Cory Hess
Basic Member
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2014
- Messages
- 2,117
As somebody that came here to research the one knife I would carry for the rest of my life and never need another with a $100 budget and just added my first Chris Reeve knife to a collection that requires several boxes and knife rolls I can tell you that if you're not stopping at three you're not going to stop at five. 
It's not the knife I would buy, but if you're interested in trying different brands and different steels the next step that makes sense for you is an Emerson. They use 154CM on most models, I believe, which is not a steel that you already have listed. They are pretty polarizing here on the forums, but the people that own them seem to fall into the same category as you as far as wanting a knife that can be used hard and not caring about aesthetics. Most models seem to be a little heavier than you're looking for, but not by too much. They seem to run around $180 - $220 depending on what model you pick up, and they're made in America. I've never owned one, but they might be worth checking out given your criteria.

It's not the knife I would buy, but if you're interested in trying different brands and different steels the next step that makes sense for you is an Emerson. They use 154CM on most models, I believe, which is not a steel that you already have listed. They are pretty polarizing here on the forums, but the people that own them seem to fall into the same category as you as far as wanting a knife that can be used hard and not caring about aesthetics. Most models seem to be a little heavier than you're looking for, but not by too much. They seem to run around $180 - $220 depending on what model you pick up, and they're made in America. I've never owned one, but they might be worth checking out given your criteria.