Slip joint knives

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thacheese16

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Feb 26, 2012
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Hey guys, what are some of your favorite slip joint knives. I live in the US but sometimes I want to carry one just for fun. I'd like to keep it under $45. What do you think?
 
There are many options available in that price range. You should stop in the Traditional Folders and Fixed Blades forum. Some brands to look at are Case, Boker, Buck, and the older US made Schrade knives. Queen also makes some knives available in that price range.

Some things to consider are:
What size are you looking for?
How many blades do you want?
What blade profiles do you prefer?
Would you like carbon or stainless steel?

As a shot in the dark, the Sodbuster pattern is made by just about every company and is a favorite of many. They are usually one of the cheaper knives since they use delrin handles and it's a shadow pattern, which means they don't have bolsters.


Another one of my favorites in that price range is a Buck 301 Stockman. I've slightly modified the blade profiles on this one.
 
Buck 301, is my favorite in that price range, sadly it's no longer offered in yellow Delirn.

 
case peanut with cv blades. fits in your watch pocket, friendly to non-knife people, could be the only knife a city guy ever needs.
 
I have a Buck Stockman. Don't like how it has 3 backspring layers instead of the 2 that you normally get with other manufacturers.
 
thacheese16 said:
Hey guys, what are some of your favorite slip joint knives. I live in the US but sometimes I want to carry one just for fun. I'd like to keep it under $45. What do you think?
Click to expand...

At the $45 level, it's hard to go wrong with a Buck 301 or 303, and you should be able to find them for considerably less than that max price you cited. I prefer Buck knives over Case knives, though Case has nicer cover material options and a LOT more patterns. Buck makes a very serviceable 420HC bladed knife.
 
When I think of a slip joint, what comes to mind is a Case stockman, CV steel, bone handle.
 
thacheese16 said:
I live in the US but sometimes I want to carry one just for fun.
Click to expand...

That sounds a little strange. Lots of us in the U.S. carry slip joints :p.

Like the others, I also like Buck's 300 series. I have the single blade 302 and the small 309 pen knife. They are both very nice and made in USA.

Buck 302:
302extended.jpg


Buck 309 with Case pen knife (the Case is prettier, but the Buck is better built, IMO):
bladeshand.jpg


Of course, you can't go wrong with any Victorinox SAK.
 
Victorinox Swiss Army Knife
Case Sodbuster (or Sodbuster Jr)
Queen Country Cousin

I almost always have a SAK on me (usually a Super Tinker). The Sodbuster is just a great, minimalist, functional design.
 
Can't believe I forgot to mention Victorinox. Lots of great offerings, most of which are under $30. Most of them are multibladed knives too so you're not missing much by not getting a Case or Buck (Queen and GEC are probably different stories though). There's also the Cognet Douk-Douk and l'Ecureuil, which are usually around $25 each.
 
Another vote for Victorinox... :thumbup:

alox01_zps27ec5609.jpg


As others have mentioned, there are excellent options available from Case and Buck for <$45. Rough Rider makes surprisingly good knives for much less; recommended if you want to try out different patterns before investing in a more expensive traditional. At around the $50 mark, Boker Tree Brand is certainly also worth a look. For double your budget, Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC) is the brand to get, imo (and worth every penny!)

Good luck, OP! :)

-Brett
 
Can't go wrong with anything in a Barlow pattern. You can get them in either a single or twin blade setup and they, as are many traditional patterns, more acceptable to the non-knife crowd.
 
A case peanut is my main edc, i highly recommend one. My other favorite is the case medium stockman, 18 pattern, mainly for the pinch-able sheepsfoot, and the extra thin blade stock for the same one. Also the very slender california clip can be very useful for getting into tight spaces. (let's say carving a pipe bowl) Both are in carbon steel.
For weather proof, toughness, and so on, you can't go wrong with a 303 buck cadet or a 301 stockman.
 
thacheese16:
How big of a knife? How many blades do you want? Pocket carry or belt sheath? What do you plan to use it for? Do you have any preference between stainless steel and carbon steel?

For general daily carry my favorites are 2 or 3-blade knives in the 3 1/4" to 3 3/4" closed range.

The Buck 30x family is great for utility and sturdiness of construction. I have a 301 Stockman 3-blade and 303 Cadet 3-blade. Hard to beat for pure users.

I've got a couple of Case Stockman 3-blade patterns (63032 and 6318) in that size range too. The '032 pattern is my preference. A bit slimmer than the Buck 301 due to the 2-backspring construction. Same size knife but with only two blades is the Case Small Texas Jack. The Case Mini Trapper is another good option in that size range. 2 full size blades, usually clip and spey but also made in clip and wharncliffe.

If you want to go the Victorinox Swiss Army route, I recommend either the Cadet in Alox handles or the Pioneer/Electrician in Alox handles. Great functionality and nice flat easy on the pocket knives.

If you want something bigger, the Case Trapper is a little over 4" long and has two full-sized blades.

All of the above listed knives can be found for under your $45 price point.
 
In that price range my favorite is a Case Mini Trapper with a CV blade. The Regular size Trapper is larger than I like.
One heck of a knife, and the perfect size for most any task.

I also like the Case medium Stockman and the Sodbuster with CV, but not as much as the Mini Trapper.
 
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