ALL THINGS BUDGET KNIVES

I agree. TwoSun is currently the best brand for high quality knifes at the best price. But Ganzo and Sanrenmu are still the kings of the budget tier.

Eafengrow is a rebrander that’s gotten caught lying about their steel content. It’s a dubious practice that should not be rewarded.

The notable exception is that they distribute CH knives on Amazon. The CH knives sold by Eafengrow retain their CH branding and appear to have accurate steel stamps. Still, Eafenrow leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If I want a CH knife, I’ll order it on Aliexpress and wait for the shipping.

Here is the growing spreadsheet of steel tests from LuvThemKnives:

Got the ganzo FH11S in the mail this week. The value is stunning: it’s very well built. Very rigid, no assembly or finishing flaws. Sharp blade.
The flipper is a little bit on the small side, and the detent in locked position is quite tight. You need to press quite hard on the flipper to open it, but the knife always fully opens once it flips open.

I see TwoSun making kives at 4x the cost of Ganzo/Sanrenmu, while both use D2 steel. strange. I wonder how big the difference in quality of those steels is.

Most of the TwoSun knives use the higher quality Ti handles and the fit & finish is better.

Hmm. Doesn’t seem worth it to me. It seems hard to escape from the bottom-tier steel alloys without paying a fortune.
Most are AUS6, AUS8, Sandvik, D2, 8cr13MoV, 440,….

A good quality D2 steel can certainly be one of the better alloys, but you never really know what quality you’re getting. D2 knifes of 150-200USD have an edge retention that’s 2x or 3x as durable as the cheap ones.

They are using supersteels like M390 and S90V on their latest models for a very low price. I got a brand new super nice slipjoint with M390 and titanium and copper on Ebay for only $50! its only twice the price of Ganzo.

Yes, but then sharpening requires a lot more time & skill. For folks who don’t mind hitting the honing rod a few times every so often, AUS8 or 8Cr13MoV can be more pragmatic. 440C seems like a decent compromise. Very good edge retention, but also not a chore to hone.

AUS8 is by far the easiest quality stainless steel to sharpen.

Care to share a picture of that model?

Can you recommend some good 440C flippers sold on Aliexpress etc.

Its the TS123, a modern version of a classic slipjoint knife. I love the heavy feeling in the hand and its very sharp.

some Stedemon knives are advertised as 440C.

Many reviews on Youtube

Early versions on the Ganzo knives were 440C. Mostly the three Digit series, and many of the four digit ones (that started with F or G). Here’s the Ganzo list, if you see something that catches your eye, ask. The G739, G7393 are nice if you don’t mind an axial lock.

Ganzo 440C Knives.

If just 440 Steel is ok, the G723M and G619 are tough and really cheap. Check out all the G61Xs. Hard to find, but great tools.

Ganzo 440 Knives.

Thanks, that’s a nice looking knife indeed!

fair point, AUS8 is easy to sharpen

Looking to get a couple knives as last-minute Christmas presents for a few guy friends. The last minute timing pretty much means buying through Amazon.

Looking for fairly basic EDC flipping locking knives.

Max budget is $30 each knife.

Recommendations?

Here are a few really good knives for around your budget. Others will chime-in with some other great ideas, as well.

A classic among the folding knife crowds:
https://www.amazon.com/Ontario-8848-Folding-Knife-Black/dp/B0013ASG3E/ref=sr_1_6?crid=S7KKUX8P6JU0&dchild=1&keywords=ontario+rat+2&qid=1576956988&sprefix=ontario+rat%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-6

Definitely worth the extra $1.30 for your max budget of $30: Amazon.com

Good budget steel blade. G-10 handles, very nice:
https://www.amazon.com/Sanrenmu-1006-GB-Folding-14C28N-Stainless/dp/B07Z9ZRHVP/ref=sr_1_14?crid=3BTX0E7B0FI11&keywords=sanrenmu+knives&qid=1576957594&sprefix=sanrenmu%2Caps%2C202&sr=8-14

Just got this 35 cm Deba AUS-10 knife. Looks like super quality for the money, paid $35. Didn’t know it was so thick, 7 mm and 0.5 kg. Genuine tree handle, very sharp. Store support also good. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32921760697.html

That’s crazy thick, for any knife, but even more so for deba. :open_mouth: My deba knife is 1mm thick.