A $150 budget in CS2 gets you more than a camo knife. It covers a Bayonet, Flip Knife, Skeleton Knife or Stiletto in a simple finish, and on the cheaper models (Gut Knife, Paracord Knife, Navaja) it buys Doppler, Fade and Marble Fade in Factory New. Knife prices have dropped noticeably over the past year: the Navaja Knife | Tiger Tooth, which cost around $140 in the previous version of this list, now sells for about $60. Below are 12 knives that cost under $150 at live LIS-SKINS prices in the wear we name, with what makes each one good value and which wear to buy. All figures are starting prices and change daily.
What $150 does not buy: a Karambit starts at roughly $370, a Butterfly Knife at $410, an M9 Bayonet at $260 and a Talon Knife at $180, even in plain camo. If you simply want the lowest price tag in the game, see our list of the cheapest knives in CS2; this guide is about getting the most out of a full $150.
Bayonet | Night (the most affordable classic Bayonet)
The Bayonet | Night in Field-Tested costs around $120. The Bayonet is one of the oldest knives in the game, dropping from the first CS:GO cases in 2013, and its inspect animation is instantly recognizable. The finish is dark, close to black, and wear looks natural on it, so Field-Tested is the sensible pick. Minimal Wear already runs about $190 and Factory New close to $870, so there is no reason to go above FT on this budget.
Flip Knife | Damascus Steel (Factory New for about $140)
The Flip Knife | Damascus Steel from the Chroma cases (2015) carries a layered steel pattern that looks understated and expensive on the gray blade. It comes in all five wears, and the price spread is unusual: Minimal Wear costs around $120, slightly less than Field-Tested (about $130), while Factory New is about $140. For the Flip Knife this is one of the few ways to get FN under $150.
Skeleton Knife | Safari Mesh (a premium model for $120)
The Skeleton Knife | Safari Mesh arrived with the Shattered Web Case (2019), and the model itself, with its open ring handle, costs hundreds of dollars in better finishes. The beige and olive mesh is plain, but the gap between wears is small: Minimal Wear is about $120, Field-Tested about $110. Paying $10 extra for a cleaner blade makes sense here; Factory New (around $230) is out of budget.
Stiletto Knife | Boreal Forest (the shape matters more than the finish)
People buy the Stiletto Knife | Boreal Forest from the Horizon Case (2018) for the model: a slim switchblade with a fast opening animation. The green-gray forest camo is neutral and fits any loadout. Minimal Wear costs about $130, while Field-Tested and more worn copies sit around $115. The Stiletto trades well above many knives in its class, so even a camo copy holds its resale value well.
Gut Knife | Doppler (Doppler in Factory New)
The Gut Knife | Doppler from the Chroma cases exists only in Factory New and Minimal Wear, so wear is barely a question: buy FN. The phase sets the price. Phase 1 and Phase 3 cost about $120, Phase 4 about $130, and the pinkest Phase 2 roughly $140. The gems (Ruby, Sapphire, Black Pearl) cost many times more. Our guide to Doppler and Gamma Doppler phases explains how to tell them apart.
Paracord Knife | Fade (the cheapest Fade on a straight blade)
The Paracord Knife | Fade from the Shattered Web Case shows the classic yellow to pink to purple gradient, and the straight blade without cutouts displays all of it. Factory New costs about $120, while Minimal Wear is pricier (around $230) because far fewer MW copies are on the market. Here the best wear is also the best deal. We compared the two finishes in Fade vs Doppler.
Bowie Knife | Tiger Tooth (a big blade with a bright finish)
The Bowie Knife | Tiger Tooth from the Spectrum cases (2017) is golden yellow metal with dark orange stripes. The Bowie is one of the largest knives in the game, so the finish fills a lot of the screen. It exists only in FN and MW: Factory New costs about $110, Minimal Wear about $150 and is rarely listed. Buy FN, it is cheaper and looks better.
Shadow Daggers | Gamma Doppler (Gamma Doppler under $100)
The Shadow Daggers | Gamma Doppler from the Operation Riptide and Dreams & Nightmares cases deliver green and blue metallic tones for about $90 in Factory New, with all four phases priced almost the same. Emerald, the most valuable variant, starts around $180 and is out of budget. The daggers come in a pair, so you see the finish twice. Read more in our breakdown of Gamma Doppler phases.
Navaja Knife | Marble Fade (StatTrak within budget)
The Navaja Knife | Marble Fade from the Prisma cases costs about $80 in Factory New, the cheapest way into a finish that sells for many times more on a Karambit or Butterfly. The short blade shows less of the pattern, so premium red and blue patterns add little on a Navaja. The rest of the budget can go to a kill counter: the StatTrak version in FN costs about $110.
Huntsman Knife | Lore (Lore in Factory New)
The Huntsman Knife | Lore from the Operation Riptide and Dreams & Nightmares cases has a gold-toned finish with ornamental detail. It comes in all five wears, and the price rises steadily with condition: Field-Tested about $80, Minimal Wear about $100, Factory New about $120. Scratches are visible on the large blade, so the $20 step from MW to FN is worth it.
