The best cheap folding knife have been used for very many jobs. From cutting, piercing, chopping, peeling, and stabbing, cheap folding knives have made the jobs simpler and easy for almost everybody who is tight on a budget. This is more importantly truer for people who love outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, picnic, life saving guards, and many other things.
However, when buying the best cheap folding knife for your use, it is important to get the right knife. The right knife should fit your lifestyle, knife needs, budget, desired design, and more importantly have the best characteristics to last. This being the case, it is important to say that the design ergonomics of the knife should capture every important aspect of how knives work.
Here are the top 10 cheap pocket knives that have captured the best design ergonomics and which you could buy on a budget. Our list has been compiled based on the user reviews, knife ratings, pricing, design, and popularity.
Here are our top 10 best cheap folding knife collections
Name | Price | Reviews |
1. TAC Force TF-705 Assisted Tactical | Check Latest Price | Read Review |
2. MTech USA Ballistic MT-A705 Series | Check Latest Price | Read Review |
3. BlizeTec Survival Knife | Check Latest Price | Read Review |
4. Milano Godfather Style WOOD HANDLE | Check Latest Price | Read Review |
5. Buck Knives 0385BRS | Check Latest Price | Read Review |
6. | Check Latest Price | Read Review |
7. The Sportsman Pocket Folding Knife | Check Latest Price | Read Review |
8. TAC-Force Skull Design Assisted | Check Latest Price | Read Review |
9. Benchmade – Mini Griptilian 556 | Check Latest Price | Read Review |
10. REGULUS Knife B46 | Check Latest Price | Read Review |
1. TAC Force TF-705 Assisted Opening Tactical Folding Knife
TAC Force is known for quality knives, flippers, and automatics. The best part is the pricing. At just about $15 TAC Force guarantees quality and unique, stylish cheap folding knives for your use. The TF-705 Series is the best example. It has the following admirable features to get.
Spring Assistance: This allows the folding knife to offer rapid one-handed deployment
Liner Lock System: This technology ensures that the knife locks securely and into place.
Black half-serrated stainless steel: The half-serrated stainless steel blade brings about anti rust capabilities.
Aluminum Handle: Aluminum handle offers a sleek design. Additionally the handle is holed to reduce weight, improve grip, and leave the knife with an awesome design. The handle also comes with a bottle opener and glass breaker.
Pocket Clip: The knife comes complete with a pocket clip. This makes it easy and safe carry.
Stainless Steel Blade: This provides maximum durability. It extends the lifespan of the knife always.
Ideal Length: At 4-1/2-inch closed length, 3-1/4-inch blade length and 3mm thickness the TF-705 Series is arguably one of the very best pocket friendly pocket knives.
Pros
- Black Serrated Stainless Steel
- Liner Lock System
- Spring Assisted Opening
Cons
- Aluminum Handle
- Easy Blunting if Misused
2. MTech USA Ballistic MT-A705 Series
Like the name suggests the MTech MT-A705 is a beast when it comes to being knifey. This cheap folding knife carries the day in many ways. From cutting, piercing, stabbing, chopping, to peeling the abilities are countless. But the bottom line is the awesome features that it comes with.
Assisted Opening: TheMTech MT-A705 provides a spring assisted opening. This makes it really easy to deploy with one hand.
Liner Lock System: Once open, using the knife is secure. The blade locks into place with the use of its liner lock.
Awesome Size: This knife features a 3.75-Inch blade forged from a 3mm thick stainless steel. It measures 4.5 inches when closed.
Stainless Steel Serrated Blade: With a stainless steel half-serrated blade, the knife is well safe from rust and corrosion too. Additionally, it enjoys a long lifespan.
Aluminum Handle: It has a sleek and stylish aluminum handle that doubles up as a bottle opener for emergencies.
Silver Stainless Steel Pocket Clip: This knife has a stainless steel pocket clip for easy and safe carry.
Pros
- Stainless steel pocket clip
- Assisted Opening
- Liner Lock System
- Serrated Blade
Cons
- Quick Blunting on Misuse
- No Easy DIY sharpening
3. BlizeTec Survival Knife
If you are wondering how the BlizeTec Survival Knife made it to our list, think again. This cheap pocket knife is not only budget friendly at about $40; it also has some of the best features you’d want from the best tactical pocket knife. Some features that have won users over include.
