Reddit mentions of Byrd Cara Cara 2 Lightweight Folding Knife with 3.75" Stainless Steel Blade and Black Non-Slip FRN Handle - PlainEdge - BY03PBK2

No problem.

Kershaw Scallion (Small, assisted opening, steel is not so great)

Kershaw Skyline (good size, G10, nice blade shape, steel can get to a crazy level of sharpness)

Kershaw OSO Sweet (pretty cool assisted opener, great price there on amazon)

Spyderco Tenacious (same decent steel on the OSO Sweet and Byrd, good G10, good blade shape, Spyderco quality, great value)

Byrd Cara2 (Great value, overseas production brings prices way down on all Byrd knives)


Here is one above your price range

And one below your price range

• ~$7-8 Sanrenmu 7010/710 - You can find these at Gearbest for cheap as hell when they have sales but they're absolutely $30 worth of knife
  
• ~$10-20 Opinel no.6-12 - Depends on blade size/steel/handle wood. #6 is under 3in blade if that kind of thing matters.
  
• ~$20 CRKT Drifter
  
• ~$20 Spyderco Byrd Cara Cara2
  
• ~$20-25 Ontario Rat II or Rat I
  
• ~$30 Victorinox Cadet Alox
  
• ~$30 Kershaw Cryo
  
• ~$35 CRKT Ripple
  
• ~$35 Spyderco Persistence
  
• ~$40 Kershaw Skyline - Often on sale in the ~$30 range
  
• ~$40 Kershaw Leek - Same sales as with the Skyline \^^
  
  Honorable Mention: Case knives. Traditional lockbacks. Hard as nails and pretty to boot. True pocket knives. Your grandfather (possibly great grandfather) had one. Good stuff the lot of them. $25-50 will get you a legacy knife that you can carry and use and then pass to your kid.
  
  You don't need to spend $200 to get a quality, durable, reliable knife. I've owned all of these knives at one time or another and loved every one of them. Sure they needed sharpening more often and sometimes something a little more drastic (Sanrenmus are often cheaper to replace than fix) but the value is insane. Plus, lets face facts; we're much more likely to break out our Cadet when we get box duty than our Sebenza.
  
  Knife enthusiasts (brothers) if there's a weighed and measured cheapo that I forgot, let me know.

I'd suggest you save up a little bit more and get something more worthwhile. A Spyderco Tenacious can be had for $34, for example.

If you are dead set on a $20 knife, atomedge's mention of a Byrd Robin or even a Byrd Cara Cara 2 would be a good place to start.

The Ontario RAT Model 1 and the Byrd CaraCara 2 are worth looking at.

> You sound like you think this is my first knife I have other knives and I like this one also. I don't think I got ripped off. lol it was only 20 bucks and for 20 it is a pretty sturdy well made knife.

-OP

>I've cut down 2 small trees with this knife and went through a whole winter chopping ice from my gutters and shutters. For $20 you will not find as heavy duty a blade as this.

-Comment on this thread

There are several other 20$ knives that are ridiculously great values. And some of them are folders too, meaning the lock mechanism must be constructed right, or they can hurt the user.

Ka Bar Dozier

Byrd Cara Cara 2

If 20$ can give you a well-constructed folder that won't fail on you, 20$ can get you a nice fixed blade with a good heat treat.

Sure it may not have the same edge retention as a Becker or Izula because of the steel used, but keep in mind fixed blades are typically used with more force than folders are. Batoning, chopping off branches, etc, are more reliant on the user's force than the actual sharpness of the blade.

...And it's still a fixed blade. A piece of steel with handles attached. Unlike folders, there's no mechanical parts to fail. This makes it a very strong design in general. Even though it won't have the same fit and finish as a Becker, it will still have more durability than any folder. But you shouldn't be running these things over with 18-wheelers. It's way more than adequate, if you know to respect the thing.

A full tang fixed blade for 20$ is a steal.

Hi! And welcome!

