ALL THINGS BUDGET KNIVES

I like the EL-01 a lot! :wink:
A classic design for an inexpensive hard use folder. Good looking and plenty of choice in colour.

Throw in a washer and pivot screw swap, Lazy Lizard Gear .

And you have a knife that will last well and outperform a lot of knives that cost many times the price.

Yes, the el01 is one of the best and for a good price cheaper than most of ganzos. I do not know why other brands do not copy the el01 in the way of flipper, thick liner, or the incredible fat tip. The long of the blade, longer than normal is a plus for me too. It is hard to get a big folder with flipper, i think i only have the inron my803 being big and with flipper, and the el01 of course.

One to avoid for so many reasons. :bigsmile:
Authentic Christeeve Stainless Steel Folding Knife w/ Lanyard

Or Sebenza - the brown box model.

For a few Dollars more you can get a much better clone or for a few dollars less an honest SanRenMu or Enlan.

It needs a metal bolster. G10 scales may support the pivot well, but wood, at least wood that floats in water, does not.

No need for bolsters, there is a 2.5mm thick liner below the scales on each side, same on the wood and G10. More than enough to hold the blade securely.

I don’t think strong materials justify a weak design. The liners are much closer together than bolsters would be and therefore see more force for a given amount of torque between the blade and handle. Also, isn’t the liner cut on one side for the locking?

Yes it is, the liners are skeletonised for lightness as well and lose nothing in strength for that.

I don’t use mine anywhere near as hard as that so I think they’ll be fine.

Even with bolsters they attach to the liners at some point so the force just gets transferred to the weakest point.

I think I may have seen knives with the bolster and liner the same piece, I don’t remember where. That would be expensive, because stainless is hard to machine.

I only have a few knives with bolsters but the Y-Start caught my eye after seeing it on isti’s blog I had to have one.


I got the G10 and Micarta one, the stonewashed blade swung it. The satin steel and polished blade look well with the Micarta. As far as I can tell the Y-Start is an entirely Chinese designed knife but there can only be so many combinations of blade shape and handle design, I like it a lot anyway.


The Vallotton has the small piece of Micarta fitted into the bolster so the bolster is actually longer than it looks.


The Hungarian would be a strong design with the pivot and securing screw close together, it’s a lovely knife all round and probably the best made clone that I have, not expensive either, around $20.

Set on this one because of its light weight and ceramic blade : https://www.fasttech.com/products/1901/10006945/1556900-tekut-lk5070-spike-zirconium-oxide-cerami all together i have about 10 budget knife s I ve given away 4 or 5

I have seen some slip joints with the bolsters silver soldered to the liners, it used to be a popular way of producing knives before the bean counters got involved. A good product but more labour intensive to produce.

Set on this one because of its light weight and ceramic blade : https://www.fasttech.com/products/1901/10006945/1556900-tekut-lk5070-spike-zirconium-oxide-cerami all together i have about 10 budget knife s I ve given away 4 or 5

Here’s the latest line-up:


These are the three that are on-person, all the time. The rest usually travel in a bag.

I bought a number of these, used, but in great shape. There’s no way I could have afforded to pay full retail on them. I’m really glad to have gotten my hands on them :slight_smile:

As long as you follow a few rules it should last you well.
Don’t try cutting anything that you think might chip the blade.
Twisting the blade will probably break it.
The tip is very delicate.
Obviously if you drop the knife with the blade open something will give, blade tip usually.
Now the good stuff.
It should arrive extremely sharp and it should stay that way for a long time, good thing as they are very difficult to sharpen.
As long as you are careful with it the blade should last for years without any maintenance.

I have a few ceramic blades, some for kitchen use and some general cutting.

The top one is a Zayka and the bottom one a BlackDog. Pretty much the same knife as the Boker Plus Anti-MC but less than a third of the price. They were in stock at one retailer in the U.K. lasted two days and never seen again. The tip on the black one lasted about ten minutes, I didn’t even know it had gone. but as I don’t intend piercing anything with it that’s O.K.
Both of these excel at push cutting 550 Paracord and have lasted 4+ years, mostly because I don’t use them a lot.

Post some photos of your other knives, it’s always good to see pics.

Thought I'd post a fixed blade that just entered my collection. "Budget" knife designation because this is an heirloom for my (now 3 years old) Grandson. Priceless?

"Gambler's Hideaway Bowie" forged and made this year by John Doyle of Michigan.

Photo moved or deleted?

Enlan Bee L04GN
Does anyone have experience with the knife?

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Pocket-Knife-Genuine-ENLAN-BEE-L04GN-Tactical-knife-utility-folding-knife-57HRC-8Cr13-blade-outdoor-survival/1524326_32332686551.html

Beside the poor flipping action it’s ok. Here is my review.

thank you isti

There are better enlans than that l04, i read it has some design problems like the open action.