Incredibly Light Weight: This knife only weight about 5.46oz making it one of the most portable knives today.
Belt Clip: The knife has a belt clip. This makes it very easy to carry around.
Stainless Steel Blade: The knife comes with an ultra sharp blade made of quality stainless steel material that’s resistant to rust and corrosion.
Aluminum Handle: Unlike many knives that we know of, this one comes with an anodized aluminum handle for better grip.
LED Light: The 5-in-1 multi tool emergency survival knife has a LED light for great illumination where there is dim light. The LED Light has a runtime of up to 12 hrs with button style battery cell.
Best Size: The knife’s blade is at 3.5 inches long, and the whole unit measures only 5 inches when closed making an ideal size for may pockets.
Drop-point Blade: The Drop Point Blade for easy piercing. The blade comes with a serrated saw.
Blade Lock System: The Liner Lock system makes the blade safe and secure to work with. It prevents it from accidentally opening.
Pros
- Drop Point Blade
- Liner Lock System
- Stainless Steel Blade
Cons
- Easy to blunt if misused
- Little pricey compared to the rest
4. Milano Godfather Style WOOD HANDLE Assisted Opening Knife
The Milano Godfather Style Pocket Knife is a looker. If you are looking for style accompanied by class, at less than $15, this knife nails it. With over 388 reviews in Amazon, this is arguably another greatest cheap folding knife yet. Here are some features that make it really click.
Perfect Weight: At just about 6 oz the Milano Godfather Style Pocket Knife is one of the best everyday carry for your personal use.
Perfect Size: When opened to full length, the folding knife opens at 9 inches. This is easy to control when in use.
Stylish Wooden Handle: The Black Handle is made of hard antique designed wood. This adds color, style, and class to the folding knife.
Stainless Steel Blade: The knife comes with a stainless steel serrated blade that adds longevity and makes it resistant to rust and corrosion.
Liner Lock With Thumbstud: The knife also has an all steel construction that offers a liner lock system with a thumbstud blade for fast assisted opening.
Pocket Clip: The knife also has a pocket clip that makes it really easy to carry around and along the belt.
Pros
- Stainless Steel Blade
- Liner Lock with Thumbstud
- Perfect Size and Weight
Cons
- May get stained if not cleaned
- Needs sharpening if blunt
5. Buck Knives 0385BRS Folding Pocket Knife
Buck is known for quality. Their brands are some of the best sellers in many online shops especially under the best pocket hunting knives. It is no surprise the Buck Knives 0385BRS makes it to our list. Here are some of the best features that this knife offers at less than $15.
Stainless Steel Blade: The knife features a long, narrow stainless-steel blade. This makes it really ideal for detailed cutting. The blade is forged from 420J2 stainless steel for maximum longevity.
Comfortable Handle: The handle is comfortable and attractive. It adorned with a sports wood-grain body together with nickel silver bolsters.
Lock System: The knife has a safe mode lock system that makes it quite secure to use. This makes it trustable.
Buck’s 4-Ever warranty: As with all the other Buck knives, the “Toothpick” as it is often called also comes with Buck’s 4-Ever warranty.
Ideal Size/ Weight: The knife has comes with a Blade length of 2-1/4 inches. It measures 3 inches when closed. The knife weighs just about 0.8 ounces.
Pros
- Bucks 4-ever Warranty
- Ideal size and weight
- Stainless steel blade
- Comfortable handle
Cons
- Has no sheath
- Comes with no clip
6. Valtev Pocket Knife with Lockback Blade
Like the Buck above, the Valtev Folding Pocket Knife also comes with a stylish wooden handle. It accompanies simple style with additional beauty that makes it really attractive. For just about $20 this knife also offers some awesome features that the over 200 reviews agree are stunning.
Ideal Size of Blade: This knife has a sharp 3 1/8 inch locking blade. The nail comes with a nail groove in it that makes it really easy to open.
Stainless Steel Blade: The knife also has a 3Cr13 stainless steel blade. This makes it more durable and safe from rust and corrosion. The blade also has a hardness rating of 56 that makes is even harder to damage.
