You can get that Gator in 154cm (sadly discontinued) which is a preferable steel to the generic 400-series they use now for less than $50: Jungle Warehouse

Or, that Freeman is available in S30V from Cabelas

I would also recommend you take a hard look at Doug's RSK or a regular Griptilian. The axis lock is a little more complicated than others, but it does have dual springs, so there is some failover. Spyderco's clip-it line has a bunch of models in that size/price range in VG-10 steel too.

The pockets clips on those that come with should be removable.

Not a drop point, but you can get a semi-custom Buck 110 with a blade in ATS-34 or BG-42 starting at $80.00