The topic is "New favorite cheap knife." With that in mind, I am
not going to join the debate of "cheap vs custom."
Defining "cheap" is an essential starting point. In my mind, given what a person can spend on a production knife, I'll say that my, personal, definition of cheap is less than $50.
I carry a knife or two pretty much everywhere. I don't need to break out my knife very often, and when I do, it's for very light-duty tasks. Oddly enough, another factor for my selection is how it looks to the general public. I work in a government office and when my knife comes out I don't want people to be surprised at the size and/or menacing appearance of it--I guess I need the "most functional blade that still qualifies as a gentleman's knife."
With that criteria in mind, my "favorite cheap knife" is
the CIVIVI Exarch. It's a no-frills front-flipper with D2 steel and G10. I use it for anything/everything.
I'm NOT saying that this knife is superior to any other; It's just MY favorite these days. In 6 months or a year, I'll be carrying something else that gets the job done. However, this one is going to remain a favorite. It's well-built, has a cool profile, and also doubles as a fidget toy.
