OTFs are possibly the coolest type of knife out there, but I don’t need to tell you that. You are reading a blog dedicated solely to OTFs, after all. Even though they’re fun, OTF knives can get quite expensive. You can find production OTFs ranging from $20 to more than $300. There’s nothing wrong with splurging on a 300-dollar knife, but I’m willing to bet that you’re not going to want to spend that much on a knife every day.
Well, today is your lucky day, because I’m going to go over OTFs that you can find for less than $50. Any of these would qualify as the best budget OTF knife money can buy.
This is one of my favorite OTF knives! It’s the smallest of the OTFs pictured below by far. It totals 5.25 inches in length, and it has a 1.875-inch blade. The Mini Dart is super travel-friendly and inconspicuous, which is probably the biggest reason I like this knife. The Mini Dart is a single-action OTF, and to fire the blade, all you have to do is push the firing button. To close the blade, you just push the button again and slide the blade back into the closed position using the tab you see on the left side of the handle.
Going in order from least expensive to most expensive, the Cupid Clone costs just around $30. If you’re a movie buff, you might recognize this knife from the Batman movie, The Dark Knight.
The best part of this knife is that not only does it look cool, it’s affordable, too. The Black Arrow Cupid Cone is a single-action OTF, and it’s a lot of fun to use.
The Lightning OTF is the king of budget OTFs. It outperforms many more expensive OTFs, and it gives you a huge bang for your buck. The Lightning currently costs around $40, and it has really great, solid action. In fact, a recent speed test I saw showed that the Lightning actually holds its own against some more expensive brands of OTFs!
You can fire the Lightning again and again and it’s not going to let you down. You can also use it as an EDC (everyday carry); since it is so affordable, you won’t have to feel too bad about roughing it up a little.
The Titan OTF is another excellent knife for the price. It has really nice gripping, good materials, and great firing action! Best of all, this affordable knife is a double-action OTF. Double action OTFs are great because they take very little effort to operate. A simple push or pull of the sliding button is all it takes to open and close this guy.
The Schrade Viper is a great alternative to that other OTF you’ve been eye-balling that costs half your paycheck. This is a single-action OTF and it has a double-edged blade. It’s kind of a unique OTF because you can fire the blade with the slider, but the blade must be retracted by first releasing the lock and then pulling the slider back down to lock the blade in place.
So after looking at this post, what do you think is the best budget OTF knife around?
Remember: if you’re in the market for a new, affordable OTF knife, be sure to head on over to Blade Play. They’ve got quite the selection over there!