Hey everyone, David C. Andersen here coming at
you from the KnifeCenter. And today, we're taking a look at some of the best values and
folding knives that you can get for under $100. Let's check them out. (KnifeCenter.com) So when we talk about some of these things as
having the best value, we don't necessarily mean like the best cheapest knives or the best least
expensive knives out there. But these are things that even amongst the kind of the competition in
their price ranges have just a little something extra that makes them more makes them a little
more special, could be the construction, the fit and finish the materials, any number of things,
but they've got to have something that elevates them from their peers. In a way This video was
kind of inspired by this particular knife, the Kershaw BareKnuckle, which comes in about 77
bucks, it's made in America, but it feels like a knife that should cost a lot more than that $77
price point. This is a knife that really earns its place here by feeling that much better put
together than some of the other things out there. It's really nicely done. The blade itself
is about three and a half inches, you've got Sandvik, 14, c 28, and steel, nice stonewashed
finish, but there's some blackwash finishes and different handle colors available. And speaking
of that handle, it is aluminum has a real nice snaky look. And on the back there, we've got
Kershaw's subframe lock, which is a patent owned by Kai, the parent company of ZT and Kershaw.
But this knife is built kinda the same, the same exacting standards as the higher end Zero
Tolerance knives, it's built in the same building. In fact, one of the cool things about
that subframe lock is you get to have the the material from the front side of the knife shown
here on the back as well, you don't need a solid piece of metal for the lock bar, you just get
that full sized lock bar that you would normally get on a frame lock anchored to that cool
aluminum in this case, but this is a knife that you can really feel the quality as soon as you
pick it up. And as soon as you flick it open to rides on kvt ball bearings. This is not an
assisted opening knife like some of Kershaw's us stuff. It just feels like a lot more than 77
bucks. On top of that, too. You've just got a great usable profile. It's an excellent EDC
blade shape, plenty of length, nice, fine tip, nice, fine edge on that steel as well. hard to
go wrong. Now the Cold Steel code for is another knife that feels more premium than it should and
this guy comes in at about 90 bucks right now. Similarly, we have aluminum here as well,
although it's the same on both sides, you don't have a lock bar because instead we've got cold
Steel's triad lock, one of the strongest locks on the market. And nice and ambidextrous as
well. Blade here we've got some really nice materials and in a way this thing pulls double
duty, it's got that nicer feel that nicer, higher end type of feel to it. In addition to
some higher end blade steel, we've got s 35 v n, three and a half inches of it. It's got a really
nice grind on it a few different blade shapes too, you can get a tanto and a drop point as
well. Got some really nice finishing on the blade as well with contrast and grind lines
horizontal on the flats where the hollow grinds get a vertical grain going. So it's just a nice
feeling touch and it's a nice feeling knife as well. It's very slim, it's going to hold very
nicely in the pocket. And it just has that fancier feel in a still hard working package. Or
the next set of knives I'm going to I'm going to go through are also put together really well.
But the thing that these guys have going for them that really sets them apart is the action.
A lot of good good actions can be found under $100 these days, but these are ones that stand
out to me as I've handled a bunch of knives over the years. And the first is you can kind of say
this about most of Kaiser's Vanguard series. But the vanguard versions of the Kizer Gemini, Ray
Laconoco design have really impressed me price on this particular one is 75 bucks, you've got
N690 steel, just over three inches, awesome drop point shape, with the full flat grind and thin
enough blade steel, it's gonna be a great slicer and the handles a nice linen micarta here looks
really good, nice and sleek, nice in the pocket. But when it comes to the action, there's just
something fan tastic about the way they do these knives. It's got ball bearings in the pivot, the
detent is crisp without being difficult to open. It snaps open super fast, but it feels super
strong in the open position as well. And especially on a knife like the Gemini really
really fantastic design that is a really good standout for EDC uses with that awesome action
on top. It's just, it's just really nice. Next up is the CJRB Ria, which there's a range of
these prices on them start a little over $30 for the least expensive versions, or you can jump up
and get this KnifeCenter exclusive version, this particular one coming with marbled carbon fiber
handles, and a powder metallurgy blade. This is an AR RPM9 steel and this guy comes in about 75
bucks. So broad range of prices down from the lesser expensive versions with some cheaper
steel and G 10. Up to the fancier even more gentlemanly versions, all of them are going to
be a really nice value because on these guys to thumb stud action with ball bearings in the
pivot, but this is one of those that has a pop like very little else when it comes to thumb
stud action knives especially it's got an almost assisted quality to the way it flies open.