Kukri Knife | Slaughter (the newest knife model)
The Kukri Knife | Slaughter belongs to the youngest model in the game: the Kukri arrived with the Kilowatt Case in 2024 and also drops from the Gallery Case. The finish is red with white swirls whose placement depends on the pattern index. It exists only in FN, MW and FT; Minimal Wear and Field-Tested cost the same, about $110, so take MW. Factory New is about $130.
Classic Knife | Case Hardened (a pattern lottery)
The Classic Knife | Case Hardened from the CS20 Case (2019) costs about $120 in Field-Tested and about $110 in Well-Worn or Battle-Scarred. With this finish the pattern index matters as much as float: a mostly blue blade (a "blue gem") sells far above the base price, and ordinary patterns also include good blue and gold ones. Our article on Case Hardened skins explains how to read them.
How to Choose a Knife Under $150: Model, Finish or Wear
At $150 you pick one of three things: a premium model, a premium finish or a clean wear. Getting all three at once is close to impossible.
Model. The Bayonet, Flip Knife, Skeleton Knife and Stiletto fit only in camo and simple finishes. This is the choice if the animation and blade shape matter most.
Finish. Doppler, Fade, Marble Fade, Tiger Tooth and Gamma Doppler fit the budget on the Gut Knife, Paracord Knife, Navaja, Bowie and Shadow Daggers.
Wear. Finishes capped at 0.08 float (Doppler, Fade, Tiger Tooth) should be bought in FN: MW is rarer and often costs more. On camo, wear is hard to spot and Field-Tested gives the best price to look ratio. See our guide to skin wear levels for the full scale.
StatTrak. On cheaper models the premium is small: a StatTrak Navaja Knife | Marble Fade costs about $110 versus $80 for the regular version.
The core budget rule: a knife's wear is fixed when it drops and never changes, so a Factory New copy stays Factory New forever. Price, on the other hand, follows demand for the model and the finish separately. With the same $150 a buyer gets either a camo Bayonet or a Factory New Gut Knife | Doppler, and both cost the same because the market prices model and finish independently.
Getting a Knife: Buy, Unbox or Craft
Buying on a marketplace is the most efficient route: you get the exact model, finish and wear right away. The chance of a knife or gloves from a case is 0.26%, roughly one in 385 openings, and each opening costs the case price plus a $2.49 key. Even 50 openings cost more than $150 and guarantee nothing.
A second route appeared in October 2025: a trade-up contract of exactly five Covert skins, all normal or all StatTrak, crafts a knife or gloves. The result is random and comes from the collections and cases of the input skins, so you cannot order a specific model this way. Details are in our complete guide to crafting knives and gloves and in the article on the trade-up contract.
If you want gloves to match, see our picks of the best gloves under $100.
Every Knife Under $150 at a Glance
A summary of every knife above: which wear to buy and the starting price on LIS-SKINS.
| Knife | Finish type | Wear to buy | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayonet | Night | Plain dark | Field-Tested | from $120 |
| Flip Knife | Damascus Steel | Steel pattern | Minimal Wear / Factory New | from $120 |
| Skeleton Knife | Safari Mesh | Camo | Minimal Wear | from $120 |
| Stiletto Knife | Boreal Forest | Camo | Minimal Wear | from $130 |
| Gut Knife | Doppler | Doppler | Factory New (Phase 1, 3) | from $120 |
| Paracord Knife | Fade | Fade | Factory New | from $120 |
| Bowie Knife | Tiger Tooth | Tiger Tooth | Factory New | from $110 |
| Shadow Daggers | Gamma Doppler | Gamma Doppler | Factory New | from $90 |
| Navaja Knife | Marble Fade | Marble Fade | Factory New | from $80 |
| Huntsman Knife | Lore | Lore | Factory New | from $120 |
| Kukri Knife | Slaughter | Slaughter | Minimal Wear | from $110 |
| Classic Knife | Case Hardened | Case Hardened | Field-Tested | from $120 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best CS2 knife under $150?
For the model, take the Bayonet | Night or Flip Knife | Damascus Steel (about $120). For a bright finish, the Gut Knife | Doppler or Paracord Knife | Fade in Factory New (about $120) are the strongest picks. The cheapest bright option here is the Navaja Knife | Marble Fade at about $80.
Can you get a Karambit or Butterfly Knife for $150?
No. The cheapest Karambit costs about $370, a Butterfly Knife about $410, an M9 Bayonet about $260 and a Talon Knife about $180. Among the popular models, the Bayonet, Flip Knife, Skeleton Knife and Stiletto fit within $150.
Which wear should I buy for a knife under $150?
For Doppler, Fade, Marble Fade and Tiger Tooth, buy Factory New: they exist only in FN and MW, and FN is usually cheaper. For camo and dark finishes, Field-Tested or Minimal Wear is enough.
Is it cheaper to craft a knife or buy one?
If you want a specific knife, buying is cheaper: a craft from five Covert skins gives a random model and finish from the input skins' collections. Crafting makes sense when you already own suitable skins and do not mind which knife comes out.
