What is the very best folding knife for the least amount of money?

[King of the Cheese]

For this thread, I’d like to identify the very BEST folding knife for the LEAST amount of money, to see what offerings are out there that BladeForums participants have found. I know there are a few obvious choices that are heavily reviewed, like the Ontario RAT series… but I’m curious to know what you all have come across and personally used that may not have gone viral or trended in popularity. Feel free to leave the name of the knife and company that makes it in the comments, and a note about what makes it so special. Remember: Less $ is “more”. I’m really wanting to focus on that sub $50 range. The more money you save while still having a fantastic knife, the better.

 

[The Grendels]

QSP Penguin, Micarta, D2, great action, nice pocket clip, right around $30.

This is exactly the one I was going to post about. It's got micarta and D2 steel for about the price of a bad "gas station" knife. I've had my eye on them for a while now and I recently ordered one with "blue jean" micarta.

 

[Shorttime]

Camillus Electrician/TL-29.

New/old stock examples from the New York plant, still in the blister pack, can be had from the online auction site for just around your stated price. Sometimes less. You might have to lurk a little until one comes up.

If you really want to find the low end, the South American River site has this thing:

I don't have a photo of my example. I was searching for "electrician knife", and this was one of the things that showed up. Less than $11, it's great for when you're around the "let me borrow your knife" guy.

 

[davemonkey]

How about the Buck Spitfire. Slim and lightweight with a lot of blade. Comes in about 35 dollars.

 

[jstn]

Cold Steel Voyager. I firmly believe there is not a better value out there.

 

[fowlintent]

Here is my recent Sanrenmu purchase. Model 1161. Love the lines and ergo. $34

https://imgur.com/NOKoyUS

 

[Lesknife]

Sorry to woke up you guys,
but
Buck 110 MAP is now $60

You talking about dream prices from gone era only !
Some leftovers available (maybe) in stores, not sold yet old inventory ...
That's All Folks

This is today.

 

[Zulus]

This is today.

Close, but no cigar :^D

 

[Lesknife]

Close, but no cigar :^D

What do you mean by that? It is today’s current price on a Buck 110 LT.

 

[Zulus]

$60 MAP is for real Buck 110
not for cheap plastic ones

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Some of those really cheap knives are giving gas stations a bad name

My pick, using your criteria, would also be a Petrified Fish PF 838 folder, the one that really impressed me the most is this one;

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

If it were just a little bit smaller, I'd have kept it, but it's gone to a great home now and he loves it.

G2

 

[Lee D]

Zancudo/Avispa/Medellin (think of it as a folding ESEE 3)

 

[Lesknife]

$60 MAP is for real Buck 110
not for cheap plastic ones

I’ve looked through this entire thread and I don’t see anything you have contributed except criticism. Also I don’t see where you are some kind of moderator or the original poster. As per the op it asked for the best for the least amount of money. If you have any knives you think meat this criteria please do show us you really know about knives.

 

[Zulus]

I’ve looked through this entire thread and I don’t see anything you have contributed except criticism. Also I don’t see where you are some kind of moderator or the original poster. As per the op it asked for the best for the least amount of money. If you have any knives you think meat this criteria please do show us you really know about knives.

I can't help you

So you read EVERYTHING except
"You could get a slim select for about 30 bucks. A lightweight (LT) for about 20 bucks."

 

[DocJD]

Ruike P128-SF

Pretty good knife for the money , although not my preferred type lock or opening .

With the knives I already have , most under 50 USD just don't appeal .

Just bought this one to try out and was surprised how well done it is .

14C28N , pretty good stainless and has their Beta secondary lock to reinforce the frame lock .

Flipper opening is smooth and lockup is solid even w/o the Beta .

 

[DocJD]

MAP

You pay MAP ?

 

[Jsega51]

Sorry to woke up you guys,
but
Buck 110 MAP is now $60

You talking about dream prices from gone era only !
Some leftovers available (maybe) in stores, not sold yet old inventory ...
That's All Folks

Woke you guys up? If you’ve ever spent time reading, the low price of the Buck 110 (that literally just changed from just under $40 or so) has always been considered a steal and collectors and users still feel it’s a great price for what you’re getting, including now. Do a little shopping around and don’t pay the new full price.

Wake yourself up.

 

[DocJD]

Ruike P128-SF

Pretty good knife for the money , although not my preferred type lock or opening .

With the knives I already have , most under 50 USD just don't appeal .

Just bought this one to try out and was surprised how well done it is .

14C28N , pretty good stainless and has their Beta secondary lock to reinforce the frame lock .

Flipper opening is smooth and lockup is solid even w/o the Beta .

Just in case someone reading can't comprehend how huge the XL Espada really is , the Ruike only looks small by comparison .

Has a usable cutting edge just over 3.75 " , by my measure .

 

[bigsurbob]

Cold Steel Voyager. I firmly believe there is not a better value out there.

That's a good call there.

As I think about more, the SpyderCo Chinese sister, Byrd knives are solid. This Rescue 2 was $19.

Eta: I may or may not have dropped it in the tree water.

 

[CHNeal]

You have to say Buck 110. Classic proven knife made in America by a great American company, warrantied for life for 60 bucks or less. Really? /thread

 

[POCEH KOCEB]

I’ve looked through this entire thread and I don’t see anything you have contributed except criticism.

Well, I think it's because if you think about it nobody really contributes anything, answering the question, the way it is put by the OP....
Look at the last page - few offerings of knives around $50 but nobody tells you why they are the "BEST"...
Few great looking knives - G2's PF, the Ruike pictured above and maybe the Sanremu. But Gary will sell it right away because he didn't like the size of the knife he just purchased,
the gentleman with the Ruike don't like the type of lock or opening. Well, are those would be the "BEST" knives if you don't like the two features of the Ruike
and you sell the one you've just got because the size doesn't fit you ?
I understand the price point, makes perfect sense to me, everyone like good quality, nice features and cheap price. But see, none of the entries defines why the knives offered are the "BEST".
And you know why ? Because there is no such thing as "the BEST" as a general blanket used in this thread by the OP. "The BEST" is defined by the personal priorities of the user,
and we all have different priorities or use for our knives. What's the best for you probably isn't for me or for someone else...
Your entry was " This is today. " Well, this is your BEST knife for today ? This is the best knife for around $50 per OP question ? Why, because it fits the price point, because you like it or use it ?
It's definitely a good working knife and I'm sure if you're offering it it suits you well, but in my case this won't last a week for what I'm doing. I can't open it or close it with one hand and there is no clip.
The only valuable thing to me in this knife is the Bos HT of the steel but for the price point set in the thread I can probably find steel that will last longer when I scrape paint or glue off the tiles.
So the "BEST" thingy is strictly personal and the way OP is asking about it doesn't make any sense, that's why every entry shows personal preferences, the way it should be.