What's the best budget-friendly everyday carry pocketknife (under $60)? 

Your entry monologue is exactly why I started following you Nick. It’s rare to find ethics in this world. 💎

I love that Nick is encouraging supporting small businesses!

I’ve carried a Kershaw leek for the last three years, still my favorite edc. Is slim, sturdy, sharp, and easily re-sharpenable, the straight blade is perfect for slicing and draw cuts, and the spring assist makes it swift. If you treat it right it treats you right, don’t pry with it etc, oil it every once and a while to keep the action good, and they cost 40-50 dollars. I still have my first though, cause despite my having abused it, (I’ve used it as a hammer lol) it’s still running just fine. Not only all of that but if just feels nice with an almost all metal construction, (it’s got a plastic spacer along the spine where the blade rests) I absolutely recommend it.

Your consistent commitment to integrity is awesome. Love that you can make fun of yourself at the same time as you give critical reviews. I got lucky with my RAT1 at Walmart for $7 when they were on clearance

Budget Knives I've been most impressed with: - High End Feeling : Ruike P801 - OTF : Atomic Defender - Auto : Boker Kalashnikov - EDC : Civivi Elementum - Ergos : CJRB Feldspar - Tool Knife : Cold Steel Pro-Lite

I can definitely recommend the Kabar Dozier which is $20.

I LOVE Dylan Mallery. He is VERY interactive with his customers. Even shows progress and asks feedback with his fan base. He's not only a good guy but it shows he cares about his designs and fans. ❤️🍻

From your past videos... Ontario Rat 1 & 2. I'm very happy with them! Highly recommend.

CJRB Feldspar. D2 and under 40 dollars. Good ergos, good production values. I'm not a fan of Chinese made products but this is as good as a "budget friendly " knife can get imho. Their Gobi, Centros, or Kicker would also fit the bill. CJRB killing it right now with the budget niche. After that the Kershaw Concierge is an excellent choice.

love my Byrd Crow 2 and Raven 2 but I always carry a Victorinox Tinker in my other pocket.

Have the QSP PENGUIN and love it. Broken in it has amazing action. Waiting for my honey badger to arrive.

The Tenacious is what got me into knives....kinda wish I'd never bought it lol$$$

I own a number of the featured knives and my choice , hands down is the CJRB Centros. It's got a good action , nice style , perfect size and a great price . Both the Feldspar and the Rat 1 in D2 run a close second . One I missed seeing in the group was the Civivi Asticus .

The CJRB large Feldspar has kicked almost every other knife out of my EDC rotation. Handsome, great ergos, easy to carry.

im pretty fond of my brass framed hillbilly boat anchor... AKA the Buck 110, or 112 where 3" or less is needed. easy to sharpen, tough and holds a fair edge. if not BladeHQ does a CRJB Feldspar in D2 and excellent green Micarta handles for $57, they also do the centros in the same configuration as well.

Thank you Nick. Some great gift ideas in budget range. Great idea for a video. I carry one of two folding knives. And have a sheath knife for "off road". CRKT Ruger Windage with the Zeff serrations, which I know a lot of people don't like partially serrated knives, I do plenty of work with paracord, vines and similar and the serrations work well. The aluminum frame adds enough heft and I find the handle very comfortable. Flip open on ball bearings. Easy to care for, disassemble, clean, oil. The other is a Buck Rival II which is just a basic small pocket knife. Yes, the thumb stud is partly in the way of blade use which you have pointed out as a negative in other reviews, but a solid easily sharpened holds sharp well enough cheap knife that is riveted rather than screwed together, which does negate disassembly another Nick no-no. I also have a 35 year Old Time Schrade Trail Boss sheath knife for "off road", batoning, using ferrocerium fire starters and other abuse. I've used that knife working in a tire factory cutting scrap tires and curing bladders. The blade didn't chip, didn't flex or bend and required less sharpening than the knives the company gave us. The sheath is still in good condition. It was made in USA. They don't make this one anymore. Yes, I'd love to own a knife that doesn't require as much sharpening, flips open with almost no effort, is as thin as a steak knife with the strength of titanium, but I'm a budget kind of guy.

For something really cheap ($15-20), I really like my Kershaw shuffle 2. Perhaps a bit small for some, but it's lightweight, comfortable to hold if it fits your hand, and the tanto-style blade, while very short, is pretty good for any normal cutting/scraping you need to do. The bottle opener + flathead screwdriver on the end are also pretty handy.

For about $30, I'm really impressed with the Ontario utilitac 2 tanto.

