Best Pocket Knife Under 50 Dollars: 8 Gift Picks Compared

Best pocket knife under 50 dollars for most people is the Buck 110 Slim Select: $41.99, a 3 3/4-inch 420HC blade and a lockback.

Originally published: October 21, 2026

The best pocket knife under 50 dollars is the one the person on your list will carry every day, and that means a sharp blade, a lock that fits how they work, and a size that is legal where they live. A pocket knife is a folding knife small enough to ride in a pocket or on a clip, and at this price the field splits three ways: traditional slip joints and ring locks, modern one-hand folders with a liner or frame lock, and multi-tools with a blade attached. Blade-length carry limits vary by state and city, so every blade length is printed below so you can match the knife to the person and the place.

Best Pocket Knife Under 50 Dollars, Side by Side

Prices and specs are from each maker’s own product page, every knife in stock there when we checked in October 2026. Kershaw shows a list price and a sale price; the table uses list, and both Kershaws were marked down (Shuffle $28.99, Misdirect $37.99) when we checked. Blade lengths are the maker’s figures; the “over 3 in” note is there so you can check a local limit, not because 3 inches is a national rule. Prices change, so check the maker before you buy.

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How I Picked Them

Having worked behind the counter for over 20 years, I get asked the same thing every November: what knife do I buy for someone who does not carry one yet? My answer is never the cheapest knife in the case, and it is never the one with the most bells and whistles. It is a knife from a maker that will still be selling it next Christmas, with a lock (or no lock) that suits how the person works.

So every knife here is in stock at its own maker, lists at $50 or less there, and has its steel, blade length and lock printed on the maker’s page. (One exception on that last point, the Spartan, and I tell you what Victorinox leaves out.) No retailer’s sale page, no “compare at” price from a website I cannot check, and no knife I would have to apologize for.

Best Pocket Knife Under $25

Opinel No.08 Carbon: $23

The Opinel No.08 Carbon is a design Opinel dates to 1890. It has a 3.28-inch XC90 carbon blade, a wood handle, and it weighs 1.6 ounces. The lock is the Virobloc ring Opinel developed in 1955: twist it one way and the blade stays open, twist it the other and the blade stays closed in a pocket.

The catch is the steel. Opinel itself says carbon blades need care, and it recommends you avoid damp environments and dry the blade after each use. Remember, a carbon blade is a knife you wipe off, not one you toss in the dishwasher. Our pocket knife maintenance guide covers the thin film of oil that keeps it from rusting in a drawer.

Best Pocket Knives Under $35

Buck 285 Bantam BLW: $29.99

The Bantam BLW is the knife I would put in a work truck and forget about. Buck builds it with a 3 1/8-inch 420HC drop-point blade, thumb studs on both sides so either hand can open it, a mid lockback, and a textured nylon handle with a removable clip. Buck says it is made in the USA of USA and imported parts, and the black one is $29.99 (the Mossy Oak camo versions are $32.99).

Is it pretty? No. Will it open boxes, cut baling twine and strip a feed sack for years? That is what 420HC is for, and our knife steel comparison tool shows where Buck’s 420HC lands on toughness against the fancier steels.

Victorinox Spartan: $34

The Spartan is the classic red Swiss Army knife, made in Switzerland, with 12 functions: a large and small blade, corkscrew, can opener, bottle opener, two screwdrivers (3 mm and 6 mm), wire stripper, reamer, tweezers, toothpick and key ring. It is 3.6 inches long and 2.1 ounces. Victorinox lists it as “Blade lockable: No,” and its page does not give a blade length or a steel grade, so the table says so instead of guessing.

It is the stocking stuffer that gets used by New Year’s (the corkscrew alone earns its keep at Christmas dinner).

Best Pocket Knives Under $50

CIVIVI Mini Praxis: $35

The Mini Praxis in green G10 is a modern flipper: a 2.98-inch D2 blade at 58 to 60 HRC, a caged ceramic ball-bearing pivot, a liner lock and a tip-up clip, all in 2.77 ounces. That blade sits just under 3 inches, which matters in places that cap carry by length.

D2 holds an edge well, but it is not fully stainless (our steel tool explains why: most of its chromium is tied up in carbides), so it wants the same wipe-down as the Opinel. Think about it this way: the Mini Praxis is for the person who will carry it in an office, not on a fishing boat.

Kershaw Shuffle: $35.99 List

The Shuffle is the knife for the guy who opens more bottles than boxes. Kershaw gives it a 2.4-inch 8Cr13MoV blade, an inset liner lock, a thumb stud, a glass-filled nylon handle with a bottle opener and a screwdriver tip built in, and a 3.25-inch closed length. Kershaw lists it at $35.99 and had it on sale for $28.99 when we checked in October 2026.

It is the shortest blade in the table, and the bottle opener is the feature people remember. Stocking stuffer, done.

Buck 371 Stockman: $36.99

The 371 Stockman is the largest three-bladed knife Buck sells: a 2 3/4-inch clip blade for detail work, a 2-inch spey blade and a 2-inch sheepsfoot blade, all 420J2, in a 3 7/8-inch closed handle with nickel silver bolsters. Buck lists it in its slip joint collection, which Buck describes as traditional, non-locking knives, so there is no lock, and there is no clip either. Buck says it is imported.

