that qualify.
 
mr_badexample said:
This one was $12 (I think) and my first swing guard. I bought it not expecting much and ended up being quite happy with it. The bone has even changed a busy since I bought it.
Click to expand...

Rough Rider have a way of doing that.I was quite amazed with my 5 blade peanut.Great knives for what you pay.
 
black mamba said:
I paid $3.95 shipped for this Steel Warrior ram's horn peanut off the bay. I carry and use it quite a bit around the house.
At a buck apiece for the two covers and the two blades (I guess the frame was free?!) that is cheap!!

sheepnut_zps556b778c.jpg~original
Click to expand...

Dang Jeff, that's a beauty. Something about those bolsters just does it for me on a little peanut, although I imagine it would be a polarizing feature to most!
 
silenthunterstudios said:
Nice shield in that swing guard
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Thanks you.

ThievesLikeUs said:
Rough Rider have a way of doing that.I was quite amazed with my 5 blade peanut.Great knives for what you pay.
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Jon I really like that peanut. In fact I see one in my future. I've gathered quite a pile of RR knives since that one and all are well built and sharp. Can't ask for more from this price point.
 
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