Best Artisan Cutlery Knives Under $50: Budget EDC Picks

Fifty dollars is the most interesting price point in the Artisan Cutlery catalogue. It is the tier where the brand stops using steel you have never heard of and starts using steel you can look up — D2 and AR-RPM9 — and it is the tier where you already get a choice of three different locking systems instead of one. What you do not get below $50 is titanium or a premium powder steel, so the whole game at this price is picking the right combination of steel, handle and lock for the way you actually use a knife.

This guide to the best Artisan Cutlery knives under $50 lists every configuration currently in stock at or below that price, grouped so you can see what the money buys at each step. Prices shown are the store's listed prices at the time of writing and can move with promotions and handle-colour availability. Every model below is a current, in-stock product rather than a discontinued line, and the sub-size versions are flagged where they exist.

What $50 buys at Artisan Cutlery

Four things change as you move up from the cheapest tier to the $50 line:

• Blade steel. The sub-$50 range runs on two families. D2 is a tool steel valued for wear resistance and edge holding, with less corrosion resistance than a stainless — which is why D2 blades reward a wipe-down and a little oil. AR-RPM9 is the brand's budget powder-metallurgy steel, used across the value tiers.
• Lock type. Liner locks dominate this price band, but it is not the only option: there is a frame lock, a button lock and a recoil lock below $50.
• Handle material. G10 is the default, with FRN, aluminium with G10 onlays, carbon fibre and even a steel handle available.
• Size. Several families ship both a full-size and a sub-size version in this band, which matters if you carry in a front pocket rather than a pouch.

Every Artisan Cutlery knife under $50

Model (SKU)	Blade steel	Handle	Lock	From
Eterno 1818P (flat G10)	D2	G10	Liner lock	$34.99
Predator 1706PS (sub-size)	D2	G10	Liner lock	$38.99
Apache Nomad 1813P	D2	Aluminium with G10 onlays	Liner lock	$39.45
Bombardier 1812P	D2	G10	Liner lock	$39.49
Eterno 1818P (curved G10)	D2	G10	Liner lock	$39.49
Sea Snake 1842B (fixed blade)	AR-RPM9	G10	Fixed	$39.98
Eterno 1818P (carbon fibre)	D2	Carbon fibre	Liner lock	$42.99
Hoverwing 1801P	D2	Steel	Frame lock	$42.99
Revel 1867P	AR-RPM9	FRN	Button lock	$44.99
Orthodox V2 1883P	AR-RPM9	G10	Liner lock	$44.99
Tradition V2 1702M	AR-RPM9	G10	Liner lock	$44.99
Tomahawk 1815PS (flat G10)	D2	G10	Liner lock	$44.99
Tradition 1702PS	D2	G10	Liner lock	$44.99
Arroyo 1845P	AR-RPM9	G10	Liner lock	$45.97
Predator 1706P	D2	G10	Liner lock	$48.09
Eagle 1816P	D2	G10	Liner lock	$48.95
Shark 1707P	D2	G10	Liner lock	$48.95
Zumwalt 1808P (flat G10)	D2	G10	Liner lock	$48.95
Arroyo 1845P (micarta)	AR-RPM9	Micarta	Liner lock	$49.99
Simoon 1882P	AR-RPM9	G10	Recoil lock	$49.99

The best value under $40

• Eterno 1818P in flat G10 — $34.99. The lowest entry point in the range and the cleanest way to find out whether you like the Eterno platform. Same D2 blade and liner-lock flipper action as the more expensive Eterno configurations.
• Predator 1706PS — $38.99. The sub-size version of the Predator. If your pockets are already full, the smaller frame is the reason to pick this over the full-size model.
• Apache Nomad 1813P — $39.45. The outlier here: an aluminium handle with G10 onlays instead of solid G10, which gives a different feel in hand at nearly the same price as the plain-G10 models.
• Bombardier 1812P — $39.49. A D2 liner lock at a shade under $40, available in a full-size and a folding sub-size configuration.
• Eterno 1818P curved G10 — $39.49. Same knife as the $34.99 version, with a contoured handle. Worth the few extra dollars if you grip a knife hard.
• Sea Snake 1842B — $39.98. A fixed blade, not a folder: AR-RPM9 with a G10 handle. The cheapest way into the fixed-blade side of the catalogue.

