Everyday Carry

The 5 Best EDC Knives on a Budget

Authored by:
Mikey Bautista
Reviewed by:
Bernard Capulong
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
14+ Years Reviewing EDC Products
The 5 Best EDC Knives on a Budget

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One of the best tools you can add to your EDC is a folding pocket knife. Along with generating light and making a fire, a sharp edge is one of the things human beings don't naturally produce or easily come by. Adding one to your kit means cutting down on the time spent on daily tasks, from opening a package to preparing food, even working on a hobbies like whittling or working with paracord.

One thing a knife doesn't have to be is expensive. Modern manufacturing techniques and the availability of quality materials means there's never been a better time to invest in a great knife without breaking the bank. Inexpensive doesn't mean cheap!

The best budget knives…

  • Use good materials. Many common steels competently hold an edge and sharpen easier than their more expensive counterparts. Common as they are, G-10 handles are actually unparalleled in terms of weight and toughness!
  • Stand out among their peers. In spite of their price point, these knives have unique features often found in their higher-priced counterparts. Even the most affordable Spydercos and Benchmades bear the trademarks of their creator, like the Spydie hole and the AXIS lock.
  • Are built to last. Our picks for 2015 weren't released this year, but their reliability in the hands of daily carriers made them timeless.
These are our picks for the best EDC knives you can buy this year if you’re on a tighter budget. They’re knives that time and time again answer the question "What knife should I buy?" The hundreds of appearances of these knives in carries on the site over the years speak for themselves. Even better: these knives are all under 3", making them a safe EDC choice for most parts of the world where larger knives are prohibited.

Under $15

Opinel No6 Carbon Knife

The Opinel No6 with its 2.875" blade takes all the classy, carbon steel goodness of Opinel's inexpensive knives and packs it into a useful and non-threatening size. You get the same high-carbon, razor-sharp X90 steel, beechwood handles, and Vibrobloc safety ring in a compact package you can easily slip into a pocket until needed. For all these reasons, it earned a spot in our first 15 Under $15 list of affordable gear (be sure to check out our second 15 Under $15 if you're looking for essentials to round out your carry on a budget!).

BUY ($12)

Under $50

Kershaw Cryo

Kershaw as a manufacturer came out of nowhere, making top-notch knives for a fraction of the cost of their competitors. The Cryo fast became one of their most popular models by bringing high-end knife design, fit, and finish to a wider audience. Robustly built, it's designed by distinguished knifemaker Rick Hinderer. For quick deployment, its SpeedSafe flipper mechanism is a pleasure to use. Its handles with integrated framelock keeps things light and locked in. There are few knives out there that look this good with this many features at this price.

BUY ($25)

Victorinox Alox Cadet

To no one's suprise, the Alox Cadet is one of the most recommended Swiss Army Knives in our forum. It has the legendary Victorinox quality, a surgical-sharp blade, and attractive aluminum handles that come in many colors. It's thin, light, and does many things flawlessly with its solid complement of tools. Best of all is its low price, making it once of the best value EDC knives — and multitools! — in the market.

BUY ($30)

Spyderco Persistence

No, not the Tenacious, but for good reason. The Persistence features the Tenacious' best features: 8Cr13MoV steel blade, milled G-10 handle, skeletonized steel liners, and trademark Spydie hole. The difference is in its length — a 2.75" blade means better compliance to local laws around the world. If you have bigger hands or need the extra cutting length, however, the Tenacious is still a viable option. Otherwise, the Persistence makes for a great value entry-level blade.

BUY ($37)

Under $100

Benchmade 556 Mini Griptilian

The Mini Griptilian features everything great about Benchmade's manufacturing and design. It has a useful drop point blade made of tough 154CM steel. Its ambidextrous Valox handles also give superior strength and stiffness while providing its namesake grip, and feature the trademark AXIS lock favored by many knife enthusiasts. It has the pedigree, features, and quality of its bigger brothers without the bigger price.

BUY ($84)

There are a lot of great budget knives out there that we couldn't fit on this list. What's your favorite? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Mikey Bautista

Director of Everyday Carry Operations


About the Author
Mikey Bautista is an everyday carry (EDC) expert who has been working with the EverydayCarry.com team for nearly a decade, starting with an interest in EDC as a hobby and ending up as a writer for the site in 2014. Through the years, he’s led the site in editorial content and writing about products across every category, from knives to bags to flashlights and everything in between, as well as discovering, bringing exposure, and building bridges with many brands in the industry. Today, he is the site's Director of Everyday Carry Operations, leading the editorial team and managing day-to-day operations.

