It certainly seems that there are plenty of good knives for cutting and slicing available for 40 bucks or less. What is the point of spending more? Jewelry?

I find a small. locking folder is most useful - because the big ones don't get carried.

For anyone looking for a good, basic, relatively low cost folding knife, my recommendations would be the Ontario RAT I or RAT II, or the Becker BK-40. These knives can’t be beat for the price, and they are some of the only knives that allow you to mount the pocket clip in four different orientations. The only thing that could make these three knives better is if they actually offered them in left-handed lock versions.

The knife that I use more than any other knife is *still* my Victorinox Rambler.

Otherwise, any fixed blade knife with a blade about 4-5.5” long made from a tough stainless steel. I like 420HC for this purpose, because it’s really tough, really stainless, and sharpens easily with field-expedient methods. It’s an inexpensive steel, so if you screw it up, it’s nothing to cry over, but it will get the job done.

All the other details about knives are more or less only important if you want to discuss specific task suitability. The knife I carry in the backcountry is a vintage Gerber Pro-Guide II Drop Point Hunter, from back when Gerber still made everything in the US. These used to go for a song on eBay, but I have been seeing some crazy prices recently.

When it comes to the “Scandinavian utility knife” style, I prefer Hultafors to Morakniv. I’m not the hugest fan of the Scandinavian grind, but these knives are very cheap, very tough, and will definitely do a workman’s job as a survival tool.

I was once into nice knives but these days my main EDC is a Milwaukee Fastback compact utility knife, you know, the folding box cutter type. I rarely need more than the inch or so of blade length that it gives me for opening packaging, cutting cords, that sort of thing. I don't have to worry about messing up the blade hacking through something tough, because replacement blades are about 10 cents each and I have a box of 50 at home (I've used about 5). The blades are thin and sharp, and the handle is beefy and sturdy. So I like this option a lot.

in my former occupation I carried a Spyderco C37 Walker light weight and later Kershaw Leek.... still carry a replacement Leek

My actual EDC folder is not an under $50 knife, but the same vintage Gerber Harsey AirFrame I've been carrying for over 15 years, now. There's probably a post here from when I bought it, since I joined ETS 19 years ago. I actually have two of them, one with the titanium scales that is my EDC, and one with the aluminium scales that I reserve for formal occasions, since it's lighter, so it won't hang as heavy when I clip it to my lingerie under an evening gown or toss it in my evening bag.

As long as I can remember, my EDC has been a SAK Tinker. I probably use it at least five times a day.

+1 on the M-16 series. It's my cutting EDC unless I need something more covert. Other blades carried are not carried for the blade.

Under $50? What kind of knife are you looking for?

Generally speaking, the first knife I will recommend is always the Victornox Rambler.

But, if you are looking for a good quality folding/locking knife, my first two choices in that price range would be the Ontario RAT series or the KA-BAR Becker BK40. Good design, good steel, and unlike most other knives on the market, 4-way clip mounting. The only thing that could make these knives better is if they were offered in left-hand version for the liner locks.

I do not understand why the knife industry has gone so heavily for tip-up carry knives. I'd never, never, ever, ever carry a knife tip-up. That is a disaster in the making. Tip down always, because safety first.

So, I will never buy a knife that only offers tip-up carry, but I'm happy to recommend knives that offer the user more options.

Fixed blades are harder to recommend, because there are just so many of them out there. But I will say that I would look for anything made in 420HC high carbon stainless. It's a budget steel, but it has ideal properties for a field knife. It's inexpensive, highly corrosion resistant, extremely tough, and extremely easy to sharpen using field-expedient methods.