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.