What can your cheap knife do?

Cheap knives? Everyone's favorite. A Chinese made spring assist S&W. Hey, 2 years now, hard use, never has let me down yet so, any objections?

 
They can be given away. And they can be used as dummy bait for thieves.
 
While I don't own any >$100 knives, I do own a few US made knives in the $60-$80 range.

My Spyderco Tenacious that I purchased used for $29 (actually a lightly used Tenacious AND a new Sogzilla for $29) is by far my favorite knife. Smooth as silk opening and closing with a construction that is far better quality than either of my US made Bucks. I use it for just about everything.
 
This Rough Rider was about $15. The pictures are from when it was new. The only glaring flaw is the gap on the mark side between the scale and the bolster. There's no lateral blade play. The half stops are good. The springs are strong. I haven't used it too terribly hard but it's cut a lot of things. I use it for things I don't want to do with my nicer slipjoints.

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...tthey can do most of what my other knives can but at a fraction of the price. From Opinels, to SRMs and Ganzos, Moras, Vics...love them all!

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You're wrong :) you can not sell it for $600 :thumbup: Tonight I'll take pictures of my camp knife , made from 2 $ cleaver...and it s stainless to :D

Touché. I'll grant you that. Then again, can you resell an available $600 (retail) knife on the used market for $600? Surely the daRn depreciation gremlins will attack. Buy a new car, it depreciates thousands of dollars the instant you "drive it off the lot." Of course the actual moment of depreciation is really when you sign the loan papers.
 
I do the same things with a "cheap knife" I do with a more expensive knife. I just prefer something a tad more expensive overall. But my little Hen & Rooster stockman is priced pretty close to the $45 break point and I like using it for most things. It's new to me and I'm trying it out.

I give away cheap knives to neighbors sometimes. I don't try to hide the fact they aren't expensive knives. I see a need and I sometimes fill it.

I much prefer shopping in a knife store and handling a potential purchase. You pay more. But you only go around once. I guess I am fortunate that there is one particular large knife store in my general area and I stop there when I am passing by on I-40 for some browsing. I can spend hours in that place if I am in the mood.
 
... I guess I am fortunate that there is one particular large knife store in my general area and I stop there when I am passing by on I-40 for some browsing. I can spend hours in that place if I am in the mood.

I know the store of which you speak. I've never had a chance to stop though. I was informed their parking lot is not truck friendly, and I'm usually on a load when I pass their exit.
I have a feeling I could spend days, if not weeks, browsing their store, especially their house brands section.

(if only they would become a sponsoring dealer, so we could name them ...)
 
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With the construction going on, the whole are is not very 18 wheeler friendly as far as turning goes. I think you'd probably find a place to park in the back if you really wanted to stop. Take a look at google earth and scope it out.
 
I got an old S&W liner lock that I use at work to open and break down boxes . It a solid old knife it about 10 years old. Once a year I clean and tighten it up.
 
Just like a real friend - always there if I should need them :D
[video=youtube;-pymg37ohIY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pymg37ohIY[/video]
 
My cheap knife helps teach me how to hold my angle grinder steady for testing grinding.


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I carry three knives almost always, and daily- and they all are tested, proven and do what is expected and than some.

For instance, today I had, my worker- spyderco cara cara in my left front pocket, which is almost identical in size and shape to my endura 4 (back pocket) and the fighter in right front pocket, fox karambit- 8Cr13MoV is easy to sharpen, doesnt chip as easy as vg10 but also isnt as sharp- and the N690c is perfect for a fighter!

Same goes when i carry a Ganzo in left pocket, Benchmade in right etc., why pry with the benchmade when I dont have too?
440c allows me to abuse and use and still get solid use, versus the 154CM which works perfectly but I dont feel like prying with it unless I have too.

The ganzo is a well made solid knife, and definitely a knockoff, but...it doesnt stop me from buying the good knives, it simply lets me have users, fighters and backup awesome in great shape. :)

Make sense?

Now for non knockoff user/inexpensive but easily worth three times as much...opinels and moraknivs...i have dozens, because, why not?
 
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My Buck Bantam 286 will clip cigars, trim branches, clean trout, turn hot dogs, cut boxes, open letters, poke holes, flip french toast and ask for more.
 
I've carried my Spyderco Persistence longer than any other knife I own. For me, it's my 'ole reliable... and I have not been easy on it.

When building my house, I used my Kershaw Skamp pretty much all day every day for several months for all sorts of slicing, scraping, pounding, and prying... It worked great as a beat-on-it blade until one day the screws finally sheered off at the standoffs, its retired now with honor.
 
I would say the cheap knives do a lot more than the expensive knives if you talk about well made ones like the Tenacious or Ontario RAT 1/2. The cheap knives do everything except hold an edge as well, but they are easier to modify (if you ruin the knife, just buy another, they are cheap), they are somewhat expendable, and I have been hard pressed to find a knife as mechanically perfect as the RAT 1 until you go well North of $100.

Budget knives are the shiznit.
 
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