What is a budget knife?????

tltt said:
Depends on the budget, but I generally consider "budget" knives to be decent knives, but lacking extra bell and whistles.

So you probably won't have the newest steel, or some thing like natural or high end synthetic handle material, or perfect fit and finish. Budget equals small trade offs, but nothing serious that would cause it to be a bad knife.
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I like this as a less subjective definition of a budget knife. Regardless of your income, a “budget knife” is one that is functionally similar to notably more expensive knives, but derives its lower cost by being inferior in some fashion that is befitting the cost.

The ones that are generally discussed on this forum usually have a very good price:materials ratio, and generally superior fit and finish than one might normally expect for what the consumer pays.

There is no objective price range for this, however. While $300-500 might not sound like a budget knife to some, that is the price of getting a Reate Steelcraft knife that is similar in form to a number of knives that run close to 10x the price - making it a “budget” option for someone who likes certain midtech or custom items.
 
I guess depends on the type and style f knife, but in general, to me under $50 is budget for a modern folder, under $30 for a fixed blade, but there's bargains to be had at every price point!
 
I think budget knives generally fall in two categories:

1. The budget of the user (generally based on popular cost expectations).

2. A brand and model of knife that has some of it's refinements reduced or foreign manufacture specific to lowering cost with limited reduction in performance. For example, I would consider the Buck 110 LT, Spyderco Delica, and even the basic BM Griptilian more budget friendly knives for each brands offerings.
 
Budget knives aren't well defined by setting a price ceiling. There are lots of knives that are over priced and many that are under priced. Limiting your definition of "budget" to a price range can lead to falsely classifying a knife.

I like to look at the law of diminishing returns. You can go from a $20 knife to a $40 knife and really get a knife that's twice as good. You can push up to $80 and now it may not be "twice" as good as the $40 knife, but you still enjoy significant improvements in materials, function and finish. There's a point where an additional $ in knife cost returns literally pennies in additional value. That point is where you bust the law of diminishing returns.

Somewhere between an equal return in value for money spent and that point of diminished returns is the threshold for "budget knives". That range isn't consistent; it can vary greatly due to point of origin, style and brand.

If you're seeking budget knives, you're best evaluating each offering on it's individual merits rather than trying to classify the group as a whole.
 
A budget knife is judged by which arena you are in. When I started collecting it was Kershaw's and CRKT. my budget knives were around $20 and my ceiling was $50. I decided to go to the next level and bought my first $100 knife. Now my parameters have changed and I got rid of all my cheap knives and my new budget knife became $40. My parameters have changed again and now I consider $100 to be my new ceiling for a budget knife.
Budget knife is all relative to the price bracket you are in. I hope this has helped clarify your question.
 
I consider budget as if I lose it or it breaks I am not very angry only slightly angry.
 
To me a budget knife is typically in the $50 to $75 price range.
A knife in that price range is usually perfect for most every day tasks and does
Not put a significant dent in my pocketbook.
 
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