The Best Pocket Knives To Buy Under $50

When seeking out everyday carry gear, we’re constantly forced to make compromises to get our hands on the gear that suits our tastes, functional necessities, and — of course — budget. Truly, even if you have all the money in the world to throw at your EDC loadout, you’re still going to have to make some tough decisions. Most people, however, can’t just dip into their savings to buy $1,000 holy grail-level pocket gear — which usually makes budgetary restraints amongst the top considerations.

There is some very good news in that regard, however. As it turns out, you can actually get your hands on some truly impressive EDC gear even if your budget is airtight. And, yes, that includes everyone’s favorite piece of carry: your knife. To prove that point once-and-for-all, we’ve scoured the internet to find a whopping dozen EDC knives that you can pick up right now for $50 or less. Whether you’re in need of your first or fiftieth blade, the following folding cutting tools are definitely worth considering.

If you want to stretch your dollar as far as possible and get the absolute best bang for your buck, it’s imperative that you’re privy to the key factors one should take into account when shopping for an EDC knife for under $50 — the most important of which we’ll be touching on directly below. 

Blade Steel: A knife’s size and shape will directly determine how well it cuts and pierces, and what type of tasks it best lends itself to. The blade’s hardness, ability to be honed, and how well it retains an edge, on the other hand, are all owed directly to the type of steel used to construct the blade. At the sub-$50 price point, you won’t be coming across any S90V or M390-steeled blades, however, there are plenty of solid budget blade steels (most of which are much easier to sharpen compared to their more premium counterparts) to be found in this segment such as D2, Böhler N690, Sandvik 12C27, AUS-8, and 8Cr13MoV.

Blade Shape & Size: Knives are obviously made for cutting and piercing tasks. As such, a knife’s blade — the component that actually does the cutting and/or piercing — is of extreme importance. The length of the blade, its thickness, and the type of edge and grind it has will collectively play an enormous role in any knife’s performance characteristics. The same goes for the profile an style of the blade, whether it’s a tanto, drop point, sheepsfoot, or any other blade silhouette.

Handle Shape: A handle’s thickness and how it’s shaped also play a pretty substantial role in the overall user experience of any knife, as a handle’s ergonomics and level of grip will ultimately determine how well it lends itself to hard uses such as industrial or self-defense applications. 

Handle Material: A knife’s handle — or “scales” — are also no doubt of massive importance, as this element not only plays a major role in a knife’s outward appearance but also determines other crucial factors such as the level of grip and durability being offered. Unlike the sub-$50 knife sector’s blade steel options, most of today’s most popular knife handle material choices are available on a knife for under $50 including G-10, Micarta, stainless steel, aluminum, and FRN. What’s more, on top of a knife’s scales, you’ll also want to review the type of underlying construction being utilized for its liner or frame. 

Hardware & Details: While the primary components such as the blade, handle, and locking mechanism are objectively more important, it’s still worth your while to look at some of the more minor elements of a knife such as its hardware, pocket clip, or back-spacer.

Locking Mechanism: A blade’s ability to lock into place when being used is owed to a knife’s locking mechanism. Just like with more expensive knives, mechanisms used in the sub-$50 blade space include liner locks, frame locks, back locks, and button locks, just to name the most popular. It’s also worth pointing out that there are also non-locking folding knives in the EDC space — though they’re often at least of the slip-joint variety. 

Craftsmanship: After the type of constructions being used for the blade and handle, another area that massively differentiates today’s most accessibly-priced everyday carry knives from their costlier counterparts is undoubtedly craftsmanship and quality control. And while one may not expect this, there are actually exists a small handful of blades being sold for at under the $100 mark that legitimately boast some wildly impressive levels of fit and finish, with precise tolerances and exacting quality control standards that are typically reserved for markedly more exorbitant knives or those from small boutique knife outfits.

Opinel No. 8 Trekking Knife

Best Budget Pick: For those who view knives as more of a luxury item, $50 might be approaching too-high a price point. Turns out you can actually get one of the most iconic pocket knives of all time for a fraction of that price if you pick up the Opinel No. 8 Trekking Knife. Made by the same artisans in France — they’re actually a family, believe it or not — for the better part of a century, this Sandvik steel and beechwood knife has the potential to return its value tenfold, so long as you take care of it. As an added bonus, it also has a locking mechanism in the form of the brand’s proprietary Virobloc safety ring.

Nagao Higonokami

Best Japanese Knife: As mentioned earlier, there are still some historically-significant knife designs floating around out there that are still exceptionally relevant. The best of them might just be the Nagao Higonokami friction folder you see here. For starters, this knife is handmade by expert craftsmen in Japan — the same craftsmen that descended from the blacksmiths responsible for samurai katanas. It also features a blue paper steel reverse tanto blade mated to a gorgeous solid brass handle with kanji etched into it. But don’t let this knife’s beauty fool you — it was still very much built to withstand plenty of punishment.

