A good survival knife is worth its weight in gold.

Here are several, broken down by cost, that not only are dependable and well made but will not break the bank.

Best Folding EDC Knives Under $20

1. Spyderco Byrd Cara Cara II
Never owned a Byrd knife, mostly because no one has asked me to review them and I literally own an ungodly amount of Spydies, but bang for buck, it’s hard to compete with the Cara Cara II. Kudos to Spyderco for introducing a more accessible line of folding knives for the masses!

2. Opinel #8
How can you make a list about the best folding knives by price point without mentioning the Opinel? You just can’t. Not without being completely off the mark. That’s how.

3. CRKT Drifter
I recently picked this folder up. Aesthetically speaking, I wasn’t impressed and found it to be quite boring, but in terms of fit and finish and overall ergonomics, I was generally impressed. A solid option, especially for this price point.

4. Kershaw Chill
I’ve spoken about it before – I absolutely love this knife, and the more I use it the more it grows on me. Lightweight with great lines and snappy action.

5. Cold Steel Mini Tuff Lite
Again, this is one of those knives I actually don’t own, but I’ve handled it in a store before, and was qutie impressed. Very secure grip, and a super strong lock in a diminutive package.
Best Folding EDC Knives Under $30

1. Ontario RAT 1
The quintessential modern classic, everybody knows this knife and for good reason- great grinds with solid, neutral ergonomics.

2. Kershaw/Emerson CQC-6K
I can’t say enough about how great this knife is. I bought it the week it came out and instantly fell in love with it. Months upon months later and I still feel the exact same way. Bang for buck, if I had to choose just one knife out of all of these, I would argue it’d have to be somewhere near the top of the list.

3. Buck Vantage
I own this folder, and whilst I found the action disappointing (the flipper is sub par), the grinds on the blade are very clean with excellent slicing potential; all made in America for under 30 bucks. Not bad at all for the money.

4. Cold Steel Voyager (Medium)
Incredible value at the price that it’s currently at. Obviously, this sale likely isn’t going to last, but while it’s up, I strong recommend taking advantage of it. Very nice EDC with that unique brutish Cold Steel signature look.

5. Kershaw Thermite
I snapped this up a few months ago; very well made with excellent ergonomics with above average fit and finish taking into account price point. Kershaw continues to impress me at the sub $30 mark.
Best Folding EDC Knives Under $50

1. Spyderco Tenacious
I remember when the Tenacious first came out: the forums exploded in both frustration and anticipation of a China-made Spyderco. Fast forward a few years and I can’t imagine the Spydie line up with this knife. Needless to say, excellent deal for the money.

2. Kershaw Leek
One of the most unique knives in my collection with the most acute needlepoint tip in a production knife I have ever seen. Incredible value for money both then and now.

3. CRKT G.S.D.
Haven’t handled it yet, but going by looks and initial reviews, I know this one will be a winner. Very high on my to buy list.

4. Kershaw Link
Shockingly good folder with a very lean utility blade. As I wrote in my review, the Link should 100% be a bestseller, and out of all the 2015 knives, I think it’s the folder that surprised me the most.

5. CRKT Hissatsu
If this isn’t the first article of mine you’ve read – you probably know by now how much I love the CRKT Hissatsu. It’s not a perfect knife in terms of performance and its weight is less than desirable, but I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
Best Folding EDC Knives Under $100

1. Spyderco Delica 4
Technically, the Delica 4 is at the low end of the $50-$100 price point, but its performance exceeds the vast majority of its peers. If you can stretch your dollar, you can pick up the Delica in a bunch of interesting steels, like ZDP-189 or one of the frequent sprint runs with exotic options like laminated 420J2 with a super blue blade. Worth the upgrade in my opinion, but the original is also quite excellent.

2. Cold Steel Talwar
Aesthetically, I absolutely love the Talwar. Very aggressive profile with a reinforced tip and that wave/thumb disk design, like the one on the Rajah II, is great.

3. Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter
Cold Steel is really upping their game this year with a huge jump for quality in steel choice (Aus-8 to CTS-XHP), and a bunch of new, innovate designs. The Ultimate Hunter is the epitome of these improvements. It sits just as comfortably at home in your pocket for EDC tasks as does in the field. Excellent buy.

4. Benchmade Griptilian
Despite my complaints regarding the poor feel of the scales (hollow and cheap) I still maintain that the execution of the Griptilian is superb as an EDC option. I can’t get enough of the AXIS lock and I wish it was available on more knives under a hundred bucks.

5. SOG Vulcan
The ARC lock operates smoothly and locks up with authority. Despite past criticisms of SOG folders, I think the Vulcan is a winner. Only real issue I have with it is the lack of a strong detent, rendering the flipper action mediocre at best.

In a survival situation, your knife will prove to be the go-to tool in your survival equipment and tools array.

You not only will use it often but more often than not, you will use it multiple times in a single day.

That means it has to be dependable and sturdy as well as easy to use; it helps if it is also affordable!

To learn more about affordable survival and utility knives, check out More Than Just Surviving.

Featured Image via More Than Just Surviving