What's your best bang-for-buck value knife?

I've gotten some super useful knives as gifts / contest prizes (BK11s, BK14, BK9 and so on) so not counting those, I'd have to say my BK2 has been my best value purchase to date. That is one outstanding tool for not all that much cash.

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Beckerhead #42
 
Spyderco Centofante 3 - got it for about 50 Euros from a Dutch knife forum member and use it ever since. And of course my Fallkniven F1 before the prices went up.
 
My most recent excellent "bang for buck" knife is my A.G. Russell Gunstock in brown "rucarta". It came in a nondescript, tattered white cardboard box. I opened it up and was like "Whaaaaaaat?". The thing is ridiculously well made. It's so well finished that I can literally see my reflection in the lockbar on the INSIDE. Unheard of! Preposterous! Cost me $54. :thumbup:
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One that first came to my mind is BM 551. Money vs. Quality and Usability. Though there are a lot of other candidates, like Mora 2000
 
When I read this I thought of it as knives which are inexpensive but have provided good service and feelgood factor. There are a lot of these, there are also expensive knives I've bought which have been severe disappointments...another thread ?

At the moment an inexpensive but decent trio that I've used is

FIXED Marttiini Skinner. Stainless, rubberised handle, bronze guard,good tight fitting puukko style pouch sheath. You really get a grip on this knife,very comfortable and un pretentious.

LOCKING Spyderco Byrd Meadowlark. G-10 A lot of quality for not much cash, really surprised me and a fine size for pocket EDC

TRADITIONAL Wealth to choose from but a CASE Medium Stockman in Chestnut Bone cv steel. 3 different blades in a very good looking compact pattern.

All these knives are inexpensive but in no way shoddy. They have a good feel to them and if you carried all 3 they would be easy to field sharpen and offer a lot. One from Finland, one from China and one from America. Certainly, there are a lot of other worthy contenders but these 3 please me at the moment. Look forward to hearing about your choices.
 
Buck Vantage - select, avid, and pro

Spyderco Tenacious

Ontario RAT-1

Cold Steel American Lawman


Many. many more. Those listed above are all very high value for dollar amount.
 
Kershaw half ton. Won a gift card so the knife was technically free. Great little knife for the $14 or so it cost.
 
Modern folders: Benchmade Griptilian mini or full size.

Traditional folders: GEC...take your pick basically.

Fixed blades: ESEE Izula-II, ESEE-4 or something from Becker/Ka-Bar that fills your needs.
 
H.A.Martin 3" fixed blade skinner in ATS4 and Ironwood scales and a David Mosier S30V/titanium framelock folder. Both well executed and great values.
 
Nowdays there's so many great options out there it's a tough choice.I have a Randall but for the money the Buck AG Vanguard is hard to beat.

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For me it's the Kabar JAB Potbelly. I think that the only way I could beat it would be to go custom, but the Potbelly is SO good, I'm afraid that I'll be disappointed that a custom knife won't better it's abilities. 7" blade but it chops like a much larger blade. It outcuts an old BSA hatchet (convexed shaving sharp edge) by such a large margin it's not fair to compare.

I don't have one yet, but dollar for dollar, it think it would be VERY hard to to get a better value than Entrek for a hard use stainless steel blade.

Folders, it's just about any Kershaw knife. Fit and finish, material quality, sharpness from the factory, you pay quite a bit more to beat it.
 
The Kershaw Skyline I picked up at BLADE last year for $40 something. Even paying more than if I had shopped around a bit I still consider it a great buy. I have several folders that are tougher, fancier, use better materials, but the Skyline is just fun & easy to carry anywhere.
 
In a cheapie it would have to be my Rough Rider stockman in genuine burnt stag, under $20, gorgeous and wicked sharp.

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In something nicer, I would have to add my vote to the S30V Vantage Pro, or this beautiful fixed blade hunter from Blackjack in A2 and roll stag. $160 and as good as many customs.

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For me my Best Value knives that I still Cary even though I have much more expensive ones, when I look at my Sanrenmu and then at my Sebenza I take the Sebenza, but these I like allot and they offer something special.
1. Cold Steel Recon 1, clip point
2. Cold Steel Mini AK-47
3. Spyderco Tenacious
4. Kershaw Leek
 
Busse BWM and a NMFBM close second, total price approx. $900. The knives get used alot and hard.
 
The two EDC's I go back and forth between and have been incredibly happy with are my Benchmade large partially serrated black Dejavoo and my large Al Mar SERE 2000. Both have served me well.
 
the vic huntsman that's been carried in my pocket for most days in the past 18 years.
although I'm also pretty fond of the signature model Rake Tim gave me last fall.
fixed blade value goes to the #2 mora I carried to historical reenactments/rendezvous 3 weekends a month for better than 10 years worth of camping.
 
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