Ontario Camp Plus folding chef's knife, OKC 4300, $9 at Smokey Mountain.

The handle is a little thin for my hand, but the overall package works. Not everybody's cup of tea, but maybe worth a look for $9. $9 doesn't go very far these days, less than 2 gallons of gas or 2 Egg McMuffins.

My favorite costs a bit more, but still a bargain:
Ontario R2D2.

Kershaw Volt II, frequently on sale for under $25.

Hard to beat a Mora Companion in Stainless Steel. Most places under 25 bucks.

Recently got a Cold Steel Roach Belly. Like it better than the Mora carbon steel Companion. Both cost about the same.

^^^This^^^

Hard to beat for the money IMO. And razor sharp right out of the box.

https://www.bladehq.com/item--Cold-Steel-Roach-Belly-Fixed-Blade--10139

Rat R2D2

Another vote for thr R2D2...

I have one of these - nice blade size/shape but mine doesn't hold an edge well at all.

You guys who like the rat II, walmart has it for $25...

https://www.walmart.com/ip/RAT-II-F...liates_ad_id=567111&campaign_id=9383

Not D2 steel though.

Pay a little more and get the R2D2.

life is too short to mess around with cheap, poor quality knives.

Well, in my experience few people are going to spend the coin to buy several custom, or better grade production, knives to keep stashed around in handy places. You might be that rare exception and, if you are, good for you.

I was just throwing out a new to me option that does the job that it is designed to do and if you lose it, your give a $hit factor doesn't even register. My GAS factor would be a lot higher if I lost an Ingram, Winston, Howe Mountain, etc. Somehow, somewhere, I lost a Landi Brushcraft last year and while Landi knives aren't particularly expensive, the one that I lost cost around $90, I spent some time/effort looking for it. If I had lost a $9 Ontario or a $15 Marbles I would have shruged my shoulders and never given it a second thought.

Or so it seems to me.

I've had some pretty expensive knives ( still have a
couple) and enjoyed them, but other people had
money to spend and I traded them my knives.
The less expensive ones I still have do just as good
of a job and have less of an oh-sh*t factor in
case of loss or theft or damage.
The hardest use I give a knife is butchering game
and the old school conventional Dexter Russell/
Old Hickory/Forschner knives I use do a good job
People that cut up animals for a living don't use
an expensive knife.
Of course, use whatever you want to.
You don't have to have a $300.00 knife to make
usable chunks out of an animal though

I too like to keep knives stuck in every place I may need one. Trucks ranger horse trailer barn etc. I use my hand made knives or one of them every day but that’s not what rolls around in the dash compartment in the ranger. I carry a menefee folder a lot but most days I carry a s30v benchmade and a leatherman.

I also really like my 7x42 slc’s and 8x32 meostars but the recent $99 sightrons are what I have in the trucks and ranger. Same goes for rifles. My nicest or most sentimental rifle isn’t the one that lives in my truck.

Cheaper things that are still sound and functional certainly have their place with me too.

An inexpensive knife, a pliers and a box of 22 rim fire at a minimum should always be present in every vehicle.

Add vice-grips and a box of birdshot shells in whatever gauge you regularly use.

I cleaned out my truck this spring and found a mother load. 2 100 round boxes of 9mm. A box of Aguila 22LR, probably 250 left. And a box of 20 GA winchester super sports. I felt like it was Christmas.

For an inexpensive knife it's hard to beat a Mora.
I have several of them around. They see more use than my expensive blades do. If one of them get gets damaged or lost I'm out less than $20. I keep 2 in the side by side 2 in my truck along with an American made Old Timer filet knife and 2 more Mora's in my wife's truck, not to mention the one's on the house.

Mora's are good cheap fixed blades knives, I prefer the stainless to the CM. A nice feature of the Ontario is that it is a folding knife, so you can safely carry it in your pocket.

