What Knives under $20 Exceeded Your Expectations?

I think it was right at $20, might have been a dollar more, but the Buck Odyssey was a great knife for many years for me in my teenage years. I am pretty sure they are even made in the states...at least they were back then.
 
AG Russell Woodswalker or any of the under $20 SAK deals on Amazon.com.

Jeff
 
M series Remington lockbacks, made in USA by United I believe, on sale at SMKW for less than $20 on occasion. Great knife for a little cash.
 
Don't forget
china Kissing Crane
china Marbles
U S Classic (china)
Boker Bonsai (china)
 
Victorinox Swiss Army Tinker.

I haven't used them long, but I'm happy with the Kuhn Rikon Colori paring and utilty knives, so far.
 
jap.jpg


Fackelmann Nirosta!

razorsharp cheap jap styled sushi knife
http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009JJZE4/preisroboterd-21/ref=nosim
 
Last edited:
The Joyce Chen Knife. Less than $10. Really sharp. Comes with a fitted plastic sheath. Perfect for office desk drawer use for slicing fruit at work or day pack chores on hikes or camping trips. Cleans up easily. No rust, ever, even if you forget to wash it. I've got a couple, and the one I use most is at the office and I've had it for about 15 years. Looks like new. I've never sharpened it and I bet I've sliced a gazillion fruits. I think I brought it home about 7 or 8 years ago and ran it through the dishwasher out of guilt. Get one.
http://www.amazon.com/Joyce-Chen-Ha...1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1217805185&sr=8-1
 
scotchleaf said:
What knife, obtainable at under $20, came out of the box and became an instant favorite? Of course, Moras and Opinel knives are the obvious picks, but what others? Someone posted a similar question in March, but I'm adding in the "budget knife" qualification.
Click to expand...

The boker trance, boker subcoms and boker hyper are all colse to $20 and are crazy good!
 
The Odessey was US-made. It is not currently offered.

Been a lot mentioned. Here are some I did not see listed:

KaBar Doziers: 3" AUS8 lockbacks.

Any of the Byrd line

Chinese-made Buck knives. Got some frame locks (Nobleman) and some slippies.

Opinels.
 
cabron50 said:
Here is a word on the steel from the Victorinox website:

Q. What is the make up of the steel?
A. All Victorinox knives are high carbon, stainless, first grade, A-quality stainless steel, x 50 CrMo. They are tempered to a 55-56 HRC hardness for optimum edge retention. -SA

My personal opinion of it is that while it is no super steel, Victorinox has been working with it for ages and knows how to get every ounce of performance from it. It will serve you well.

The Workchamp, Workchamp Xl and Hercules are your toolbox lock blades.
Click to expand...

I carry a $20.00 Victorinox Stayglow Rambler. In addition to the surprisingly useful tools--including a bottle opener and a Philips screwdriver--I'm consistently amazed how sharp the little blade will get just swiping it down a kitchen steel.
 
Another vote for the Ka-Bar Dozier Folding Hunter - one of the best sub $20 folders available. :thumbup:
 
cabron50 said:
My personal opinion of it is that while it is no super steel, Victorinox has been working with it for ages and knows how to get every ounce of performance from it.
Click to expand...
That may be true, but I've been given three nice Victorinox knives and I couldn't keep an edge on any of them. I like having some of the tools the knives offer, but an RC of 56 is just too soft for anything but the most mundane uses. It'll open UPS packages, bird feed, potato chips, mail, and strip a wire, but it's not like it's a dedicated knife.

Let me put it thus, and I'm not trying to insult anyone: Even the cheapest Smith & Wesson folding knife will take and keep a better edge than that found on a Victorinox. The fact is, they're just not made to be dedicated knives any more than they're intended to be dedicated screwdrivers or ice picks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top