Looking for an Ethical Beater

Schrade SCH55. Made in Taiwan, designed by a forum member as a beater.

Hultafors GK, Sweden. Cheap, in an ugly rustoleum green. Has opened a lot of frozen car doors.

Anza, USA. Lots of models under $100. Made from files, tough as hell. My first one has been taking a beating since 1982. The BK5M would be the closest current model.

Varusteleka Jakaaripukko and Mini models. Finland, $40.
 
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kwselke said:
The Endela is made in Seki City, Japan for Spyderco which is US company. I believe mine was $81 - $82 delivered, but I added a 1" x 4" KME 100 grit diamond hone to the order to get the order over $100 for free shipping.
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Doh. I should have known better. Thanks for clarifying.
 
jpm2 said:
All knives are beaters. Pick one you already have and enjoy it.
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This ^^^^
Or said another way pick one you enjoy and use it.
I would add; work within the limitations of the tool / knife . . . meaning if you are about to break it then move to the next tool up that can handle it.

And I just got, and you might consider, the Cold Steel Counter Point One.
It is listed as a four inch blade but the edge is under that. Big grippy handle and a ridge down the middle of the blade for toughness.

It's made in Taiwan. I like Taiwan knives. I don't know how they treat their workers but as I understand it they are a democratic country.

The thickness behind the edge is .033" which is problematic for me . . . but so is the Spyderco Manix at .030". Every body and their bother just love the heck out of the Manix so there you go.

Tough beater knife though. Fairly light because of Cold Steel's signature heat treated aluminum liners. Same goes for the other Cold Steel shown here a Large Voyager. Hey they make smaller Counter Points and Voyagers.
For comparison the two knives in the middle are Buck 110s. The Black one is the "LW" which is a great knife and goes for mid to high $20 range.

PS: for actual BEATING on a knife I would skip that and use a chisel or a froe or a prybar
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Wowbagger said:
PS: for actual BEATING on a knife I would skip that and use a chisel or a froe or a prybar
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PPS : I just read a review of the Counter Point and the guy rounded the tip off some so he could do some prying with it regularly for his job. He had a thing he did regularly, I forget what it was, and he modded the knife so it could handle it.

One way to make it the length you want to ;):D
 
SIG96 said:
I would prefer the blade to be between 3-3.5 inches and am willing to go up to $80
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Well it sure isn't $80 ( this one's CTS-XHP ) but the blade is about that length and it is a beater; heck it can take some light chiseling with a hammer or cutting wire or nails in two by hammering the spine of the blade.
Shaves mild steel curls off raggedy steel parts with burs like it was made for the job (which is what I modded it to do actually). :thumbsup:
I love this thing !

Originally it was a Cold Steel Ti Lite VI (the six inch bladed version ).
Two fisted handle for using as a push chisel / paring chisel.

The blade shape is called a Razel ( part Razor part Chisel )

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I own a counterpoint 2 3inch model it's a good choice and a buck 112 out the 2 I would take the counter point most often but like others said SAK Leatherman too
out all my folders 3 or close the buck or counterpoint would be my choice
ps would not pry with the buck hollow grind but an amazing slicer cold steel dose better with zip ties and wireing stuff like that
 
Just add a few dollars and buy two Spyderco Tenacious folders. One for a beater and one for backup.
 
The Spyderco Native can often be found, in one form or another, for roughly $80. It is a workhorse of a knife, and the embodiment of the “little big knife”.

The Cold Steel Recon 1 is also easily found around that price point, and is an absolute tank of a knife.

I really wanted to pry into the “ethical” considerations posed by the OP, but I realize it’s probably a stone better left unturned given how quickly and completely that sort of conversation can derail a thread.

That said, if your primary concern is to avoid sponsorship of the country of origin... buy it used. Your money goes directly to the individual who previously owned the knife.

But, really, you could buy it from a dealer since the dealer already bought the knives from the manufacturer. Buying from the dealer actually directly supports a domestic company. Remember, unless you’re buying it factory direct, you’re already technically buying it second-hand.

Also, just to confound things, most domestically-made products are assembled with parts, tools, and computers made in China, so, really, there’s just no escaping the realities of long-established international trade and you can just buy stuff without worrying about ethics.
 
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I'd take a hard look at the Spyderco Manix 2. The G10 version is about $35 over your target price, but you could always look for a gently used one on the Forum.

1. Made in USA.
2. Blade length 3.375 inches.
3. Generally considered to have excellent ergos.
4. One of the sturdiest locks in the business, although they do have a break-in phase.
5. S30V blade steel.
6. Functional, slicey, FFG drop point/leaf style blade.
7. Grippy G10 (for the vaseline factory).
8. Full liners for hard use.
9. High utility Spydiehole.

There are a couple of concerns with the Manix...
One is endemic to most Spydercos...they run "fat" in the pocket. Because of the hole opener they tend to be very tall from belly to spine of the blade. This can pose a problem for some people, including myself. If you've owned other Spydercos and the fat doesn't bother you, no problem.

