Honey Badger Knives Review: A Hard-Use Folder That Punches Above Its Price

Introduction

Honey Badger Knives comes out of South Africa with most of its knives manufactured in China, built around a clear goal: a knife with genuinely high specifications that is easily accessible to much of the world, where brands like Spyderco can be exorbitantly expensive. Even in the US, these run roughly $20 to $30 cheaper than comparable Spydercos made in China from the same materials.

The lineup covered here consists of three different sizes of essentially the same knife, all purchased for this review, and all priced under $40 on Amazon. That places them right on the edge where the strong quality control on display justifies choosing them over similarly priced rivals. When you consider how everything else keeps climbing in price, the value case only gets stronger.

Who This Knife Is For

This is a knife for someone who actually intends to use it, not just carry it around for photos. The design philosophy is explicit: a blade you can use and abuse without any hesitation. Honey Badger clearly set out to build a working tool, and the execution reflects that.

It also suits buyers in markets outside the US, where the brand was designed to compete on price against knife brands that cost far more locally. If Honey Badger ever reached big box stores in the US, they would likely sell out quickly, because the knives sold at this price point by better-known brands are much worse executed.

Main Strengths

The first thing you notice on pickup is how stout these blades are. They are designed for real use, yet the tall full flat grind still delivers a nice thin edge, paired with a very strong tip and a spine that is close to a 90-degree finish, giving you many ways to deploy it. Compared to something like the Ontario Rat Model 1 in AUS-8, the blade thickness difference is substantial, and the drop point adds extra thickness out at the tip. Because of the tall flat grind, none of that stoutness costs slicing capability; the blade simply has more time to taper down to the edge.

Deployment options are generous: a flipper tab, a reverse flick, and a thumb flick. The larger variant carries a stronger detent than the two smaller sizes, though you can always adjust detents yourself with the included hex wrench, a thoughtful inclusion in the box.

The FRN handles look like they should be grippier than they actually are, running a bit smoother than expected. That said, the forward finger choil with its jimping locks your hand in place remarkably well, so fine work with the tip never feels like the blade could slip. One design note for the brand to consider: the jimping and chamfering cover only a small portion of the forward curve, and the area above it remains quite sharp against the hand. Extending both all the way to the top would be a worthwhile improvement.

The deep carry pocket clip is another standout. It is an ultra deep carry design that tucks in underneath the scale, held in place by a spacer on the opposite side, so it sits completely flush. Quite a few more expensive brands do not offer that feature, and it is very well done here.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The steel is HCR-13MOV, which is not what many enthusiasts would choose. Something like 14C28N, or at least a 9Cr or 10Cr steel, would be more appealing at this price. Relative to the materials now common among Chinese knife brands, these knives were more competitive when they launched than they are today. Even so, the execution and the brand’s reputation keep them very much in the running.

Two minor fit-and-finish notes surfaced during use. A little lock bar stick appeared on two of the three knives, though it largely went away with use and would be trivially fixable by lightly sanding the lock faces. Neither issue is the end of the world.

The upcoming series in Sandvik 14C28 steel is worth watching: easy to sharpen, good corrosion resistance, and much higher toughness than the current steel, which makes it close to the perfect budget steel for a hard-use knife. Those versions will run between $65 and $75, which feels a little steep for 14C28 in the American online market, though they should be far cheaper than competing brands in other regions.

Buying Advice

All three sizes sit under $40, with only small price differences between them. The larger model offers the most blade for hard use, while the sub-three-inch version has a surprising amount of handle real estate when you use the choke-up position, making it a genuinely good compact option.

If you want a knife that feels more heavy duty than most inexpensive folders, executed with the idea that the blade should be durable, this family delivers. It would not be the pick for batoning, but for everyday cutting tasks it holds up well.

Conclusion

Honey Badger Knives set out to make a genuinely usable knife affordable worldwide, and by and large they succeeded. Stout blades, a flush deep carry clip, multiple deployment methods, and strong quality control at under $40 make these a solid choice for anyone who will actually use their knife. With better steel on the way, the brand is worth keeping an eye on.