The cheap list

"cheap" and inexpensive are two different things IMO. Cheap to me means made from sub-standard questionable materials and/or poor construction.

These blades are inexpensive but still good quality.......

BPS
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Cold Steel
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Mora
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Opinel
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Speaking of Cheap......I couldn't resist and bought one of these on my last visit to Harbor Freight Tools, the infamous Gordon 8" Survival knife ($10). Just something fun to tinker on and play with in the yard. Did a bit of Hobo engineering on it. I drilled out the guard at the hole where the set screw goes to secure the short blade tang into the handle. I installed a steel cross pin to better secure the blade, and also coated the blade tang with JB Weld before resetting it and pinning it. The blade is tight now. I went out to the wood pile and chopped and generally beat the heck out of the blade and its still tight. We will see how long it "survives" and stays that way. I also did some sanding of the blade on my 1x30 belt sander to remove some of the factory grinding marks and smooth the blade and then sharpened the blade. Added some 'Ranger bands" to the handle for a better grip. Fun little quick project. I had a nylon sheath for a small machete that is better than the crap one that came with the knife.



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After waiting for a good sale for a while, I picked up a Cold Steel Air Lite drop point for $40.70 the other day. Excellent knife. It feels incredibly solid and inspires about as much confidence as one could muster for a folder.
 
Rupestris said:
The Victorinox Climber is a fantastic knife. With all the options available in the US, it’s what I carry every day.

Not a flipper but, if you can find one there, a Buck Bantam 285 is a very inexpensive folder.

At one point the Kershaw Skyline and Zing were being talked about as if they would dethrone the mighty Buck 110 as the most popular, readily available folder in the US. Didn’t happen but the Zing is still available and a really nice flipper for the price with Kershaw’s incredible warranty....
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I love the Kershaw Zing. The US version at least. I own three. Two orange scaled and one basic black.

The overseas model I have not had any luck with. I want to like it but just can't. It's not like I have not tried. I'll buy one and end up giving it away; only to do it again and again. I am done with the overseas version.

BTW, what makes the Vic Climber so special?
 
sabrecat19 said:
BTW, what makes the Vic Climber so special?
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I’ve tried a bunch of SAK models and I keep going back to the Climber. Its tools just fit my needs and it’s one of their less expensive models. You can still find them for ~$35 while the little Vic Classic SD has reached $20.

The Super Tinker is high on my list too but I find the corkscrew a bit more useful than the screwdriver and for whatever reason, the Super Tinker costs more than the Climber.
 
Opinel #8
Mora basic 511
Mora classic
Cold steel peace maker 2
Ontario rat 1
Victorinox Climber
Douk Douk

Honorable mention to the Buck 119 and the Buck 110, you can find either for just over $50 and they are still made in the USA
 
The Buck 391 Omni Hunter (made in USA). $29.99 from DLT in 12C27 with Buck's famous heat treatment. It's easy to convex the edge (if you prefer that) and is very comfortable to hold and use.

The sheath is bad, but the Bark River Ambi 7 works OK with it. And it may fit a 6, not sure.

You can have a great hunting knife that will hold up very well for a fraction of the cost of most USA made hunting knifes.

Hope this helps.
 
Machetes. The brands I know best are:

Tramontina. Brazil. $20
Imacasa El Salvador $20

These offer a lot of cutting blade for very little money. A lot of mainstream companies will take a Salvadoran blade, add a nicer handle handle and a cheap sheath to sell for $60-80.
 
When it comes to inexpensive knives that give you bang for the buck, Bear and Son is really hard to beat and almost all of them are made in the USA. The entire left row is Bear and Son USA $50 and below knives. Top two on the right row are Buck USA below $50. Followed by a USA Leatherman Skeletool KBX. The sole non-USA knife is a Cold Steel Tuff Lite made in Taiwan. It is an exceptional knife for the $20 they cost.

 
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