Recommendation? New to knives, looking for help

While we're doing a "Don't Buy" list we'd be remiss not to mention Strider or any Mick Strider designed or collaboration knives. Stolen Valour never washes off.
 
Gentlemen, please, bear in mind we're trying to help a beginner here.

Now, I too, have had a phase where I've been very interested in the kind of steel I was getting. However, it was a phase and it has passed. Why? Because the quality of the heat treat is more important than the type of steel used. (In fact, I've had a knife in D2 outperform a knife in M390 on all aspects. Not to mention including custom knives). Aside from that, I too, think some of the steels you mentioned are perfectly fine when the manufacturer knows what they're doing. Although it's great to discuss the merits of certain steel types here, I don't it's a logical starting point for a beginner looking for his next knife.

Now, If I had to advise a beginner without getting too much into the nitty gritty, I'd sooner recommend people certain brands. This is because I've noticed that in the knife world, brands are pretty consistent amongst themselves. Ergo, a brandname is still a known quantity. I would venture this is because of how important Quality Control is (And the fact that knife brands have a more stable supply chain).

So, here's my tips for a beginner:
  1. When you want to buy a knife, try to specify for yourself what you want from this knife? Sleek Everyday carry? Prolonged use? A gentleman's knife for fancy occasions? Then try to make it more specific from there. What will you be cutting? How often?
    • So, for example, because you specified your knife would be for EDC, I would focus on knives that are sleek and light, so they won't get in the way when you carry them. The downside of this is that these kinds of knives usually are less suitable for prolonged use (like whittling).
  2. A lot of people here make a point of avoiding chinese, or even non-american made knives. This is mostly a patriotism thing and does not correlate with quality. (It used to, years ago, but the chinese came a long way with some chinese brands aiming at the higher end and delivering quality on par with other brands around the world).
  3. Even though you specified an assisted opening, I would advise you to reconsider. Many of us longer in the hobby prefer well-made un-assisted knives. On cheaper knives, an assist is added to camouflage poor quality. Assisted knives aren't legal everywhere. More importantly, the spring in an assist will wear over time, and a worn out assist is really crappy.
  4. Even though brick and mortar stores are harder to find these days, nothing beats handling knives IRL to get a feel for them. How they fit in your hand, in your pocket. You can also inspect them for any imperfections, preventing some hassle with returns if you get bad luck in the QC-lottery. Failing that, select vendors with a good returns policy.
  5. When you inspect a knife, look for the following:
    • There should be no side-to-side bladeplay when the knife is open (meaning the knife should be locked in place solidly).
    • There should be no back-to-front (vertical) bladeplay when the knife is open (same as above)
    • There should be no bladeplay when the knife is closed.
    • The knife should be centred when the knife is closed (allthough you should be a little more forgiving about this one in the sub $100 range)
    • The grind / edge should be symmetrical and even. You could cut some paper to get a feel for how it cuts.
    • The fit and finish should be generally good. Mostly this means that all components should be firmly put together, with no gaps in between the scales or the spring or whatnot. You can be a little more forgiving about this in the sub $100 range.
    • I'm sure others will have stuff to add here
  6. (Because Xenforo software apparently can't count bulletpoints) If you ask 12 forumites a question, you will get 13 opinions. There are brand fanboys and haters. There are steel fanboys and haters. There are hater-fanboys and fanboy-haters. Take it all with a grain of salt. I'll probably get some heat for this post too. However, the most knowledgeable people are usually also the most relaxed ones. Not to mention they can explain it well. So look for a proper explanation to go with the opinions.
  7. Here's some brands I could recommend looking at (given your price range), as well as my wholly subjective and unreliable take on them (based on my own experiences and observations):
    • Kershaw: They are very strong at offering EDC options for a modest price. They have some good, functional designs, as well as some cool, innovative ones. However, you won't get the best materials. If you don't mind sharpening and maintaining your knives a little more often, and replacing your knife a little sooner, Kershaw is a very solid option.
    • Buck: I love Buck. You get a lot of Bang for your buck with Buck. They offer great knives for a modest price. Their heat treat is truly magical, making even 'lesser' steels perform very well. A significant part of the Buck catalog is made in the USA. If you're looking to buy a knife below $100 and made in America, Buck is your best bet. However, pay attention, because not all of their models are made in the USA. Their warranty is also awesome, as is their 'spa' service. These knives will last you a long time and are usually built like a tank. If you'd asked me a year ago, I'd have said that you could buy a Buck knife sight unseen. However, Buck seems to have expanded their production and I have noticed slightly more threads with issues on this forum. Buck always makes it right, but if you want to be absolutely sure, inspect the knife before buying.
