The Ultimate Extreme Budget Six

I would rather own one knife in the $180 range than to buy 6 knives at $30/piece. If you need a multitool, a $150 knife and a $30 multitool.
 
benzy2 said:
Can I take the entire budget and put it into a used small sebenza? I can't stand multi tools. The difference between a 2.5" and 3" edc blade is trivial. The difference between a 3" and a 3.5" edc knife really is minimal. For a hard use knife, sure there is a difference but for average EDC use I couldn't say I've ever thought "a 3" knife just isn't enough, I wish I had a 3.5-4"knife."

I'd rather have one really good knife than six cheapies. If I could trade all my cheapies I started with in I could have bought 1-2 nice knives from the start. If I can't hunt for a used knife in budget then I'll take a ZT 0450.
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The idea of this exercise was not to get one great knife. It was to set up a budget collection of knives to cover as many situations as possible with a limited income. These "Six" could then be used as back up knives to my normal carry options, become loaner knives if needed, or gifts to friends and co-workers. When I have them all collected, they will become part of my 72 hour/evac kit. Hopefully, they will collect dust and never be needed.

Something that quickly became a personal challenge for me was finding knives that came close to what I normally use and yet stayed within budget. Making sure that the budget six had ergos close to many knives I already own played a huge role in my final decision. For example, I own and sometimes carry a knife very similar to the Ka-bar I picked for my small EDC. The Dozier was a no brainer.

The Multi-tool was another problem area. I really was impressed with the Leatherman Wingman but, have several Gerbers available. I went with what is familiar and I am used to.

I have to admit that many of the suggestions from members were superior in design, and overall quality compared to what became my final choices. When I started this, I had not given any thought to ergonomics. I just wanted to see what all of you would come up with and then pick the best ideas but, like I said, ergonomics became an issue. Things could have been much easier if I had bought clones. Of course, they bring on a different set of problems.
 
You're a hammer looking for a nail.

One quality knife will handle 90% of your cutting needs. I think trying to come up with six arbitrary categories to fill a collection is misguided.

You should approach it as, I have $180, what's the best way for me to spend this to cover my needs.
 
sabre cat said:
The idea of this exercise was not to get one great knife. It was to set up a budget collection of knives to cover as many situations as possible with a limited income. These "Six" could then be used as back up knives to my normal carry options, become loaner knives if needed, or gifts to friends and co-workers. When I have them all collected, they will become part of my 72 hour/evac kit. Hopefully, they will collect dust and never be needed.

Something that quickly became a personal challenge for me was finding knives that came close to what I normally use and yet stayed within budget. Making sure that the budget six had ergos close to many knives I already own played a huge role in my final decision. For example, I own and sometimes carry a knife very similar to the Ka-bar I picked for my small EDC. The Dozier was a no brainer.

The Multi-tool was another problem area. I really was impressed with the Leatherman Wingman but, have several Gerbers available. I went with what is familiar and I am used to.

I have to admit that many of the suggestions from members were superior in design, and overall quality compared to what became my final choices. When I started this, I had not given any thought to ergonomics. I just wanted to see what all of you would come up with and then pick the best ideas but, like I said, ergonomics became an issue. Things could have been much easier if I had bought clones. Of course, they bring on a different set of problems.
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You think a 72 hour kit needs 6 knives? What are you doing in 3 days that is best suited to 6 knives? I'm lost what the purpose of these knives happen to be. A 2.5"-3" daily folder and a decent fixed blade would everything possible, especially in a 72 hour kit. At that point I'd rather a screw driver with replaceable bits and a set of pliers over a multitool.

I guess I don't see the difference functionally between a small office carry, a slightly larger non-office knife, and a larger but still pocket friendly EDC. They cover so much of the same territory. A well built 2.5"-3" knife will do all of those tasks on its own just fine. A ZT 0450 will be excellent in nearly every EDC use possible. It's also a good compliment to a fixed blade for a emergency kit. As long as local laws don't say it's too long it will do everything you listed but be a multitool, and swap blades quickly. If you'd like 6 worse built knives with lower quality materials, I suppose that's fine, but it makes no sense to create these nearly identical tasks and say you need a dedicated knife for each one.

