There’s something beautiful about a great pocket knife, one that exhibits unflinchingly high quality, especially if it won’t break the bank.  

Some companies have that nailed down, and have produced a variety of patterns without compromising on quality.

Here are 10 good pocket knife brands for those on a budget; some might even call them the best.

Rough Rider

When it comes to traditional pocket knife patterns built to a high level of quality using top-tier materials, Rough Rider has the market cornered.

These knives use the same material as Case knives do - quality carbon and stainless steels, paired with semi-precious stones, antler, horn, bone, and mother of pearl, among other scale materials - but they sell them at a small fraction of the price.

The fit and finish are next level. Don’t believe it? Get a Rough Rider knife and see for yourself.

Buck Knife Company

There are some pricey Buck knife models, but there are plenty of others that are fairly reasonably priced and which exhibit very high quality, like the classic 110 Folding Hunter with ebony scales, or the fairly novel Buck Sovereign, which sports a modern button lock.  

Buck Knife Company is also the only company that consensus and experience claim has been able to extract any sort of quality from its flagship 420HC steel. Whatever their heat treatment process is, it works.

Cold Steel

Like Buck Knife Company, Cold Steel has some really expensive models, but at the same time, they have some impossibly cheap pocket knives that offer excellent quality.

Models that come to mind include the Cold Steel 1911, the Double Safe Hunter (with its unique double-safe locking mechanism, and the Cold Steel Verdict, which is available in multiple configurations.

Gerber

Gerber, like Buck, has produced some expensive patterns, but there are also lots of other budget blades in the mix, such as the Paraframe and Paralite, as well as the Kettlebell and Quadrant.

The thing about most Gerber knives is that, while they might not be great, they’re pretty much unbeatable for the price. In this industry it’s hard to approach real quality below $100 and Gerber routinely delivers value below $50.

CJRB

CJRB is Artisan Cutlery’s budget portfolio, and contains excellent models like the Mica, Pyrite, Maileah, More Maileah, Feldspar, and Ria. They use budget scale materials that are tough nonetheless, along with a mix of budget and higher-end tool steels like AR-RPM9 and D2.  

The other thing is that the vast majority of CJRB knives are fairly cheap - which makes them good pocket knife brands, especially for those on a budget.

CRKT 

CRKT, or Columbia River Knife & Tool, may be the top-tier producer of budget pocket knives that are nearly universally lauded for their quality. Though the company largely uses budget and middle-of-the-road alloys, its popular patterns are a testament to the company’s commitment to quality.  

Some of the most popular CRKT pocket knives include the Squid and all its variants, the Pilar, the M16, the CEO, the Drifter and the Provoke, a surprisingly popular Karambit style blade.

Schrade

Schrade produces some of the cheapest pocket knives on this list, and it overwhelmingly uses budget steels and scale materials, but there’s one thing you can say about Schrade knives. They are extremely tough. You can beat the heck out of a Schrade folder and it will keep asking for more.

Plus, Schrade has made a few pocket knives with what it calls a Pivot lock, which is basically a ripoff of the AXIS lock - the Radok and Divergent are good examples of this.

Victorinox

Victorinox, maker of the original Swiss Army Knife, produces some of the cheapest yet most valuable folding knives in the industry. Victorinox Swiss Army Knives are so cheap, yet exhibit such high quality, that counterfeiters still can’t figure out how to rip off the design; not because they can’t do it, but because they can’t do it cheaply enough to legitimately compete.

Ontario Knife Company (OKC) 

Ontario Knife Company, better known as OKC, is the maker of two of the most popular folding knife patterns that have ever been developed: the RAT I and RAT II. Made with AUS-8 steel and light-yet-tough nylon scales, both the RAT I and II pocket knives are extremely tough and practical. There are few other pocket knives out there that exhibit such quality for such a low price.

Opinel

Opinel knives may be made with basic knife steel alloys and plain beechwood scales, and they may take two hands to open and close, but despite their low-tech construction, they are some of the cheapest, highest quality pocket knives on the market today. It’s really the price that makes them - most of them are under $20.

Shop These and Other Good Pocket Knife Brands Here

These are some good pocket knife brands, but there are many others out there. Check out our collection and get in touch with us if you have any questions about any brands or models we sell by contacting us at WhiteMountainKnives@gmail.com.