I've carried $20 folding (locking) knives for years. I abuse the hell out of them, and don't care if I lose one.

I personally wouldn’t buy them, as there are good knives from more reputable companies at that price point. Case in point: the Knafs Lander. It’s currently listed at $45 on Amazon (if you are set on buying from Amazon, and not directly from the company). I backed the kickstarter when it first started and I’m carrying it right now.

Other companies like CRKT, Spyderco, Kershaw all make knives under or around $50 that are solid. I own and have carried knives from all of them. I’d rather go with a more reputable company. Just my two cents.

It's hard to know what is and is not a no-name brand if you're new to knives. There's no discernible difference (on the surface) between a pop-up vendor who just re-brands cheap knives and a true manufacturer. One of the best ways to start figuring this out is to not shop on Amazon. A dedicated and trusted knife store like: BladeHQ, KnifeCenter, WhiteMountainKnives, KnifeJoy, KnivesShipFree, and a few others, will give you the best info. You will find better ways to filter and budget options that are much better choices. But it's still overwhelming.

If you have a specific style of knife you're looking for, and you're not sure if it's a good or bad brand, I'd start by asking here (or over in pocketknife@lemmy.world

As other's have said, there are some good budget brands out there for well under $50.

Really bad overall. You can get lucky and end up with something that won't fall apart in a year, but it's one of those things that if you don't know the company, you're rolling the dice.

Used to be you could trust reviews to weed out the duds, but that day is long gone.

Of the two you mentioned, I don't have personal experience. So second hand is alli can give, feel free to ignore this part if that's not useful for you. Lothar is mid; not going to be a prized possession, but it'll get the job done as a brand. Bergkvist is sub mid, with a tendency to fail at the worst possible moments. Never buy a linerlock from either company, I know people that have gotten injured when the locks failed in use. Don't expect great steel from either company, though lothar is less prone to bad heat treats.

Tbh, I don't think there's a budget brand that's universally reliable. They all have flaws, and they cheap out in the worst ways when they are otherwise good. Take Rough Ryder as an example. Really solid slipjoints, bad linerlocks. Their "reserve" line of slipjoints is the best bang for the buck that's out there in that category, but their fixed blades aren't even mid tier.

Schrade is crap except for their stuff that's now being made in the US.

But the stuff with random chinese names in amazon is all crap (and that's not just knives for the most part).

You can't trust amazon reviews any more. Not only are there plenty of fakes, but the companies will pay people to remove bad reviews.

If you're balling on a budget, it comes down to specific models under 50 bucks.

Mercator k55k knives can be had for less than $50 on Amazon. Many Opinels are available on Amazon for under $20. Great knives if they're what you're looking for.

They vary wildly.

I personally don't like liner locks any "lower" than CRKT range, I'm a big fan of the "AXIS" lock that Benchmade created like 25 years ago. Just got a GANZO with a robust AXIS lock for like $25, it's my first one from them. I'm so impressed by the first one it can only go down from here. Just last night I received a Kizer branded $70 fixed blade knife ostensibly made from D2 steel and from my initial inspection it looks great. Nice hollow grind, decent finishing, well textured micarta handle. I bought it to have a fixed blade I can "conceal" and stay legal (3.5in max blade length for concealed knife in my area, that includes knives "concealed" in my pocket)

If you don't have experience sharpening knives, go ahead and get a cheapie and scratch that blade up before you buy a $150 Benchmade, for sure. Hell, there was recently a $10 knife at WalMart for a minute that sent all the knife nerds into a tizzy because it was such a good deal. I missed out on it.

Here's that WalMart knife:

https://sh.itjust.works/post/23991153

I would have never considered that Ozark Trail would put out a quality knife had I not seen that post.

Knives are getting cheaper. It's nice. I'd avoid the really cheap button locks. They tend to disengage. Assisted opening, liner lock flippers are dirt cheap but can get you in trouble. Vosteed, Civivi, Kershaw, Boker, Kizer, CRKT, etc... they all make good EDC's depending on your job and county. They are sub. $50, so you may have to make a return. Defects are more common. Check EVERYTHING. If you do have to make a return, pray to the customer service gods. Also, avoid stainless (unless you're diving) or brands that don't tell you the steel. Also, if EDC is in its name, it's probably a resell from alibaba.

I personally carry a liner lock, gas station flipper most of the time because I beat my knives to shit, working on the farm.

Also, if you want something from a highly reputable brand, the Spyderco Tennacious is $60 but goes on sale for 50% off all the time. I bought one from Walmart for $30.

There's also this: https://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Persistence-C136GP-Plain-Knife/dp/B002IWWYS4

But it's stainless.

an opinel is one of the cheapest knives you can find and it's also a good knife.

cheap or not, why not consider buying from a knife shop instead of amazon? (which continent (or country if you like) are you on/in?)

If money is a real concern, how about a a folding utility razor from the hardware store?