You've also got kind of these cool modern materials and modern action on very classic
looking pattern here It almost looks like a slip joint. But of course you got that nice liner
lock to out to hold things secure as well. handles are contoured on these models, so they
have a really nice feel in the hand. Even though it's not a hand filling grip, you do feel like
you have a lot of control over it. And nice milled titanium pocket clip here to round things
out. Next up is another Kershaw model. And that is
from their launch series. This is the launch eight, but any of the launch series is going to
have this in common. When it comes to again, we're talking about action here. With these
knives, we've got one of the most noteworthy side opening automatic actions in the business,
I wouldn't say it's the best, I think there are some some ones that are better out there. But
nothing that can approach the the action you get on these, especially at the price. This guy
comes in just under 100 bucks. There are several launch models that come in under that $100 Mark,
and they all have just that fantastic action. In addition to that we've got good materials.
Again, this is a US made Kershaw. We've got aluminum handles. This particular one has a
carbon fiber inlay on the front, and CPM 154 blade steel, so you get a really nice upgrade
there as well, especially again, with a cool stonewashed finish something I really like you
can get these in some broader bladed patterns if you want something a little more kind of EDC
centric, some some smaller California compliant models that are also pretty useful, or go with
this classic stiletto inspired design right here. Now the next knives on our list really
make their name by bringing some of those premium blade materials down into our price
range. We've seen some CPM 154 and that s 35 vn already on this list, but these guys really lean
into that. The first is the Civivi pin tail, which I'm showing it here in a Damascus version,
but there's also an S 35 vn version, which I think especially is deserving of mention, these
guys come in just over $80. Getting a nice powder metallurgy steel like that at this kind
of price range is always a good thing. But even the Damascus steel on this one is kind of
deserving of mention, it's based on a 9CR series stainless. So it's going to give you performance
and kind of the 440 c range, which is kind of noteworthy in this price range for a Damascus a
lot of Damascus blades, you'll see under $100 or just based on simpler carbon steels. But that's
not the case here you get something really nice. Pin tail itself is a really nice design and a
very EDC friendly design pretty much anywhere because the blade length is just under three
inches long. You've got this nice drop point shape, hollow grind that keeps things nice and
keen behind the edge. And then the handle has got everything you want on a modern flipper
essentially, got a liner lock, you've got ball bearings in the pivot, g 10 scales, this one
even has a carbon fiber layer on the top, and a deep carry pocket clip, which is reversible.
When you put all those things together, you really start to see why Civivi is kind of taking
the budget knife world by storm because a lot of their stuff comes in around $50 as opposed to
this. Because like I said, it's got everything you want. Fantastic flipping action, really nice
fit and finish and a pretty good bargain for the materials as well. This next knife not only you
know, kind of pumps things up with S 35 vn steel, but you also get a nice crossbar lock
option, which again, is still a bit of a rarity under $100. This is the SOG Terminus xR, this
version coming in about $85. For that you get that s 35 vn you get contrast in grains like you
did on that code for earlier, and you get a G 10 handle scale with the carbon fiber overlay just
like that's the vv we just looked at, but it's that crossbar lock and soggy trio of opening
methods. They give you that that set it apart even more. Chris you've got thumb studs, which
work well you've got that flipper tab, or you've got that signature wrist flick that you can do
with the XR lock and the other cross Barre locks out there. Love this locking system, it's
ambidextrous and keep your fingers out of the way of the blade when you're closing it, just a
lot to love put together nicely with that premium blade material. This next one though, in
terms of that blade material is probably even more impressive coming in at about $84. So
roughly the same amount as that SOG you're getting a steal, that's just another step up
kind of the next tier up, as we kind of think of it from that as 35. Again, we've got CPM 20 cV,
really nice to see this and probably nears I can tell it's it's kind of the best bargain going
for 20 cv or the equivalent Steel's like m 390 out there. Very, very rare to see this at this
low of a price. And it's wrapped up in a really nice design as well I suppose I should tell you
the name. Now this is the Kershaw link. The the third and final Kershaw we're seeing on this
list today, and yesterday is another American made knife, blade steel is nice and thin, we've
got a mid height, flat grind has some pretty, pretty good geometry and a nice shape. Again, kind of similar to that Bare Knuckle in
ways you've got a you know, almost continuous belly, but you still have a nice, acute point,
it's just gonna make a really nice EDC shape coming in about three and a quarter inches
handle is aluminum. Again, like the other two Kershaw's, we've seen, we've got a liner lock in
this case, and this is an assisted opening knife. So it has, it takes a little bit more
effort to close it. But the action, when you flip, it is always consistent and nice and fast.
