Bang for your bucks knives - Good and bad

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Aren't Douk-Douks French? I'll have to give one of them a try. Seems to me I've heard a compliment about them before somewhere. I really don't have anything against the French, adn I'm sorry if my words were taken as such. Some of their politicians and society suck, but then some of ours do as well. At the same time, just like us, they have a hell of a lot to be proud about too.
 
Some of the best bang for my buck have come from yard sales and flea markets. All kinds of good knives for cheap $. Might have to clean and sharpen but there are some classics out there.
 
I have never owned an Opinel, and I am not trying to pile on, but this thread has shown me that my secret shame in not being the least bit interested in Opinels is at least a little bit justified.

As far as bang for your buck, it's pretty hard to beat the Spyderco Native.
 
Good:
-Victorinox combo packs, that come with a Classic SD along with a Spartan, or Tinker.

-Swiss Army Knives by both Victorinox and Wenger.

-Douk-Douks

-Old stock of new knives before they were discontinued by going out of business, or moving out of the country for mfg such as:

Camiilius, Shrade, Imperial, Remington, Sears Craftsman, Rapela, Chicago Cutlery Cherrywood series.

Naturally, finding good used knives from Internet sites, Estate and Yard sales, and pawn shops.
 
Naturally, finding good used knives from Internet sites, Estate and Yard sales, and pawn shops
Click to expand...

My dad does two out of the three. I am actually somewhat glad he doesn't know how to use the internet, because he is something of a packrat.

Garage saleing is my dad's favorite thing in the world to do. He has found some pretty good knives and stuff, but the big thing that he pulls is ammo. He has bought an incredible amount of good, factory ammo for extremely low prices over the years, and continues to dig it up, along with the occasional good deal on a gun. I don't know how he does it, but I am consistently amazed at the stuff my dad finds at garage sales. Also, he is the king of the pawnshop.
 
Originally Posted by sm
...finding good used knives from Internet sites...
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Also, those used/junk knife bins at gun and knife shows sometimes have some decent finds as well.

Even with inexpensive off brand imports, if you take the time to examine the individual knife, you can get some good user value for the money.
 
My daily carry knife for the last ~5 years is a 1st generation, Blackie Collins designed, Meyerco Rascal. (I am on my 3rd on only because I lost the first 2.) Unfortunately the design was changed to one not nearly as handy and I fear if I lose this one it will be a long time before I find another. I've carried Gerbers, Columbia Rivers, etc. and they mostly sit in a box unused now*. I found the design below to be just about perfect for daily carry & use. The blade holds a great edge and it locks solidly. It is very lightweight and the clip is the best I've found. It hangs to my pocket edge forgotten until I need it. The handle is also great as the contours fit my hand and it resists turning when I am bearing down with it. It is truly a great knife and I've paid less than $25 each time purchased. (*I do take my CRKT M16 non-serrated spear point when I hike as I can put it in a belt pouch or day pack. It is a very good knife but too heavy for daily pocket carry.)

Mc-6000.jpg


I could not agree more on the junk bin comment above. At a fleamarket last year I found an early Spyderco w/ ~1/16" of the tip broken for $0.25 in a bucket of tools. I bought it and in about 20 minutes with a stone got the blade back to perfect. I gave it too my son and he carries it when he is on Scout trips. I like it enough that it could be a contender to replace my Meyerco. I do not know Spyderco's well enough to give the model number but at one of the knife shops near me I was told it was at least 10 years old if not older. I've also seen many West-Cut, Imperial, & Camillus 60's belt knives in similar circumstances. These are great knives if you can get past their less than high-end image. If you need a great knife, the junk bin rocks!
 
I totally agree on the junk bin comment as well. At a recent gun show, I found a Cammillus fixed blade for ten, a Kamp-King for five, a couple Classics for one, and a Schrade trapper for ten. That was good, because the other thing I bought was a $55 Cattaragus Quatermaster.
 
Douk-Douks are indeed pretty neat. Extremely slim due to the sheet-metal handles, and very easily made razor-sharp because of the soft carbon steel.

I also got a couple Okapis (formerly German-made for the African colonies, but now South African made) in the mail from Ragnar today, and quite pleased overall. The handles are a bit crude (basically like Opinel handles), but the backspring is both primitive and durable. The largest sizes are lockback, but the little ones I got get by with just the strong backspring, same as Douks.

The other traditional knife not mentioned yet is the Mercator K55K. Also extremely thin with sheet-metal handles, but a true lockback. I believe they're making them in shorter, more pocketable sizes these days. I'm not totally clear on what's happened to Mercator, but I think they're part of Otter-Messer knives these days.

Opinel, Douk-Douk, Okapi, and Mercator are, in my mind, a certain class of traditional Euro pocketknives I rather like, and all $20 or less on a good day (far less for an Opinel). The Asian equivalent would be the Japanese higonokami friction folder. I need to pick one of those up one of these days...


I totally agree on the junk bin comment as well.
Click to expand...

Most old knives at my local pawnshops are horribly marked-up, but I did get a whole box of knives, including a Case, a bunch of cheaper ones like Providence, two Schrades, and a 1950s Edgemaster paratroop automatic knife... for $25.

Also this week I got a Benchmaster 9100 automatic for $35, though it probably needs about $35 of repairs from BM customer service. Still, it's a $180 knife new.
 
MatthewVanitas,

Good to see you post sir. I hope is all is well and I will continue sending my best.

Re: Mercator
*snicker*
Now this is a nice knife, no doubt, still I always preferred the Douk-Douk.
Douk-Douks I became familiar with, before the Mercator.

