I'm a huuuuuge fan of Doug Ritter's knives. I own every model he's offered - Mk1, Mini Mk1, Mk1 in M2, Mk3 (fixed), and the Mk4 (Gentleman's knife).

I heartidly recommend Doug's knives to all. They are well worth every penny!!!

Still, once you throw in the word "for the money", then I'm forced to look at much lower priced knives that still provide very good value.

I bought each of my kids a Kabar Dozier Folding Spear 406

While this Kabar Dozier folder is not nearly as refined as the Rittergrip Mk1, it is a VERY nice knife for $20. It takes a nice edge (edge doesn't last as long as the Mk1), it has a grippy handle (kind of squarish though - not as comfortable as the Mk1), it has a lockback (generally considered less secure than the axis lock on the Mk1), its thumb stud is only on one side of the blade (could be a problem if you writting arm/hand are injured), and it has a lanyard hole (very important for a survival knife).

Would I trade in the Mk1 for the $20 Kabar Doziers? NEVER!!

Ken