Best Blade Steels For $100 Or Less
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ค. 2024
- If you want to stretch your pocket knife purchasing power, these are some of the best performing steels that can be had for less than 100 bucks: kcoti.com/3IdVszk
While D2 reigns supreme as the best steel per dollar these days, there are higher-performing particle steels that have trickled down into affordable range. From S35VN to 3V, 20CV and M390, and even more exotic stuff, world-class cutting power no longer costs an arm and a leg.
Featured Knives
0:00 Knives with the Best Blade Steel Under $100
0:29 QSP Parrot: kcoti.com/3KPdOZc
1:24 Spyderco Ladybug K390: kcoti.com/3iaiNHr
3:09 Fallkniven U4 Wolf’s Tooth and LTC: kcoti.com/3w8dwZ6
6:04 Cold Steel Lucky Two: kcoti.com/3i6EWXf
8:20 CJRB Ria: kcoti.com/3tZzlr5
10:34 CIVIVI Pintail: kcoti.com/3IhHufA
11:24 SOG Terminus XR: kcoti.com/36nwhNd
12:40 Ontario Ti-22 Equinox: kcoti.com/3wb9D5S
14:04 Bestech Swordfish: kcoti.com/3KPebmy
15:19 Buck 112 Ranger Slim Pro TRX: kcoti.com/3ife3QE
17:29 Kershaw Dividend: kcoti.com/35UPPJh
19:58 Kershaw Link: kcoti.com/3CLPi8n
21:11 MKM Fara: kcoti.com/3JaFnLU
23:02 Boker Celos: kcoti.com/3KPpdrB
24:04 Acta Non Verba Z100: kcoti.com/3q73e7V
26:02 Kizer Zipslip: kcoti.com/3KJA2vt
27:19 Kizer Mini Critical: kcoti.com/3IguIhv
Interested in a Tek-Lok? Get them here: kcoti.com/34YqPM0
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There is a HUGE mark up in the knife industry’s pricing of “crucible steels” I buy woodturning tools made of this and yes it is expensive… but not that expensive !!
A 2x6x.160 piece of s35vn is around 50 bucks before shipping... so a 3 to 3.5 inch blade knife at 100 bucks with s35vn is actually an amazing price when you factor in the raw blank cost of just the steel. Now of course that's from a steel baron and I'm sure the knife companies are paying much less than that but the fact of the matter is that powder steels cost like hell for just the blade blade Cost.. factor in water jet to cut the blades out, abrasive wear to grind the blades, finishing time and just the blade cost alone starts make it seem as tho a company selling a powder steel knife at 100 dollars at the retailer can't be making but like 15 bucks on a knife.. figure they are making it for 45-50, wholesaling at 65-70 and the retailer slapping their 25-30 on it.. knife companies ain't making as much as you think they are...especially usa knife companies.
there goes DCA again, bragging about his slightly larger than average hands. He’s the guy that y’all’s girlfriends said don’t worry about… 😎
Every girl’s crazy about a sharp edge man.
That comment deserves more likes.
Lol
...quote unquote.
Like how knowledgeable David seems to be. I really like the variety that knifeCenter has. I also appreciate the employees willing to call their customers to make sure that certain customer understood that the next bus day shipping would be on a monday not the weekend and offered to get it to that certain customer sooner if needed. Never had any other knife shop do that. Thank you KnifeCenter!
give this man a medal hes passionate about knives
Great concise reviews and lots of info about steel thrown in. Nice job David👍🏻
Anti steel snob here. Give me a good heat treat and anything from 440a and up and I'm good to go. My favorite for a pocket knife? VG10 . I just like the way it cuts.
Or just give me great geometry about everything and it'll be a hell of a knife.
Very good steel.
FYI, I just ordered a Benchmade 940 Osborne this evening, after noticing it was finally in stock again at Knifecenter. I didn't trust ordering it from any other knife seller besides Knifecenter because of all the fakes out there. It will be the most expensive knife I own, at just over $200, more than double of what you're showing on this video but highlighted last week in one of your videos.
hey man, bladehq and bladeops are two other really reputable sellers. you won’t find fakes there. just check em out bc a lot of these sellers have exclusive options and models
Ordered the Swordfish and couldn't be happier. Absolutely amazing.
❤
It's always educational when watching your show matey. The best Go To for info. Cheers mate. Greetings from Australia.
Super vid! A wealth of knife knowledge,as always! Thanks!
