A Budget Knife Review
Normally, when I think of budget friendly knives, I'm thinking of my Mora Companion ($15), or my KA-BAR Dozier ($20). Both of these are great choices for beginning bushcrafters, but what if you want to go even cheaper?
The Ozark Trail Flip-Opening Knife
While browsing the sporting goods section at a nearby Walmart, I spotted this gem, priced at $3.87. That is not a typo, or a sale price, but the standard price. I had read a few surprisingly positive reviews of this knife, so I picked one up to try myself.
Features Overview
Let's take a look at some of the features. It's a standard folding type with a liner lock, a non-reversible pocket clip, and ambidextrous thumb studs on the blade for easy opening. There is also a flipper stud that protrudes from the back when folded, allowing you to quickly flick the blade open one-handed. This stud also acts as a finger guard when the blade is locked open. Lockup is very solid, there is no blade-play at all.
The blade profile is a little unusual. It has a ramped thumb rest with aggressive jimping, and a slightly curved spine leading down to a Reverse Tanto spear point. The blade has a slight hollow grind, with a nice stonewash finish. It is stainless steel, according to the packaging, but the steel grade is unknown. There are also no markings anywhere on this knife, which I like.
It has G-10 grip scales in a nice tan color, with a fairly aggressive pattern. There is less aggressive jimping cut in the steel liners on the back of the handle, and a finger choil cut in the bottom. Overall, it fits my hand very well.
Let's see how it performs
As you can see above, it makes feathersticks with ease. I got paper-thin curls with very little effort. The factory edge is a lot better than I expected.
One thing I look for when it comes to bushcraft knives is a good 90 degree spine (the back of the blade). This can function as a secondary working edge for heavier duty tasks, such as scraping. I tried it out on a piece of fatwood, making scrapings fine enough to ignite. The spine on the Ozark Trail isn't quite as sharp as I'd like, but it performed just fine. It even threw sparks off my ferro rod.
Longer push-cuts were a little more difficult, mostly due to the blade profile. It's built more for strength than for fine carving. Also, the aggressive grip scales actually hurt the palm of my hand when doing these cuts, my only real complaint with this knife.
Some final thoughts
For $3.87 the Ozark Trail Flip-Opening Knife gives you a lot of knife for the price. It has features typically found on higher-dollar knives. Though the quality of the materials is mostly unknown, it seems robust and well-built. My complaints are few, but there are some. First, is that when you're putting a lot of force against the knife, the grip pattern can be a little uncomfortable after using it for a while. Also, the pocket clip seems pretty flimsy compared to other knives I own, like it could snap fairly easily. The clip also has a bright, polished finish which appears inconsistent with the dull, stonewash blade.
But overall, this is a good starter knife as you learn what features you value in a more expensive knife. Low cost, low risk. If you scuff, break, or lose it--no big deal. Currently, I use mine as a backup to my primary knife and in this role, it is ideal.
At this price, I definitely recommend getting one... or three.