ALL THINGS BUDGET KNIVES

I bought one (M16-14FK), 1 of 500, on Ebay two years ago. Used but in new condition (I collect CRKTs - 200+ so far - this knife is absolutely mint), paid $46 + $4 shipping. Don’t recall seeing another one since then.

Great thanks that is a big help Jeff.

I'm glad to hear it. There is whole world of EDC excitement waiting for you. Not only are there much better manual flippers, there are much better budget steels. (Those GoCommas are not real D2. The most popular one here turned out to be a rebranded Petrified Fish in 8Cr.) I'm sure we could come up with a bunch of recommendations.

Why not splurge on one of the Civivi knives in 9Cr18Mov? For instance, the Baklash is a fantastic EDC knife with good action and a better budget steel. From Civivi or Real Steel, 9Cr18Mov is a noticeable step up from 8Cr13Mov and will cut circles around the lesser members of that series. I honestly prefer it to D2. If you want real D2 though, try one of the entry-level Bestechs like the Texel. In my experience, Bestech offers some of the best manual action for the money.

If you like shopping on AliExpress, the Harnds Talisman has a wonderful action, a comfortable handle, and a nice blade. It's only AUS-8 but in my experience, it's a little better than your average 8Cr13Mov. I'm sure there are other gems that people here can recommend.

Sorry, but as I keep on saying on BLF, I'm done buying manual flippers.

I bought four and only one opened like I wanted it to.

I'm very happy with assisted-openers.

Most of them that I buy I actually like.

Isn’t 440C, AUS-8 and 9CR18MOV practical same? 154CM is a newer modified version of 440C and should be some better. And 14C28N is much better than 9CR18MOV. If you can take care of the knife, it takes minimal of effort, D2 is still the budget king.

I hear you. I’m just saying. That’s kind of like a friend telling you they don’t like wine because they tried Thunderbird, Night Train, and Wild Irish Rose; or they don’t like comedies because they watched Disaster Movie, Scary Movie 5, and Leonard Part 6.

Well, maybe it’s not that extreme. :stuck_out_tongue: It’s just that the joy of a good manual flipper is totally worth experiencing. It’s something that brings me happiness on a regular basis. I’d hate to see you give up before experiencing it for yourself.

No. Here are the compositions of 440C, AUS-8, and 9Cr18Mov compared:

http://zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=AUS-8%2C440C%2C9Cr18MoV&ni=4005,420,860&hrn=1&gm=0

Some of these differences are pretty straightforward, such as higher chromium levels giving 9Cr18Mov better corrosion resistance than AUS-8. However, there are other factors that affect the performance of a given steel. A big one is the heat treatment given to a particular steel. For instance, 440C can be pretty good with the right heat treatment but when run softer, edge retention can drop down to 8Cr13Mov levels.

The same is true of 9Cr18Mov. I had previously written off 9Cr18Mov as just being like 8Cr13Mov with better corrosion resistance because I'd only tried it from Schrade, CRKT, etc. Then I tried a Civivi and had my mind blown. Edge retention seemed on par with 14C28N. Now it's one of my favorite EDC steels.

Chinese D2 is another one that can vary from maker to maker. Generally, it's a good alternative to 8Cr13Mov. However, is it really better than 9Cr18Mov, 12C27, or 14C28N? (Its low corrosion resistance is a strike for me because summers are humid where I live and I tend to sweat.) Outpost 76 has explored this issue on YouTube. He does a lot of controlled cut testing and is a great resource for comparing knives and steels between manufacturers.

Guys, there are several knives I like from the Kubey catalog. This one that I present to you is the Kubey KU184. Here is the REVIEW.

Review: Kubey Ku184

Or saying you decided you don’t like beer because you already tried bud, coors, keystone and miller. :open_mouth:
My entire collection is manual flippers ( centered around flawless flipping action and light weight carry)
The kershaw atmos is still the best action/value flipper i have. Front flippers also have a cleaner look and no tab sticking out, well designed they are even more comfortable to open than flipper tab.
Most of my collection is We/civivi/reate
Assisted opening is usually pretty awkward to close one handed, unlike manual.

There definitely is an entry price for getting a decent manual flipper. Below $40, most will be garbage with some exceptions such as the Kershaw Atmos, Ruike P801, and a few others. The higher the price, the more likely the flipper is decent. As long as one does their homework and sticks with well-known brands known for their flipper (ie Zero Tolerance), the knife usually will not disappoint. Even with higher priced models, getting it from a source with good returns will ensure the option of swapping an example out in case there’s a dud. For anyone looking to get into (or back into) manual flippers, it definitely is worth trying ZTs in person at a dealer.