Quality over quantity, and then when the budget allows go quality and quantity.
 
Scurvy092 said:
I would rather own one knife in the $180 range than to buy 6 knives at $30/piece. If you need a multitool, a $150 knife and a $30 multitool.
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^This. Inexpensive stuff has its place but just combining it all together when you could get a couple things of more quality makes little sense to me; especially in an emergency/evac kit that you may depend on heavily someday.
 
no particular order

case peanut
case sod buster
leatherman
ontario rat 2



I would combine the $30 budget of all 6 into $180 and buy a benchmade 940 for a single EDC. Or a doug ritter mini grip in m390 and a leatherman. :D
 
1 - Gerber eab
2 - leatherman wingman ( can be had for just under 30$ on sale with micra included at some places)
3 - Victorinox pocket pal ( they still make in Alox but the name is different )
4 - small bucklite max ( should be under 20$ )
5 - medium bucklite Max ( mine was exactly 20$ )
6 - case sodbuster Jr in cv
 
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I decided a while back to determine which "one" knife of each type I would keep if the need arose for me to liquidate most [read: almost all]of my collection. I did the same for all of my tools as well.** So, the first five will fit in a Condor knife bag as the OP specified, but the Cold Steel & tool types won't.

Victorinox Classic-sized knife: my choice is a (now discontinued) Victorinox Cavalier; no more than 2-1/4"; typical keyring knife that's always with you.

Traditional pattern: My choice is a U.S. Schrade 34OT "Middleman" Stockman. No more than 3-1/4" closed; this is a smaller pattern for more formal occasions or an office work environment. You can still find the old U.S.-made carbon steel models for usually under $20.

"Tactical" EDC pocket knife: My choice is a Spyderco Tenacious, bought used in 2010 for $23. One-hand opening, pocket clip for immediate accessibility, easily sharpened (no "Super blade Steel"), easily maintained ("open build" that's easy to flush out and disassemble if needed), and inexpensive enough to have a spares in the car and tool box. They are available pretty regularly on the exchange here for around $30.

Small fixed blade: I have and use a Mora Companion; no more than 9" overall, with a sheath that has almost fool-proof retention. Great for all-around camp use and kitchen chores. Again, inexpensive enough to have backups in my bug-out bag and camping gear. Several online sellers have them for under $15.

Large fixed blade: Cold Steel G.I. Tanto. Can be had new for under $20. Very useful, easily modified to suit your individual needs, and very inexpensive to replace.

Multi-tool: Leatherman Wingman, with pocket clip, for portability & ease of use. I've seen a couple used ones on the exchange for $30. or less.

For my larger cutting tools, I came up with the following:

Utility knife with disposable blades: these are too handy for so many uses that you need to have at least one in your tool box.

Machete: Mine is a Collins-Legitimus; $5. at an estate sale. Good for foliage control, multi-functional for a lot of camp-type chores.

Roofing hatchet: Mine is a no-name brand with no handle for $3. at the flea market. I already had a new handle at home in my junk box. Good for chopping, also serves as a hammer.

Wood splitting maul: for splitting fire wood - and one end functions as a sledgehammer. $8. at a thrift store years ago.

~Chris

**The assumption is that we're having to move out and travel light. (Almost happened six months ago when we were a few days from foreclosure starting on our house. I had already sorted everything and was ready to pack.)
 
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benzy2 said:
You think a 72 hour kit needs 6 knives? What are you doing in 3 days that is best suited to 6 knives? I'm lost what the purpose of these knives happen to be. A 2.5"-3" daily folder and a decent fixed blade would everything possible, especially in a 72 hour kit. At that point I'd rather a screw driver with replaceable bits and a set of pliers over a multitool.