Finally some love for the Bestech Swordfish, one of the best bargains IMO
Great video! Thanks. I'm dig'n the SOG and Kershaw options
Got Spyderco Dragonfly 2 in K390 (little bigger than manbug) for $97 shipped a couple weeks ago on a sale... nice sub$100 pickup
I got it too. Great little knife.
I have both of the kershaws (dividend and link) and love love love them. After they fire about 100 times the snappy-ness of the deploy really sets in. Amazing prices and so cheap i could lose them and not cry my eyes out
I would cry if I lost my *Link
Great vid! Everyone's always looking for value!
Thanks DCA for the video. My two favorite values: 1) KC exclusive Bestech Swordfish in S35VN at $90, 2) Cold Steel Recon 1 4" S35VN lockback for $130 (or cheaper but same design/materials ... CS 3.5" American Lawman) for best overall valued HD folders.
My list is pretty much the same.
That swordfish is a great knife at $90
Loving my swordfish so far. No hard use yet. But came out of the box shaving sharp and a single adjustment after a few weeks. Feels great.
this video helped a lot with some knives i was thinking about.
thanks dca
Another gem.
Best knife show EVER!
Thanks, Mr. Andersen. I think it's difficult to dispute the Link in 20CV as the best bang for the premium steel buck.
There was a Kershaw bare knuckle and a link in 20cv for 100 dollars.I love that knife it's basically a Zt 0770 minus the titanium frame.Great bang for the buck.
Yup. Have it. Love it. Only a couple teensy tiny nitpicks, but for the materials, phenomenal action, and just overall quality at the price point… unbeatable. The Link might be better economically, because it’s larger, but the Bareknuckle carries similarly to a 940.
I got the link last year in M390 for $80.
I just bought the link for $52.00 at my local store close out with 20cv!
Making blades I have been using two different steels. Both High Carbon steals.
The D2 and 1084. Fairly easy to work, and when heat treated right they make very good blades,
with very good edge retention.
I picked up one of those Links last week. American made 20cv under $100 is music to my ears.
CPM doesn't mean American made as I had to learn myself. Crucible Industries LLC licensed it's cpm process to Robert Zapp in 2012. Some steels on AKS are labeled CPM and is made by Zapp. They don't tell you this.
I use and abuse mine a lot. Its not the 100% toughest/hardest 2pcv ever but man this thing cuts like a champ and i just strop on leather belt and it just works
@@unknown-ql1fk it works compared to? This is my issue. I don't have experience with every alloy but I at least know on paper. As I've found - the majority of knife people don't understand shit about the science behind it. A big issue that allows me to exist for people like that. Which yep - works.
@@unknown-ql1fk In no way am I saying 20CV is bad. But. There's better alloys out there in almost every category or at least isn't going to translate into a real world noticable difference. Then again we both know that you won't know the difference between a PM or ingot steel and we're not even getting into the hsla or high alloy differences...
@@TH-cam_Scientisthe was saying the KNIFE is american made
Been collecting knives for almost 10 years now and I've never heard of laminated blades !! Learn something new every day
Great video! Interesting topic!
One of my all time favorite episodes.
I have the Link in 20CV and the Blur in M4 and I love them! Although both were $160 CAD they are still amazing for the price.
I have the Link too, but the spring was snapping open crazy hard so I took it out and heat treated it with a little torch to be a little weaker and now it's just about perfect (don't go past purple). I smoothed out the flipper tab as mine had a really sharp edge and it actually abraded my thumb the 1st time I used it. I tried it without the spring, but it doesn't have a detent to hold the blade in when closed so it has to have the spring. Luckily it has a. .085 heavy spring that's unlikely to break. Those O60 springs on some assist knives break every time. My Bear Ops Swipe would be useless except it does have a detent.
@@MountainFisher yeah I smoothed down the flipper tab as well but mine never snapped open super hard so maybe the heat treat on the spring was off on yours.
@@mikoyanig5512 Probably so, I bought a Kershaw Turismo where the spring was perfect out of the box.
That Bear Ops Swipe was hard snapping too, but it broke about a month after I got it. I measured the spring and it was too thin, only .052 thick.
@@MountainFisher yeah I haven’t heard to many nice things about bear ops knives.
Excellent lineup!
DCA!! Bro!! Thanks for this video!! I really do learn a ton from watching your videos!! Cheers!!
Sure like this video update! Thanks
TwoSun knives offer an M390 option for about $110.. and it's a 3+ inch knife design... can't beat Two Sun 🌞🌞..