The other possible problem with the Manix might be the tip for hard use. Although not as fine as the Delica, PM2 or Military, some might consider the Manix tip to be a bit fine for a beater knife. I guess that all depends on your definition of "beater".

spyderco-manix-2-c101gp2-2.jpg
 
Get the Svord peasant knife. I've put mine through the grinder and after all these years my only problem is the plastic handles have warped a bit from sitting in my truck tool box. Also can't go wrong with a Buck 110
 
Comeuppance said:
Also, just to confound things, most domestically-made products are assembled with parts, tools, and computers made in China, so, really, there’s just no escaping the realities of long-established international trade and you can just buy stuff without worrying about ethics.
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Wow! "Everybody's doing it" is now an acceptable excuse to ignore ethical concerns. Cool.:cool:

OP; I say, buy what you are comfortable with and still meets your needs. Many great suggestions have been given. Knives are one area where we do still have choice as to where our hard earned dollars go. Good on you for taking it into consideration.:thumbsup:
 
danbot said:
Wow! "Everybody's doing it" is now an acceptable excuse to ignore ethical concerns. Cool.:cool:

OP; I say, buy what you are comfortable with and still meets your needs. Many great suggestions have been given. Knives are one area where we do still have choice as to where our hard earned dollars go. Good on you for taking it into consideration.:thumbsup:
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It has nothing to do with popularity, and everything to do with the reality of the situation. You cannot avoid indirectly giving money to China at present as a US citizen consumer of common goods.

Let’s say you buy a US-Made knife from a retailer that only buys from US manufacturers. That retailer and that manufacturer will unavoidably use those funds to purchase and use Chinese-manufactured devices and materials for their business. Their employees, paid with money made from your transaction, will buy consumer goods made in part or in whole in China.

The delivery drivers will use vehicles with largely-Chinese sourced parts. They will refuel using pumps made in China . If business increases, they will buy more China-manufactured handheld devices for their employees to scan in and out parcels. Those delivery drivers, paid in part with money from the company you paid to purchase the US-made knife from, will also purchase Chinese-made consumer goods and electronics.

People can claim they participate in some sort of protest by only buying US-made goods, but the dependence on Chinese products and materials is so ubiquitous and foundational that it’s a futile gesture.
 
Comeuppance said:
It has nothing to do with popularity, and everything to do with the reality of the situation. You cannot avoid indirectly giving money to China at present as a US citizen consumer of common goods.

Let’s say you buy a US-Made knife from a retailer that only buys from US manufacturers. That retailer and that manufacturer will unavoidably use those funds to purchase and use Chinese-manufactured devices and materials for their business. Their employees, paid with money made from your transaction, will buy consumer goods made in part or in whole in China.

The delivery drivers will use vehicles with largely-Chinese sourced parts. They will refuel using pumps made in China . If business increases, they will buy more China-manufactured handheld devices for their employees to scan in and out parcels. Those delivery drivers, paid in part with money from the company you paid to purchase the US-made knife from, will also purchase Chinese-made consumer goods and electronics.

People can claim they participate in some sort of protest by only buying US-made goods, but the dependence on Chinese products and materials is so ubiquitous and foundational that it’s a futile gesture.
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Whenever I can spend my money on a product that I want or need that directly benefits, primarily North American Businesses and their employees, I will.
 
danbot said:
Whenever I can spend my money on a product that I want or need that directly benefits, primarily North American Businesses and their employees, I will.
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Okay. That is certainly a thing you can choose to do, but that doesn’t realistically reduce the amount of money that goes to China. American businesses that purchase Chinese products for resale still use their profits to pay the salaries of American employees... just the same as employees of companies that buy only domestically-produced goods.

Those employees use that money to buy furniture, electronics, etc that were made in China. They purchase those from American retailers that bought them from a distributor that bought them from China. Etc etc etc.

It’s a fundamentally empty gesture that ultimately accomplishes nothing except potentially hurting American businesses, with American employees, that sell Chinese-produced products.
 
Comeuppance said:
It’s a fundamentally empty gesture that ultimately accomplishes nothing except potentially hurting American businesses, with American employees, that sell Chinese-produced products.
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Maybe they shouldn't sell so many Chinese-produced products. I for one would not miss over-priced, cheap furniture.
 
danbot said:
Maybe they shouldn't sell so many Chinese-produced products. I for one would not miss over-priced, cheap furniture.
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We can choose how we buy things, and it makes a difference to our conscious, but the overall effects of hurting China will be minimal. Chinese products are everywhere and the quality and cost is hard to ignore when we as consumers want decent quality and a good price. That is not being unpatriotic, it is a fact of economic life when people are raising their families and trying to get a long. What is unfortunate is the Chinese do not play fair, free trade is not free trade when they purposely devalue their currency to make their products cheaper, and still put tariffs on US products coming into China to protect their industries. They also do not protect the intellectual property rights of others and they steal technology.
 
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