Top products from r/chineseknives

You're in luck, we're in a massive flipper bubble right now and everyone and their dog is producing them, meaning you can get very high quality actions for increasingly lower prices. Keep in mind I'll be linking to chinese sites, so expect 2-6 week shipping times. You can probably get them in the states at a markup.

You seem to have a lot of axis lock ganzos. While those are still relevant blades, they're always on the thicc side and never really have a thin blade stock, or come with a good edge.

In that case, I would definitely recommend the new ganzo lineup of flippers. Their blade lenghts are all 86mm (3.38 inches, pretty much almost PM2 length), which to me is a 'full size' knife. Anything with a blade of over 3.5" starts feeling 'big' to me, but I do have pretty small hands. You'll find people singing their praises all over, and for good reason; they're all lightweight (under 113 grams), have skeletonized nested liners, run on ball bearings, and have a solid detent action. Their best attribute is that they come with D2 blade steel for under $30, D2 being more than adequate for medium-heavy duty tasks with good toughness and edge retention. Their model numbers are the FH11, FH12, FH21, FH31, and a new one coming out, the FH51. The cheapest I have been able to find them were on fasttech.com

I have never tried the FH11 and FH12 models but they seem to be no nonsense EDC options. I think I got a lemon for an FH31; it has terrible lock stick and the detent was weak, but my god does it have good ergos. The FH21 has a 100% perfect, snappy, reliably action, with fantastic fit and finish, good ergos and jimping, but could definitely be thinner in the handle area.

I think you'll be really happy with the ruike as I've heard it's thin, yet supremely functional. Other flippers I've had my eye on that you might consider are the SRM 1161 (14c28N steel, that sweet toothy scandinavian stuff) and the twosun ts16 or TS21 (although I hear twosuns are thicc, they always receive good reviews on f&f and action. It's recommended to bid on twosuns on ebay instead of outright buying them).

If you're talking about the absolute best you can get for 50, bump the price up a little and search 'd2 neon' on aliexpress. It is a clone of a shirogorov knife. I've never handled one but people honestly GUSH about its multi-row bearing action (you can see a gif on the front page rn I think), plus they seem to be your size and thickness.

Moving beyond flippers, the knife I was most impressed by with price to quality ratio in mind was the Sanrenmu/LAND/SRM 9103. It's a big version of the classic SRM 710/7010 that I think kickstarted enthusiasm in chinese knives. Ceramic bearings that are oh so silky smooth, milled out stainless steel handles, thin form factor, perfect lockup and centering, functional jimping and ergos, brilliant machining details and slicey blade grind. It's 12C27 steel, what I believe the old SAK's used, so it takes a hair edge easily but also loses it quite easily. The one issue I have is that when I first got it, I would press down on the lockbar with my fingers while trying to thumb flick it open and sort of lock it up; once I learned to ease up on it, the blade flies open effortlessly. All for $15 on gearbest.com.

For fidgetability, I want to also recommend you try a front flipper. I bought a michael zieba front flipper clone from someone on this subreddit and am so goddamn chuffed about it. Holy heck is it light. Holy heck is it fun to front flip. Holy heck do I love the design. I've had some bad experiences in the past with a front flipper (Y-Start LK5009) that absolutely tore my thumb to bits, but not this one. I got the more expensive version with the titanium handles, but there seems to be a much cheaper steel handle version you could try.

You could also check out the steel will mini cutjack, it's kind of a delica alternative. D2 steel, functional blade shape and ergos, FRN handles, flipper action. It'll have to be a lukewarm recommendation from me though. It runs on copper washers which take some time to break in and, while more reliable in the face of dirt and grime vs bearings, is sort of a bitch to flip correctly sometimes. The action is satisfying in a different way from bearings, but you may need to adjust the pivot (did i mention it's a PITA to take apart?) and if you're not focused on the flip, it could deploy halfway. Plus the model I got was horribly off center. Functionally, it's a good tool, but it could be much better and cheaper. Grab it when it's under $30.

Bonus fidget points to FURA's line of Serge Pachenko bean clones. The clip is ass but it is a fun tiny keychain knife with a unique action. Also bonus points to the spyderco dragonfly sized malyshyv gnome clone, just because it's such an adorable and well shaped knife.

Keep in mind this is just all the collected ramblings of one person who's just consolidated the opinions of the front page, no doubt there are other offerings from CH knives, eafengrow, Besttech, ruike, etc that are hidden gems.

So I submitted a similar post a few months back to r/knifeclub about the KU150. I went on about how Kubey seemed to have turned a corner into original high-quality designs that are remarkably good for their price point. As expected I was met with some skepticism tempered by the usual Chinophobia. But this was somewhat understandable since, until recently to the uninitiated, Kubey seemed to have more in common with Eafengrow and Fura.

Three knives later and I'm pretty sure Kubey ain't fuckin' around.

For my tastes, the KU219CF is about as perfect as a production knife can get in its price range, if not in general. They nailed everything in terms of materials, design and craftsmanship—except for maybe the clip. I have over 200 folders in my collection ranging from Grimsmo to Ozark Trail and I can say with certainty that Kubey can compete with the best in their class. Their most recent models are every bit as good as what Civivi is putting out, and they are selling for considerably less—the KU150 in D2 is going for $30 right now. Lord knows we can all find little things to nit-pick but objectively speaking I can't find much wrong with this knife, and the manufacturing seems flawless. Now for the details...

