Some of the Best Budget Gear (under $20)

I’m a big fan of budget gear. I think the budget mark is defined as anything less than $60. Some people say anything less than $100, but realistically, you don’t need to spend that much to get a great blade or other piece of gear. You can still get a great quality product for at or less than $60. I feel that you can get the best value at this price point.

I’d like to start doing this mini-series where I highlight some of the best budget gear. I’m not going to be able to talk about every budget item, but I will talk about all the ones I’ve tried. I’ll be covering budget gear across all the aspects of EDC from knives to flashlights to pens. Today I’d like to specifically talk about some of the best budget gear under $20. I’ve got three things I’ll be talking about, all of which are some of my favorites.

The first is the Victorinox Classic. This retails for around $10-$15 depending on where you get it. It’s the best minimal multi-tool in my opinion. It has all your main tools without going overkill: a knife, screwdriver/nail file, scissors, tweezers, and a toothpick. It’s small enough to put on a keychain and doesn’t attract a lot of attention. Everyone knows and loves Victorinox, so usually people won’t react negatively to it. It does everything I need it to do exceptionally well.

The next piece of gear is the Gerber Shard. I was blown away by how great this tool is for $5. I hate Gerber as a company, but this is the one tool they actually do well. It’s a great OPMT that has a solid toolset despite its small size. Like the Classic, it could easily be put on a keychain. It’s a sturdy tool, and all the tools function as they should. I like having an OPMT, because there are times when you need to scrape/pry and you don’t want to mess up your knife blade. This is the best OPMT I’ve tried so far, especially considering the price.

And lastly, the best inexpensive pens are the Zebra 301s. I believe you can get a pack with 3 pens for $5. Don’t quote me on that, but I do know that they’re less than $10. You can get them in tons of different varieties, like ballpoint/gel and in various ink colors as well. They write great without breaking the bank. They’re decently classy looking with their stainless steel build. I use mine at school every day with no problems. I love these pens and highly recommend you pick some up.

Those are just a couple of the best pieces of gear that are less than $20. This is by no means all the good budget gear under $20.  I’m going to keep doing more of these in the future. I’ve got tons more gear I can talk about, so stay tuned for the next one. I think I’ll try to only talk about three things per post to keep it short. Thanks for looking!