LockBack System: The classic blade when in use of on an open position locks to prevent accidental closing and injury.
Perfect Fit Handle: OThe beautiful natural wood grain & polished brass handle that the knife comes with allows you to easily hold the knife in place.
Sheath Carrier: The knife comes with a Heavy Duty 1680D Density Nylon sheath with a firm press snap clasp
Ideal Size/ Weight: When open the knife measures, 7 1/8 inches, when closed it stands at 4 inches and weighs just about 4.2 ounces
Pros
- Stainless Steel Blade
- Lock Back System
- Sheath Carrier
Cons
- Hard to sharpen
- Wooden handle might get destroyed.
7. The Sportsman Pocket Folding Knife
From the Sportsman Industries comes another great knife at just about $20. It has numerous features to die for. The reason this knife makes our list is simple, it is an all-rounder, a jack of all trades, and at the best one of the best cheap folding knives. Here are its best features.
Stainless Steel Handle: The handle is built to last. It is made out of Titanium Coated Stainless Steel Handle with 3.5 mm Thick Blade that keeps it really strong.
Razor Sharp Blade: This all-rounder pocket knife enjoys a razor sharp 3.7-Inch drop-point Blade. The blade is good for piercing, cutting, stabbing, and chopping.
Non Corrosive Blade: Made of durable steel alloy, the 420 Titanium Coated Stainless Blade is rust and corrosion resistant with a titanium coated finish too.
Liner Lock System: The knife boasts a liner lock design. This makes it safe to use and prevents it from accidentally retracting (liner lock-bar stabilizer helps hold the blade in the working position).
Dual Thumb Studs: It has a Dual Thumb Studs and Spline Flipper that make the Sportsman Pocket Folding Knife very fast and easy to deploy when in use.
Easy to Carry: The knife when opened fully measures 8.85 inches long and weighs 10.6 ounces making it super lightweight.
Pros
- Liner lock
- Highly portable
- Stainless steel
Cons
- Needs so much care
- User manual
8. TAC-Force Skull Design Assisted Opening Knife
Another great design of cheap folding knives is the TAC-Force Skull Design. The design offers a great price. At less than $15 this knife is a great bargain for any user. It has many features and really enjoyable to work with. Here are some of the best features that we found out too.
Stainless Steel Blade: The knife enjoys a two-tone black coat 440 stainless steel. This makes it really durable when in use.
Sharp Point Blade: The straight edged sawback blade is good for cutting, piercing, and stabbing among many other jobs.
Liner Lock System: The knife has a liner lock system that makes it really safe and secure to use. The lock comes with a thumb stud for easy deployment.
Great Handle: The handle skull design is where the name comes from. It is an awesome grey skull-pattern with aluminum coating and finger grooved handles/ jimping for easy grip.
Assisted Opening: It offers a fast and smooth spring assisted -operating opening system. This is borrowed from the thumb stud mechanism.
Deep-carry Pocket Clip: The deep carry pocket clip allows the knife to be easily carried around when you need to us it.
Ideal Size: The Knife measures 8.25″ when open, 4.75″ when closed, and has a 3.5″ liner locking blade.
Pros
- Stainless Steel Blade
- Liner Lock System
- Assisted Opening
Cons
- Blunting when misused
- Comes with no sheath
9. Benchmade – Mini Griptilian 556 Pocket Knife
Benchmade is known for quality. It is also known for some of the simplest designs. It makes our list. Some of the loveliest reasons why include these.
Stainless Steel Blade: The Mini Griptilian 556 has a stainless steel blade that offers high style rust resistant. It is tough and tactical for outdoor activities always.
Glass-Filled Nylon Handle: It boasts a glass-filled nylon handle that is tough, easy to hold, long lasting and yet very attractive.
Axis Lock: TThe Mini Griptilian 556 enjoys a rare AXIS lock system. This offers it maximum safety when in use.
One Hand Open System: The knife can be opened and closed single-handedly. It is also smaller, lighter in design, comes with a versatile pocket clip.
Drop-Point Utility Blade: The drop-point utility blade offers the knife an all-around functionality. It makes it ideal for everyday use.
