Kershaw Hotwire, Speedsafe Opening Pocket Knife, 1310WM $11.74

3Cr13MoV

cheap but a softer steel

Quote from Prologik : 3Cr13MoV

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Quote from takenforgranite : Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Not good. Here's a good opinion of this knife. https://gearjunkie.com/kershaw-ho...ife-review

Quote from takenforgranite : Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

It is only 11 bux but that is fairly soft steel... takes an edge easy but loses it easy too....

Go for a sanrenmu or better yet a ganzo or another Kershaw (any Kershaw) over this all day....likely twice the price though....

8Cr13MoV is probably the best bang for the buck budget Chinese stainless steel around. It's the softest steel you want to bother messing with for a pocket knife, IMHO. It holds an edge significantly better than 3Cr13MoV, is easy to sharpen and offers reasonable corrosion resistance. Several Kershaws with that steel are available for $20 or less. The Cryo and Cryo II are on clearance at Wally right now and would be far better choices. Or grab an Ontario Rat I for $23.99 or the smaller Rat II for $24.99 in AUS-8 stainless also at Wally for a very nice budget work knife. Ganzo makes some really nice budget knives in the $15-$25 range as someone else recommended. Check out Power Cutlery for some great deals and fast, cheap shipping.

If you are literally scraping loose change together to get yourself a knife, grab one of the $4 Walmart Ozark Trails knives. They are likely made from soft 3Cr as well, but they are built well enough to be sturdy and safe to use. They'll take a nice edge, you just need to sharpen it more often, which is a skill every knife fan should have. For the money they are my favorite dirt cheap knife and they are making them in a ton of styles now.