Reddit mentions of Drifter Linerlock

• ~$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.

$16.54 for the [CRKT Drifter]
(http://www.amazon.com/Columbia-River-Knife-Tool-6450K/dp/B001DZMBY4?tag=slicinc-20&ascsubtag=f1b829ce9a1311e598aaee01fca2575c0000)

The CRKT Drifter [Stainless Steel Handle] [G10 Handle] is a good choice, like the poster above suggests. The Ontario RAT-II and Kershaw Clash are other great options.

The CRKT drifter is the best cheap nice I own. You can find them for around $20.
Add pepper spray or a handgun for a better self defense plan.

http://www.amazon.com/Columbia-River-Knife-Tool-6450K/dp/B001DZMBY4

I was thinking something similar.
1 Ontario 8848 RAT
2 Kershaw Chill (A bit slimmer, lighter, and sleeker than the Clash)
3 CRKT Drifter G10

I just bought the Chill, and I love it! At 1.9 oz, it's half the weight of the Clash. The locking system is nice and smooth. I loosened the tension a little so I don't need to flick my wrist, just a quick trigger pull on the tab. So far, nothing I can complain about.

you won't be disappointed.

That being said, consider this knife: CRKT Drifter. Its the only other knife I EDC. Its slimmer than the Gerber AR and the blade is a higher-quality metal. If you get the G10 handled version its a little lighter and the textured handles let you grip better in wet conditions but its less pretty.

The Gerber AR and the CRKT drifter are the two (three if you count the two Drifter models; I've owned both) best EDC, non spring-assist, easy-flick-open knives I've ever owned. I only pick which one I put in my pocket based on my mood :)

A Benchmade Bugout is one of the lightest you can find at 1.85 oz. Problem is they're ridiculously expensive at $140 retail. A great alternative is the CRKT Drifter at 2.4 oz for about $20. I have several CRKT knives and love them.

CRKT Drifter
https://www.amazon.com/Columbia-River-Knife-Tool-6450K/dp/B001DZMBY4
Sub $25 liner lock knife with G10 scales. Good ergonomics and decent steel for a beater/starter knife that is a great all around knife.

Not worth $45, but I hear it's a good beater. Here it is for ~$20.

[CRKT Drifter] ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001DZMBY4?cache=ed98f139319c462d2d832e6327e90b11&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1411128596&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1) is a stupid good knife for $20. I cannot recommend it enough...

The CRKT drifter is a great simple and slightly smaller fold out knife. The blades closer to 3 inches but it fits in your hand great, and is really well balanced. You can get it with a serrated part of the blade or you can get just a plain blade.

I strongly recommend this knife.