Ontario Rat 1
This knife in my opinion is the knife to beat all knives. The ergonomics on the handle are great, ambidextrious thumb studs, solid lock up. pretty decent steel. Sharp right out of the box. The liner lock is extremely strong. For under $30 you can pick up a useful folder that will perform like a $150 Benchmade.
Buck Knives 110
One of the most well recognized pocket knives ever, you don’t get that title by being a sub par knife. Buck knows what they’re doing and they’ve been making it for 50 years. Robust, classic design. Holds a nice edge, the locking mechanism is so simple and secure. This knife was last near forever.
CRKT CEO
Looks like a mini samurai sword that fits in your pocket. Razor sharp blade that looks and feels great. Knife is very slim and light, but feels solid. Also, the very thin blade profile turns out to be great for office or IT work, such as cutting very small zip ties in very cramped locations and just general box cutting.
CRKT M16
Easy to carry everyday because it has one of the thinnest and lightest closed-profile of any knife. The lock mechanism is smooth and easy to manipulate with one hand. The flip feature on this knife makes it loads of fun to mess with.
Kershaw Leek
The opening is very fast and smooth. Slim profile, light weight, feels comfortable in the hand. The pocket clip is tight and the blade is sharp. One of the best knives for the price. Kershaw hit the nail on the head with this one.
Kershaw Clash
The design on this knife is amazing the ergonomics are solid and you can really lock your hand onto it. One of the best assisted opening knives, it is very solid when open, and the blade does not have much movement at all. Sharp right out of the box, nice point, quick opening with a single finger flick, light weight
Spyderco Tenacious
Shaving sharp, stout, easy to manipulate. Fit and finish are outstanding, ergonomics are superb. Spider hole is a bit awkward but, you get used to it after a while. Made in china, but still a very good quality.
Kizer Begleiter
A great knife for the money. I feel like I’m holding a knife that costs much, much more. VG10 blade that is perfectly centered and hair shaving sharp out of the box. Not to heavy. It’s got a clean fast action with a beautiful snap.
Ruike P801
Excellent blade shape; decent budget steel, easy to sharpen, ball bearing pivot, well balanced, simple durable construction. Makes a great knife for home work shop, garage, and around house and garden stuff, etc. If it breaks, just throw it out and buy another one.
Honey Badger Drop Point
The classic drop point blade is versatile and comes sharp, although I never use the hole. The action is top shelf, fast, smooth, and easy to both open and close. It is slim in the pocket, yet feels large in the hand.
Theodore Lee is the editor of Caveman Circus. He strives for self-improvement in all areas of his life, except his candy consumption, where he remains a champion gummy worm enthusiast. When not writing about mindfulness or living in integrity, you can find him hiding giant bags of sour patch kids under the bed.