Over the last decade, the everyday carry segment has absolutely exploded in popularity, with the abbreviation “EDC” increasingly becoming part of the mainstream cultural lexicon. This massive influx in interest in the space has not only resulted in dozens of new knife and gear companies sprouting up each year but has also given way to an ever-growing array of incredibly capable, high-performance blades being offered at an ever-more competitive price point. To demonstrate this point, for this month’s best new knives roundup, we’ve gone ahead and chosen a curated selection of premium cutting tools being sold below the $250 mark.

First introduced in 1894, the Nagao Higonokami is unequivocally one of the most celebrated and iconic pocket knives of all time, currently made by a fifth-generation family of bladesmiths almost exactly as it was 128 years ago. To pay homage to this legendary knife, Böker Plus has opted to deliver a modern, German-made interpretation of the famed Japanese friction folder, bestowing the knife with a number of key contemporary updates including a liner lock and a swedge-tipped reverse tanto blade that’s deployed via an extended tang. This knife is also offered as a non-locking friction folder with brass handles, too.

Blade: 440C Handle: Brass Blade Length: 3.00” Total Length: 6.75” Lock Type: Liner Lock

KeyBar’s folding, metal-framed model has long been one of our favorite EDC key organizers. And it appears we’re far from alone in our proclivity for the product, as, in addition to having thousands of satisfied customers, KeyBar has also caught the attention of a slew of other major players in the everyday carry segment, as evidenced by this recent collaboration between San Diego Knives, Ferrum Forge, and the WE Knife Co. — the first of which dreamt up the idea while the second handled the design and the third actually manufactured  the item. Made in America, this flipper knife — which is inspired by (and compatible with) KeyBar’s key organizers — features a low-profile, framelock-equipped stainless steel handle that’s mated to a 9Cr18MoV steel, satin-finished Tanto blade which is smoothly guided via a ball-bearing pivot.

Blade: 9Cr18MoV Handle: Stainless Steel Blade Length: 2.28″ Total Length: 6.05” Lock Type: Frame Lock

Since its inception in 2012, Kizer Cutlery has steadily been changing the EDC community’s view on Chinese-made knives by crafting premium blades to incredibly high standards that, thanks to their country of origin, can be produced at a surprisingly accessible price. And Kizer’s top-shelf Manganas Grazioso knife wonderfully demonstrates the company’s ethos. This Sherif Manganas-designed knife sports a titanium frame with exposed bolsters, a matching titanium backspacer, and a framelocking mechanism that’s shrouded beneath a set of forged carbon fiber scales. Deployed via a knurled flipper tab, the carbon and titanium handle — which allows the more-than-8″-long knife to weigh in at just 3.40oz — is paired with a 3.25” drop point blade that’s composed of ultra-premium CPM 20CV “super steel.”

Blade: CPM 20CV Handle: Titanium & Carbon Fiber Blade Length: 3.25” Total Length: 8.125” Lock Type: Frame Lock

Penned by renowned designer Justin Lundquist, the WE Knife Co. Eidolon is a dapper little integral knife model — meaning its handle is a single-piece item that’s machined from a solid block of material, in this case, a twill-weave carbon fiber. Like most integral knives, the Eidolon is incredibly high-end, with its one-piece handle being paired with a titanium pocket clip, a stainless steel liner lock, and a black stonewashed CPM-20CV dagger blade that’s opened via a jimped flipper tab. In addition to offering the knife in a drop point blade variant, WE also sells a more affordable version of the Eidolon with a mono-construction G-10 handle.

Blade: CPM 20CV Handle: Mono-Construction Carbon Fiber Blade Length: 2.86” Total Length: 6.58” Lock Type: Liner Lock

Though it may sound like a bold or hyperbolic statement, practically every single one of Benchmade’s folding knives is a stellar choice for everyday carry — with the Oregon City outfit’s Turret 980SBK being no exception. Slightly on the heavier side at 5.81oz, the Turret is constructed around a stainless steel liner that’s adorned in a milled set of G-10 scales and equipped with Benchmade’s proprietary AXIS locking mechanism — one of the sturdiest locking mechanisms ever conceived. Furthering this model’s conduciveness to EDC duties is a reversible, deep-carry pocket clip and a partially-serrated workhorse of a drop point blade that’s composed of CPM-S30V steel and fortified via a black Cerakote finish.

Blade: CPM S30V Handle: G-10 Blade Length: 3.70” Total Length: 8.60” Lock Type: AXIS Lock

Interested in checking out a few more high-performance everyday carry options that offer amazing value? Then be sure to check out our previous edition of the best new EDC knives of the month for five more blades with unbeatable bang for your buck.

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