Solid $20 knife?

[stonproject]

Real Steel has a couple $20 options, and a few more in the $30-40 range. Good reviews about them so far from all I've heard, though I don't own any.

Kilimanjaro is another company made in China that makes decent stuff for the price, can find a few in your price range if you shop around.

CRKT Lake 111z is a decent little edc option at sub $20, I still keep mine around. The CRKT Squid has gotten mostly positive feedback.

Schrade sch216: sch220: sch221 are all OK for sub $20 options.

I've even had some Böker magnums, currently still have an Ironworker in my work rotation, and wouldn't hesitate to buy another one if/when the need for a new cheap knife arrives.

I would stay away from the Kershaw starter though, same as their "filter" and "duck commander" stuff, simply because the 3cr13 Steel they use on those is crap. Won't stay sharp cutting warm butter. Other Kershaws in that price range are okay though; Ember, Kurai, Thistle, Injection, and a bunch more in the $20-30 range.

Needless to say, there are quite a few knives out there that are "okay" at $15-20, including Sanrenmu, so long as you keep in mind you're buying a $20 knife and don't have $50-100 expectations.

3cr is very similar too 8cr. And 8cr is just finr for a working knife. I would certainly not call it "crap" steel. It would cut, and hold a working edge.

 

[VermontEdge]

Case sodbuster Jr.

 

[RX-79G]

3cr is very similar too 8cr. And 8cr is just finr for a working knife. I would certainly not call it "crap" steel. It would cut, and hold a working edge.

8Cr13Mov is a very, very good steel. More than a couple people have found it to be as good or possibly better than AUS-8. I don't know what you mean when you say "3cr is the same..." when 3Cr13 is most like 420J2, while 3Cr13Mov is different from 3Cr13, but still not a steel that can be hardened as much as 8Cr13Mov, if better than the 3Cr13.

 

[strategy9]

3cr13 is similar to 8cr13mov, like 8cr13mov is similar to cts-xhp.

Not much, other then being stainless steels.

Half the carbon, twice the nickel, no vanadium, and no Molybednum... Stuff can't be hardened the same, and is just plain old soft as far as knife steels go. The stuff is literally the Chinese identical version to 420j2, typically labeled as "surgical stainless" and used in flea market specials. Even 5cr15mov, which is similar to 420hc used by Buck and Case (trusharp), is a much better Steel option with 0.1-0.2% more carbon, and still isn't known to hold an edge all that well... 3cr13 is something one would expect to see in a stainless hatchet or Machete... Or a dive knife since it will resist rust better. But certainly not a Steel you want if holding an edge is a priority, like say, an edc knife.

 

[stonproject]

8Cr13Mov is a very, very good steel. More than a couple people have found it to be as good or possibly better than AUS-8. I don't know what you mean when you say "3cr is the same..." when 3Cr13 is most like 420J2, while 3Cr13Mov is different from 3Cr13, but still not a steel that can be hardened as much as 8Cr13Mov, if better than the 3Cr13.

If you're gonna quote someone you should quote what they actually say. I said similar, not the same. 3cr13mov has a slightly lower % of carbon. Its not optimal for a knife blade as strategy points out, but it will cut just fine, especially considering the price point were talking about.

That said, I recommend the kershaw oso sweet, which is 8cr.

 

[RX-79G]

If you're gonna quote someone you should quote what they actually say. I said similar, not the same. 3cr13mov has a slightly lower % of carbon. Its not optimal for a knife blade as strategy points out, but it will cut just fine, especially considering the price point were talking about.

That said, I recommend the kershaw oso sweet, which is 8cr.

Sorry, I didn't mean to misquote you.

I was trying to ask what it is that is similar between 3Cr13, (or 3Cr13MoV, which is different) and 8Cr13MoV? I don't think you can even harden 3Cr13 much above 53 Hrc. That's because most of the carbon is tied up in chromium, rather than being available to harden, since it has so little carbon. From my point of view, very few cutlery steels are anything like super corrosion resistant 3Cr13 or 420J2.

 

[hunter55]

Have a look on Ganzo 704. Excellent folder. Solid and effective. And for more (info), you can attend the video of the Russian guy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T0EIAjQ61Y&feature=youtu.be.

And after that you can have a look on the points given by that guy.... and compare with other "famous" names... https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q3Z9koNohHDIUogSVRaIGl-o3mebrbjwSDNcR0h5LlU/edit#gid=0

 

[stonproject]

Sorry, I didn't mean to misquote you.

I was trying to ask what it is that is similar between 3Cr13, (or 3Cr13MoV, which is different) and 8Cr13MoV? I don't think you can even harden 3Cr13 much above 53 Hrc. That's because most of the carbon is tied up in chromium, rather than being available to harden. 8Cr and Aus 8 only have 8% chromium. From my point of view, very few cutlery steels are anything like super corrosion resistant 3Cr13 or 420J2.

I was talking about 3cr13mov, shorthand as 3cr as it was previously mentioned in comparison to 8cr13mov. I thought what I meant was clear but ill be sure to differentiate 3cr13mov from 3cr13 in the future

 

[Jurgs18]

Enlan el01. beefy 3.5 inch range flipper with decent steel. Fit and finish is outstanding for the $12 price tag.

 

[Wallace Mutt]

I would suggest Buck bucklite max folder or a Gerber paraframe, lifetime warranty. Sanrenmu looks nice and that's about all they're good at.
Sog sogzilla, lifetime warranty.

