Your best Cheapskate buy of 2022

I think I am up to 20 or so. I use my 2000 the most, followed closely by a carbon Companion and Flex Filet.

Just recently I "lost" my Filet, but found out my eldest son commandeered it for regular duty for fishing and hunting.

I have since been using a Rapala, but miss the Mora. May have to grab another.
 
Well, the only knife I bought in 2022 was the Bladeforums Traditional forum knife, which was at the upper end of my price range, but it was the first knife I bought since the 2018 BF Forum knife, so I guess averaged out over 4 years, it was pretty cheap:

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jc57 said:
Well, the only knife I bought in 2022 was the Bladeforums Traditional forum knife, which was at the upper end of my price range, but it was the first knife I bought since the 2018 BF Forum knife, so I guess averaged out over 4 years, it was pretty cheap:

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Well, I appreciate what you did, buy just one knife, as opposed to a number of cheap knives. That is the opposite of the "cheapskate trap," when you buy a bunch of inexpensive knives that add up to something outside of your normal price range. I suppose you have to have a specific idea of what you want, and not fall for other distractions.
 
dogstar said:
Well, I appreciate what you did, buy just one knife, as opposed to a number of cheap knives. That is the opposite of the "cheapskate trap," when you buy a bunch of inexpensive knives that add up to something outside of your normal price range. I suppose you have to have a specific idea of what you want, and not fall for other distractions.
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Nothing so lofty. I was in the cheapskate trap for years, as you describe it. But at some point, you realize you have a lot more than you need or can ever get around to using, and eventually that reality sinks in and you just don't want any more. I think my last "regular" pocket knife purchase was in mid 2016. Only two since then - the 2018 BF Forum Knife, which I thought might be my last one, but I liked the 2022 enough to break my 'fast', so that was the second. Maybe in another 4 years I'll buy another one. :)


*Note: I don't consider any of the individual knives I bought to be "cheap" per se, just good values for what they are. However, the illogic of buying a bunch of decent, inexpensive knives versus a much smaller number of more expensive knives is not lost on me. It just took a while to sink in.
 
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I picked up one of these for $16.75 out of curiosity (but I used a gift card, so it was technically free). I like it so far, but it was pretty rickety out of the box so I had to peen the pivot down a bit more. I like the blade shape better than the Opinel but prefer the Opinel handle and lock-ring. I wonder if a scheming cheapskate might someday try to cobble together a franken-knife...

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-Cheapskate #10
 
oldmanwilly said:
I picked up one of these for $16.75 out of curiosity (but I used a gift card, so it was technically free). I like it so far, but it was pretty rickety out of the box so I had to peen the pivot down a bit more. I like the blade shape better than the Opinel but prefer the Opinel handle and lock-ring. I wonder if a scheming cheapskate might someday try to cobble together a franken-knife...

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-Cheapskate #10
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Yes, I have the non-locking version, and the blade geometry is really nice. For a folder, I think this has the best blade length-to-handle length ratio of all knives. It's just a very useful design.
 
oldmanwilly said:
I picked up one of these for $16.75 out of curiosity (but I used a gift card, so it was technically free). I like it so far, but it was pretty rickety out of the box so I had to peen the pivot down a bit more. I like the blade shape better than the Opinel but prefer the Opinel handle and lock-ring. I wonder if a scheming cheapskate might someday try to cobble together a franken-knife...

View attachment 2042795

-Cheapskate #10
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Does the MAM swell when wet and stiffen up like the Opinel?
 
jackknife said:
Does the MAM swell when wet and stiffen up like the Opinel?
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Yeah, although for me it was not as bad as with my Opinel. I had to work that blade side to side to even get the Opinel's blade open. MAM uses lighter wood (keep in mind my sample size is 1 for both brands).
 
I think it has to be my Kershaw Atmos. Small-ish, but not tiny, light and tight, and cheap at $37. I bought it to be my pajama knife, since working from home I’m in my camo fleece jammies pretty much all day every day, I wanted something that sits lightly in my pocket without causing me plumber’s crack. It’s all that plus a wonderfully smooth ball bearing pivot action, the blade holds a decent edge, and it’s just an all around fantastic fidgeter. One of my surprisingly favorite finds.
 
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