Very cool options
The cold steel lucky 2 is insanely underrated. It’s been out for a while, but never really got popular. It’s def my favorite modern slipjoint.
Just got 2 lucky 2’s in!
Italian made - carbon fiber & cpm-s35vn for $60.ish!
I thought they sold out at knifecenter so I bought 2 from midwayusa !
After seeing Cold steel’s new line up of slip joints, they look like knock offs of other brands but the lucky ,imo - stands out as a cs original for some reason!
Fits my name too! Lucky 💩
✌️🤟🤙
I've been impressed with all of my Cold Steel knives, but never saw the lucky 2 before. Looks great.
Great video
The Kershaw Link 20cv quickly became my permanent EDC. AMAZING blade steel..!!!
It's a decent alloy. I personally like it. There's better ones frankly. Not an opinion, facts lol.
Ya I got mine for $52.00 at the local store on a close out!
@@edwardabrams4972 I never could understand people who buy say. A pm2 or something Spyderco in S30Vs when they know how to actually heat treat shit ESPECIALLY FROM TAIWAN. My own EDC is a sage 1 in Maxamet (Altus in black nitro-v for a classier look) and I have personally tested the Rockwell of . Quite a few US made blades and taiwanese and the numbers say that Taiwan is more consistent. Maxamet is supposed to be 68. It was I'm not joking literally on the freaking line of 68 not. A needle over or under. And ffs don't tell me that at the higher levels it's going to have less error room I obviously know how to do science. Forging is literally just a technique that adds more variables to the end product. I make sure to ascertain the rolling direction (some odd cross rolled for NSM stuff) and stainless as everyone knows has been forged many times before it reaches you. The only exception I'd say would be wootz Damascus that has a scientific purpose of forging. Can you san/go mai and pattern weld Damascus? Well yes indeed. What actual benefits does that provide in the end blade? Absolutely nothing. Strength on lamellar steel is NOT going to be tougher than a monosteel if you know what you are doing. Corrosion resistance I don't count because the carbon steel is the edge and rust does dull a blade VERY quick. Small surface specs on oxidation you can't see with the naked eye. Pitting I'd assume would be worse as I *think* the carbon is going to want to pull any moly from solution for m³c but I'm not sure if the temps are high enough to precipitate m³c carbide growth. If I had to guess I'd say it's not hot enough. Alloy dependant as always
154cm on olight's beagle and parrot for $60 is a solid deal. There's also the option of nagao higenokamis in Hitachi blue or white steel for $40-70
Nice stuff!
I have the Mini Critical in 3V with a wharncliffe profile and it's AWESOME. Absolute beast of a short, straight blade.
Man that SOG terminus XR looks amazing I'm gonna have to get one.
GiantMouse Iona with FRN handle is in M390 and under $100. A very good knife at that price! One of the best bargains. I snagged an aluminum-handled Iona for $99, which normally goes for $129. A great knife for the price.
The link to buy the knives on this list take you to the master catalog of 8769 items.
Yeah, that should be fixed, I’d like to look at some of these directly.
Agree. It wasn’t this list at first.. maybe updated since? I’ll check
Bit of a goof on our part. It's been resolved.
My Civivi Pintail just came in, best thumb action it is soo satisfying
The kershaw dividends interesting weld pattern actually serves more purpose other than looking cool. It allows for more overall length of weld kind of how serated blades add cutting edge. Its also a good way to spread out stresses throughout the steel, fishmouthing. Heavy equipment repair techs know how to fix a cracked boom, a rectangular plate to strengthen it will crack again soon but fish mouthed plates will take some otherwise catastrophic abuse.
This turned into quite the rant. Hope that made some kind of sense.
Rant?? Nah bro, you're speaking science, and that, is awesome to those of us who understand it. HD frame repair certified myself was taught about the fish plate method due to the increase of patch surface area. In fact, most failures don't occur at the plate when done the correct way, the frame around said patch fail. Sorry, nerded out
Yes. What he said ^🤣
Great list as always, I’d also throw in the cold steel code 4 with s35vn also. Got mine for 85 bucks.
Just got my Code 4 tanto delivered today! Really loving the knife so far. It’s going to be one heck of a workhorse I think!
10:47 I have that exact same pintail. I was blown away by the quality.