Pros
- Has a G10 upgrade system
- Has a stainless steel blade
- Has a versatile tip
Cons
- Requires a lot of care when using
- Needs professional sharpening
- Used with manufacturer’s manual
10. REGULUS Knife B46
One of the newest arrivals in the market, REGULUS has some of the best brands and folding pocket knives. It makes many knives on the cheap and is becoming dependable. This is our bonus today – the new comer – REGULUS Knife B46. This is where it kills it.
The Pricing: The pricing is awesome. It comes for less than $30 in many online shops that we checked.
Ideal Size: For a pocket knife the REGULUS Knife B46 has a great size. It has a total length: 21.2 cm, blade length: 8.5 cm, and handle length: 12.3 cm.
Ideal Thickness: The blade’s width stands at 2.6 centimeters and the blade has a thickness of about 3 millimeters.
Stainless Steel Blade: Additionally, the blade material is stainless steel that has 3Cr13Mov and hardness: of 55 HRC.
Lock System: It has a safe lock system for secure handling and comes with a quick assisted opening design.
Pros
- Ideal Thickness
- Stainless Steel Blade
- Lock System
Cons
- No sheath
- lunts if misused
The Three Types of Folding Knives Actions
Folding knives as the names suggest are designs to fold, flip, or trigger. These actions can be done in three different ways. They can be done through manual opening, assisted opening, or automatically. Let’s take a look at how every action works for the best folding knives.
Manual Opening: A knife that operates through
Assisted Opening : This is not entirely manual nor is it an automatic. Assisted opening lies in between. Because of this, these knives are almost legal in over 50 states. The only thing regulated about assisted opening knives is their blade length. For the blade to be engaged on an assisted opening knife, you must physically start opening the blade; you just can’t push a trigger.
Automatic Opening : These are also known as the switchblades. Initially they were mostly used by the military or law enforcement. You don’t open the blade manually; the blade is opened by a trigger or a switch. Once the switch is pressed or tapped the blade automatically jumps out, flips, or draws to full length.
Top 4 Popular Folding Knives Variations
If you wanted to buy a knife there are many factors that you have to look at like we have seen. However there are a few other things that many people are never told. They include these 4 variations.
Plain Vs Serrated Edged Knives
Plain Blade | Serrated Blade |
Plain edge knives are made of plain steel. | Blade is forged from a mixture of steel and alloys. |
They are universally preferred. | They are not as preferred as plain blade. |
They are easy to sharpen. | They require professional sharpening. |
They are prone to rust and corrosion | They don’t catch rust and are good for cutting ropes. |
The Top Types of Blade Locks
Every time you use your knife you will get a lock system to go with. Lock systems prevent the knife from retracting and injuring you. Here are the ideal secure knife blade locks you should know.
- Liner Lock
- Lock Back
- Frame Lock
- Axis Lock
- Button Lock
Blade Steel Type Vs Price of Knives
By looking at the type of blade that you require one can easily determine the average amount f money that they intend to use to buy their knives. Here is a typical example of how this works.
Blade Steel Type | Average Price of Knife |
8CR13MOV | 30 USD |
AUS8 | 75 USD |
154CM | 165 USD |
S30V | 235 USD |
DAMASCUS | 353 USD |
Folding Knives Vs Fixed Blade
- Folding knives are pricey; most fixed blade knives are not.
- Folding knives are easy to fold and carry fixed blades are not.
- Folding knives are ideal for easy jobs; fixed blades for rugged jobs
- Folding knives come with lock systems, fixed knives are already designed.
- Folding knives are preferred by many people, fixed blades are preferred by few.
When choosing your best cheap folding knife you should always look at the following tips too. They are complete and will make your work of choosing the best knife pretty easy to get down with.
Top Considerations When Buying Cheap Folding Knives
When going to buy your best folding knife you should pick the very best. These are the basic factors that will land you the best knife. They are simple and don’t need much time to grip.
The Cost/ Price: The best folding knives will range from 7 USD to 500 USD. Going with cheap folding knives you’d want anything between 7 USD to 20 USD. Some brands that you could land here include
Opening Technology: Is the knife manually opened? Does it enjoy assisted opening? Is it a flipper? Is it supported with automatic opening? It is hard to get automatic switchable on the lower prices but one hand opening is easy and should be considered.
