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Category: Best Blades List

Best Budget Folding Knives

Best Budget Folding Knives

Best BUDGET KNIVES That Are PURE QUALITY

quality budget blades

Some of those in the knife community think that inexpensive or cheap means that a knife isn’t going to be the best of quality. Good news – That couldn’t be further from the truth. Some inexpensive blades have incredible attention to detail. Below is a list of what I believe are the best budget folding knives to date. All of these knives are below $50 as of June 3rd, 2017.

1. Kershaw Cryo

best budget folding knives

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The Kershaw Cryo was the talk-of-the-town in the knife community when it first came out, and for good reason. With a low price and quality construction, this knife has quite the reputation. The Kershaw Cryo is an assisted knife, meaning that when you press on the back flipper, a spring will assist the knife into the locking position. The only real drawback to the Cryo is that the blade steel is a little soft. The Cryo sports a 2.75 inch 8Cr13MoV stainless steel blade. However, this opening and closing the knife is as smooth as butter. If you have never used a SpeedSafe knife by Kershaw before, then you have seriously been missing out.

2. CRKT Tighe Rad

crkt tighe rade folding knife

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The Tighe Rad is a fully functional EDC blade with a dual blade grind. While this knife is a little difficult to sharpen, it feels amazing in my hand. The ergonomics of the handle make this knife great. The blade shape and grind are a good look, but until you have actually had this knife in your hands, then you have no idea what you are missing out on.

3. Buck Bantam BHW

buck bantam knife collection

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The Bantam BHW by Buck Knives is one of the first knives that I have ever bought. The reason that I love the BHW version of the Bantam series is because of the big 3.5 inch stainless steel blade that it sports. The Contoured Injection-Molded Textured Handle gives you a tight grip even when the knife is wet.

4. Kershaw Skyline

kershaw skyline best seller knife

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The Skyline is one of Kershaw’s top selling knives, and for good reason. For a budget knife that is made in the USA, it boasts a 14C28N stainless steel blade that can take a beating. Also the Skyline is extremely thin. I don’t even know that I have in my pocket half the time. This knife is the ultimate folding food preparation knife. It is also quite useful for camping.

5. Spyderco Spy-DK

spyderco spy legendary blade

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This knife is legal almost everywhere in the world. I thought I should add a non-locking knife to the list, and this is the best one that I have ever used. While I am personally not a huge fan on non-locking knives, the Spyderco Spy-DK is one of my favorite knives of all time. It slides perfectly and doesn’t noticeably show in your pocket.

Best Cheap Pocket Knife

Best Cheap Pocket Knife

The Absolute Best Affordable Pocket Knife

Now, before you get your panties in a bunch. Yes, I get that there will be a ton of knife nuts that come here while playing with their $1000 S30V Custom Auto Folding Knife and say, That isnt even close to the best knife ever made! Calm down, read the title again, and then continue. The knife below is what I believe to be the absolute best cheap pocket knife that you can have for under $15. No, it doesnt have a super steel. No, it isnt made in the United States. Yes, it does look like a blatant rip-off of a Chris Reeves Sebenza. All of that aside, this is hands-down, the best cheap pocket knife under $15. I present to you, the Sanrenmu 710.

best cheap pocket knife

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This knife is wonderful for the money. As of today, June 4th 2016, this knife can be purchased on Amazon for $12.99. It is worth every single penny that I paid for it and I paid even more. For those who arent in the knife collecting community, Sanrenmu is a Chinese knife producer that has been around for a while now.

Definitely The Best Cheap Pocket Knife

I heard somewhere that they are actually the manufacturers of the Spyderco Tenacious, one of the best EDC (every day carry) knives out there, but that is just a rumor and I dont actually know if it is true or not. Either way, the quality to price ratio for this particular knife is outstanding. I actually own three (and bought 2 more that I have away as gifts), simply because they are such good knives for the money.

sanrenmu 710 knife review

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The knife weighs 3.1 oz and has a blade length of 2.8 inches, which is perfect for EDC. This knife has an 8Cr13Mov blade steel. It feels virtually weightless in your pocket. The tolerances are quite incredible for how inexpensive it is. The frame lock that this knife sports is quite hefty, despite the relatively light weight. I cant think of another blade that has all of these features at this price-point (except maybe the Cold Steel Finn Wolf), and for that reason alone, I believe that it is the best affordable pocket knife on the market today.