Didn't you vote for Joe Biden?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It has been my impression that many people who buy handmade knives treat them as status symbols, much like they tend to do with Gransfors Bruk axes, and save them for special occasions. To me, a knife is just a tool for cutting and while I enjoy the quality and craftsmanship of a good knife, I've never come across a deer or elk that couldn't be fielld dressed as well with a Mora as with an Ingram if they were equally sharp. The thinner Mora brade would certainly be a poorer choice for splitting a pelvic bone, but that is why I carry a Sagen Saw in my pack.

No not as a status symble just an appreciation for a great quality tool just like Klein tools are a quality tool for my trade for which I still have in use 48 years later.

I've also got Klein Tools that are 50 years old

That's your impression because you've never objectively used both.

I’ve got some 8 Moras, both stainless and carbon. About as utilitarian as one needs.

Just about any cold steel. The Canadian belt knife is good and the Finn bear did my deer last fall and still shaved hair off my arm when I was done. Can't be beat for $13

Pendleton Lite, also.

Handy $13 knife.

If i hunt with a ruger American, but skin deer with a custom knife,

Does that cancel out the status symbol?

🤣😂🤣😂😂

When I was teaching hunter education, I would incentify the class by letting the kids who made perfect scores on the test put their names into a hat and whoever got drawn got to choose either a custom knife or a $100 gift certificate for Cabela's.

The custom knives that I gave away were Dale Howe medium drop point hunters or Harvey King small games, so about double the value of the gift certificates. Most of the kids wanted the gift certificate, I guess that they planned to borrow a knife to field dress their deer.

I've been using my own customs for over a decade and it has nothing to do with status, more to do with the story. I use customs for the same reason I prefer to hunt with my grandfather's rifle, or a rifle in a unique caliber, or an old beat up Mauser that I brought back to looking new. It enriches the experience for me, and as I get older I savor the experience more than I ever did when I was young and just out for the kill.

My favorite inexpensive knife is a Victorinox Paring Knife. Get Dave to make a kydex sheath for it and you're golden.

A good choice. I used to use the Victorinox paring knives with the serrated edge, but the handles are a little too small for comfort. The Zyliss serrated paring knives have bigger handles and work better for me. The nice thing about the Ontario knife is that it is a lock blade folder with a lanyard holein the handle, so it is easy to carry and, at least in theory, harder to lose.

Or maybe they never heard of Dale Fugking Howe?

Probably used the gift certificate to buy a Gerber knife at Cabela's. They would have enough money left over to buy some see through scope mounts and a scope for their deer blaster.

My favorite cheap knife is a Gerber Paraframe Mini. Bought it a few years ago for around $10. It quality and sharp. I carry it when I can’t carry an auto knife.

Mora. Been using them for decades around the house. The funny thing is now that I think about it can’t remember ever damaging or losing one.

Well, they do tend to be harder to lose, in the house.......

That’s why I mentioned AROUND the house.

I field dress 40 to 60 deer a season and really enjoy using a nice custom knife on the “soft parts” and a spyderco native, that I don’t care about wearing out, on the “hard parts”.
They all have their place.

Picked up CRKT Squid for less than $20 a couple years back, not bad for a pocket clip frame lock.

There some good knives out that don't cost a lot.

There are also some other good knives out there that cost a great deal, based on the name branded on it.

I work at an outdoors store so basically all the knives are cheap with my discount. Trying not to own 500 of them lol

I had an early 80s Gerber Mk II somewhere around the house here, that has completely disappeared. No idea where the damn thing went to.

Sounds like I need to clean my house...

You don't live in my house. My wife loses at least one paring knife a year, never to be seen again. She loses silvrware too, so when we have the good stuff out, I clean it and count it before I take out the trash. Like the socks that go missing, never to be seen again.

Ever since Huntsman22 posted about the Gerber EAB utility folder, I use one with a straight utility blade to disjoint the 'hard parts'. Amazing how well that works while also preserving the edge of the economy knives under review here.

Absolutely outstanding EDC.


They get down in the $15-$18 range during the holidays.

Great stocking-stuffers... especially for the girls/ladies.




GR

WTF does "especially for the girls/ladies" mean? Do you have personal experience with this knife? I really tried to like this knife, but the two I've had were junk - the steel is garbage and I wouldn't gift one to anyone I cared about. Ontario R2 in either choice of steel is a far superiir knife...