It measures 8.35" with a 3.5" N690 blade riding on ceramic bearings between liners nested in a carbon fiber handle. The model I picked has a rough-n-tumble stonewash finish on all metal parts—no random blue anodized nonsense. The milled carbon fiber has a 'grippy' texture that matches the stonewash for a beautifully unified design. A titanium clip, a custom but still adjustable titanium pivot, and a skeletonized show-side liner trim the weight to 4.3oz which feels lighter in hand because of it's size. In the photos, I compare it to a Spyderco PPT which measures an inch shorter in blade and overall length but is a full ounce heavier.

One detail I want to single out is the holy-shit-that-is-sharp factory edge. It's polished to a mirror finish. Check out the picture and keep in mind I didn't do anything to the blade—it came like that... packaged in a deluxe zippered pouch with a microfiber cloth for $119. Pretty damn nice.

Now about that clip... Single-position kills it for some, that's a given. It just so happens to come in my preferred configuration but its placement could be better. If it were integrated into the screw at the rear, the knife would sit lower in pocket. This would also eliminate the need to thread for a third screw and would allow the clip to switch from right to left. It's also pretty damn tight on jeans which is exacerbated by the 'grippiness' of the carbon fiber.

Your intended type, volume, and roughness of use, and your sharpening willingness and skills will play a role in what knife and steel you get, though the cheaper you go, you lose some options. Do you want a folding knife or would you consider a fixed blade? Do you know how long a blade you might like? I think about 3.5" is basically "full" size in folding knives, with 3.0" being medium and particularly EDC-friendly, while smaller than that gets into mini territory. Lots of options in all sizes, plus big bigger ones. Are you a drop point guy? A reverse tanto blade shape guy? Spear point? Clip point? And do you prefer a liner lock, frame lock, axis lock, other lock? Do you prefer to open via thumb stud, front flipper, rear flipper, assisted open? Do you want plastic, rubber, G10, CF, metal, or something else on the handle? Do you want clip options for left carry, right carry, tip up, or tip down? Do you care if it's heavier? Do you need ultralight? Average weight?

Just searching Amazon for Ganzo (or Sanrenmu) will give you a bevy of cheap options, many of which look suspiciously familiar.

If you've got an extra four bucks and change and would prefer something American made and smaller, you can get the knife community's go-to recommendation for a great deal on a reliable smallish-midsize workhorse, the Ontario Rat 2. Get a ruler and imagine what you'd think of a 7 inch knife with a 4 inch handle an a 3 inch blade. Watch some review videos to get a better idea of size. A nice bonus is four-way reversible pocket clip for your choice of left/right and tip-up/tip-down carry. This cheaper version is in AUS-8 steel, which is easier to sharpen but holds an edge less well than the more expensive and harder to sharpen D2 version, which gets up closer to $40.. And at that price you could bump up to the larger Rat 1 in D2 if you wanted to for a buck or two more, though we're trying to hit $20 here. That one's got a 3.625" blade for 8.625" overall.

Anyway if you can answer some of the questions in the first paragraph, it will help people narrow things down for you and give you better recommendations. What would your ideal knife have? Fill in the blanks on fixed/folding, blade length, blade shape, handle material, open type, lock type, pocket clip preferences, and anything else like color, weight, etc.

And check out /r/Ganzo_Knives and /r/BudgetBlades for additional ideas.

I'd get the serrated Cold Steel Tuff Lite.

Great blade, small and light but very useful and has a strong lock.

If you want a cheapo backup knife I'd get the Sanrenmu 7007.

It's basically a CRKT Drifter with a coated and half serrated blade for $10.

Tell you what.. i’ll happily buy you a solid $30 knife if you take me mushroom hunting with you. :)

Also: I recommend the Firebird Knife F7562 by Ganzo G7562 Pocket Folding Hunting Knife G-10 Handle SS Blade

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06VX6T31T/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_gW7RDbD4V7EQ8

That is a copy of a qrtrmstr kwaiken kinda. I got mine off amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076Q985SX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_l133DbT9A2FMF) great action and quality but i think is in drastic need of a regrind. The blade stock is super thick so it doesnt slice that well.

TwoSun Tanto Full TC4 Titanium Handle D2 Blade Ball Bearings Fast Open Opening Pocket Hunting Outdoor Folding Knife https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HJV6A4W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3eAtDbT0GCZ3V

Enkrio D2 Steel Flipper Knife Satin Finish Tanto Point Blade EDC Pocket Folding Knife with Gift Box https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071Y73FHX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HhAtDb2H1PRSD

This is the exact same knife but the bottom link was $15 cheaper, by all accounts it was manufactured by the same third party manufacturer and sold to both Two Sun and Enriko for redistribution. I bought the cheaper one last winter. Read the reviews.

Maybe a small fixed blade like the Sanrenmu 4101? 12C27 steel is decently corrosion resistant if you're gonna be poking around for mushrooms with it, and it's easy to sharpen. AliExpress has it for $16 at the moment.

If you'd rather have a folder, there's the classic 7010 which is cheaper still.

Edit: Actually I just checked and the Mora Eldris in yellow is just under $20 at the moment on Amazon. I'd get that.

Have you looked at Ontario and Ka-Bar?

Something like this https://www.amazon.com/KA-BAR-Straight-Knife-Leather-Sheath/dp/B0018RH23C?

or https://www.amazon.com/Ontario-Force-Survival-Knife-Black/dp/B001CZDQPI

https://www.amazon.com/Rough-Rider-RR305-BRK-Hawkbill/dp/B003VAM1RQ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2GU30W1HBEMXB&dchild=1&keywords=rough+rider+hawkbill+knife&psc=1&qid=1571794927&sprefix=Rough+rider+hawk%2Caps%2C355&sr=8-2

Wartech XBK03GY Tactical Hammer Axe, 10" https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B011HQVCRK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_cPJ0CbJ4N0JF1