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Whats a good pocket knife for under $100?

Can anyone make some recommendations for a good pocket knife for general utility use around the house and at work? Ive used cheap Chinese made knives that you find for $10 and they don't last long at all so i want to spend a few bucks and get something higher quality that will last a few years and hold an edge more then a day of light use. I dont know much about knives to be honest, ive heard of brands like Spyderco, Boker, Benchmade but I dont know what brands offer the best bang for the buck or which is the best quality. Any help would be great.
 
My predeliction for knives from Spyderco notwithstanding.....





:biggrin:
I say pick a knife from Spyderco that fits the size of blade that you need. Nice knives, well built, choice of blade steel, fair price points and a $100 ceiling should give you plenty of options. :thumbup1:
 
Spyderco, Benchmade , or Kershaw have a whole bunch that fit your parameters. The rest is going to be decided by your preferences. What I would personally do though is get a Spyderco Tenacious, a Kershaw Blur, and a stone to keep them sharp. If you shop carefully you should be able to get all three items for under a $100. BTW go for plain edges as the manufacturers offer combo edges, on most models these days. They cut only marginally better but present a sharpening challenge that far outweigh their advantage.
 
I also have a SOG Twitch II, which is a very nice knife, sharp as hell, and convenient to use one handed (opens ultra-fast). But the quality, while very good, is not quite on par with Kershaw, Spyderco or Benchmade.
 
Kershaw :thumbup1:
Boker :thumbup1:
Cold Steel :thumbup1:
Spyderco :thumbup1: (note: Not a fan, but they are good knives)
Gerber:thumbup1:
Benchmade :thumbup1:
Buck :thumbup1: (a PITA to sharpen but hold an edge like no other)
Victorinox :thumbup1: (Swiss Army Knife)
Wenger: :thumbup1:
CRKT: :thumbup1::thumbup1::thumbup1: (great knives at great prices, lots of variety)
 
I prefer a traditional pocket knife such as a Case, but I know I'm in the minority around here. My son wants a Bench Made.

Tim
 
Check out Bladeforums.com.
Great place for learning about knives.
Case, Queen, Buck, Canal Street and others make great slippies. All for under a $100.
Once you get one you will want more.:biggrin:
 
Before I recommend a knife, I'd like to know what you want your knife for, do you want a serrated edge (either partial or full), how good are your sharpening skills. How big, how heavy, etc...

There's lots of good recommendations, but its hard to recommend a particular model without some more info from you.

That being said, you will have no problem getting a great EDC for $100 or less. In fact, one of the blades I think is a very good light/medium use EDC is the Kabar Dozier series - these are nicely made, light, durable knives that go for $20 - $25. I've never seen such a well made knife for the price and they get universally high praise on most of the knife forums and on youtube reviews.
 
I carry the Tinker version of the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. Nothing like having a Philips and flat head screw driver, bottle and can openers, two knives, and the toothpick and tweezers. I think you can get them for $25.

I just bought my brother a Benchmade Mini-Griptilian. He loves it. nutnfancy on youtube has a lot of good reviews of knives in your price range.
 
G

gdot

I loved my Kershaw Chive until the NYPD confiscated it... Don't let it be visible in NYC and you'll be ok. I owned many of these tiny, super sharp knives of the years (lost most of them!), and would buy another one if I were in a knife friendler town...
 

Legion

Staff member
Yep, that is a pretty valid question. I like "Old School" style knives because they tend to fit what I am using them for, Cutting fruit, opening packages, cutting string, etc.

Also, because these "old fashioned" two handed opening knives are less likely to be considered a weapon if I am ever unlucky enough to be searched by the law, which is pretty important where I live. If I am found with an old bone handled WR Case, for instance (And that is a recommendation) I might still get in trouble but probably not nearly as much trouble as if I was carrying an assisted opening knife with a locking, dagger shaped blade.

I generally don't carry my knife for defense so, when I am cutting a piece of string on a parcel, who cares how long I take.

The type of knife you want depends on what you want to do with it, but also the impression you are happy to create if others see you using it. To often modern style knives can give the "Knut with a Knife" vibe, at least to some people.
 
I LOVE knives, but as others have previously stated, choosing the right one for you depends on what you'll use it for. I carry some type of a CASE knife everyday, unless I'm in the mood for something more agressive, such as those made by Kershaw, Buck, Spyderco, or Benchmade. Check out AG Russell at www.agrussell.com -you'll find loads of info on this site as well as some beautiful custom made knives. For those of you that may enjoy a little reading material sent by snail mail, they send out a beautiful monthly catalog as well.
 
Here's a recommendation from "The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide":
Buck Stockman
Spyderco Co-Pilot
WR Case Working pocketknife
 
Get yourself a Case. They make an outstanding product that is not only useful, but is truly a work of art.
 
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