So I am sitting there with others, including ladies and kids and a Golden Retriever and Black Lab.

Did I mention I do not care for cats?
Did I mention these dawgs did not care for cats?
[Some folks take the dawgs out for a walk others take them out to chase cats *ahem*].

I was asked my preference over the Douk-Douk over Mercantor...
So I get this real cutie pie of a young lady, with red hair, freckles and green eyes to explain to Me, and the others.

"It has a stupid cat on it, can't you see?"

Even I know better than to argue with a 4 year old girl. *LOL*

Re: Opinel.
I never had a problem with these,and still find these to be one of the best kept secrets.
As shared above, Spar Varnish assists in the swelling. There are some other tips and tricks I have heard of as well.

I only do the carbon steel blades in these btw.

Now these are great for emergency kits and make great gifts. These that are carved are really neat, and if you know a whittler, or carver, these make a neat gift and they can carve on their own.

I did abuse one, as I was having an argument with a Johnson 9.9 outboard, and Shakespere trolling motor. [I miss these Shakespere, Reverse, and only two speed forward- s-l-o-w, and "bit faster"].


Whittling or carving knife is what I made with the blade.
Blade was about 1" and the rest of the blade was in the handle made of hickory, held in by brass fittings ( these screwed together and flush).
Nice longer handle contoured to fit my hand.

That 1075 (?) Opinel uses is good stuff and is tempered well.
I miss that knife, as it was flat handy.
Lady made me simple leather "slip" for it.

Sharpness, I give the edge to Douk-Douk.
I miss my Douk-Douks too, and these suckers are flat work horses.

Advertising Knives, are another best bang for the buck, if you can find one.
Purina for instance used to have these in Feed-n-Seed stores , free.
Other companies and patterns were given out for free.

Now while these have become collector items, these knives had great carbon steel blades and tempered right.
If you run across a "lot" of knives, you might find these. Estate and yard sales of course.
Set the good ones back, the others make great users, and already come with patina and character.
 
The Douk Douk is a fantastic knife, especially for the money. I EDC one in my wallet. Easy to sharpen. Tough as hell. Especially positive opening for a non locking knife. A nice tapered blade that cuts like a razor. All for around $20.00

If the Opinel is the French dandy from the period films, the Douk Douk is like the Legionnaire on the frontier in Francophone Africa.
 
I haven't read past the original post, so my response may be more of the same, but IMO just about any SAK, Buck 110-119, Syderco Delica-Endura-Native all offer some of the best deals for basic, good functional knives.
 
I currently own knives from Spyderco, Emerson, and Microtech. In the past I had Cold Steel, CRKT, Timberline, Kershaw, and even Meyerco.

My EDC is more often than no a byrd Crossbill ($25 shipped a few years ago). I could carry some higher end knives, but I like the Crossbill (so much that I just ordered a G10 version).

I also have recently gotten into the Moras. I'm drawn to the idea of a quality fixed blade in an inexpensive package, but even more so the Scandinavian grind. So far, I've gotten the Mora 2000, and the #780, along with a J. Marttiini 571.

There is a difference when you pay for better knives, but some of the more economically priced ones (like the byrds and Moras) are worth the difference for a working knife.
 
I really like spyderco, benchmade, cold steel is ok, but I recently bought a CRKT (made in china no less) and its a really nice knife, good steel, nice and sharp, designed by a man not too far from where I live and actually "signed" by him and it was still a pretty good bargain. My wife bought me a Buck 110 for Valentines Day and it is a really nice knife also and a great bargain at Wally World and still made in the US of A and its actually very sharp, so it probably gets the nod for best knife for the buck award from me, but it is kind of heavy.

Which is why my Benchmade Griptillian is my EDC knife, highly recommend it.
 
I am a huge fan of spyderco, an original endura got me out of an upside down burning FJ-40 in 1996. Broke the plastic handle but I lived to tell about it and bought another as soon as I was out of the hospital. Been packing a benchmade since 1999 and I can't imagine life with out it. Its that good. IMHO
 
Moras, SAKs, and old kitchen knives from thrift stores. I bought a Solingen utility knife in a thrift store 30 years ago in college for 50 cents or a buck, and it's still in my kitchen, alongside the much more expensive Henckels knives.

If it lives up to expectation, the Cold Steel Pocket Bushman may be a winner. I like the design of the handle and lock.

Regards,
Dirty Bob
 
Buck, Timberline, and Ontario's can be had for decent prices and what you get is a decent knife....Opinel...sorry don't mean to be offensive...but I don't even consider it a knife....not really sure what to call it...but others have given it a few names...buy one and you be the judge...or just don't waste your money!.....Doc:D
 
*sniff*

Folks,
We have failed to mention the 4/$1 paring knives with the chisel edge.
We should be ashamed of ourselves <hangs head>.

These knives with handles of white, black, red, orange and pea green, are something else.

You need a knife to un-stick a desk drawer, this is your knife. You need a knife to slip the lock on a door, again this knife can handle it.

Applying caulk again this knife works, and if need , just bend it a bit to assist in getting that caulk just where it needs to be.

Sharpening is easy, you don't.

That pesky co-worker forgets a knife again for the 112th time in a row at lunch, give them that knife you applied caulk with.
They will always remember and tell others. I mean they will be so appreciative, they will never bum a knife from you again, and they will share with the new folks they bum from, about this un-expected gift from you.

I mean what else can you buy for $1 these days, much less get 4 knives for $1?

Oh these are great! And as a bonus, sometimes you can actually get a package of crackers open with one of these.


*smile*
 
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