The QSP Penguin. It’s a great knife! Micarta scales, Warncliffe blade, D2 steel and it’s a liner lock, I believe on bearings. $30.

Great content as always. Thank you. I love my Elementum and Praxis. Id love the fracture more if it locked. The QSP Penguin has been a much better knife than I expected for the price if plain in design. Kershaw and CRKT have many knives under $60. I really appreciate that i could show your videos to non knives people and they could understand them.

So, Nick, why DIDN'T you cover the Krinklefleep 867-5309? I picked it up on Ebay last week and it's just *amazing*! I had it's number, I was gonna make it mine.

Glad I found this video since I'm starting to look through budget knives as gifts

Thanks for these. There were a few that I really loved. I edc a big, expensive spyderco and have been looking for something smaller and less scary.

I absolutely LOVE my CJRB Feldspar (large). It's super well made and the bearing action is insanely good for the price. Under $50, it just doesn't get much better.

The P801 is really great and Ruike customer service is helpful. Sent my boy 2 free replacement clips when he snapped one off. After 2 years the knife works like new.

That Z-Hunter Moment at the end... you just made my day! Much love from Switzerland!

I'm a huge fan of the Steel Will Cutjack. Light, strong and comes super sharp. I love the action and has good D2 steel for around $40.

Spyderco UKPK.. Great slip joint EDC knife in a great steel. And perfectly UK legal!

Kizer mini Begliter, you're getting 154cm steel. Stonewashed blade, runs on double bronze washers with a teflon washer added in so that's 3 per side. Odd setup but the action is great on mine. It's closer to the limit at 55 bucks last I checked. I think it's worth it tho.

What a great budget list, nicely done.

Z-Hunter will not be ignored!

My vote goes to the Rat (1 or 2, based on user preference/need) and the Kershaw Skyline if one prefers a US-made knife.

Krenshaw stainless steel liner lock Leek. Very pocketable, slim, strong lock, reasonably long-lasting edge and rapid one-handed deployment. Add a great fan base with a ready selection of customizations super reasonably priced. works great at opening boxes, cutting rope as well as peeling fruit.

Cold steel tuff lite, carry it everyday as my work knife

I think the QSP Penguin meets all of your requirements! Very nice bargain knives

I use a Buck 366 Rival......440HC but I like the design and the price point is nice.........if I break it I won't cry. The 110 is something everyone should have but I am not hunting deer in the city and the Rival is much lighter with a clip and it comes in three sizes. I can cut up my boxes at my store and not freak out people and it sharpens ez mode. Also until China cleans up its act I won't buy any knife from there but the Byrd knives which are Spyderco's budget knives are nice

Bought an elementum the other day, when it shows up ill see how it goes

Great review! I love bouncing around budget knife options especially with unique locks or blades and this gave me some more ideas to give a try. Thanks!

Best one is the QSP PENGUIN $25 bucks

The edge you put on your pilar is beautiful, I want that for mine.

I have had a byrd raven 2 and would recommend that in a second

Not exactly "budget focused" but the Benchmade Bugout 2 is hands down the best EDC knife I've ever owned. Beside it's razor sharpness and top blade steel quality, what stands out is it's weight; or lack of. It is so lightweight that you absolutely forget you're carrying it-even in uberlight summer shorts-until you need it. Then, you have one of the best blades you'll ever use. An old man once gave me a golden piece of advice. It goes like this: "It only costs a little more to go first class". In other words, when you buy a product-any product-the cost is soon forgotten. What you're left with is the quality of the product. Instead of buying a subpar product, wishing you had spent more, then eventually spending more for what you wanted in the first place, go ahead and buy the best in the beginning.

My three best in that price range are the Cold Steel Prolite @$22, the Tenacious Lightweight @$45 and the Benchmade Mini Pika @$40.

I would definitely recommend boker automatics, which most of them come in under 50 bucks and perform amazingly

Great video I would have changed the Spyderco option to the new k390 options. Furthermore thank you Nick for informing new people to the community and continuously pushing people to form their own opinions.

I always loved the tenacious but hated the steel. I can’t wait until the s35vn version

A lot of great budget knives. As of late, I have been carrying stuff that is light weight. KABAR Dozier, Buck Rival, 110 and 112 LT, Kershaw Skyline and Dividend, Cold Steel Finn Wolf, Victorinox small tinker, and Evo Grip series. I carry a Mora Eldris in my jacket or coat.

Victorinox Cadet. It was my gateway into knives and multitools.