I guess I don't see the difference functionally between a small office carry, a slightly larger non-office knife, and a larger but still pocket friendly EDC. They cover so much of the same territory. A well built 2.5"-3" knife will do all of those tasks on its own just fine. A ZT 0450 will be excellent in nearly every EDC use possible. It's also a good compliment to a fixed blade for a emergency kit. As long as local laws don't say it's too long it will do everything you listed but be a multitool, and swap blades quickly. If you'd like 6 worse built knives with lower quality materials, I suppose that's fine, but it makes no sense to create these nearly identical tasks and say you need a dedicated knife for each one.

Quality over quantity, and then when the budget allows go quality and quantity.
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You are 100% correct, one fixed blade and one folder is all you really need. Yet most of us here have more. Many more. I have to admit your other comments appear logical and sound. Picking a ZT knife is about the only thing I could find fault with but that is personal preference. Why anyone would want a ZT is beyond me.

I guess this all started with me wondering what I would do if I had a house fire and lost all my knives. Or my home was broken into? What would I replace first? Would I buy the same knives again? What if money was tight? This has crossed my mind more than once. But mainly I was wondering what budget knives I would recommend to friends that wanted a knife but did not want to spend much money. Crazy daydreaming right? Of course. If my house burnt to the ground or if there was a burglary, knives would be the least of my problems and my friends can make their own choices.

I carry different knives based upon what my planned task are for the day or what I am wearing. Doesn't everyone? This is partly why you see three dedicated knife request for nearly identical task. The multi-tool was added because I have been on a MT craze lately. Stuffing this kit in with my emergency gear was an afterthought.
 
orca8589 said:
I decided a while back to determine which "one" knife of each type I would keep if the need arose for me to liquidate most [read: almost all]of my collection. I did the same for all of my tools as well.** So, the first five will fit in a Condor knife bag as the OP specified, but the Cold Steel & tool types won't.

Victorinox Classic-sized knife: my choice is a (now discontinued) Victorinox Cavalier; no more than 2-1/4"; typical keyring knife that's always with you.

Traditional pattern: My choice is a U.S. Schrade 34OT "Middleman" Stockman. No more than 3-1/4" closed; this is a smaller pattern for more formal occasions or an office work environment. You can still find the old U.S.-made carbon steel models for usually under $20.

"Tactical" EDC pocket knife: My choice is a Spyderco Tenacious, bought used in 2010 for $23. One-hand opening, pocket clip for immediate accessibility, easily sharpened (no "Super blade Steel"), easily maintained ("open build" that's easy to flush out and disassemble if needed), and inexpensive enough to have a spares in the car and tool box. They are available pretty regularly on the exchange here for around $30.

Small fixed blade: I have and use a Mora Companion; no more than 9" overall, with a sheath that has almost fool-proof retention. Great for all-around camp use and kitchen chores. Again, inexpensive enough to have backups in my bug-out bag and camping gear. Several online sellers have them for under $15.

Large fixed blade: Cold Steel G.I. Tanto. Can be had new for under $20. Very useful, easily modified to suit your individual needs, and very inexpensive to replace.

Multi-tool: Leatherman Wingman, with pocket clip, for portability & ease of use. I've seen a couple used ones on the exchange for $30. or less.

For my larger cutting tools, I came up with the following:

Utility knife with disposable blades: these are too handy for so many uses that you need to have at least one in your tool box.

Machete: Mine is a Collins-Legitimus; $5. at an estate sale. Good for foliage control, multi-functional for a lot of camp-type chores.

Roofing hatchet: Mine is a no-name brand with no handle for $3. at the flea market. I already had a new handle at home in my junk box. Good for chopping, also serves as a hammer.

Wood splitting maul: for splitting fire wood - and one end functions as a sledgehammer. $8. at a thrift store years ago.

~Chris

**The assumption is that we're having to move out and travel light. (Almost happened six months ago when we were a few days from foreclosure starting on our house. I had already sorted everything and was ready to pack.)
Click to expand...

Interesting.

I hope things are better on the home front now.
 
Some people don't necessarily need one higher end knife ( not everyone has the physical need for what a more expensive knife may offer )
And some people don't like to try and see one knife do it all.
I personally like to carry multiple knives for different things and variety is great. If he wants multiple knives and has a budget that's perfectly fine because there are certainly some good knives out there.
 
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