CRKT Pilar

Best Value Pick: Designed by Jesper Voxnaes, one of the most prolific knife designers alive today, the CRKT Pilar is actually named after the legendary fishing boat piloted and owned by iconic American author Ernest Hemingway. Like the ship, this knife is stout, reliable, and well-built. It boasts a modified Wharncliffe blade that’s excellent for daily cutting tasks, alongside a sturdy stainless steel frame lock handle with a reversible pocket clip. It’s quite small at just 5.94″ overall, but this tiny titan packs a punch at a remarkably low price point.

Gerber Flatiron Cleaver

Best Cleaver Knife: Though the hype has somewhat died off, there are still a large number of excellent cleaver-style everyday carry knives on the market. And while they range in price from the bargain basement to the ultra-luxe, the Gerber Flatiron you see here is still one of the best around — regardless of price. From its combination stainless steel and G-10 frame lock handle to its durable 7Cr17MoV steel blade, this is a budget-friendly knife you can count on day-in and day-out and it won’t even cost you half a Benjamin. And that’s not a bad value proposition at all.

Ontario Knife Company RAT 1

Best Tactical Pick: If we were to pick one knife that you could get for under $50 that has stood the test of time, is legendary in EDC circles, and still has plenty of life left to live, it might just be Ontario Knife Company’s RAT folder. And while the brand has since released a higher-spec follow-up, the original is still plenty great for most folks — especially on a budget. From its ergonomic shape, good size, AUS-8 steel blade, Nylon-6 polymer handle, and its reliable liner lock, this no-frills cutting tool is the kind you’re going to be glad you have in your arsenal for years and years.

Kershaw Cryo

Best Overall Pick: If you ever wanted proof that Rick Hinderer was one of the best knife designers of all time, just turn to the remarkable lifespan of Kershaw’s Cryo knife. Most budget-friendly knives come and go with little pomp and circumstance. Yet the Cryo has remained a fan favorite for far longer than anyone would have expected — which has to be credited directly to Hinderer himself. This particular version with its all-black finish boasts a reliable 8Cr13MoV steel blade, a frame lock built into the stainless steel handle, a reversible pocket clip, and more. There’s a larger follow-up version, too, but we prefer this smaller one for EDC purposes.

Case Trapper Knife

Best Heirloom Pick: For the uninitiated, Case is one of the longest-running American knifemaking brands around — and they’re still going strong in 2020. As it turns out, one of their best heritage folders is also one of the brand’s most exceptional folding knives under $50. We’re talking, of course, about the Trapper knife you see here. Believe it or not, this classic folder was actually intended as an outdoor hunting knife — featuring two blades for dressing game — but it works just as well as a multi-purpose cutting tool in the modern age, as well. It’s also made here in the USA and comes with a lifetime warranty.

Spyderco Tenacious

Best Workhorse Pick:  There are some knife brands out there that don’t really play in the “budget-friendly” space. Spyderco is one such brand — the exception being their Chinese-made Byrd knives. However, if you look hard enough, you can actually find legitimate Spyderco blades that fall just under the $50 limit. Case in point: the Tenacious you see here. Sure, it doesn’t have the brand’s unrivaled compression lock — opting instead for a liner lock — but it does still have the brand’s iconic styling, a G-10 handle, a black-finished 8Cr13Mov steel blade with Spyderco’s signature thumb hole, and more.

SOG Twitch II

Best USA-Made Pick: Typically, SOG’s offerings tend to play more on the tactical side of the spectrum. But that doesn’t mean the brand can’t produce a more toned-down EDC-friendly folder, as is proven by their fan-favorite Twitch II knife you see here. This sleek cutting tool has a versatile AUS-8 drop point blade mated to a sturdy and lightweight aluminum handle. But the best part might just be its combination of a formidable back lock mechanism and an assisted opening flipper mechanism. That means this knife opens in a flash and stays open until you’re done using it.

Victorinox Pioneer Swiss Army Knife

Best Multi-Tool: The Swiss Army Knife might be the most instantly-recognizable folding pocket tool around. And it comes in a plethora of different shapes, sizes, and formats. The Pioneer you see here, however, is closer to the original than most others and makes for a superb compact EDC knife with plenty of extra functionality. As an added bonus — alongside the 8 included stainless steel tool inserts — this particular version comes with sturdy and beautiful Alox handle scales. Everyone should own at least one Swiss Army Knife, and you definitely can’t go wrong with this particular Victorinox offering.

The Best EDC Pocket Knives Under $100

Want to check out some higher-quality blades that can still be had for a reasonable price? Then be sure to head over to our guide to the best pocket knives under $100 for a curated selection of today’s finest sub-one-Benjamin blades offering the greatest bang for your buck.