Great Vid Nick! I have 2 Kershaw recommendations. The first is the Copper Natrix XL. It has a 2.75 inch D2 steel blade, has a snappy ball bearing action, has copper scales, and a subframe lock. It's got good ergos even for my giant bear paw hands and can be had at or a little under 60$. The second is the Kershaw Cryo, a Hinderer design. It has an assisted opening 2.75 inch 8Cr13MoV blade. It has stainless steel handle that has great egos, and as you pointed out in your video, is even better if you remove the weird thumb stud! It comes in at 35$ The Tenacious is a great knife, It's build quality at the price is amazing.

Tenacious is perfection. I just wished it was stainless, and now they're coming out with S35VN.

I am old enough to be your dad. I own 7 of these models. With the Buck 110, I own at least 6 with dedicated sheaths. I don't carry any of them as an EDC. I wear running shorts every day. When I leave the house, I go by the "in basket" that contains Kershaw 3615 knives because they are lightweight. Faster opening than any of the listed knives. If I am lazy, there is always one there to pick up and slip in a pocket. Those 3615s cost me under $25 each delivered. Lose one? No fretting. Modification - removed pocket clip as they are slipped into a running shorts pocket. One time, traveled through Africa, east Asia, north Asia. That is when I carry a Buck 110. Every windbreaker/coat/jacket has a dedicated folder and sometimes a Leatherman tool. Ditto to the brief cases and the suitcases.

My current favorite is the Kizer Mini Begleiter. It is small, but a fantastic knife for the money.

I don't know what is considered "budget", but in my opinion, the best value knife for the money, is the the Para 3 Lightweight.

I got a Crkt in natural g10 recently and I love this thing. It’s my smallest knife but very comfortable and is probably gonna be my new edc

I got a Civivi Elementum recently because of your review, and it might be my favorite knife that I own. A title that once belonged to the House Of Blades edition Kershaw Dividend, until I FECKING LOST IT.

I know their a couple bucks more, but I recently purchased both the SOG Terminus XR in D2 $55.00, and the Spyderco Chaparral in xhp $90.00. I really like both.

I own most of these, I love the Civivi's and CJRB's, but I keep going back to the RAT's. I give knives as gifts to damn near everyone I know and the RAT 2 is the one one I've given the most to family and friends.

The ganzo fh71 is the only knife I've had under 100ish dollars that truly impresses me. And while ganzo may not have the best history design stealing, this one isn't a copy of anything that im aware of The d2 holds its edge, and the flipper action is honestly better than my zt 0452.

The Buck 251+ is a nice knife with a 4 inch blade, tip up carry, and a slim nice design.

The Zhunter at the end. Best guest appearance ever.

I have several of these and I still enjoy them. I would also add the Kershaw Link or Dividend to the mix.

The CRKT Pilar is outstanding... Great content here... Cheers.

my collection is limited which I hope to change but my latest add is a Civivi Elementum, it is ideal for my preferred knife size. I had to add a touch of oil to be able to get a smooth flipper but it is now so deeply satisfying. The micarta scales look and feel amazing. I cannot wait to try more of these knives and am amazed by what people can now get for ~$50 price points.

CJRB Ria is quickly becoming one of my favorites for EDC. And the fidget factor of it is addicting. It flies open with no effort, and it's not assisted. If a person is right handed and doesn't have really large hands, it's definitely one to consider.

Just got a spyderco Astute and it feels much better made than my tenacious. Its my new favorite budget knife. Fits my hand perfect but still 8cr13mov.

The Vector is super underrated. I love mine.

Another great thing about opinels is that you can get the cabone versions absolutly hair curling sharp

It's hard to beat the Opinels for value for money. It's a knife that's made to be used. The design is simple and classic. The range of sizes means that you can find one that is comfortable for your hand size. The blade has a convex grind with a very small secondary bevel, so it's sharp and strong. Both the carbon steel and stainless steel variants use familiar steels that are easy to sharpen. The simple rotary lock is absolutely firm. It's also a true pocket knife: my no.9 weighs just 60g / 2.12oz.

Remember when the Benchmade mini Pika II was in production and $30? I loved mine back in the day.

Spend an extra $20 & get a crkt homefront. You wont be disappointed. I got the homefront tactical for $80 after tax on amazon. Its amazing.

Kershaw Dividend or Ontario Rat 2

Great and much needed video. Thank you, Nick.

My brother has a Rat 2. As a “super” budget knife, it’s great. Love the build and action. That’s what set it apart from my Delica 4. The pull out blade somehow detracted from the feel, although as a knife it’s plenty solid for the thickest boxes. Recently upgraded to Civivi Mckenna and I love it. It’s great. The action is great, it’s tiny and sliced. I haven’t been able to put it down since.