I like the Gayle Bradley 2 in M4, and the BM Valet in M390, but they are both very expensive to start out with. The Shuffle II is kind of crappy - I'd definitely pass on that one. I have no experience with
the Bartender Defeder, but even the XL version looks too small, as is the Rodie. The Delica and Leek are great knives, and would likely be solid options (their ergonomics are better than their handle lengths suggest, especially the Delica). The CRKT M16 is ok, but it's not great (in my opinion). I've never handled CRKT's Endorser, but it looks like a solid choice.

My best suggestion is a RAT 1 in D2. It's 40 bucks and you get a very well-made knife in D2 (semi stain resistant and will hold an edge for a good long time). The AUS-8 version is good, too, but if you're cutting boxes, the D2 option will stay sharp way longer.

As for some other options, here are some good ones from CRKT:

Foresight - It's big and comfy in-hand, but it's expensive for the materials used (aluminum and AUS-8)

Shenanigan - lighter and cheaper than the Foresight, but with the same blade material (AUS-8)

Outrage - aluminum handle and 8Cr13MoV steel (similar to AUS-8, id est, reasonably stainless, decent toughness, ok-ish edge retention), ball bearing pivot (nice and smooth!)

Ripple - aluminum handle, 8Cr13MoV blade, ball bearing pivot

With these suggestions, it may seem like I'm a shill for CRKT, but I'm not. I'm just a fan of Ken Onion's designs and ergonomics. I also like:

Spyderco Endura - very good stainless steel in a lightweight package, with plenty of handle real estate

Byrd Cara Cara 2 - Spyderco's value brand (basically a cheap Endura with 8Cr13MoV steel instead of the excellent blade steel VG-10)

Spyderco Resilience - big and comfy (G-10 scales with 8Cr13Mov steel), and my daily carry at work

Spyderco Manix 2 - light and medium sized (they also make an XL version), with BD-1 (kinda similar to AUS-8, kinda)

Cold Steel Recon 1 Spear Point - a big knife with lots of grippy G-10 handle space. The CTS XHP steel is the bee's knees, and the Recon 1 is an excellent value, but it may be too expensive as a starting point.

Also, I'm sure some other folks will chime in, too. The guys & gals of /r/knifeclub are pretty knowledgeable and helpful.

Again, my number 1 suggestion is the RAT 1 in D2. It'll be hard to beat interms of construction, ergonomics, and utility.

Happy hunting!

Generally, a knife. Far and away the most useful thing I carry every single day. That's such a personal decision though, do you go with a multitool, or a single blade? Folder, or fixed?

I carry the Byrd Cara Cara 2 - lightweight, but big enough for tactical or heavy work use, without being a huge fixed blade. Cheap enough that I don't mind actually working with it and I'm not afraid to lose it.

If you need something small, get the Meadowlark 2 - same thing in a smaller package.

http://smile.amazon.com/Spyderco-Cara2-Black-PlainEdge-Knife/dp/B0049AYJP4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420135110&sr=8-1&keywords=byrd+cara+cara+2

Flashlight: Nitecore TIP

Knife: Byrd Cara Cara

Pen: Pilot Kakuno

Wallet: Saddleback Leather Sleeve Wallet

Caribiner: Metolius Mini

Total: 98.33

More realistically, I would DIY the wallet with a $10 piece of tooling leather, and get a better knife like a Spyderco Efficient. This would put me a couple dollars over, so swap the pen for a Zebra F701. Total:$100.42

Hard mode:

Flashlight: Nitecore Tube

Knife: Opinel #6

Pen: Pilot Kakuno (same as linked above)

Wallet: DIY Sleeve (as discussed above)

Caribiner: Metolius (same as linked above)

Total: $49.14

It looks somewhat like a spyderco knockoff. Look up spyderco knives or Byrd knives which is spyderco's cheaper brand.

ETA
Here's a similar one

https://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Cara2-Black-PlainEdge-Knife/dp/B0049AYJP4

I think the meadowlark 2 is a good shout then, quite small and cuts well with good blade geometry. If you were looking for something a little larger maybe the Cara cara 2, it is a very nice blade for under £25.
https://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Cara2-Black-PlainEdge-Knife/dp/B0049AYJP4

What do you use the Skeletool most for?

