What's new

What is the best Pocket Knife option Under $50?

Hey Folks,

I'm looking for a sturdy pocket knife that is low maintenance and easy to carry (relatively small and thin... nothing large and bulky that I wouldn't be comfortable in my pocket).

Thoughts?
 
The Kershaw Ken Onion is a great blade. I think I got it for about $55. The blade is about as long as a credit card is wide. Spring loaded blade, SS, solid as a rock,.... what more could you want? I've had mine for a few years, the spring is as quick as it was on the first day, and I've only had to sharpen it once after some very abusive use.

Edit- Link, price came down a bit.
 
Well, that's obviously going to be pretty open to opinion.... Plus, you don't say what kind of pocket knife you are looking for.... But my suggestion is a CRKT Carson Point Guard.

Moses- I don't know anything about knives- but I want a workhorse- nothing fancy... What types are there?

Also- Does Spyderco have a good reputation? In terms of aesthetics- I find theirs pretty nice.
 
I tend to stick to the classic opinel in size 6 or 7, comfortable handle, nice edge retention for me anyway, and cost about £5 each. Plus being that cheap I don't mind if it drops out of my pocket when working or gets damaged in any way.


Cheers,

Richie
 
Wow, that's a nice knife for that price. I'm going to have to look into one of those myself.

I like the nice wood, horn, and other fancy material scaled knives on the market, but many of them seem more decorative than useful. For instance, I would never consider purchasing a knife without some sort of locking mechanism. My fingers are just too important to me. If it doesn't lock open, it's just a toy/conversation piece/pretty piece of art.
 
Big fan of case knives ... my baby ...

http://www.wrcase.com/

proxy.php
 
The Kershaw Ken Onion is a great blade. I think I got it for about $55. The blade is about as long as a credit card is wide. Spring loaded blade, SS, solid as a rock,.... what more could you want? I've had mine for a few years, the spring is as quick as it was on the first day, and I've only had to sharpen it once after some very abusive use.

Edit- Link, price came down a bit.

They also come in 2 smaller sizes the Scallion and the Chive. Another option is the Spyderco Delica.
 
SpyderCo knives are good quality for the price. Actually, I think they are probably a bit more bombproof than CRKT. My limited experience with Kershaw is that they are good stuff too. Although, I tend to shy away from assisted opening. Pretty sure they are legal pretty much everywhere, but not all police are guaranteed to be aware of that. Plus, it is that much more mechanism to fail.

-Mo
 

I don't know, it looks kind of like a toy. If it's small enough to fit on a keychain than it probably won't fit my hand properly. Fitting your hand is really important. That's why I would suggest going to a gun shop and getting a feel for it in your hand, that's the only way you're going to know if it fits you right. I'm prejudiced, but the fact that wally-world is selling it make me suspicious of the quality.

As far as the spring in my Kershaw, daily use and it is still as strong as the day I bought it (at least two years). It has been dropped on pavement, thrown (not by me, but an ex-buddy), and dunked in water while attatched to me. I'd swear by it.
 
rickshah

My day to day pocketknife is a Swiss Army "Officer". It seems to take and hold an edge well, is nicely compact, and cost about $25 bucks.

I second the Opinel suggestion too, although being simple carbon steel they need sharpening more often.

Best Regards

Graham
 
I don't know, it looks kind of like a toy. If it's small enough to fit on a keychain than it probably won't fit my hand properly. Fitting your hand is really important. That's why I would suggest going to a gun shop and getting a feel for it in your hand, that's the only way you're going to know if it fits you right. I'm prejudiced, but the fact that wally-world is selling it make me suspicious of the quality.

Point Taken...

Ok guys, I think I've warmed to the Spyderco knives now that you all have confirmed that they are pretty good quality.

Of those, three are sticking out to me.
1. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5244171
(The Native Knife)
2. http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=21
(Native Knive in stainless- I think it looks really great and is at a discounted price)
3. http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=169
Nice price, I like the stainless, and it looks like it would be functional.

I don't know anything about different types of blade steel materials- so if any of these stick out to you as being of inferior quality- please let me know.
 
Get a spyderco Delica. CRKT's have neat designs, but their heavy, poorly made (in China) and have a really crappy steel which doesn't hold much of an edge.

The Spyderco Delica uses VG-10 Steel (arguably the best stuff out there as it'll hold an edge ALMOST as well as ZDP189, yet it is MUCH easier to sharpen, and it is more resistant to corrosion) and has a VERY lightweight FRN handle (fiberglass reinforced nylon) and weights in at an incredibly light 2.5 oz.

The FRN handle is INCREDIBLY grippy, light and strong (it is reenforced with a skeleton of stainless steel), the locking mechanism (back lock) is vastly superior to a liner lock, Delica's have a flat saber-ground blade (very robust) outstanding ergonomics, with jiimps in all the right places, has a pocket clip that can be put in 4 different configuration (tip up, tip down, front/back of knife), fully ambidextrous spyderhole for one handed opening (and unlike studs can be used with gloves on) with phosphor bronze bushings on the hinge to make the blade open smooth as butter.

It has an MSRP of $80, but can be easily/readily found online for $40 - and for the money, it simply cannot be beaten. If you opt for the spyderedge (serrated) the length of the blade stays the same, however the cutting edge grows by 24% since it has the serrated crevices which add more "cutting edge" - and for a knife of it's size/weight - it's REALLY a lot of knife. Another big plus - if you take it out to open a box, etc in the office - you won't scare anyone.

No offense to CRKT fans, but a CRKT is a complete P.O.S. compared to a Spyderco.
 
BTW, the Spyderco native as you linked to is another good knife, and certainly looks nicer (especially the Native III) however it has a hollow ground blade (not as robust as the grind on the Delica) S30V Steel (which is really good stuff - but the VG-10 holds an edge longer) only has a 2 position pocket clip (versus the Delica's 4) which rides lower, and is more comfortable in the pocket, the spyderhole is larger on the Delica (easier to open), and the Delica has phosphor bronze bushings (the Native doesn't) which means it'll open smoother/easier.

The Natives are great knives, don't get me wrong - and if you really want one - get one, it's a fine knife, however I wouldn't get the ones you linked to, as they're the "older" generation Native - get the Native III FRN which looks better, is more comfortable, and uses the superior VG-10 steel. It's only $5 more expensive, and is a superior knife.

The best buy though, is still the Delica, as it has more features/perks, is lighter, is a more robust design, and is $10-15 less expensive.
 
I was given a Cutco Pocket Knife way way back when I graduated from highschool.

It has been an excellent pocketknife. I have never sharpened it and this thing is still razor sharp (almost literally).
 
My personal favorite is the victorinox (swiss army knife) tinker model. The worst thing that happens is that they get lost (I've only lost one), I currently have 3 in different parts of the country, just in case.

There are some locking swiss army knives, worth looking at if that's what you need. Watch out for useless things though as they can get big and heavy pretty fast. The big ones are more novelties I think and I wouldn't want anything bigger than the tinker.
 
buck knives are the best and they have a wide variety. they have a knife for just about everything and they are as solid as a rock. buckknives.com
 
Top Bottom