And dammit, that's important. But I think you spelled more super-er wrong.

On the contrary...

Have carried the same Volt II knife EDC for nearly a decade - outstanding service.

Buy a case of'em every holiday Season when they get in the $15-$18 range, and give'em as gifts.

Girls and woman especially appreciate them because they are razor sharp and quick and easy to deploy.


Kershaw - appears to have two suppliers, and one is decidedly of better quality.

If you know what to look for, you can cull through a stock of'em and hand pick.


It's not my Benchmade AFCK... but they are damn fine <$20 EDC knives, even at twice the price.

So ya know.




GR

On a budget this is my favorite folder.


https://www.smkw.com/kabar-dozier-folding-hunter-blue

Blue wouldn't be my 1st color choice, but they come in black and other colors.

I've been using a Kershaw Chill lately and I am very satisfied with its performance. It has a blade of 8Cr13MoV which tests out @ RC 60, holds an edge fairly well and sharpens easily. For $25 I haven't found anything better for a daily carry knife.

JMR40-- plus 1 on the kabar-dozier, been my edc for over 12 years. Processed deer, small game , and anything else I need a knife for
Hell of a knife for $20.00

The contour and texturing of the Kershaw VOLT II is also outstanding - Almost like a cut-plug knife, but still trim enough for edc.






GR

To achieve status symbol people have to know what you have. 99.9% of people have no idea between a custom knife and a Walmart throw away. Not sure anyone gains status out of that.

I think that they buy them not because the need them, but because the cool kids have them and they want to be a part of that clique.

Nah. You would be wrong. Some guys, even average Joes like me, get to the point in their life where they are tired of using disposable junk, or something that is a tiny step above disposable junk. Don't get me wrong, cheap knives work for sure. Damn, a Havalon makes short work of skinning a deer. Try skinning a moose in freezing weather with a 25 mph wind where the fat freezes on your blade, and you may re-evaluate that Havalon right quick. Ask me how I know. But is there really something wrong with owning something you really like, and can take joy in owning because it was built with the hands of a real, Made in America, skilled craftsman, not a bloody CNC machine in China?

No more junk for this guy even though I may have to scrimp and pinch a few pennies.

Got two beauties on order right now, and you are damn skippy that I am gonna post pics when I get em. Not to brag, but to share a man’s work with like minded enthusiasts who appreciate what I have just mentioned.

But my vote for a decent everyday carry knife would be a Case Sodbuster for a folder or a Mora if you want a good, cheap fixed blade.

I always find it a bit ironic that guys will spend a LOT of money on multiple custom hunting knives, but have crap kitchen knives. The hunting knives realistically get used very little, while kitchen knives get used every day. I like quality knives, but I've got a lot more money in kitchen knives than hunting knives.

My favorite cheap knife? Opinel no.6.

That is a good point and really never gave it much thought. What would be quality kitchen knives ?

I use my custom "hunting" knives in the kitchen.

me, too......

I bet your rifles add up to $10worth of dog schit.

Same here.

I use my custom and my cheap ass knives in the kitchen. I bought some of the Russel Green River blanks and put micarta scales on them and love them.

Hunting knives aren't kitchen knives. Can certainly be used, but not ideal for almost anything on a cutting board. That's why there's such a thing as kitchen knives, and why they're not ideal in the field on game. Different tools, different uses.

Kinda simple, but whatever...

You just asked a question that could lead you down a 10 year rabbit hole of exploration.

To simplify, it comes down to the quality of the steel, the blade shape and grind.

Do you want stainless? If so which stainless? Carbon? If so, which carbon? Do you want the blade mono steel or perhaps stainless clad or carbon clad? Quality factory or handmade? Do you want European or Japanese shaped knives? Maybe a Chinese cleaver?

And on, and on, and on...

Last year we were skinning my elk and our meat cutter friend was helping. I paid close attention to the blade he chose for the chore since he's a pro - skinning more in a few days than most of us will all year.

Much to my surprise he pulled out a Schrade "Old Timer" Sharp Finger....


