One positive about 2020- Golden Age of the Budget Knife?

Motega

Motega

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Jun 20, 2006
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Unless a knife has some unique combination of characteristics, once you have a upper-tier version of your favorite blade shape, size, and design, a lot of us won't "drop down" to the budget blades. Not trying to "flex" here, but just recognize how great the last couple of years have been for budget blades! For under $100, and most of the time half of that, you can pretty much get and blade shape, size, and now even steel previously only found on custom or high end knives.
There's been a lot of bad stuff that happened this year, but it's a great time to pick up a knife for a friend or family member that seems interested, but doesn't quite get why we care about blade shapes and steels and such. The list of great knives under $100 is incredible!

So, for those of you that already have a stout collection of customs and mid-techs, are there any budget blades you are looking at or were blown away by? My latest was a cleaver style, the Civivi Bullmastiff in damascus (full size) and now I'm picking up something in H1 or LC200N for one of my best friend's dad who is a certified surf fishing nut, often swimming 30 yards out to the rocks in Montauk (and sometimes seeing dorsal fins behind him!).
It's a great time to be a "knife guy".
Merry Christmas all, and health and happiness all through the new year!
 
It is a golden age for sure.

Buck knives are turning into bargains. The quality is still there but they haven’t hardly gone up in price for decades.

No need to ever settle for a crappy knife. A few more dollars gets you a Buck that will last a lifetime.

If you really are on a very tight budget and can’t afford a Buck. Moras, Opinel, Dexter Russel all have high quality knives for under $20.

Why anyone would buy junk knives is a mystery to me.
 
I don't think $100 is a budget knife

But I agree with your point. The subsidization of China's manufacturing industry, both internally and from abroad, have lead to more variety and quality for knives at all price points but especially <$100. However, the true costs of such cheap products will be borne by many over the coming decades. In much the same way as the costs of the Western Industrial Revolution were slowly paid over the ensuring decades of the early and mid 20th century.
 
I just found the wonderful little guys that Mora makes.
$7.99 (on sale) for a 511 is just too good to pass up.

IMHO - the whole thing isn't as much about where the knife is made as it is about the steel used in the knife.
People forget that 20 years ago, AUS8 & ATS34 where the steels that people were going nuts over - those steels are now called "bargain" steels.
20 years back, Buck was considered a sort of odd company by most posters to this forum also. Not good, not bad,,,just sort of - I got the impression a lot of posters just rolled their eyes when they read a "Buck" thread.

That type of atmosphere was one reason I drifted away from here for a few years.
 
Interesting economic comment, I think many of us consider things like iPhone as contributing to poor working conditions overseas, but I never thought about this type of manufacturing.
It also kind of sets the US up to fall even further behind in manufacturing.
I don't think anyone has commented on what the factory looks like that cranks out Civivis and We knives, but I admit that on the few occasions when I have thought about it, I imagined a state of the art, efficient production line with well trained workers. They do produce consistently well-made products.
But to your point, the article linked below shows just how much of the global steel market is bankrolled by the Chinese government - about 52% in 2018. The USA barely makes 5th place by 2019, and who knows where we're going to stand after the pandemic is under control?
We'll, so much for trying to be positive, lol.
I hope Larin or Zvi jumps in here with some good news about LC200N, NitroV, or one of the newer 'flavors' of steel that are proving great performers being made in at least a FEW good US steel mills.

https://wolfstreet.com/2018/06/01/who-dominates-the-steel-trade-that-trump-just-hit-with-tariffs/
 
Yes, great knives Buck. Also like Rough Ryder and Marbles - good user knives cheap.
Mora probably best buy on planet for inexpensive fixed blades.
Rich
 
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Absolutely.
Of course, we always had Opinels and such, but never was VG10, D2, 14C28N this common.. and there is an S35VN Tenacious and who knows what else coming.

Personally, I stopped buying budget knives - life is too short for that :) - I am just glad there is something out there for everyone.
 
This is not the golden age in any way. Prices have not stopped climbing, so companies like civivi found alot of customers. I love civivi, but I used to get blades like spyderco endura, native, Benchmade grip, buck vantage and Marksman, all at the price that you now find "budget" knives at.
 
Motega said:
Unless a knife has some unique combination of characteristics, once you have a upper-tier version of your favorite blade shape, size, and design, a lot of us won't "drop down" to the budget blades. Not trying to "flex" here, but just recognize how great the last couple of years have been for budget blades! For under $100, and most of the time half of that, you can pretty much get and blade shape, size, and now even steel previously only found on custom or high end knives.
There's been a lot of bad stuff that happened this year, but it's a great time to pick up a knife for a friend or family member that seems interested, but doesn't quite get why we care about blade shapes and steels and such. The list of great knives under $100 is incredible!

So, for those of you that already have a stout collection of customs and mid-techs, are there any budget blades you are looking at or were blown away by? My latest was a cleaver style, the Civivi Bullmastiff in damascus (full size) and now I'm picking up something in H1 or LC200N for one of my best friend's dad who is a certified surf fishing nut, often swimming 30 yards out to the rocks in Montauk (and sometimes seeing dorsal fins behind him!).
It's a great time to be a "knife guy".
Merry Christmas all, and health and happiness all through the new year!
Click to expand...
While I agree, I don't think this has anything to do with 2020. There have been great budget options for years now.

I do highly recommend something in LC200N from Spyderco. Just a few bucks over $100:

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This started a few years ago with a revolution in Chinese production knives. Companies like Kershaw and CRKT had been outsourcing their knife manufacturing to China for a long time. The quality was always kinda "meh" but worked relative to price in the market. Apparently, these Chinese manufacturers learned enough to make better budget knives and started selling them directly. Now, the 8Cr13Mov (or worse) knives from Kershaw and CRKT feel like overpriced junk compared to similarly priced knives in better steels with nice manual actions.

Getting Christmas presents ready for the family, I used a Tangram Santa Fe from Kizer. It cost $25 and uses a decent Japanese budget steel. It carries beautifully, snaps open wonderfully, cuts like a dream and strops up like a charm. A relative noticed me making short work out of a pile of clamshell packages. I let him use it and he was impressed. Well, he'll be extra impressed tomorrow. Given the low cost, I had gotten a Santa Fe in each color as "back-up" and stashed them in a drawer. So after he went to bed, I wrapped one of them up and put his name on it. :D
 
Its about perspective, I believe. There is a difference between budget and junk knives. I have a Buck 112 folder I bought affordably at their factory. I appreciate the heat treat. It really does everything I need it to do as a user, beat around pocket knife. Not a glamorous piece, it just works. So yes budget.

The industry is shifting and it seems mid-tiers seem to be dated already with S30V, but to me it is a still an awesome steel. I think I am behind the curve a bit (and like it there). Like anything its all a matter of perspective but there are some great choices out there and am enjoying the ride with the budget stuff pushing the market.
 
Grayman1984 Grayman1984 I have carried it all week at work and it still looks brand new. I have only cut plastic and nylon magazine straps, but it came exceptionally sharp and has stayed that way.
 
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