    • Benchmade: Great knives, but starting at a little over your budget. Still, can't hurt to take a look. These will last you a long time and perform very well. Over the past few years, Benchmade has had some QC issues, especially with their grinds and centering. Things seem to be improving lately, but it's still preferable to inspect the knife before buying.
    • Böker: I used to be a big fan, until I've had some glaring QC issues. It's very hit and miss. This is the riskiest version of the QC lottery, so inspect before buying. However, if you get a well-made Böker, you'll get mindblowing value. It will absolutely boggle your mind how such a good knife can be so cheap.
    • Cold steel: Excellent value for money, but most are a bit too 'mall-ninja' and 'murdery' for my tastes. Their marketing is a bit, well...
    • EKA: Not much focus on EDC, but good value 'outdoorsy' knives. The EKA swede offers some nice wood scales for a great price (but requires 2-hand opening).
    • Opinel: Great value classics. However, no assisted opening and no one-hand opening.
    • Fox Knives: Not much experience, but I have my eye on this. They're from Maniago, Italy, so have a reputation to keep. Has some nice things in your price range. Maybe others can weigh in?
    • Gerber: This brand died when they badly outsourced their production overseas years ago. Stay away. (Although they seem to be coming back from that decision, so maybe there's hope? I'll have to see it before I believe it, though).
    • Leatherman: mostly focused on multitools, but good to go. You get what you pay for.
    • Lionsteel: Fancy knives from Italy, even at your pricerange. Absolutely good to go.
    • Real Steel: No experience, but I've heard good things. They offer some nice stuff in your price range.
    • Smith & Wesson: Stay away! In general, it's a good idea to stay away from the 'gun brands' when it comes to knives. Knives and guns are very different things, after all.
    • Spyderco: Great quality knives with great ergonomics for both EDC and prolonged cutting. However, the 'spydiehole' is a thing and it usually means a wider profile for the knife, which you will notice when carrying it in your pocket.
    • Steel will: I've heard nothing but good things, but I have no hands-on experience. They have nice stuff in your price range.
    • Victorinox: Classic knives with extra tools. Very 'sheeple friendly' (meaning, non-knife using people won't get scared, so the opposite of Cold Steel). Very practical. However, very soft 'mystery steel'. This means that although sharpening will be very easy, you will also be sharpening it very often. Even though they're not 'premium' knives, I still find myself taking and using one on almost every trip I go, because they're just so very practical.
    • Other brands: research them using the BladeForums search functions. In general, stay away from: Gas station knives, brands that don't have knives as their core business, brands that have no mention on these forums, brands that only have negative mentions on these forums, brands that won't mention the specific steel used (they'll use vague marketing terms like 'surgical grade' or 'aircraft grade' or 'stainless').
Well, I'll probably get lynched for all the things I've said about the brands and the steels, but it's what I would tell my clone if it wanted to buy it's first knife in 2020. That's gotta count for something right? At the very least, you could have some fun shopping now!

Edit: Xenforo fixed the numbering of the bullets upon posting! I should never have doubted our A.I. overlords and I humbly apologise!

Edit2: I just want to add the following. Before you blindly rush to recommend the latest batch of 'super-steels', take a look at the budget specified, and the use cases. This is becoming a bit of a peeve lately, and this thread is no exception.
 
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^^^^^ What he said :) Great post and great advice! My only lowish price brands to add that I have first hand experience with would be Civivi and Kershaw and some of the budget (or gently used) spyderco/benchmade offerings (massdrop has some good knives just north of 100 but you can find used).
 
As far as brand recommendations go, I'll keep it to two:

Civivi - I've had four knives from Civivi. Fit and finish on all of them have been great. Blade geometry is good. All have been excellent cutters. I always disassemble a new knife for cleaning, inspection, and quality lubrication. For the price, I was surprised at how clean the internals were on these. There were none of the tool marks and internal roughness I usually see on budget knives.

Bestech - These guys tend to have incredible actions in the $50 range. The older models in 12C27 were held shut with permanent thread-locker. The more recent D2 models do not have that problem. I've been pretty happy with these. You might want to check out the Texel.
 
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