ALL THINGS BUDGET KNIVES

These are definitely worth it. I’m an amateur in the kitchen but I have used more expensive knives. I’ve owned Cutco knives for almost twenty years. I’ve only had the TwoSun kitchen knives for a short time but the quality seems to be excellent. As far as weight, I like the balance on the four models I’ve tried. I don’t remember which one is which, but there are differences in weight, blade thickness, handle size and shape, etc.

One thing to consider is that these use 14C28N. This steel has a fine grain structure and an excellent balance of properties. Lots of kitchen knives, including expensive ones, still use X50CrMoV15 or 440A. (Cutco supposedly uses the latter.) You should get noticeably better edge retention from 14C28N. It has better corrosion resistance than either. (Yes, 14C28N is more stainless than 440A.) It is one of the toughest stainless blade steels, just behind AEB-L and LC200N. It is also relatively easy to sharpen.

The best place to find these is stalking auctions on eBay.

After spending two hours on whetstones my Terva Skrama now has a propper convex without secondary edge and boy oh boy this thing cuts like a laser! Not sure if the 80CrV2 steel be tough enough for that edge in a large knife but I’ll know soon enough.

Last one, I swear :frowning:

You also need the santoku model!

My favorite kitchen knife is this one :

Super sharp and hold edge much better than my more expensive one with triple layer forged AUS8.

My Para3 pimp before & after:



Very nice colours, that turned out really well!

I have a RIT die job in planning too, a black micarta Kizer Yorkie is ordered that will arrive some day if fortune allows, and I will die the micarta daffodil yellow. The micarta already being dark grey I expect an ocre outcome. Will report.
(pic of the knife from the internet)

Thanks! At the moment I have only this racing red color but I’m planning to try new ones like yellow and purple. I’m curious about your result with the yellow.

Since I joined here three years ago I’ve picked up a few knives, starting with Land 9104 from Gearbest that one of you recommended. Since then I’ve added a few budget knives - the Browning from ebay and the rest from AE. No real need or reason to buy, just thought they looked good. I don’t EDC as knife laws are pretty strict in my state of Victoria, Australia, you need to have a lawful reason to carry one and as I’m sales of industrial sensors, I don’t think I qualify. Usually take one when I go bush walking but haven’t really had a need to use it.

Lined these up in order of acquisition starting with the Land. The Harnds and Sanrenmu feel and look great - quality in my noobie opinion. I woulodn’t know a good metal from bad. The Land good, Ganzo and Sanrenmu average and the Browning is a blunt POS

Land 9104 12C27
Browning X42 440C
Petrified Fish 828 D2
SANRENMU 7129 12C27
Ganzo Firebird F7551 440C
Harnds Talisman 14C28N





Any thoughts, comments on the collection? Dodgy, fake, value for money?

I got a Talisman. Noice.

What are some of the things you like about the Talisman and what knives would you say come close to it at this price point (around $40?).

Unno, just a nice solid feel, buttery smooth action, etc.

I’m not A Knife Guy™, so I’m probably not the guy you want to be taking knife advice from. :laughing:

Just like lights, the fancier (ie, pricier) ones I got, I keep home and just kinds play with them when I’m in the mood, but don’t EDC them and risk losing/scratching/dropping them. I have dedicated beaters for that (which I don’t actually beat, as I’m pretty gentle with all my tools).

Thanks. Always good to hear other experiences no matter the collecting level. I’m more of an axis lock kind of guy, but do appreciate a good liner lock. I’ve got only one flipper and it’s OK. But was thinking of adding a decent sub $50 flipper at some point. There’s a few reviews on the Talisman and generally it did well.

I’ve got that dragon, too, but it’s a bit too small for my taste, though still didn’t make up my mind if I want to try the bigger Ruike P801.

I would’ve liked the dragon only stamped in instead of that hand sanding in different directions so I acid etched it first and then decided to dress it up with customs scales.




Not perfect but I like it. The knife is still to small for my taste.

I love the Harnds Talisman. I got the older version in AUS-8 a few years back. The ergonomics are fantastic. The fit and finish are good. The action was incredible for the price. While AUS-8 isn’t amazing, it was okay for the $30-ish I paid back then.

I recently picked up the 14C28N version. The steel upgrade is nice and there are a few other minor changes. Unfortunately, one of the screws is stuck on mine and I can’t disassemble it for a more thorough inspection. I don’t know if it is thread-locker or what but it spins freely and is flat on the other side.

Definitely check out Civivi. They are arguably the best bang for the buck in this price range. Their 9Cr18Mov gets an incredible heat treatment and has noticeably better edge retention than the same steel from other manufacturers. That also goes for the Sencut knives, which are also made by WE. I got the Sencut Snap with wood scales. It is my favorite budget knife of the year so far.

A little beast review:

Review: Chinese Knives: Review With Armour Needle (WA-070BK)

Camillus # 11 Barlow around 1948 according to their catalog . Nice for $ 18 .

That’s a beauty! Something about it really speaks to me… but then, saw it’s a fixed blade. If it was a folder, I’d be on it. Nothing against fixed, as I’ve got 2 of them, but they’re too bulky to carry for EDC use. Still, this design would be super in a nice liner lock or axis lock folder.

Amazing work. Been away a while but my god man you make nice stuff!

Hoping someone can help translate this. There’s a place here in Australia selling fixed blade with the following info which means nothing to me. Comes with a handle hand carved from a camels bone.

Blade: Full Tang Damascus steel (300-500 layers, 9-13 folds. Hardness: 56-57)

It it good?

You definitely want full tang, so that's good.

I don't know Damascus steel that well to know if a hardness of 56-57 is any good.

I usually buy knives with a hardness of 57-60, but Damascus steel is something different.

(I also don't know anything about camel's bone.)

How much is the knife, and how big is it?