If you use the knife on it constantly and daily, then yeah, get a good knife. If the stuff that you do cut makes you nervous with the Skeletool then definitely get a dedicated knife.

If you use the bit driver or pliers on the Skeletool the most then you probably don't need to carry a dedicated knife.

Give the Sage 5 a good look as well if you are considering the Para3. I'd also strongly recommend finding a Spyderco/Benchmade/Zero Tolerance dealer and fondling a bunch of knives before making a decision on which knife to buy.

If you have never carried a dedicated knife before it would be a good idea to buy a cheaper knife or two before spending $100+ on a knife.

Could try something like the Spyderco Byrd Cara Cara 2:
https://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Cara2-Lightweight-black-PlainEdge/dp/B0049AYJP4/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1499523866&sr=1-1&keywords=Byrd+Cara+Cara2

The Ontario Rat I/II
https://www.amazon.com/Ontario-Knife-Sp-Black-Folding-7Inches/dp/B00BBPAOCW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499523684&sr=8-2&keywords=ontario+rat+2

https://www.amazon.com/Ontario-8848-Folding-Knife-Black/dp/B0013ASG3E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499523956&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=ontario+rat+1&psc=1

Kershaw Cryo
https://www.amazon.com/Kershaw-1555TI-SpeedSafe-Folding-Knife/dp/B0074FI28Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499523664&sr=8-1&keywords=kershaw+cryo

CRKT Squid
https://www.amazon.com/Columbia-River-Knife-Tool-Folding/dp/B00TFY39EQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1499524020&sr=1-1&keywords=crkt+squid

Try some under $30 knives, pick one that looks like something you would like to carry, and pick something that is dang near the polar opposite. It will let you know what you like in a knife much cheaper. Differences in blade size, blade shape, handle shape and how they are used might change your opinion on what you think you need in a knife after using a dedicated knife for awhile. After that you can make a truly informed decision on a high-end knife.

Spyderco (sorta) Byrd knives are your friends. You can get the Delica / Endura variants for about $20 each. This is Spyderco's official Chinese brand. I carried one for a long time.

I also listened to a recent interview on Primary /Secondary where some "operators" were talking about how they carry Byrd knives for the same reason you are discussing: If they have to toss it, they couldn't care less, but it'll still do everything they need it to do.

The Byrd Cara Cara 2 really is a poor man's Endura and I actually prefer it in hand due to the choil adding better ergos. Certainly an option for $20. http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Cara2-Black-PlainEdge-Knife/dp/B0049AYJP4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425872450&sr=8-1&keywords=byrd+cara+cara+2

I have yet to find a nicer $20 knife...unique most certainly not however!

Consider Sypderco's brand of less expensive knives, Byrd. Not quite as high quality materials or construction, but damn good for the price.

For instance, the Byrd Cara Cara 2, Byrd's version of the Spyderco Endura. Excellent starter knife at ~$21 for those looking into Spyderco who aren't convinced about spending $55+ for an Endura.

What about the Spyderco Byrd Cara Cara2 or SpyderCo Meadowlark? They're a bit cheaper. Any differences between size and design?

Also, what's the difference betwen the Plain Edge and Combo Edge?

Spyderco's Byrd Cara Cara 2 is pretty good. It's my current EDC and its only 18 dollars currently
http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Cara2-Black-PlainEdge-Knife/dp/B0049AYJP4/ref=pd_sim_sg_5

Basically, any folding knife you get needs to be less than 3.75" cutting length of the blade, and cannot use any kind of spring to help it open quickly. A switch blade is a double-bladed, spring assisted knife that is also illegal (since it's spring assisted), unless the cutting length is less an one inch.

For me, my favorite is the Spyderco Byrd Cara Cara 2 knife. I think you can still find it online for a good price. Keeps an edge pretty well, and is legal in WA state.
https://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Cara2-Black-PlainEdge-Knife/dp/B0049AYJP4

https://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Cara2-Lightweight-black-PlainEdge/dp/B0049AYJP4/ref=sr_1_1?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1510245641&sr=1-1&keywords=spyderco+byrd&dpID=41XM2VunQVL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch