What is the cheapest you are comfortable with?

hardheart

hardheart

Joined
Sep 19, 2001
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How low will you go for an EDC? I'm fine with ~$20, for a Byrd or SAK. I don't know of cheaper knives that present as good of a package. I've had Opinel and Okapi, decent, but they are a less robust and featured for me to use them in EDC rotation. Even less expensive SAKs don't do it for me. I have a Bantam that I paid $11 shipped, and I leave it on my desk. To carry it I would want either more tools or a lock/clip.
 
Up here, locally, the Byrds run about $40'ish CDN and for that type of knife, that's about as low as I'm comfortable with. Opi's, etc I love using them, but I don't EDC them unless I've got something else with me. More weekend/yardwork type things and require other tools anyway. I typically carry a small SAK - Traveller/Recruit size, but not too likely I would carry it solo. Soldier/Farmer - I could easily and do EDC these solo occasionally. I've been on a slippie kick the last little while, and interestingly, I tried carrying a Buck 371 and/or Queen Dark Cherry Canoe solo, and they were fine:) Most of my EDC usage, though, is not hard cutting per se - I do cut stuff a fair amount, though.

- gord
 
The truth is I feel like if I buy a chinese Benchmade or Byrd I feel like the company will percieve that this is what I am looking for, value. It is not what I am looking for at all. From both of those companies I want better than value. In the case of anything US made I also want to tell them specificly that I will pay a little more for keeping it in country. I know that the knives are supposed to offer good value to poeple who dont want to buy a 60-100 knife and I understand. But form the forum responce to these knives its us knife knuts buying them up left and right. Are we telling them to make more cheap knives and only a few 100+ folders? What happens when the genral public shows that it has greater buying capacity than the 100 knife owners? How much will it shift further toawrds midetch? I like to spend enough on a knife to support a comapny that targets me, the knife guy as there bread and butter. If BM and Spyderco do so in the years to come I will continue to support them. But I wont buy any of the cheaper farmed out knives that are coming out. I am not knocking anyone for doing so. I have heard nothing but good things about these knives.

Aslo if I had to use a knife all day at work fopr something that beat it up bad I'm shure I would find these knives alot more apealing. I dont go through knives very fast. I have no problem with a good Mora or Opinel either, but I do like to buy US. I also cary some cheaper US made slip joints. Im a sucker for a carbon whitlling blade with patina from cutting apples. I guess as cheap as wil pruduce a good knife. Knives that aernt robust have a place to, my mom uses one for flower work, not to hard on the pivot/lock.

Edit: I should note that I usually dont mind the cheap slip joint in the one pocket because there is always a heavier folder clipped to my other pocket. I guess If I had to EDC only one I would want to spend a little more.
 
The 'cheapest' knife I have in my EDC rotation is a Gerber 'fat boy'. This cost me a little over $20 at Bass Pro but so far has held up pretty well. As the name implies it has a short, fat blade of what I think is 440C. It takes a fairly good edge and is reasonably easy to sharpen. Not too bad for twenty bucks.
 
It highly depends on the manufacturer, but I'm a little sad to say that most of the knives I've EDC'd are $100.00 plus knives.

A year ago, I would have laughed at myself.
 
The cheapest knife I carry daily is a Boker Subcom. Paid $24.00 for it but it's a stout and hardy little knife. :thumbup:
 
I carry a Benchmade Monochrome I got for $10. Probably the cheapest I carry, aside from the Jester on my keys. But I carry several other knives as well.
 
A Victorinox Recruit is probably all I need most of the time, though I prefer one-hand opening locking folders, and depending on where I am and what I'm doing, always carry either a Paramilitary, Calypso Jr., or BM 940Ti.
But the Recruit would work fine, and actually cut better, and it's only about $15.
 
Was Delica 4 till it got traded off, so now I only carry 100+. I have better beaters than a Byrd (mini Manix) I have no real need for a cheaper knife to carry/beat. But I still need to get me another Delica 4 PE. I like to clip it IWB of my boxers when I sleep. (I know I'm not the only one!!).......or...am...I...?
 
How low would I go? Two cheapies I have in EDC rotation, a Ka-Bar Dozier and a CRKT M-16. Both have AUS-8 blades but the M-16 just feels better in hand. In fairness, it cost me a little more than the $19 entry fee I paid for the Ka-bar.
 
I'm king of picky about knife designs as well as materials. For EDC, my lower limit is about $100.00. I carry lots of inexpensive slipjoints and multitools, in addition to my EDC rotation, but a good quality folder, with a premium steel, is always with me.
 
Not really a EDC, but I always have an Opinel #10 in my schoolbag to cut food. It's the one I use the most, even more than my EDC.
 
Throw me into the Opinel, SAK crowd. I have no problem carrying my Opinel, and I never feel 'underdressed' with it (although I must say that I usually have at least one other on me). One the other end, the most expensive that I ever EDC is a Benchmade 960. That will definitely change should I ever become independently wealthy.
 
Several SAK's bought on sale for $7. I carried a SAK Tinker to work for 15 years
 
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