Editor’s Note: YEESH! I thought this went up last Saturday. It didn’t. This is the first time in 12 years or 624 weeks that I missed a post. It was written, but not posted by accident. For all that asked—thanks, everything is fine. Another post will go up on Saturday, as scheduled.

Its been a while since I have done this series has been on this site. Without word count limits, I think I can do a better job. Doing in the fall instead of the spring makes this more of a gift guide, so I labeled it as such.

I want to lay out a few parameters before we get started. First, the idea here is the get the best stuff, value-wise given the price limitation. I usually prefer to have the pair be roughly the same price, as maxing out one at the expensive of the other is usually an unacceptable compromise.

Price Category Overview

Under $100 is a populated field, but not something enthusiasts typically care about because there are so many compromises. There won’t be an abundance of Hi CRI emitters or PM blade steels (with one exception). Everything here is made overseas as it is not feasible to produce stuff this cheap here in America. I am skeptical of going much cheaper than $20 per item. Previously, it was possible to cobble together some stuff, the San Ren Mu 605, but now this stuff is basically gone or unreliably unavailable. Additionally with increases in prices due to inflation, the $20 items available aren’t worth the time.

Flashlight: Sofirn S01, $18 (purchase)

This is a superb microlight, with a twist-twist more UI that is unheard of outside custom lights and staggering to see on a sub-$20 light. The output, 330 lumens is good and the color rendering is excellent (thanks to the exceptionally rare budget Hi CRI emitter), especially in this price range where disco blue or infection green seem to be the only LED tints available. Sofirn has been cranking out great budget stuff for a couple of years now, but this light stands out even in that crowd. It also offers built in charging which is a boon for a light this small. The 10880 battery, which is built in here, can be a vexing battery to charge. The light, in polished steel, looks nice.

Knife: Civivi Lumi, $49 (review; purchase)

Sure you can find a cheaper knife, as the Lumi hits the wallet at $49. The reason I chose it over something cheaper like the CJRB Feldspar is that the Lumi is essentially the cheapest knife without any real compromise. It does not have PM steel, which you can find on some of the CJRB knives (they are a part of Artisan and Artisan has a “budget” PM steel designated as AR-RPM9), but it does sport 14C28N, which is my favorite non-PM steel. It also has a very, very thin blade, which, hard to believe, is devilishly difficult to find on budget blades, which tend to be overly slabby. The clip is great and the size and weight are just right. In many ways this is the update of your grandpa’s razor thin slip joint. Finally, and this matters to me, this knife just looks great. No one will guess this is a budget blade when you open a package at a kid’s birthday or slice a clamshell in the Target parking lot. That’s the last thing—given its size and appearance, this is a knife unlikely to cause fear.

Extras

With $23 left over, I think you could grab a Roting 600 (review; purchase) ballpoint to make a superb budget EDC for $105. The Sofirn S01 is a light I pair with a $250 folder, its that good. It is very hard to think of a piece of kit available today that is a better value, hence the inclusion here, as this series is all about great value. If you have a person you want to get into EDC on your holiday gift list, this set up would be perfect. It is light and unobtrusive in your pocket, but really, really capable.

I think the CJRB Feldspar and Mini Feldspar are excellent knives in this price range. I love the Folomov EDC C1 as a budget torch, but it is clearly a lesser design compared to the Sofirn. The CRKT Drifter is a great knife for the money. The Victorinox Cadet is a tool everyone should own and fits in this price range. It is also surpassingly beautiful as an object of design. The Leatherman Skeletool Knife, the KBx is oddly compelling and well-made. I think you would be a fool to ignore the simple beauty and dashing performance of an Opinel, something like the No. 6 or the 7.

Amazon Links

CJRB Small and Large Feldspar