From $40 to $50: the standouts

This is where the range gets genuinely interesting, because the lock options open up:

• Hoverwing 1801P — $42.99, frame lock. Titanium-free, but a steel-handled frame lock is rare at this price. If you want a frame lock without paying titanium money, this is the one in the band.
• Revel 1867P — $44.99, button lock. The button lock at the lowest price in the range. FRN handle, AR-RPM9 blade, and a 3.54-inch blade length as listed on the product page.
• Simoon 1882P — $49.99, recoil lock. At the top of the band and the most unusual mechanism here: the Recoil Lock V2 with a 3.47-inch AR-RPM9 blade and a G10 handle.
• Orthodox V2 1883P — $44.99. A 3.54-inch AR-RPM9 flipper and liner lock in G10, positioned as the modern take on the Orthodox pattern.
• Tradition V2 1702M — $44.99. A 3.58-inch AR-RPM9 liner-lock flipper — the same family as the D2 Tradition 1702PS, with the steel changed.
• Arroyo 1845P micarta — $49.99. The only micarta handle in the band. Micarta darkens and softens with use rather than staying factory-fresh, which is either the appeal or the problem depending on your taste.
• Zumwalt 1808P and Eagle 1816P — $48.95 each. Both are D2 liner locks in G10, and both sit in families that also offer S35VN and M390 versions well above this tier — useful to know if you like the shape and want to upgrade later.

D2 or AR-RPM9: which budget steel should you pick?

The two steels in this band behave differently enough that the choice is not arbitrary.

Consideration	D2 tool steel	AR-RPM9 powder steel
Edge holding	High wear resistance for the price	Balanced, easier to touch up
Corrosion	Needs more attention — wipe and oil	More forgiving in daily carry
Position in range	Mostly the under-$40 tier plus several $44-49 models	The $44-50 tier, including the button and recoil lock models
Best for	Buyers who cut a lot and do not mind maintenance	Buyers who want low-fuss carry and easy sharpening

If you go the D2 route, the maintenance question is the only one that really needs a plan: keep the blade dry, and oil the pivot and blade on the same schedule you clean the knife. For a deeper look at both, see the guides to D2 steel care and to AR-RPM9 steel.

Fixed blades under $50

The band is not only folding knives. The Sea Snake 1842B is available at $39.98 in AR-RPM9 with a G10 handle, and at $49.99 with a black PVD coating on the blade. Both sit under the $50 line, and both come with a belt sheath — the reason the model appears in the range at all is that a fixed blade removes the lock question completely. If that is the direction you want, browse the full fixed blade knife collection.

What you give up below $50

Being honest about the trade is more useful than a list of praise. Below $50 you will not find:

• Titanium handles. The titanium frame-lock models start in the next tier up.
• Premium powder steels. S35VN, M390, 20CV and S90V all sit above this band, usually in the same families that offer a D2 or AR-RPM9 version here.
• Fat carbon and Damascus. Both appear in limited and premium runs, not at this price.

That is the correct way to read this tier: it is not a compromise version of the premium knives, it is a different set of trade-offs — you keep the lock variety and the flipper action, and you trade away the steel upgrade and the handle exoticism. The under $100 guide covers the next step up, including the S35VN models, and the under $200 guide covers the titanium frame locks and premium steels.

A three-point buying checklist for this tier

1. Pick the lock first. Below $50 the mechanism is the decision you cannot upgrade later: liner locks are the default, but the button lock on the Revel, the recoil lock on the Simoon and the frame lock on the Hoverwing each change how the knife feels in daily use.
2. Then pick the steel. D2 if you cut a lot and will maintain it; AR-RPM9 if you want easier upkeep and a simpler sharpening routine.
3. Then the handle you will actually live with. G10 is the most durable default, FRN is the lightest here, micarta and aluminium-onlay options are the oddities worth trying if the shape suits you.

How to buy well at this tier

Three habits keep a sub-$50 purchase from becoming an upgrade you regret. First, buy the mechanism you want rather than the cheapest listing — a $34.99 liner lock is a worse deal than a $44.99 button lock if the liner lock is the knife you stop carrying. Second, check that the handle colour you want is the one in stock, because this tier is where colour-by-colour availability changes fastest, and a sold-out variant will show as unavailable even when the model page looks active. Third, decide whether you want the full-size or the sub-size frame before you compare prices, since several families offer both below $50 and the difference is pocket space, not quality.

Bottom line

The sub-$50 tier of the Artisan Cutlery range is wider than most buyers expect: twenty configurations in stock today, two steel families, four locking systems including a fixed blade, and a starting price of $34.99. The strongest single pick for most people is the Revel 1867P at $44.99, because a button lock with an AR-RPM9 blade at that price is the least compromised combination in the band. If you would rather have D2 for edge holding, the Eterno 1818P or the Bombardier 1812P deliver it for around $35-40 and leave budget for a sharpener.

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Browse the full Artisan Cutlery collection to check current pricing and handle options across every tier, from the budget D2 folders in this guide to the titanium and premium powder-steel models above it.