Top 5 Inexpensive Folding Knives

Top 5 Inexpensive Folding Knives

Top 5 Inexpensive Folding Knives For EDC

Below is a list of my personal favorite and best inexpensive folding knives, all of which can be bought for less than $30. There are many quality knives with a Sub-$30 price tag, but the knives below I feel deserve special recognition.

1. Ontario Rat Model 1

rat model one knife

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Of course no inexpensive folding knives list would be complete without noting the almighty Rat Model 1 from Ontario. With 3.5 of AUS-8 Steel for a blade and a very comfortable nylon handle, that’s enough reason to take interest. However, don’t just consider the fact that I am interested, consider the fact that this knife has had a 5 star rating on Amazon for years now. I’ve gone camping with this knife numerous amounts of times and am pleased with how well its flat ground, satin finished blade slices through just about anything you would reasonably cut with a knife. This knife is the standard for other budget folding knives. Its buttery-smooth manual opening and closing is truly a treat.

2. CRKT Drifter

top inexpensive folding knives

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Next up on the list is none other than the CRKT Drifter. This knife can be a tricky purchase since it has two different versions, a stainless steel handled version and a G10 version. I highly recommend the G10 version over the stainless steel because the slick handle on the stainless steel will slip right out of sweaty or wet hands. With a 3-inch blade and solid liner lock, this knife fits perfectly into an every day carry role. The Drifter also has a gorgeous Titanium Gray finish on the blade. I wouldn’t recommend this purchase for someone with larger hands, but if you have small to medium sized hands, there is much to love about the Drifter.

3. Kershaw Cryo

kershaw cryo blade

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Do you like assisted knives? Then you will love the Kershaw Cryo. With a 2.75 blade and Kershaws SpeedSafe assisted opening system, this blade flies out as soon as you press down on the flipper or thumbstud. This is one of Kershaws most purchased knives, and for good reason. There aren’t a whole lot of inexpensive folding knives with a frame lock and lockbar stabilizer at under $30, but somehow Kershaw can still make one and turn a profit. If you have heard about this knife before and considered purchasing, all I can say is you wont regret it.

4. Gerber EZ Out

gerber ez out blade

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Okay, first off the review on this knife is going to be quite bias. While it may not be the most popular knife, this is my personal favorite inexpensive EDC (every day carry) knife of all time. No, its not pretty. No, it doesn’t have any fancy assisted opening system or Titanium coating. Yes, it is very plain looking, but hear me out. This is one of the most comfortable inexpensive folding knives that I have ever had in my large hands. It is truly a pleasure to open and close with an authoritative click! every time you flick it out to use it. I have been using an completely abusing this knife for over ten years. I love trying and using different inexpensive folding knives, but this knife always seems to come back into my pocket over the years. The only reason that I didnt make this knife the first on my list is for the fact that most people would stop reading immediately if they saw this knife in the number 1 spot. I recommend this knife to anyone who wants a knife that always seems to get the job done, even though it may not be the prettiest looking knife.

5. Spyderco Byrd Cara Cara 2

spyderco byrd cara cara 2 knife

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The Byrd line is Spydercos budget or inexpensive folding knives line. Don’t fret though, just because these are inexpensive knives, doesn’t mean that Spyderco made dramatic changes in quality. While the US, Japanese, and Taiwanese knives manufactured by Spyderco have absolutely incredible standards of quality, their Chinese made knives are better than most other knives that you can find at their price-point. The Byrd Cara Cara 2 is made in China and has a 3.75 blade made from 8Cr13MoV stainless steel. The knife is 5.6 ounces but surprisingly feels like there is nothing in your pocket when you are carrying it. For me, the handle is the only drawback, as it has some sharp edges that don’t feel great after you have been cutting something for a long period of time. However, many people love it and it is definitely one of the better inexpensive folding knives with superior quality, so it deserves a place on the list.