It’s so underrated. Great knife
Nice:) especially small knives in your hands 😂👍. Regards from Europe bro 👍
Greetings DCA, I'm a big fan of non locking blades they have a special elegance. DCA can you talk about the different models of non locking blades (friction folders, slip joint and detent).
I own the Kershaw Link in navy blue but it doesn't use the 20cv that the olive green handled version has. So I had the idea of buying the olive green 20cv blade and switching it into my blue Link. I contacted Kershaw and surprisingly they said that switching the blades will work. It will however void your warranty but it will work anyway. I was surprised that they were that honest at Kershaw. So I think that I'm going to give it a try.
Denim mircata is too cool...love it.
I'm noticing David, that there are quite a few inexpensive knives out there with good old VG 10 ; the Kizer 'Begleiter' is still a great option for a not overly expensive pocket carry, and still with different coloured handles and, Titanium coated blades.
Best wishes to Thomas, by the way !
ALSO: wonderful use of the words "little bugger". Just say it more often ! Spiffing, what !! 😆☺️🤗🇬🇧🇺🇲👋
Vg10 is a great steel, I also love 154cm, and 14c28n,
Happy cutting , old chap.😊🇬🇧🇳🇿
What category fo the Otter Knives fall on and could you do a video on that!!! Love the videos.
Giantmouse Iona in M390 is $99 with the FRN handles.
Giant mouse m390= soft as room temperature butter.
I have an exclusive Kershaw 7777 Bareknuckle with 20CV. It retailed for $99.99. Great manual action with ball bearing pivot. IMO it is a premium knife. It could easily be in the Zero Tolerance line.
I carry a knife center exclusive Kershaw bareknuckle in 20CV and I love it. I bought it for about $120 last year. Not sure if it's still available though.
I've got the cheaper 420HC version of the Kerhsaw Dividend, and only paid like $35 for a US made flipper at the time. Love it, one of my favorite EDC items. I'm betting the premium one is even better. Also have a 420 HC Dividend, and a Sandvik 14C28N Leek. All great EDCs
Yep, Kershaw is pretty much unbeatable for the money. I have the Leek, Dividend, and Link using the high end steels, but the Dividend is my favorite EDC.
@@richardalexander5758 id argue QSP and crkt are just as good if not a bit better in terms of budget options. my cheaper kershaw was decent but didn’t last long and it dulled really fast
Almost any two sun knife would smoke most of these for sure
Haha yes! 😆
Thanks. Getting older now... Trying to get better quality, more exoensive things. Interesting things. And you're being extremely helpful on this knife Topic. More to it than I ever thought. I just thought I could get the best knife Around a hundred bucks or so, and it would be fairly simple with the metal's.
I love the esee 4 and 6hm would be Interested in seeing 4-6 inch fixed blades for outdoors / camping / hiking uses. As an esee competition
Take a look at QSP knives, lots of bang for your money. I personally love the Worker by QSP.
is there an analogous vid on fixed blade knives I missed? If not, would be great to see, too. It is always highly important to stay updated on newest best deals on the market, especially regarding blade quality. Super cool Vid, highly intertesting! Could get me 6 of those right away 😢
Excellent comparison reviews as always, DCA! As a guy who leans more towards solidly built, functional, robust, sharp EDC's with a locking mechanism, I never quite understood the appeal of some of the knives with a sub 3" blade and no locking mechanism. For about $80, I have a Cold Steel AD15 LITE, that is, IMHO, an order of magnitude more robust than most of the knives on this list, and it meets your criterion of being under $100. My question is, how would you rate the AUS 10A steel used in that knife? Thank you sir!
I will give cjrb credit on the Ria, that is such a fantastic little model.
Hey I have the Kershaw Link in 20CV! Great knife!
I think I already see the bestech swordfish (knifecenter special) on that table. Def the favorite in my small but growing collection so far.
Wow my names Sanderson too lol never met another Sanderson just subscribed bro nice channel
Off topic question, when will the salt native 5's be back in stock?
Hi DCA. Hope you and yours are well. As well as the rest of the KC team.
Everything but the slipjoints are amazing. Wish i had the budget to buy them all
Have a Ladybug on order....am anxious for it to arrive to put it to work.
An unconventional option would be the Civivi Mini Elementum. 14C28N blade steel, steel frame lock, copper or brass scale, and it's surprisingly capable for a keychain knife at around $40.
I appreciate Rough Rider and Marbles offering VG10 steel blades under 50€, damn good knives for the money.
I'm partial to the nitro-v. Seems like the most balanced steel.