Why do you guys want to teach and convert someone to something that he clearly stated he doesn’t want or need?
Maybe there’s a reason he decided so, maybe he’s just stubborn, why do you care?

Not my problem, granted, but I’m a bit tired of the same thing when I ask for an opinion about a specific point and people try to tell that I was wrong at the beginning.
Kinda boring.

This is a forum, where topics are discussed and opinions are shared. I won’t speak for other commenters, but my input was not directed at anyone nor intended to “convert” them to any preference in knives. It was simply my observations that are hopefully useful to the next person who is browsing and may find the information to be of some value. Encouragement to keep an open mind has allowed me to enjoy many flashlights and knives alike, even on genres and form factors that I previously thought were not for me. If the information is not applicable to me, I simply click the back button and move on to the next topic.

Remember opinions are like anuses: everyone has one, some stink more than others. :smiley:

Hahaha…I hear you Adahn!!! :wink:

Like I said, it’s kind of like a friend telling you they don’t like wine because they tried Thunderbird, Night Train, and Wild Irish Rose; or they don’t like comedies because they watched Disaster Movie, Scary Movie 5, and Leonard Part 6; or what jp9mm added about beer. In all of those cases, there is a whole world of goodness just waiting to be enjoyed. Knowing that joy firsthand, you want to share it. Seeing someone walk away without experiencing it, concluding that they know enough to dismiss it because they tried some pretty poor examples, is a tragedy.

That used to be more of an issue than it is today. There really has been a revolution in budget knives over the last few years. The list of consistently good actions below $40 has grown significantly. However, there can be other issues under $40. For instance, the Atmos has good action but 8Cr13Mov feels pretty subpar over $30. The Petrified Fish knives have good actions and nicely ground D2 blades but some of the G10 scale edges benefited from a little sanding/filing. (Speaking of that revolution, remember when G10 was a premium material?) Still, the list is growing. My pick for best action under $40 remains the Harnds Talisman.

Good actions do get more common over $40 but it's a short trip to quality town. There are a bunch of great manual flippers in the $40-60 range. Some, including examples from Civivi and Bestech, have actions on par with knives that cost twice as much (or more). For anyone who likes D2, some of the $52 Bestechs are truly exceptional and get even better with continued use.

Just bought more of these. Early prime day sale less 20%, free shipping not on amazon though, on their website.

Help a confused knife newbie out….

Is aus-8 ok for a occasionally used edc, or is d2 needed…? Have read aus8 can lose its edge just by being in the air, and d2 rusts, confused.
Not worried about putting a nice edge on aus 8, is d2 much harder to sharpen…?

AUS-8 would be perfectly fine for a moderately used EDC, but D2 has about twice the edge retention.

A lot of people recommend diamond stones for sharpening D2, which isn’t needed for AUS-8. If you plan to perform sharpening/stropping regularly and don’t plan to use it hardcore, AUS-8 is perfectly acceptable.

In my experience, if you keep D2 dry, you shouldn’t have any problems with rust. Just don’t store it wet.

Are you looking at a Rat 1 or 2?

AUS-8 is a decent ‘Gen. 1’ stainless steel which has been surpassed over time, much like ATS-34 and 154CM. Not bad to have, but those have been bettered through science.

Knowing what the knife will be taxed with, will help you decide what steel to seek out.

I have a lot of pimpy knives, such as a signed Pat Crawford Combat Tanto, Boker Lever Lock automatics, a Benchmade AFO auto, a Randall #1, just to name a few and to be honest, for the past 7 years, I’ve carried a Victorinox SwissChamp in a Zermatt leather holster and the lowly 420/440 is fine for what I need it to do.

I do a lot of ‘handyman’ crap and it’s a great tool IMO. Before that, it was a Leatherman SuperTool v.1 for a dozen years.

Chris

Thanks, its aus8 from Bladeops

Aus-8 is about the same level as 8cr13MoV or 440C in most terms.
It’s a lot about the heat treatment but imo even more about the blade shape.

Swiss army knives have a low value steel but a slim blade, so it’s all fine. Sharp when in need, easy to sharpen when needed.
I have a slim bladed knife in 8Cr13MoV that I wanted to gift (it has a bottle opener, perfect for a beer buddy) but now I use it myself.

A big chunk of steel like those 4mm blade stocks that were popular for a while, with a fat blade behind the cutting edge (often .8mm and more)
need a high sharpness at the cutting edge itself. A thin blade will glide through the material much better and won’t need this extreme sharpness.