Currently my choice would be the QSP Penguin 👌

Hmm. No Victorinox?

I own the praxis, the p801 and the Kershaw Atmos. All are fantastic and very different in their own ways.

Most often carry a Kershaw Blur or MIJ Black Gulch. But I've been loving my little Rough Rider Hawkbill. All 3 perform so well for me.

For people who want something modern and competitive made in the USA, the Kershaw Bareknuckle can usually be had under $60. I think Kershaw may have done something ugly to earn Nick's non-attention, but I don't know what it is, and the knife is solid.

For people who really aren't knife people and don't need something that can survive the apocalypse, I'd always recommend an Opinel. They're dirt cheap and have two-handed opening, a locking method that inspires trust, a non-threatening look, are very slicey and are easy to sharpen.

I'm in love with my Civivi Mckenna. Not sure its under 60 $ in the USA...

There are so many great budget knives out there to choose from Nick your table isn’t big enough to hold them all but the Z hunter is King 👑 long live the king!!!

You nailed it. I can say I only bought one clone just because I wasn't sure if I would like the original because of shape and size and I didn't want to waste what's a good amount of money to me. I wasn't fond of the clone so I knew not to buy the brand name. I'd say the knife I don't like but the villages would chase me with torches.........

For people who like the Opinel but wish it had a liner lock, and was more flat try the MAM knives. They also offer them in friction styles. I have been carrying one for a while and no issues.

The ruike p801 and tangram vector are the ones I have given to friends and they have really liked them.

Love my spyderco resilience and Kershaw Emerson cqcxl for beaters, obviously I prefer bigger blades for my edc. Favorite edc is the zt 804cf, had 3 of them, never should have let them go.

I know it’s cheating and probably just price dropped conveniently for the video but I like Kershaws budget USA made stuff, Link, Dividend, and right now Knifecenter has the knockout for under 60! Ruike and CJRB have some very compelling options.

Another option for the Pilar is the Pilar large which is a fantastic knife if your looking for something bigger. It also has a flipper tab if that’s a pos/neg to you.

Picked up a centros and ria because of this video.

Large, Civivi Backlash. Medium, Bestech Texel. Small, Spyderco Cat. Can't complain with your list.

I nominate the QSP Penguin for this list. Action once broken in rivals a pb Shiro, super sharp out of box, good materials, and less than $35 (you can get them on Drop for less than $25, and BHQ had them on sale a few months ago for close to $20)

My budget folders are Steel Will Cutjack (D2, utilitarian blade shape, flipper tab) and Kershaw Atmos (mediocre steel, but great action and iconic design).

Its not going to be for everyone, but if you don't mind a larger knife, I carry my CRKT Folding Razel more than pretty much anything except maybe my Rat 2. I've gotten a good amount of utility from the flat end of the blade using it to scrape and even to flatten sheetrock when fitting a door. It's a beefy and heavy one though

I would love to see in in depth comparison video between the pillar and the busker! Could be a great way to show how a similar looking knife can be made in a vastly different way :D

As an option to the Opinel, I'd suggest an Antonini Old Bear. The locking mechanism is easier to work one handed, it's easier to add a thumbstud (no filing needed), the handle is less rounded and for me a little more ergonomical, and the brass is a little bit classier in my opinion. I wear it with dress pants. The other knife I'd consider is the QSP Penguin. D2 steel, denim micarta, brass & teflon washers, and a sheepsfoot/wharncliffe blade that is very utilitarian. These are the two knives I carry when I'm not carry multitools with a small utility blade. At work I also carry a 6" pry tool in my Leatherman sheath. Basically, I EDC a number of tools to prevent abusing my knives budget or not.

The Ruike P-801sf is such an amazing blade for the money. Actually I have several Ruikes and they're all special in their own way. Ultra-X is another new one that has been impressive.🙏🍻

Some of my military buddies who are still on active duty would appreciate a "best of EDC fixed blades" video. Just a suggestion. Many soldiers carry fixed blades as they are usually allowed or overlooked on base and useful in the field. My pick would be the ESEE Izula as you can get it usually under $100. Dunno the current sale price but anyways.

I like traditional knives the most, the Buck 110 is a classic and is made to be carriied everyday but it is too large and heavy for your pocket, so I carry a BUCK 55 instead.

yes i love the tangram vector

My favorite budget edc carry is the Buck 0722 Spitfire. It’s like $40 on Amazon. It’s a very lightweight, sleek, and (to me) a beautiful knife. I think you should review it since you enjoy thin, lightweight knives.

The stainless steel opinels with the synthetic handles are great for a kitchen knife.