The Spyderco Polestar is BD1N for 80 bucks. Great steel very reasonable.
The kizer vanguard begleiter with 20cv is a hell of a bargain too!
That is a nice size chunk of 20CV for under $100. The benefits of being related to ZT!
Imagine getting the Link for $52.00 at my local store with 20cv! Now that’s a bargain
The Bestech Swordfish is a whole Lotta knife for the $$! The only thing I would change is to get rid of the "mushrooms in the shade", on the pocket clip (an easy fix).
They make a Dividend in M390. One of my favorite edcs
David,
what best kitchen knife for cutting meat as far as edge retention. A friend is processing a lot meat to make homemade smoked jerky. He is complaining about his knife edge not holding up. Also says the handles are very uncomfortable after cutting the meat for a few hours. Sorry I don’t know what he is using. Anything I could recommend would be appreciated thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Kevin Coughlin
Duxbury,MA
The bestech swordfish is such a fantastic knife.
Bought my Link at the local store for $52.00 with 20cv steel so I guess I got a great deal!
I paid a little more for mine at $68, but it was still a great deal. I've been using it for my EDC for several month's now and it a fantastic knife for the price point.
Probably about 5 years ago I was able to purchase a buck vantage Pro with the s30v and other than the blade not being aligned, the actual steel itself did really well I ended up giving the knife to my oldest brother
I look forward to every video you guys upload you've taught me so much. How about a new and updated, best of made in USA knives video?!
Thank you so much 🤙
Now you're talking my price range... good example lineup!
Hi DCA! Do you have any suggestion on left handed friendly knives?
Ps: between 100$ and 200$
I could never carry a slip joint today in 2023 as my EDC. I could also never carry a knife that needs a 2 hand opening method. Give me something smallish, lightish and that looks cool. That's why I'm a huge proponent of Bugout and Para 3. And honestly I don't care about the steel as long as I can sharpen the damn thing once in a month or two..
Bugout is probably the best knife I can imagine but the Spyderco Para 3 is simply beautiful to my eye.. Despite the fact that most of the people hate the classic Spyderco leaf shape blade.. But Spyderco was the reason I took an interest to knifes. When I first saw the Para 3 I was amazed and started collecting them like there was no tomorrow.
the AUS10A from cold steel on tge voyager is also a great deal, about $70 for a VG10 level steel is great
Always have good luck with S30V
After weeks of research I have to agree that the Link is the best value
Hey DCA! What are your top 5 folding knives that use washers (not bearing). Under $200 please. Thanks in advance!
D2 tool steel has the same edge retention as Magnacut. It's not far off from the premium expensive stuff like m390/20cv. S90V beats it considerably, despite still being stainless. Maxamet has crazy high edge retention, but will rust a bit easier, takes fingerprints immediately and discolors, and will break a little easier if you pry with it.
Cold Steel Code 4, Recon 1, and American Lawman all s35vn. got all under $100
I was hoping for a list of the knives you reviewed in the details below the video. Sadly it is not there.
Don't forget about the Civivi Elementum in s35vn.
They’re not gonna mention that cuz it’s a bhq exclusive
DCA, What is the lowest price knife you would recommend for an edc?
Civivi pintail is awesom
What is the most crazy blade shaped you have ever seen or dealt with for example mine would be a Spyderco dodo
I know you are doing knives tonight but I have to ask one question. When is Gerber going to release the Dual Force? They are killing me with all the the teasing!
Why didn’t I find you sooner? Probably because another social media channel I follow is a big BladeHQ fan. You guys have better reviews all around. I will be spending my $ with you going forward.
Thank you for the kind words! -DCA
Great video, many thanks. I'm a fixed blade guy usually, work in the great out of doors and the eternal student of bushcraft and wilderness living skills. I just bought a double wammy from brisa as knife build projects, the necker is the budget one, very nice blade but I've been blown away with my first higher end steel purchase. I bought the scara , a rwl 34 steel. How does that line up with the ones in this video?
Glad to see a shout out to the cheap and worthwhile qsp knives, I've black penguin in brass which I love but have considered a micarda parrot as a lighter edc.
Keep up the great quality, much loved.
Ian from Scotland.
i love it when they put a fixed blade or two in just for us fixed people.
RWL 34 is usually spoken of as having properties similar to CPM154. A little less vanadium but has Tungsten. Overall very similar- should be excellent on a small fixie!
It would be dope if they could make a particle Aus10A
Also have had decent luck with D2 / K110