present

[TheGrailKnife]

Hey guys so my friends bday is coming up and he has cheap knives. I want to get him something high quality.
The requirements would be
Metal handles
USA made good blade steel like s30v
3 inch blade
Around 200
Also it has to be manual
Do not recommend the benchmade 940 because my other friend is giving it to him

 

[Lost Cosmonaut]

Hogue EX-01 Small aluminum handle version. Fits all your criteria other than the blade is 154CM (nothing wrong with that) and it's 3.5".

Benchmade 755 MPR would be my other recommendation, though it has G10.

Final suggestion would be a Grayman Dua Ti-Ti, when they come available again (supposedly soon).

 

[EChoil]

Get the Grayman.

 

[Lost Cosmonaut]

Get the Grayman.

It does fit what he's looking for 100%, it's just at the high side of his budget. 120% worth it though!

 

[grownstar]

Zt 0801

 

[K.O.D.]

Hey guys so my friends bday is coming up and he has cheap knives. I want to get him something high quality.
The requirements would be
Metal handles
USA made good blade steel like s30v
3 inch blade
Around 200
Also it has to be manual
Do not recommend the benchmade 940 because my other friend is giving it to him

Based on your parameters I would suggest:

Brous Bionic--D2 steel, bearings, flipper, aluminum handles, just under 3" blade, liner lock.
LionSteel SR2-A--Sleipner steel (very similar to D2), monoblock aluminum handles, frame lock with rotoblock LBS/safety thingy. Both this and the DPX HEST are made in Italy, but are very, very well made.
DPX HEST--on side Ti, other G10 but an excellent knife made by LionSteel.

The metal handles+USA made is the killer here. The ZT0801 and Hogue EX-01 Aluminum are nice but both are 3.5" blades. Not sure if that's a deal breaker.

 

[dalefuller]

One that hasn't been mentioned yet in BM's 525 mini-Presidio. Aluminium handles, 154CM steel, US made. They're recently disco'd but you should be able to find one if you look around.