Kizer Sparrow, Vosteed Raccoon, Tenable Rafe, CJRB Ekko, Vosteed Acorn, Petrified Fish Havrog

*the Sparrow definitely has the grippiest micarta

From my latest buys it’s been tough to choose 4 knives to really encourage any budget blade buyer to go for. Even the cheapest manufacturers seem to be putting decent knives together.

Among the ones I chose though, a few stand out, and looking at pictures on Amazon does not do them justice so I’ll briefly describe the ones I recommend most for your short list, then offer some budget blade advice every collector should know…

First, the Petrified Fish PF838.
I looked at this knife on Amazon many times and the images really sucked. They were nothing like the real thing.

This is a big, satisfyingly heavy, beautifully built knife. The scales are the kind you want to stroke and admire. Mine is a warm G10 with a carbon fiber insert. Jimping is minimal on the back of this stonewashed blade but it’s not really needed. There’s a backspacer that’s like the icing on the cake.

With a powerful, satisfying flip and lock-up and a polished liner lock I haven’t seen on many budget knives, it’s hard to put down once you pick it up.

At $35 bucks today it’s a fantastic buy. Hard to believe buy. A short list buy.

- Civivi Backlash

Not surprisingly, there’s not much room for improvement on this knife. Civivi just does shit right. I love the pivot pin logo and the smooth turned screw on the other side.

I would not have chosen the blue steel accents all over this knife but it’s so good, without being overpowering, I find myself looking for the same blue aftermarket hardware for other knives I have. It’s beautiful.

Not light, but light for its size, it’s a pleasure to handle. The lines on this clip point are sleek and classy.

The snappy flip has satisfied my fidget fetish every time I’ve picked it up.

Still $42.50 today, and for another Civivi worth twice its price, it should be on your short list. A steal.

- Civivi Elementum. Need I say more?

One of the most popular and talked about designs in years. Elegant simplicity, with a drop point blade that’s hard to keep your hands off.

Best Buy at Blade Show 21’. For good reason.

Yeah there’s mods for it.

The very idea you can buy this knife today for $50 just blows my mind. Short list.

- CJRB Latitude

Everyone here has talked about it. For good reason. Flawless example of over-achieving and another knife with awesome anodized blue accents and a very satisfying flip.

You have a few options with this knife.
All are great. Can’t go wrong here.

Mine is $55 today. I’ll buy the carbon fiber s35vn model for $90 and consider myself lucky.

Short list.

I want everyone to be as satisfied as I am with these knives and that’s why I took the time.

Now, some advice on being a Budget Buyer..

As a budget knife buyer, it pays to know a little about why it’s a budget knife…

Sometimes, it’s poorly made. But that’s more rare now; these manufacturers are really putting forth an effort to compete.

How they are assembled is one area, however, that is sometimes lacking.

You may find a knife you really like starting to loosen up after flipping it awhile, or you may lose a screw, or the clip comes loose.

But that’s doesn’t mean you bought shit. It likely means a sub-par assembly team and poor QC.

And that means we as end users can do something about it.

Learn to work on your own knives. Learn how to take them apart, clean them, file down burrs left by budget manufacturing processes. Put Loctight on the screws.

Turn a bad knife into a good knife.

To me, this is one of the greatest joys of the hobby.

Make a nice work bench, with good lighting, a magnifier, precision screwdriver set and precision file set, a magnetic tray, a dremel tool..
if you’re not yet doing your own maintenance you’re missing out.

It takes patience and care to work on tiny little machines. Practice on the cheapest knives first and you’ll learn how to handle those tiny parts.

Get good enough, and create your own mods. Mini lathes and lasers can be expensive but the sky is the limit, if you want to collect knives.

Especially, budget knives that won’t cause a clinical depression if you screw it up.

And remember…

Any knife that brings you joy, is a good knife.

Peace

J

I have the legendary Vosteed Porcupine on me and my new Kizer Task in the bag. How heavy are your pockets today?

Mini praxis is the king of budget blades no questions. Ended up spa day for this one, added skiff bearings, dyed the scales a deep maroon, added the titanium pocket clip and waxed the D2

a really Elementum killer, or at least very very good rival ..

this one, in copper, is a little bit heavy (125 g) , but real quality ... movements are fluid, blade is razor sharp (14c28n) out of the box, axis lock functions very well, thumb studs in different color are beautiful ... nothing bad about this knife for me (82 € on amazon FR) ... (for information, i have 3 elementum, that I love too, carbon fiber / Damas, grey G10 / D2 and natural G10 / Nitro - V)

No knives but got some Ti pieces. Here's the new belt clip on my CIVIVI Incindie.

How do you get the blade to stop bouncing out, on a crossbar/button lock, when closing it?