When asked about it, he said that he likes it because the blade is perfect for the chore and steel is soft enough to easily resharpen. He has used it on hundreds of critters both domestic and wild, for many years now.

So, I bought one. They're dirt cheap and I had to admit it worked perfect on the cow elk I shot the other day. I bought the red handled one - because I tend to lay stuff down and lose it!

The old ones are much better than the new ones.

Unless they've changed the steel again. The old ones were high carbon.

Not a knife in my opinion, but if you want something real handy to keep around, the Milwaukee 6-1 is about the best $20 a guy can keep in his pocket.

I need to grab one of their 5-1 with an actual blade. Might be nirvana.

You got me to looking.
The 5-1 is part serrated.
Been down that path, don't care for it.

Most “hunting” knives are honestly horrible. I’m convinced most of their designers have never hunted.

I don't doubt that a bit... there's a knife forum that has 43 pages dedicated to the history of the little thing. Made in China now.

I dressed the cow elk with my Knives of Alaska "Alph Wolf" and it did fine. But for skinning the SF was a much better tool. I hit them both with the work sharp when I got home and it's ready for a deer now. For $19 bucks, I'm impressed.

Cold steel SRK. You get a 400 dollar knife for 40 bucks.

BWAHAHAHAHA !!!!!!!!

Ok. Ok. You get a knife that performs like a 400 dollar knife, but doesn't look like a 400 dollar knife. Respect your laughter huntsman lol. But, I'll say this, looks don't mean a fiddlers blank when you need a good knife.

Schrade currently built overseas but they're still very good knives. - Sherwood

Good looking knives can also be first class working knives. Being handsome doesn't automatically exclude a knife from being a great cutting tool.

Got the 400 dollar custom job. It's great. But at the end of the day, the cold steel is on par with it. Display wise? No. Collector? No. But it's a cheaper knife that gets the job done and holds a great edge. Also, I appreciate craftsmanship and the talent it takes to make a knife. It's a skill not many have. But for a cheap knife, get a SRK. You won't be disappointed.

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.

Waders, my son has a Civivi Elementum and it is a very nice knife also. Civivi gives you a lot of knife for the money, no doubt.

Agreed. In fact, I gave an Elementum to a friend this year as a Christmas present. Here's a link to the one I got him. I like it a lot and may end up getting one for myself!

MORA I have 3 and they are great, clip them on anything

JMR40...I'm a big Dozier fan for EDC and critter cuttin.ScottyO.

Everyday cheap knife huh? I guess today’s economy has passed me by.

Now if you’re talking a Kabar knife that copied a Dozier, that’s another story and a $25 or so knife

Opinel No. 7 or 8 carbon, still a favorite and still cheap

I like the opinels a lot, the no. 6 size is my favorite.

Opinel #9 for me, anything smaller feels too small in my hand.

I like carbon Opinel folders, but difficulty cleaning the fat and bloody bits, in the field, makes them less likely that they be taken along.

I just close them, put them in a zip lock bag and clean them with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush when I get home.

A cheap knife that has impressed me and is much in the same line as the Opinel folders is the Svord Peasant knife. Made in New Zealand these knives are a no frills basic design with good carbon steel. They are prone to tarnishing and rusting if neglected but what does one expect in a cheap knife. I am impressed with the edge that one can get from them and they do hold that edge well in use.

Nick

Very cool!

I've never seen that brand or series of knives before.

Buck 110 slim hunter. Comes with a sturdy pocket clip , comes in a variety of colors and they make the 112 size also. $30 or so , don't even realize it's in your pocket until you need it

They are great for 30 bucks, no doubt. I prefer the 112. I keep one in truck and gave away a couple at Christmas

I've got a few of each. Keep one in each vehicle as well. Rural king had them for $14 last year after hunting season so I loaded up.

you do have to maintain the edge more regularly

I tend to stroke a butcher's steel more often with Cold Steel and Mora blades than D2, S30V, and VG10 knives. But, no more often than Victorinox, Dexter Russell, F. Dick, and other professional meat processing knives.

Mora #2. I think I paid 12 dollars for it.