What Budget Knife Suprised You?

In addition to all the calls for Moras (I have three) - this was easy for me; I recently picked up an Ontario Rat II and am really happy with it...

Great value, great slicing in a small, easy to sharpen package. ;)

Ben
 
Enlan knives have surprised me with their sturdiness and a fit and finish as good as some knives costing 4-5 time more.
 
Spyderco Tenacious. I had several more high end Spydercos when I bought this to be a beater knife, and it's more than lived up to expectations. Very good quality knife for the money...came in right at ~$50 shipped when I ordered it.

 
As many have said already, I love a good Mora and Opinel. My favorite budget knife though may be the Buck 110. Hard to beat a legend! I have multiples of all 3 knives.
 
Kershaw Black Gulch.
Solid, useful working knife for the $. Edge is easy to sharpen & holds the edge well. 8Cr13MoV steel.
 
San Ren Mu 605.

This little knife is amazing for $7. I'd put it ahead of many smaller blades, some 10 times the price. I have long ago accepted the limitations of 8Cr steel, so that didn't bother me. Its handle is great, the pivot worked itself into something awesome, and the blade shape was wonderfully handy.
 
I've often pondered my love for the CRKT Falcon, fixed. Beautiful little neck knife, takes a wonderful edge and cuts just fine. It feels great around the neck and in the hand, although maybe its not for those with large hands. It has served me well, and is still one of my favourites.
 
I picked up a Coast FX350 because it looked cool, and what few reviews I could find were mostly positive. It has turned out to be perfect for cold weather camping, as the G10 scale (actually Zytel, I think) has a very aggressive texture that's great when wearing gloves, and the FFG 9Cr17Mov blade is one of the most useful I've ever worked with.
 
OKC Pardue utilitac II is the best bang for your buck. Really great ergos, good fit n finish, good selection of different models will appeal to most everyone.
Gerber GATOR is also a solid performer with good ergos too. Not sure when they originally debuted but only my buck 110 has been around longer. The 110 is/was the knife to have in my youth for all your outdoor activities

PS : not a fan of the changes in posting processes. Anyone else???
 
There's a lot of surprisingly great budget knives. Based on your criteria Kershaw's Skyline and OD-2 and any Opinel come to mind.
 
Well, I'm not really surprised at these, given the commentary here and elsewhere, but —

Opinel for folders, Mora for fixed, Rough Rider for fun.

Great bargains all.
 
There are actually several knives that surprised me in a positive way. Another vote for this:

Ontario%20Utilitac%20II%20tanto.jpg

Ontario Utilitac II


And this one of course:

Ka-Bar%20Phat%20Bob.jpg

Ka-Bar Phat Bob

Really good F&F and came really sharp.


/ J
 
Kershaw Strobe. Diskin design with 8cr13MoV. Flipper running on KVT system is fast and smooth. $40.00, give or take.
 
Surprised it took as long as it did for Opinels to make the list.
But once it did many satisfied users chimed in. Why? They slice
right thru anything, lightweight, wood easily customized, just
a fun highly practical user in any size you want and cheap!
No.6 & 8 have most variety, I carry a #6. Like the #7 size
best have one in the kitchen as favorite paring knife.



Many have mentioned the Mora, another I like is the Helle
Scout which was less than $40 new & shipped. Think they've
gone up (like everything else) last few years. Thump release
snap makes for easy one handed draw, lightweight carry, very
comfortable in hand. And it's sharp too.
 
Rat II's been mentioned a couple of times already. :)

CRKT Folts Minimalist--I always thought the handle looked uncomfortable. Finally decided to try it when I found it locally. I've been carrying it ever since. It doesn't stay sharp forever, but it can/does get extremely sharp and the wharncliffe version is great for getting into that obnoxious plastic packaging so much stuff comes in--could have used one to get this one out of the pacakging. Also great for getting into stuff that's been shrink-wrapped and for opening boxes. Liked it from the start. Loved it after polishing out the bead blast finish.

Cold Steel Hold Out III--got it for $30 shipped. Super sharp out of the box, flawless F&F, no play in any direction. Only thing wrong, aside from the G10 that holds onto a pocket like its life depends on it (even after a bit of sanding) is the lack of a lanyard hole, so I attached one to the clip to make it easier to pull out. First surprise for me was buying a Cold Steel knife in the first place. Didn't think I'd ever do that, but I had to have this critter. Was hard to disengage the lock at first, but it's eased some in the time that I've had it and I've learned it's easier to depress that bar with my index finger than with my thumb. Not nearly as quick to open as my Mini Grip, but I like it for different reasons.

Gerber Dime (I know--someone's already gagging at the mention of Gerber)--technically not a knife, but it's tiny, handy, lots easier to have with me than my SwissTool, though it's less capable than the Vic, though probably more robust than people give it credit for--within limits. Unfortunately, the small size also was the reason I lost it.
 
+1 for the Spydeco Tenacious. It has just beautiful blade geometry. If they trotted out a sprint version in another steel I bet it'd be my favorite knife...period.
 
Kissing Crane sodbuster
 

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Hultifors. Any of them. They take a ton of punishment, come shaving sharp, hold an edge forever, and cost under $15 depending on where you are. I paid under $9.00.
 
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