Quality Folding EDC Knife under $40?

TripleB67 said:

That does look like it fits my needs...I was mistakenly looking at the specs for the Rat I so I was thinking the Rat II was 4.5" closed/8.5" open...but the Rat II does seem to be the perfect size 4.1 inches closed and a 3 inch blade...nice!!! The tough call on it would be the Black black or the Silver blade!

It doesn't have the "flipper" feature for quick opening but hopefully I'll never have the need to use it in a quick self defense situation.

Is the Aus8 blade a better blade than the 8Cr13MoV (Titanium carbo-nitrade coated) blade?

Thanks for all the help!

TripleB67
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They are similar in composition and performance, aus8 is japanese made while 8cr13 is chinese made. Ontario Aus8 by a nose in my book.
 
The Link would be my recommendation. I gave this one to my brother and he loves the s**t out of it. It's made a few miles away in Tualatin, OR, which makes it even better to him.

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Like many others, I assume, I was intrigued by "assisted opening" knives like the Cryo when I first started getting into knives. Now, it is a feature that I no longer find desirable. I can open a quality thumb stud or Spydiehole knife just as fast, these days, with none of the worries about an assisted opening knife opening when I don't want it to, or popping a spring. It just takes a little practice - and be sure to practice with both hands, from either pocket, in case you ever have an injury to one hand or the other.

There's a thread right now on this forum about "which features cause you NOT to buy a knife?" and many people have listed "assisted opening" among the features they don't want.

TripleB67 said:


It doesn't have the "flipper" feature for quick opening but hopefully I'll never have the need to use it in a quick self defense situation.
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Cara Cara 2 is an outstanding knife for the money. I prefer the G10, but the FRN is nice, too. It's bigger than a Delica - more like a "poor mans" Endura.

savage99 said:
Byrd cara cara 2 is a poor man's delica looks like a heck of a knife for the price
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Kershaw RJ Tactical 3.0;
just <3" blade
Assisted

CRKT Carson m16
just >3" blade
Manual

Both 4" handles, grip friendly ergonomics, flippers and framelocks, and both less then 3oz.
 
Sub $40 edc folders are always improving. I really like the Kershaw Shield. Loved it enough that I ended up buying a Hinderer Eklipse, which the Shield is based on.
Other great edc blades sub $40 (imo) are:
Kershaw Skyline
Ontario Rat 2
Kershaw Leek
Spyderco Tenacious
Cold Steel Hold Out III
Sometimes you can find a Spyderco Delica or a Benchmade mini Griptilian for 40 or 50 bucks used as well.
 
Similar to Recon's experience a Kershaw Thermite lead me to buying a ZT 0562CF. I own the Spyderco Byrd Cara Cara, Robin, and Meadowlark; and the Kershaw Thermite and Cryo - all in G10. They're all under $35 shipped on Amazon, but the Kershaws are much better quality. The clips are more secure, the stonewashed finish is nicer, and the blades have cleaner grinds.

Their marketing is gimmicky, but the Cold Steel Tuff Lite and Mini Tuff Lite are actually excellent knives that even my glove size XL hands find very comfortable.
 
utaharcher said:
Kershaw cryo with the g10 handle and black wash finish. Lighter than the all metal cryo . Sweet knife for $27 bucks.
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I personally have one of these and have been very impressed. Great package for less than $30.

Had to thread lock the pivot screw because it was walking but after that it's prefect for a low cost EDC.

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They're about the same thing. AUS-8 has slightly more Manganese, Chromium, Nickel, Vanadium, and Molybdenum, but 8Cr13MoV has slightly more Carbon (0.75% to 0.85% vs. 0.70% to 0.75%).

BTW, AUS-8 is also known as 8Cr15MoV
 
TripleB67 said:
Or can you recommend a better option out there for under $40 that may be around that 4 inch closed length?
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If Chinese knives are a consideration, Enlan's M series and SanRenMu's 7XXX series will do the job with 8Cr13MoV steel and sub-3" blades for less than $15. Here's one of the many SRM knives (7030LUC) I currently own, and it can be gotten for about $9 - $13 depending on which online b2c or c2c (major hint) site you use:


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There's also a variant of the 7030LUC with a gold trim around the perimeter of the handle for those who prefer something a little more gaudy or flashy.
 
Many good selections here I agree with: Byrds, CS Tuff Lite and Mini Tuff, Kershaw Cryo & Thermite. Another contender is the Boker Trance. Beats the 3" limit in many jurisdictions, great design, sturdy, and fires open as fast as an auto without the legal or maintenance hassles.
 
I had a Cryo and wasn't impressed. Out of the box, it was so far off center that it wouldn't open and close. I like their budget assisted flippers but when I know someone who gets one, I always ask how far off center it came out of the box, because I had a Chill, 2 Brawlers, Cryo, Freefall, Surge and a couple others that all came off-center. Where the few USA made ones I bought were all spot on. Not a deal breaker, but just irritating. I have a $13 Ganzo assisted flipper and other straight-from-China folders that all came with perfect fit and finish, so I know it's possible on a budget folder.

That Ganzo G728 is probably better overall than any of my budget Kershaws.

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