But the other nice thing about these handles are, unless you have like really large hands,
they're going to be just enough to fill your hands up without, you know, kind of creating
unnecessary bulk in your pocket. So it still remains easy to carry. And you get a good amount
of ratio of blade length to that handle as well. At the last knife in this kind of grouping where
it's the the blade material itself that really sets it apart is the Spyderco man bug comes in
about $73 for this version, and it's one of their lightweight handle options with the FRN
paired with a K 390 blade, k 390. Really, really high in the edge edge retention department
should be even more than that 20 cv on that Kershaw. I don't get a ton of it. That blade is
under two inches long. But it should last a long time, thanks to that materials choices. And
actually, this is here to kind of give me an excuse to talk about the other knives. In this
range. This right here is the endura k 390. Lightweight, comes in over 100 bucks. However,
this one's about 133. But I still wanted to mention it. And since I was able to kind of
sneak it in there with that, that man bug. This is kind of the definition of value to me, you're
paying for so much performance with these, you might not be paying for a premium handle. In
this case, it's going towards that nice high edge retention on that steel. And when it comes
to amount of edge retention per dollar out there, I don't think it's going to get much
better than this, at least at this point in time. So definitely check all these guys out.
across the range. There's a number of models with this excellent steel, nice edge geometry.
And he got that nice FRN which is going to hold things nice and secure in the hand. And they're
all ambidextrous too because he had that mid mounted lock back, the opening hole and pocket
clips that can be switched around to either side. Alright, the last few knives we're going
to look at are here because they they just give you more elegant, they give you a little bit
more than the other stuff out there in the given the given price strata. And we'll start with
Civivi with their asticus model. And I mentioned the the kind of $50 price point with a lot of
civvies earlier, the they more than anyone else. But there's a number of companies out there that
have kind of created this new genre in the last few years of the $50 D to flipper providing a
lot of value for money. This one comes in a little bit more expensive. This is about $55 but
it's bigger than a lot of those $50 D two flippers, the blade here 3.8 inches still is d
two however, but you get a lot of it you got a nice long edge to work with hollow ground again,
really nice geometry going on the steel is nice and thin. So you're going to be able to slice
pretty well and like that Cold Steel from earlier and they kept the handles nice and slim
too. So despite it not taking up an inordinate amount of room in your pocket, you can still
take all this capability with you day to day, we've still got a deep carry pocket clip that is
reversible so it hides out of the way quite nicely too. And still got those ball bearings in the pivot.
So you've got some really satisfying action to this next one sits in kind of a similar vein,
but you get even a little bit more than the asticus come At $52, this is the best tech
swordfish with a four inch blade also of D two, you get just a little bit more edge than you do
with that asticus. Even now, the handles here represent sort of a an alternative to the slim
nature of the asticus. It'll still be pretty easy to carry. But because it's thicker and
you've got a little contour especially, it's going to fill your hand a little bit more. So
for a $52 hard working knife, this does make a very attractive proposition. got that nice edge
retention from the D two, you've got all that length of it nice precisely ground here as well.
Little bit thicker than the asticus and you've got a flat grind as well. So trading off a
little bit in the the outright keenness near the edge for a little bit more durability. still
going to be nice and subtle, though, because you've got that deep carry pocket clip. And
you've got a liner lock with ball bearings. So you've still got fantastic action as well. And
last but not least coming in about $72, you've probably got just about the most amount of high
quality knife you can get for your money with the Voyager series. This is the x l clip point
Voyager blade is an impressive five and a half inches here we've got os 10, good solid
stainless steel, it's not going to match the edge retention of like the s 30, fives and stuff
like that. But it is going to work very well. It's pretty decently tough for a knife this
size. It's not again, going to match the toughest things out there. But it sits in a
really nice cross section of not just the qualities of the steel, but that price range
too. It's got a nice full flat grind, it's gonna pull off some pretty good slices because he
didn't they didn't go too thick on the blade spine, and nice stonewashed finish here, too.
It's plenty of handle length, few hand positions, in fact, you've got your standard
grip here behind the finger guard, you could choke up to get finer control over the edge can
even choke back for a little more reach, not really so much chopping, there's not the weight
or the strength, you're really to do it. But you've got more reach for certain things. And
you got that triad lock. Again, it's housed here in a injection molded handle to keep the price
down to where it is. But in terms of outright capability for that $72 price point, I don't
think you can do much better for under 100 bucks. Well, that's all I've got to show you
today. But I want to hear from you guys too. What are especially under the $100 mark, what
are the knives out there that you consider to be or offer the best value these days a bit of an
amorphous concept but you kind of heard my thoughts on on what that entails what makes
something a good value. So let me know let me know what you guys think. If you want to get
your hands on any of these knives, we will leave links in the description as always to take you
over to KnifeCenter.com make sure you sign up for our knife rewards program to details are up
there in the top right corner of the website. But you'll essentially earn some free money to
spend on your next knife when you put your money down on one of these knives today. I'm David C.
Andersen from the KnifeCenter signing off, see you next time.
