Looking for the best EDC for $50 or less

S

suds01

Joined
Jul 19, 2013
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Just as the title says, I want your guy's opinion on what you think the best edc is for around 50 bucks or less. I'm open to anything I love all knives and have yet to find something I hate.
 
Spyderco tenacious, Ontario Rat 1, Ontario Rat 2, Kershaw Skyline, Buck Vantage select, Buck paper stone, Kershaw Knockout, Spyderco ambitious, Spyderco Delica 4, anything from Spyderco's byrd line, and anything From Kershaw's china line.
 
buck 110 , solid knife with a nice leather belt sheath... I'm pretty sure Jason Stackhouse from TrueBlood carry's one in the show (just an FYI) :)
 
There are many Kershaw models that may fit that description. But, for me, I like the Spyderco Endura with the vg10 steel and ffg blade. I know it's just a tad bit more retail than 50 bucks. But, it's worth every penny. And, you can certainly find them cheaper lnib or nib if you look hard enough. I love mine. It has a nice sized blade that is thin enough to cut nicely, yet strong enough to be very tough. The handles are large enough for my hands, yet slim enough to be a good carry in my pocket. And, you have a choice of several different colors. Did I say I loved my Endura?
 
Depends on what your everyday needs are?

Regardless, a Kershaw Leek is really hard to beat and can be had for under $50:thumbup:
 
Try an alox SAK or a Spyderco Delica 4... :thumbup:

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Good luck! :)

-Timber
 
plastid said:
buck 110 , solid knife with a nice leather belt sheath... I'm pretty sure Jason Stackhouse from TrueBlood carry's one in the show (just an FYI) :)
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Buck 110's are nice knives. But, all the ones I had were a bit heavy for pocket carry. And, I don't typically wear belts anymore, as I wear bib overalls most of the time. But, I did carry a 110 for many years as my go to knife for dressing deer and hogs, and work around the shop. The only one I have left is an old one that got lost in the yard, and my son found it several years later. It's pretty beat up, and has a broken tip. Some day I may send it in to Buck for a new blade and see if they can get her back in working order for me.
 
thanks guys, im probably going to end up dropping like 200-300 bucks on all of these
 
I don't recommend kershaws. They seem to be a favorite on this forum, but I haven't seen one I like. And imho, Ken Onion designs knives like some kind of marionette controlled by a teenage mutant ninja turtle. The man is more overrated than anyone in the industry. On top of that, the steels they use for his designs are predominantly garbage.
I suggest an opinel no. 7 or 8. they run in the $15 range and are incredible little knives. I wish I could recommend spyderco, but their QC has been awful on their overseas produced knives that I've seen lately (unevenness and asymmetry mostly, which bothers me more than any other imperfection you can find in a knife). Maybe a Case trapper is for you? I have one in Olive bone, and I carry it everywhere. I've heard the same complaints about Case that I just mentioned about spyderco, but I've never seen it with my own eyes, so... *shrug* Those are my offerings. And you can't go wrong with a Schrade 77OT (old US produced ones online) they may be getting close to your spending limit though.
 
Guess I must be a knife snob, cause frankly I do not think I own a knife that costed under $100.00. So I cannot recommend one in that price range. Think the OP should widen his price range out to $100.00, there are a whole lot more better knives available there than $50.00. The higher price point tends to include much better knife steels than those low price knives. JMHO.
 
You might still be able to find a discontinued US-made manual Kershaw Zing for less than $50. It's a funky and fun little folder that works well using the thumb-studs or flipper. Awesome RJ Martin design! :thumbup::cool: The only thing I don't really care for on it is the bead-blasted finish...

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mley1 said:
Buck 110's are nice knives. But, all the ones I had were a bit heavy for pocket carry. And, I don't typically wear belts anymore, as I wear bib overalls most of the time. But, I did carry a 110 for many years as my go to knife for dressing deer and hogs, and work around the shop. The only one I have left is an old one that got lost in the yard, and my son found it several years later. It's pretty beat up, and has a broken tip. Some day I may send it in to Buck for a new blade and see if they can get her back in working order for me.
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yes good point, they are quite big and heavy there are many other pocket friendlier knives out there for the price.

The Leatherman C33 ....USA made and it has a bottle opener/carabeener clip. around 25-30 buckaroos ;)
 
It really depends on what you use the knife for. Some easy recommendations are the Spyderco FRN VG-10 models like the Endura, Delica, & Dragonfly. Victorinox makes a huge number of knives under $50, the Farmer, Cadet, & Rambler/Manager are all nice. Even the CyberTool 29 is close to your budget.
 
Kershaw skyline and spyderco delica are the 2 that battle for pocket time the most they are awesome cant go wrong with either
 
InSpectre Gadget said:
I don't recommend kershaws. They seem to be a favorite on this forum, but I haven't seen one I like. And imho, Ken Onion designs knives like some kind of marionette controlled by a teenage mutant ninja turtle. The man is more overrated than anyone in the industry. On top of that, the steels they use for his designs are predominantly garbage.
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You haven't seen one you like? Have you used any? Your opinions on Kershaws and KO designs sound like mere speculation.


Personally, Kershaw has done no wrong by me. The only Kershaw I owned but didn't care for was the OSO Sweet simply because it didn't fit my hand well. Gave it to my gf and she loves it. Gave her my old Half Ton too which she has beaten the hell out of but it hasn't shown a sign of slowing down. I EDCd a Tremor for a while and loved it. The Clash is probably my favorite of the ones I own. Deploys the fastest, and fits my needs the best. The Asset is great, used it for an unexpected skinning session once. Performed very well. I have the combo edge and those serrations went through bones like they were zip ties. The leek is a gentlemen's knife, IMO. Sleek, smooth, fast and looks great. It has a very weak tip though. The Grant County is a great little Traditional style lockback. Pretty damn small though. I used to keep it in my watch pocket.

As for other ones in your budget, have a look at Ganzo, Enlan, Sanrenmu (I love the 710 and 734), Spyderco Byrds, Benchmade's HK line, Buck Bantam (BBW, BLW, BHW), CRKT has a ton of options I recommend the Cruiser, Drifter, Heiho. Cold Steel has some nice options. Victorinox, Opinel, Ontario, Kabar. The list goes on so you might want to narrow your search. Set some parameters and we can collectively help you pinpoint some perfect options.
 
Originally Posted by InSpectre Gadget
I don't recommend kershaws. They seem to be a favorite on this forum, but I haven't seen one I like. And imho, Ken Onion designs knives like some kind of marionette controlled by a teenage mutant ninja turtle. The man is more overrated than anyone in the industry. On top of that, the steels they use for his designs are predominantly garbage.


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You haven't seen one you like? Have you used any? Your opinions on Kershaws and KO designs sound like mere speculation.
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I have used a few, actually, and they are junk. In addition, your opinions about my opinions sound like mere speculation.
Though I don't feel compelled to explain myself to you, I will for the OP's sake. Every knife Ken designs has some gimmicky blade shape that only makes it harder to sharpen, or ridiculously weak. For instance: I've never seen anyone with a Leek that still has its tip after a week of every day use. Given that the steels are trash, that makes for more work sharpening than time spent working with the knife itself. It's a false economy.

Therefore, I recommend you don't waste your time on any Kershaw brand knives. They suck.

Addendum:

The aforementioned "every day use" was pretty light stuff, like cutting single thickness cardboard and plastic bags and tape. Nothing severe at all.
 
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