What dirt cheap knife has surprised you

[wazu013]

Kershaw has a bunch of knives less than $20. This is their Kuro.

 

[Armenate]

It's great to know that people still have cheap knives they like. On this forum, very little air time is given to the dirt cheap knives due to the many customs that collectors look for. If this thread gets enough comments, I may compile a list of the top 5 or 10 dirt cheap knives and take a poll to see which is the most popular

 

[Blades&Bullets]

I bought a Opinel No7 for a BladeForums giveaway. I was really impressed with the knife and wished I had one just like it. The lock ring was a bit tight, but it didn't bother me because it felt really solid when the blade was locked open.
However, I ordered a No9 for myself and returned it because the lock ring was kind of loose and wouldn't stay in place without flexing or shifting.

 

[syco1138]

Schrade 501 cost a shade less than 20 but opens real smooth, and I've had no problems aside from breaking the clip.

 

[craytab]

Enlan EL-01. Fantastic big cheap folder.

 

[Avenged Sorrow]

I've never had one before but the Kudu and Eland from Cold Steel seem like they would be great , the Eland is less than $12 and the Kudu is less than $10 , they have some test videos on them on youtube.

 

[doug5551]

Utilitac II FTW

 

[sooner7nc]

Kershaw Tension. 20 bucks at Cabelas. 8Cr13MoV, G-10, big and solid.
Great knife

 

[Badhammer]

Opinel and Rough Rider.

 

[vanslem6]

The Rat II I bought my brother is awesome! The Zancudo I bought myself is not nearly as awesome! It doesn't open as easily, and it certainly doesn't close as easy. My vote is for the Rat.

 

[sarge1967]

Mora knives
I used to have a little Gerber frame lock that had skeletonized handles. It was actually quite nice for less than $20.00
Many in the Victorinox line.
My Ontario RAT-1 cost me $23.00 but in my opinion I think that knife is one of the best buys in the knife world. It is smooth to open, sharpens up nice, holds a decent edge, great size, handle feels awesome.

 

[treytheknifeguy]

check out your local landfill or ask a local auto wreckers they find heaps of knives and machetes and they should be willing to sell them to you
I got a aitor oso negro for free at a landfill near my grandparents place unfortunately it broke so I turned it into a neck knife
also saw heaps of other knives but my grandad only let me pick one

 

[Armadew]

Another +1 to Mora, Opinel, and Victorinox/Wenger

 

[strategy9]

Stock photo cuz I really don't feel like digging it out of the drawer and taking a pic, or reposting an old one, but while quite a few "cheap" Knives have not let me down, I can honestly say the Kilimanjaro Vertice really surprised me because I knew nothing of the brand, had no idea what to expect, and for the price fully expected junk (but it gave me free shipping on another order, so ultimately I spent even less when you think about it), and it is actually so far been a rock solid blade in every way...

 

[Cobalt]

For less than $15 this one:

It survived me cutting that big piece of 3/4" plywood into little pieces using that sledge. The edge held up well for being a soft 1055 steel.

 

[Myal]

Opinel
Okapi
Mora
All dirt cheap , all good value

I do note tho that where you are , prices vary a hell lot .. I can get knives shipped to me from the USA at full retail price , for half the going retail cost in australia .. and then I have to drive a few hours to the closest knife related shop to get it .. I see cheap moras here starting at around $30 :/

 

[wjang310]

Schrade 304 - Rock solid, amazingly smooth, perfectly centered... I've never gotten so much knife for $20.

United Cutlery Willumsen Blondie. UC! I know, right? But, this is a 440C tip-up framelock with a great blade shape. I've been carrying this for a while and love it.

Most of the SanRenMu and Enlan knives are going to be tops in that price range. SanRenMu has expanded CONSIDERABLY compared to Ganzo/Enlan, with dozens of slipjoint and locking models that come in many different handle materials and finishes. My only gripe with SRM is that I'm not the variety of knife owner they market towards - all of their knives, with just a handful of exceptions, have (typically less than) 3" blades.

Schrade's newer knives made with 9Cr18MoV have gotten very good reviews. I have two more coming in tomorrow that I'm pretty amped about.

Cold Steel's Tuff Lite is probably the best utility knife I have ever held. The Kudu is quite an interesting knife as well.

+1 on these Chinese makers' surprising quality. I have a couple, but the best parts are the Axis locks directly copied from Benchmark. Without stealing intellectual property, these would not stand out. I don't buy these Chinese folders any longer and can't support the co.s in good conscience.

 

[MaximIsayev]

I was quite impressed with the Marttiini Condor Timberjack. It's like a Finnish take on the Mora, very comfortable rubberised grip, decent carbon steel blade with a Scandi grind, and great fit and finish. For a $17 blade it was very impressive. The only part about it I didn't like was the original plastic (zytel) sheath (it was entirely too long, there were a couple of inches of empty space) so I've made my own out of Kydex. If you can find one with an original leather sheath, go for it, it's quite a deal.

 

[NeilB]

View attachment 516002[/QUO

If someone needs a knife to define "steampunk knife" this would be the one.

Anyone know what kind of knife this is? I know someone with a steampunk fetish and her birthday is coming up!

 

[jaypowell0185]

Sanrenmu 710