 

[RX-79G]

I would suggest Buck bucklite max folder or a Gerber paraframe, lifetime warranty. Sanrenmu looks nice and that's about all they're good at.

I have a Bucklite, I threw out a Paraframe and own several SRMs, which I use all the time because they work and cut really well. The SRMs are definitely nicer made and came sharper than either that Gerber or Buck.

Are you actually recommending against a product because you have looked at pictures of them on the internet?

 

[Etna]

Sorry, I didn't mean to misquote you.

I was trying to ask what it is that is similar between 3Cr13, (or 3Cr13MoV, which is different) and 8Cr13MoV? I don't think you can even harden 3Cr13 much above 53 Hrc. That's because most of the carbon is tied up in chromium, rather than being available to harden. 8Cr and Aus 8 only have 8% chromium. From my point of view, very few cutlery steels are anything like super corrosion resistant 3Cr13 or 420J2.

I'm actually quite curious about this as well. Just how good is 3Cr13 versus 7Cr17 or 8Cr13MoV?

Looking at some nice SR and unbranded chinese knives that claim to come in 3Cr13 steel but can't really find much decent info on this steel.

 

[strategy9]

I was talking about 3cr13mov, shorthand as 3cr as it was previously mentioned in comparison to 8cr13mov. I thought what I meant was clear but ill be sure to differentiate 3cr13mov from 3cr13 in the future

Fwiw Kershaw uses 3cr13 in the low end knives I mentioned,
Not 3cr13mov

And there are plenty of other options at around the same price point by Kershaw and others using 8cr13mov, (or 9cr17mov, 420hc, 7cr series', etc), which all make for a much better general purppse knife steel...

Also, while it may appear to be only a "slight" difference in carbon, that slight difference is twice as much, and while you'll notice most alloying elements in your basic steels are added in very small amounts, less the 1% per (except for chromium in stainless), when you start doubling up the amounts on one to the next, especially in a key element such as carbon, you're making a completely different beast... And as I mentioned, 3cr13, which Kershaw uses, not only has half the carbon of 8cr13mov, it also lacks the additional small amount of vanadium and molybednum, which also help in hardening the steel, as well as forming harder carbides, all of which goes together to aid in overall edge performance and retention.

 

[Wallace Mutt]

I have a Bucklite, I threw out a Paraframe and own several SRMs, which I use all the time because they work and cut really well. The SRMs are definitely nicer made and came sharper than either that Gerber or Buck.

Are you actually recommending against a product because you have looked at pictures of them on the internet?

I was using my srm improperly like I do with all my knives and the srm performed the worst. Op was requesting a $20 knife , not a $5=

 

[RX-79G]

I'm actually quite curious about this as well. Just how good is 3Cr13 versus 7Cr17 or 8Cr13MoV?

Looking at some nice SR and unbranded chinese knives that claim to come in 3Cr13 steel but can't really find much decent info on this steel.

It's like 420J2, commonly used for blunt dive knives and the un-sharpenable Chicago Cutlery butcher knife that I have only kept for cutting pizza.

420HC, 440A, 440B, Aus-6, Aus-8 and 8Cr13Mov are all reasonable steel choices for knives that you actually expect to keep sharp. 7Cr17Mov is most similar to 440A, but it doesn't seem like it gets a lot of use for finer bladed folders, even though it should be fine, but at the lower end of the scale like 440A.

I was using my srm improperly like I do with all my knives and the srm performed the worst.

I use my knives properly. Knives make poor hammers and my car is a poor snowblower - not much to learn from that kind of behavior.

Op was requesting a $20 knife , not a $5=

A Paraframe is a $5 knife, or less. But then it got sold to Walmart for $10, and Walmart sold it to you for $20. If we just bought the Paraframe directly from the factory it would have cost $3, or $2 if it didn't say "Gerber" on it.

 

[jacktrades_nbk]

Opinel, sak, if you can find one in alox, even better, douk douk.

 

[BrianB]

I would stay away from the Kershaw starter though, same as their "filter" and "duck commander" stuff, simply because the 3cr13 Steel they use on those is crap. Won't stay sharp cutting warm butter. Other Kershaws in that price range are okay though; Ember, Kurai, Thistle, Injection, and a bunch more in the $20-30 range.

I'll second this. I picked up a Kershaw starter two pack from Walmart around Christmas. Both were assisted opening liner lock models, one plastic handle and one steel. The plastic handle one (which felt really good in my hand, alas) had the liner flatted out and wouldn't lock up after a couple of days, and very little use. The metal handle one is listed as 4Cr14 and the one that the liner failed on is listed as 3Cr13.

The last Kershaw I bought was a little lockback that looked like a Gerber LST. That lock also failed. Also a Walmart deal.

So, if you get a lower priced Kershaw, don't get the Walmart specials.

 

[BrianB]

Check out the Byrd Robin 2 in G10, it's ~$23 I think, it's a great knife.

FWIW, I have an older Byrd Flight with the G10 and a newer Meadowlark with the FRN handles. I actually prefer the grip of the FRN. Exellent knife line for the money. Both have held up and performed very well, and the latter is one of my EDCs. I just wish they had the Meadowlark in a fully serrated model with the normal blade profile instead of the rescue profile. Plan on getting a Robin 2 and Cara Cara 2 at some point.

 

[Desertrobot]

Thank you for the suggestions I'll check some of these out

 

[Desertrobot]

Anything to say about the Ganzo G732? Looks like a Spyderco rip off. I like Spydercos but they're a bit too pricey for me at the moment