What's the cheapest knife you've ever bought brand new?

[TTv2]

For both folding and non-folding knives. How often do you use them and how have they lasted?

For me the folder would be the Opinel no. 7 and the non folder would be a Mora-Kniv. I keep the Mora-Kniv as an emergency knife, so I don't use it, but the Opinel (carbon BTW) has seen quite a bit of use as a fruit knife. Has a few spots on the blade that are discolored, but no rust.

 

[Solomonson]

Folder: a $1.00 Spyderco Delica "clone" from the local Dollar Tree. Intentionally dulled and pre-opened to help clear any potential jams during Steel Challenge matches. I haven't had to use it yet, but by golly it's standing by!

Fixed blade: Morakniv Craftline Basic 546. $6.50 about 5 years ago. A good little worker.
https://smile.amazon.com/Morakniv-C...ild=1&keywords=morakniv&qid=1612691686&sr=8-2

 

[MikeG]

My folder is a Kershaw Filter, $16 at Walmart solid and sharp, the fixed blade knife would be a Mora also.

 

[TTv2]

Actually, I think I have to change my fixed knife from the Mora to a Cold Steel FGX Boot Knife I bought on discount from Midway for $3.41. Since it's plastic I didn't think to include it, but it works fine as a letter opener. All the FGX knives do a great job of cutting the tape on boxes I get from internet shopping.

 

[Boattale]

Screwpop. They're OK but nothing special.

 

[hso]

Yep, Opis and Moras do very nicely for inexpensive knives.

 

[Speedo66]

There was a discount store in downtown Manhattan that happened to sell Mercator K55 Black Cat knives for $2, cheap even way back when.

German made and probably the first lock back I'd ever seen. Solingen steel and very thin.

Good back pocket knife as a kid in NYC, if you had to throw it away quickly, no great financial loss and easily replaced.

 

[crestoncowboy]

I ordered 4 crkt m16 a couple black Fridays ago for 13 each. Cheapest DECENT knives I have. I'm still carrying the first one. Gave 1 away and have 2 in the box

I used to buy a junk knife at the flea markets every time my folks would beat me out of bed to go. That and fresh pork rinds was how they bribed me.

 

[Hookeye]

Proly a CRKT folder for 50 bucks was my cheapest.
Looking at a Behring made for 400 my next hunting knife.
Currently run a bush knife a guy I know made, and he retired. Think it was 65 bucks, worth more than I paid.
Works but is a little big.

 

[DDDWho]

Less than $1.00 at Harbor Freight. I’ve carried the one on the bottom for years and it shows. Believe me when I say it’s done everything I’ve asked of it. The one on the top was bought when I thought I’d lost the one on the bottom.

 

[bannockburn]

A couple of Remington folding knives on clearance at Walmart come to mind as I think they were both around $9.99 each. Got the Gerber at the same time as the Remingtons , also on close-out for $9.99. I seem to recall paying a similar amount for a Western W83 hunting knife. The Western was probably the best buy among them and came with a quality leather sheath too.

 

[jmr40]

Probably a Mora for about $15. But I was in SMKW a few years ago and they had a bunch of these in blister packs priced somewhere under $20, I don't recall the exact price. I bought 4-5 of them. Kept one and gave the others as gifts. This ain't a bad knife at $40.


Kershaw CQC-6K | SMKW

 

[Hugger-4641]

I carry a $13 Kershaw Filter. They're cheap, all metal, spring assist, hold a good edge considering I use it for everything from field dressing a deer to trimming electrical wire, and they sharpen up good. But the main reason I like them is they are very easy to get out of pocket and into action with one hand. I've worn out a couple, but I keep a few new ones in reserve

 

[rust collector]

Cheapest was my first pocket knife ca 1960, that set me back $0.50. It was an inexpensive Imperial slippy with one clip blade, made of sheet metal with cracked ice vinyl over the metal. That would be equivalent to $4.40 today. Cheapest lately has been the <$7 kudu.

 

[DeepSouth]

Got one free for filling out a product survey about an air gun of all things. I’ve bought several $3-5 knifes back when service stations would have cheap ones in a bucket near the counter.

Some of those $5 knives lasted for a year or more before I lost them.