So who is it for? The dad who has carried a stockman in his front pocket since the Carter administration and lost his last one in a deer stand. Burlwood is $36.99 and woodgrain is $38.99.

Buck 110 Slim Select: $41.99

This is my pick for the best pocket knife under 50 dollars. The 110 Slim Select takes the shape of Buck’s 110 Folding Hunter and swaps the heavier bolsters and handles for lightweight molded nylon, then adds a pocket clip. Buck lists a 3 3/4-inch 420HC clip blade, an 8.625-inch open length that folds to 4.875 inches, a removable and reversible deep-carry clip, one-hand opening, and black, O.D. green or blaze orange handles. It sits in Buck’s lockback collection, and Buck says it is made in the USA.

It is also the gift you can personalize: Buck’s page offers laser engraving on either side of the blade starting at $9, with two lines per side and up to 14 characters a line. Put his initials on a blaze orange one and watch him pretend he does not love it.

Kershaw Misdirect: $46.99 List

The Misdirect is the spring-assisted pick. Kershaw builds it with a 3-inch 4Cr14 reverse tanto blade, assisted opening off a flipper, a stainless frame lock, a three-position clip and a black-oxide BlackWash blade coating, at 3.2 ounces. It lists at $46.99 (it was $37.99 on sale at Kershaw when we checked).

A spring-assisted knife is not a switchblade under federal law, and I cover that in the questions below. State law is its own animal, so check it before you wrap one.

Who Gets Which Knife?

For Dad

The Buck 110 Slim Select if he carries a clip knife, the Buck 371 Stockman if he carries a traditional knife loose in his pocket. Both carry the Buck name his own dad probably carried, and that is half the gift.

For a First Knife

The Opinel No.08 or the Buck Bantam BLW. Both lock, both are under $30, and neither one is so nice that losing it ruins a week. Our guides on how to choose an EDC knife and how to sharpen a knife are the two pages I would print and tuck in the box with it.

For a Stocking Stuffer

The Victorinox Spartan or the Kershaw Shuffle. Both are small, both do more than cut, and both are $36 or less at their makers.

Blade Length and Carry Laws

Three knives here have blades over 3 inches, three are under, the Misdirect is right at 3, and Victorinox lists no blade length for the Spartan. That matters because some states and cities set carry limits by blade length, and the limits are not the same from one place to the next. Our knife laws by state table covers all 50 states and D.C., so look up where the knife is going before you wrap it, not after.

One more rule if the gift is traveling with you. TSA allows knives in checked bags but not in carry-on, and it wants anything sharp in a checked bag sheathed or securely wrapped. Our TSA rules for EDC gear page has the full list.

What $50 Buys

The spread is $23.99 from the cheapest knife to the most expensive. Climb the price list and you mostly pick up features, such as one-hand opening, a ball-bearing pivot or an assist spring. Want a steel upgrade or a knife over $50? Our best EDC knives guide picks up where this list stops.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best cheap pocket knife?

The Opinel No.08 Carbon at $23 from Opinel’s own store. Opinel makes its knives at its factory in Chambery, France, and the No.08 is the size Opinel calls its most iconic.

Is an assisted-opening knife a switchblade?

Not under federal law. The Federal Switchblade Act exempts a knife with a spring, detent or other mechanism that biases the blade toward closure and needs pressure on the blade to open (15 U.S.C. § 1244(5)). State and city laws are separate, so check yours.

Can you take a pocket knife on a plane?

Only in a checked bag. TSA says no to knives in carry-on bags, except rounded-blade knives such as butter knives and plastic cutlery, and yes to knives in checked bags if they are sheathed or securely wrapped.

Will a carbon steel blade rust?

It can, if it is left wet. Opinel says its XC90 carbon steel resists corrosion when properly looked after, which means drying the blade after each use and keeping it out of damp places.

Can I get a pocket knife engraved for a gift?

Yes, from some makers directly. Buck offers blade engraving from $9, and Kershaw offers engraving on the Shuffle and Misdirect pages, with lead times of 7 to 15 days after final approval for in-stock knives, so order early in December.

So here is my verdict. Buy the Buck 110 Slim Select in blaze orange, spend the $9 on his initials, and the total at Buck is $50.99 before tax and shipping. If your limit is $25, the Opinel will outlive the wrapping paper by about a hundred years.

Sources: Buck Knives, “110 Slim Select Knife”; Buck Knives, “Lockback Pocket Knives”; Buck Knives, “285 Bantam BLW Knife”; Buck Knives, “371 Stockman Knife”; Buck Knives, “Slip Joint Knives”; Opinel USA, “No.08 Carbon Steel Folding Knife”; Victorinox, “Spartan”; CIVIVI, “Mini Praxis Flipper Knife G10 Handle C18026C-1”; Kershaw, “Shuffle”; Kershaw, “Misdirect”; U.S. Code (govinfo), 15 U.S.C. chapter 29, Switchblade Knives (§ 1244, exceptions); TSA, “What Can I Bring? Knives”.

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James Nicholas

NFA Firearms Manufacturer & Professional Gunsmith The XDMAN has a talent for taking complex firearms subject matter and breaking it down into an easy-to-understand format that all experience levels can relate to. James is an 07/02 NFA Firearms Manufacturer, a Professional Gunsmith with over 20 years of experience, and a Firearms Writer, Photographer and Firearms Expert. Connect with him on Instagram, X, and Facebook as @therealxdman.

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