I'm a big fan of the CRKT M16-01KS knives. Under $40 and have been bombproof.
-Blast

EDC in the pocket is usually a Victorinox Farmer.
Day pack has a Victorinox Walker as a spare pocket knife, and a Mora when have good reason to carry a fixed blade.
Law here requires a valid reason (camping/fishing/etc) for having a fixed or locking blade out in public.

I hate the way the Mora sits in its cheap little sheath.

Another vote for the kabar folding dozier. I carry one in orange so I don’t lose it. There must be 20 knives in the woods and fields at my place.

Mora sheaths are of the cheap-and-cheerful variety but there are many folks that do very nice kydex sheaths for them. A fellow at another forum has made several for me. A Mora is so inexpensive that even after buying a better sheath you're still well ahead of the game.

Great idea to stash knives all over your place! You never know when you'll need one in an emergency.

Same with glasses. I’ve got a pair I found while weeding that I had lost two years ago. Got scrapped by my snowplow and pushed into a garden, but the lenses are still good.

Yep! I have a pair of reading glasses in every room of the house and most bags/luggage.
-Blast

Under $50, I would recommend:
Fixed blade-
BK 11 or 14
Moras

Folders-
Victorinox SAKs

Beyond that, I’m spending more money.

No need to settle for lower quality.
The Terava's are cheap and first rate:
'Outdoor Gear Review' checks knives costing hundreds of dollars and think they are the best he's tried in years:

https://youtu.be/btQxnxvfNlk

and reviewers find them indestructible:

https://youtu.be/XzDB9SnNpNs


Just get a few sheets of kevlar and make a sheath, or tape some plastic together and put it in your pocket. You carry the rest of your gear there, why not the knife too?

Or if you don't mind a blade an inch shorter, they sell a plastic sheath for a few dollars.

qjs