Cheapest fixed blade I ever bought was a Bear and Son skinning knife for around $80 if memory serves. It’s 10 Maybe 12 years old and still skinning, first knife I ever bought with a guy hook and I sure wish I done that years earlier.

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

Probably a Rapala 8 inch filet knife with a wooden handle and sheath a few years ago. Less than twenty bucks.
They work........

 

[TTv2]

Cheapest was my first pocket knife ca 1960, that set me back $0.50. It was an inexpensive Imperial slippy with one clip blade, made of sheet metal with cracked ice vinyl over the metal. That would be equivalent to $4.40 today. Cheapest lately has been the <$7 kudu.

How is the Kudu? I saw those when I bought the Luzon recently and thought for $7 they'd be worth getting in the future to try. Can't think of any folding knives that aren't junk for that low a price.

 

[rust collector]

The Cold Steel Kudu is not fancy, but has a large clip point blade with nail nick that requires two hands to open and close. Works fine as a folding steak knife, but is a bit large for EDC or the fine work pocket knives do. The handle is a polymer of some sort, and the back spring is a sheet metal onlay. Blade steel is low end stainless. Good value even at the usual $10.

 

[Dirtybob]

I paid $4 in 1992 for an ozark trail locking blade. Needed a cheap knife to open bags/boxes, strip wire, cut tubing, etc. and not care if it got damaged or lost.
Still using it to this day. Tried 'giving' it to the TSA once but they didn't want it lol. Thought I lost it but their nifty x-ray machine located it for me in my carry on (oops).

 

[hso]

https://www.smkw.com/victorinox-cutlery-4-red-utility-knife

$6



The kydex sheath cost more than the knife (playing with ultralight knives).

 

[Speedo66]

https://www.smkw.com/victorinox-cutlery-4-red-utility-knife

$6

View attachment 976781

The kydex sheath cost more than the knife (playing with ultralight knives).

Those are good utility kitchen knives, I've had some for over 20 years. The blades nick occasionally, but easily sharpened.

I don't bother to baby them, just throw 'em in the dishwasher. Plain edge and serrated, both good.

 

[C0untZer0]

I bought a Tac-Force 803 based on this YouTube review, saying it was a good deal:



And the reviewer was completely wrong. After about 4 minutes of me practicing (playing) with it, the thing loosened up so much it was ready to fall apart. I tightened up the screws with my torx screwdrivers, but it would loosen up after opening it a few times. I was thinking of putting Loctite on it but the fifth day I had it the spring snapped.

I now have a loosey goosey spring assisted knife with no spring that costs more to ship back than the knife itself costs.

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

Cheapest knife?..........

Just remembered that I have rescued more than my share of (mostly) kitchen knives at rummage sales. A buck apiece or..........

Take 'em home. doctor the handles if needed and put on a nice edge.

Sometimes one gets lucky! but haven't been to a sale for a couple of years. Gosh, why is that?

 

[aarondhgraham]

This a bit weird,,,
But I'll post it anyways.

I once was a regular at a restaurant bar,,,
I made friends with most of the waiter/waitress staff.

When I found out that the owner mad them park way out in the dark/dangerous/boonies,,,
I made them all key chains with a $1.00 knife attached to it.
They were Chinese made and very cheap.

But I did put a fine cutting edge to all of them

The theory was that they would walk to their cars (in the dark),,,
With the knife open on the key Fob I made for them.

Believe it or not it worked,,,
One young lady was accosted going to her car,,,
She went all Tasmanian Devil on the man who attacked her.

He was arrested later that night,,,
After he went to an emergency room,,,
To get treated for all of the knife cuts he had received.

It doesn't matter if it's a mega-buck custom blade,,,
Or a cheaply manufactured pocket knife.

It's all in how you use it.

Just like guns.

Aarond

.

 

[MutinousDoug]

Some 10+ years ago I bought 2 Buck 444s off E-bay for $20 including shipping after the lock on the one I had way before went wonky. They're good for opening packages and cutting string or lending out. They take a good edge, don't weigh anything and I still have the 2nd for a spare.
I bought an Ontario Old Hickory Skinner for $16.00 that works like a champ for butchering game after grinding an inch or so off the tip to make it more belt friendly; speaking of which, you'll need to make your own sheath.