Everyday Carry, also known as EDC, essentially is referring to the things you take with you wherever you go. From your phone to your wallet to your keys, everyone has something that they use for EDC. One of the most important things to include in your EDC is a quality knife.
Knives are extremely useful and should be included in everyone’s EDC kit. From opening letters to self-defense, knives serve a wide range of functions making them a must have tool everywhere you go. Not every knife is created for EDC purposes though. That’s why we put together a quick guide to help you make your decision on your next EDC knife. Whether you’re on your first knife or your 10th, here are the 10 best budget EDC knives out there that fall under $100. Let’s get started!
1) Civivi Elementum
The Civivi Elementum is an outstanding EDC knife because of the ease of use that it provides its user. One handed deployment is possible with this dynamo of a knife. When closed, simply press down on the opening switch for a smooth, fast opening to get your blade to where it needs to be in a fraction of a second. EDC with the Civivi Elementum is a breeze with its stainless-steel clip that allows you to carry it deep inside of your pocket, ensuring that it stays exactly where you want it until you need it. Once deployed, the nearly 3” long drop point blade will make quick work of whatever you need done! The biggest downfall for the Civivi Elementum is that it is not a universal holder knife. The most common setup is for righthanded wielders, so lefties may not enjoy this knife as much.
2) Spyderco Tenacious
The Spyderco Tenacious is a great knife to use for EDC for a lot of reasons, but the one that will pop out to you immediately upon opening it is the ergonomics. The handle that houses the 3.39” blade is shaped to allow your fingers to comfortably wrap around it for easy use. In addition to the smartly made handle, the back of the blade is designed for comfort as well. There is a series of ridges along the back of the blade known as jimping. This feature makes it so that you can rest your thumb on those ridges for maximum control over the blade, as the ridges help to prevent your thumb from slipping. The Spyderco Tenacious is a great knife for both right and left handed users as its designed for ambidextrous use.
3) Kizer Vangaurd Sheepdog
One of the most unique looking blade in all of the EDC knives on our list belongs to the Kizer Vangaurd Sheepdog. The proper name for the blade is “sheepsfoot”, but the look of it resembles more of a cleaver looking blade than an actual sheep foot! Deployment of the blade take a bit of practice, but once you have it down, you can get your knife to where you need it in a flash. The biggest complaint about the Kizer Vangaurd Sheepdog has been its retention clip. The way that the clip is designed makes it tricky to get it to catch on the inside of a pair of pants without modifying it. But once you’ve made the adjustment, this knife is good to use for anyone who is right hand dominant.
4) Boker Strike
If you’re in need of a knife blade in an instant, look no further than the Boker Strike. Due to the fact that it is an automatic knife, the only thing that you need to do to deploy the blade is push a button. In an instant, the blade is out and locked, ready to take on whatever you need it to do. Once deployed, the knife feels exceptionally comfortable in your hand as Boker took a lot of time to ensure that the weight and balance of the knife met the highest standards. Right handed users will love how easy it is to use this excellent EDC knife.
5) Ferrum Forge Knife Works Stinger Liner Lock Knife
One of the things that make EDC knives fun to have is that they can function as a little fidget for when you’re sitting around without anything to do. The Ferrum Forge Works Stinger Liner Lock Knife not only has an awesome blade to use in just about any scenario you can think of, but it is operated by a flipper mechanism that makes it easy to fling the blade into use with the touch of a finger. The blade locks into place inside of the frame of the handle, keeping it steady for use until you’re ready to fold it back up until the next time you need to flip it open.
6) Fox Knives Vox Baby Core
Another great knife for those who love to fidget is the Fox Knives Vox Baby Core. With a flipper button for deployment and a thumb hole at the top of the blade to help expedite opening, you’ll be able to keep your hand busy for hours opening and closing this knife. The Vox Baby Core comes ready to use right out of the box with an exceptionally sharp 2.4” clip point style blade.
7) QSP Penguin
One of the most valuable things about an EDC knife is the ability to set it to your preferred settings. At the end of the day, everyone has their own preferences. The QSP Penguin allows you to set your knife to the way you like by allowing you to place the clip at the top or the bottom of the frame, allowing you to decide how the blade lays inside of your pocket. The thumb studs at the base of the blade allow for easy opening by both left-handed and right-handed users. The sheepsfoot blade is similar to that of the Kizer Vangaurd Sheepdog, but at a fraction of the price in comparison!
8) Spyderco Delica
One of the most popular knives that Sypderco has ever produced is its Delica series. This knife is so well liked for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest is that the handle is designed for easy gripping no matter where your hand is at. This is huge for those that use a knife on a daily basis and in time sensitive scenarios, as it’s pretty tough to ensure that you grip your knife right each and every time you draw it. If you’re in a hurry, having a handle that you can grab and know that the knife is going to stay securely in your hand is a game changer. Clip placement is customizable so you can set up your knife to your preferences for comfortable carry. Plus, being able to move the clip around allows you to set it up for right-handed or left-handed use!
9) TOPS Knives Mini Scandi Folder 4.0
One of the most important factors when it comes to EDC knives is the opening. Getting your blade out of your pocket and on target as quickly and as accurately as you can is essential because seconds count in emergency situations. The TOPS Mini Scandi Folder 4.0 makes it extremely easy to get your blade to where it needs to be with its flipper mechanism built in at the base of the blade. Its smooth as butter opening allows you to get the 3.25” blade to where it needs to go in an instant. Plus, the clip is easily moved around to set this great knife up for right-handed or left-handed use.
10) Civivi Imperium
One of the best things about Civivi is that it can make a long knife compact enough for EDC. With a total length of 7.83”, the Imperium doesn’t feel like a small pocketknife when deployed. When stored inside of its sheath, it easily rests securely inside of your pocket, ready to be taken out at a moment’s notice. You’ll enjoy the carbon fiber handle which will give you grip and comfort while holding this excellent knife like no other.
Final Thoughts
Buying a new EDC knife that is made out of durable, high-quality material doesn’t have to break the bank. In fact, it’s often better to go with the option that you can afford because it’ll get you into the mindset of EDC which is far more important than the price tag: stay prepared and stay alive! Having a knife on hand can help you out in so many scenarios that it’s hard to imagine going out without a knife once you’ve begun carrying one.
And as mentioned earlier, EDC extends past just the tools that you carry. It includes things like wallets since you carry your wallet wherever you go! If you want a budget EDC wallet to pair with your new pocketknife, pick up an Axwell Wallet. These great little minimalist wallets will keep all your gear in one place and serve to protect your information from would be thieves with their interchangeable RFID blocking plates. Do yourself a favor and upgrade your wallet to the Axwell Wallet today.
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