He has lived through many personal and professional lives, spending nearly a decade in the workforce management industry, a minor career in gaming, and has lent a hand with entrepreneurial efforts back home in the Philippines. He has also been an active participant and helped build a number of significant social communities online, both for EDC and his other hobbies.

Mikey has been at the cusp of gaming, technology, and the internet since the ‘90s and continues to lend his experience, expertise, and authority to all his pursuits. When not online, in a game, or watching movies, you'll find him in the gym, speedrunning his next hobby, or talking at length about EDC with anyone willing to listen.

Bernard Capulong

Founder and Editor-in-Chief


About the Reviewer
Bernard Capulong is an everyday carry (EDC) gear expert, entrepreneur, all-around nerd, and the founder and editor-in-chief of EverydayCarry.com—the largest online community for EDC gear enthusiasts. Since founding Everyday Carry in 2009, he’s built over a decade of experience in the industry, reviewing and highlighting brands and products, including pocket knives, flashlights, wallets, watches, bags, pens, and much more.

Bernard is known for bringing everyday carry out of obscurity and into the mainstream, having been published or featured in various publications such as GQ, TIME Magazine, The New York Times, VICE, HYPEBEAST, Outside, and many others. He has also played a part in curating, designing, and developing digital and physical products, resulting in successful crowdfunding projects or limited edition collaboration products with established softgoods brands. He stays on the pulse of the EDC industry by attending trade shows, participating in online interest communities, and actively engaging with fellow gear enthusiasts on social media.

In addition to being the editor-in-chief and main social media personality for EverydayCarry.com, Bernard is an avid gearhead and collector in general. His personal collections span technical bags, fountain pens, digital cameras, retro gaming hardware, personal hi-fi audio gear, and mechanical wristwatches, to name a few. Bernard Capulong is a prominent figure and trusted authority in the everyday carry industry with a career dedicated to helping people discover this hobby and stay prepared with quality gear.

Discussion (65 total)

DevoD ·
Have had them all on the list! Great knives. It's difficulty to keep a short list of "budget" knives since there have been some amazing blades made in the last 10 years. Yea, the Dragonfly is great, the Ontario RAT, as well as other offerings from Spyderco and Kershaw but this list is a great overview.
Ed Jelley ·
I love the SOG Twitch II. It's super small, looks awesome in both aluminum and wood scale versions, and the spring assisted opening make for a great little knife. I really liked the pocket clip too.
Seth ·
New EDCer, but I also love my Twitch II. The clip is a bit wider, so I can attach my key fob for my car.
Jamie Smith ·
Ontario Rat 1 or 2 should have made the list.
Cody Zinker ·
Boker Urban Trapper
Jouwen Lee ·
What about the famous Kershaw Emerson CQC 6K?
Robert Razavi ·
Just picked up one on Massdrop!
David Scott ·
Rat 1 all the way. Love my SAK Soldier, discontinued though. Alox
Pioneer just as good.
Tim K. ·
I like the simplicity and light weight of the Ka-Bar Dozier Hunter knife. Check it out, it's a quality knife that only sets you back around 20 dollars.
Grant Rudolph ·
I'm carrying a Spyderco Delica 4 at the moment and think it's also a great option.
D Clark ·
I have two on this list, I am happy with both. Opinel No6 Carbon Knife and the Spyderco Persistence.

Allen ·
I have the Victorinox Cadet. Great knife/multitool. Getting a Cryo G-10 Soon.
Mike ·
Loving the Spyderco. Under 3" is handy for countries with strict knife laws. Sadly, UK laws also doesn't allow locking blades so I opted for the Spyderco Squeak instead. Very happy with my squeak.
Skye ·
On recommendation from EDC I recently bout a black Kershaw Shuffle. I love the ambidextrous thumb flip opening and the pocket clip. It also has a bottle opener and laynyard hole, super helpful for a quick pull out of the pocket. The blade is short, but very sharp and the handle is glass filled nylon.
Skye ·
Purchased...not bout
Hector ·
Rat 1. In D2 or AUS-8
Edgar Morales ·
I have an Opinel and it's an excellent pocket knife
I'm surprised that the Ontario RAT folding knife (a top-rated Amazon product) isn't on the list: decent steel (AUS8), sturdy construction, and 4-position pocket clip. All for $24.
31 more comments