Type of Brand: There are brands known for making quality knives, ideal grips, stylish handles, smooth blades, etc. Understand what brand is good in which area. Then pick the right band for the specific use. This is a great tip for the beginners too.
Lock Mechanism: We have various ideal ways through which cheap folding knives can lock. They include frame lock, compression lock, arc lock, axis lock, liner, and lock-back. Lock system is very important for holding the knife blade in place when in use.
The Main Use: Know how the knife will be used. A knife for outdoor activities including camping, hiking, hunting, and carving is simply different from a collector’s knife. The type of use will even determine the type of blade point you use.
Handle Materials: Perfect grip prevents the knife from slipping. Getting a handle that has been forged from the right material is important in providing a solid grip. The best handles are engraved and have grooves. They include textured materials like G10 in Benchmade Knives.
Knife Budget: Cheap folding knives have a set price. Sometimes you may not be able to meet the top price on the “cheap platform.” You should go with what’s affordable for you. The budget you have will therefore play a very important role always.
The Blade Play: When you wiggle the blade of your best folding knife you can tell how strong it is. Any movement is not ideal. Even with the cheap folding knives the wiggle is not an excuse. A good blade should be secure once they have been locked.
The User Reviews: There are people who have bought the knife before you – what do they say. This will provide an ideal direction on where to go. Don’t go for a knife without a review. You don’t want to miss on getting a fair opportunity on a great knife.
Carrying Option: The best folding knives are carried around often. They are highly portable. Get one with the best carrying mechanism. This will include clip options, sheath, or customized carriage boxes. Clips can be reverse while sheaths can be made of leather or nylon.
Knife’s Durability: Whether cheap or not, you don’t want a knife that will send you back to the shop after only two days of use due to damages. Look for a knife with ideal steel blade, serrated vs plain, and type of handles (wooden handles to the G10 types).
If you choose your knife in line with following tips, you should be able to actually nail the very best knife for your use. Just remember, pricey doesn’t usually mean the very best of products.
Common Knife Safety Tips You Should Know
The most important knifing tip is using the knife in the right way. Here are the common knife safety tips that you must keep in mind. They will help save you from endangering your life.
Cut in the Right Direction
- Always cut in the direction that’s away from the body.
- Never cut inward or away and upward.
- Make sure the blade points away from you.
Ensure you have Tight Grip
- Dry your hands if they are wet.
- Hold your knife as directed in user manual.
- Don’t hold in between a slippery object (wet canvas).
Use the Knife Standing Still
- Don’t move about when using the knife.
- Only walk with a knife when transporting it.
- Don’t run with an open knife (you could trip and get cut).
Use Knife in Well Lit Areas
- Don’t use in low or dim light.
- Pick a knife with LED light.
- Use a torch to get more light.
Use the Manufacturer’s Manual
- Assemble the knife properly
- Use the knife for designated use
- Keep away from children’s use.
- Clean your knife after every use.
- Buy the right knife accessories (sheath)
With these proper safety rules when using your best folding knife you will be able to keep safe and also ensure that your loved ones are also protected. Knife injuries are dangerous and can turn fatal.
Additional Tips: Keeping Your Knife Sharp
The one care and maintenance practice for the best pocket knives are sharpening. Keeping your knife sharp is essential. However, there is no one preferred way of keeping knives sharp. Whether you have serrated blades or simply a stainless steel blade, you can always use any of these sharpening options.
- Whet stones
- Honing rods
- Ceramic or carbide sharpeners
- Pocket sharpeners.
Conclusion
Buying the best cheap folding knives is not easy. Because of the many brands that we have today, you could be tempted to buy anything that appeals to you. That’s okay! However, it is important to remember that the real reason a knife is bought is to make use of it. If this is the case appeal should be the last of your considerations – rather look for a knife that serves the purpose.
Any best pocket knife should, therefore, be chosen based on the factor that we have highlighted in this review. It is true that with the right tips even starters can actually get the very best knives. We understand the need to get the very best even when you are on a budget. It is simply important.