The cheapest knives in CS2 currently cost around $35: the Navaja Knife, Shadow Daggers, Kukri Knife, Survival Knife and Paracord Knife in plain camo finishes. A step above, at roughly $40 to $45, you will find the Gut Knife, Bowie Knife, Huntsman Knife, Falchion Knife and Ursus Knife. Below are the most affordable models and finishes with approximate LIS-SKINS prices, budget Stilettos, and a few striking knives for about $100 or less.
Even the cheapest knife costs far more than a pistol or rifle skin: $35 buys a very decent AK-47 or M4A1-S finish. There are two reasons for that:
Only Valve adds knives and knife finishes; the community cannot submit work for them the way it does for regular weapons. Supply stays limited while demand is high, so even unpopular models do not drop below a certain level.
The chance of getting a knife or gloves from a case is only 0.26%. The simple math below shows why buying a knife almost always beats trying to unbox one.
The Math of Opening Cases
Say you want a knife and you are choosing between opening cases and buying one on a marketplace.
At 0.26%, a knife or gloves drop on average about once every 385 cases, with no guarantee: even after 385 openings the chance of getting at least one is about 63%, and every opening is independent. Each attempt costs the case price plus a $2.49 key, so 385 tries add up to at least about $1,000 even with the cheapest cases. If you are lucky, you get a striking knife; usually it is a camo finish worth $35 to $50.
Players who unboxed an expensive knife do exist, but for each of them there are many more who spent a lot on cases with nothing to show for it. To see which cases give better odds of a valuable knife, check our list of the best knife cases in CS2. Since autumn 2025 there is a third route: a trade-up of 5 Covert skins returns a random knife or pair of gloves from the collections of the inputs, as explained in our guide to crafting knives and gloves. If you want a specific knife, though, the reliable way is to buy it on the LIS-SKINS marketplace.
Knife Models With the Cheapest Skins
At LIS-SKINS prices as of October 2026, these models remain the most affordable (the starting price is for the cheapest finish):
Shadow Daggers, from $35: the only dual knives in Counter-Strike, introduced with the Shadow Case in 2015.
Navaja Knife, from $35: a folding knife added in August 2018 along with the Horizon Case.
Kukri Knife, from $35: a curved-blade knife that arrived in 2024 with the Kilowatt Case.
Survival Knife and Paracord Knife, from $35: both came with Operation Shattered Web in 2019.
Gut Knife, from $40: one of the earliest knife models, with a plain look and no flashy animation, so demand stays low.
Bowie Knife, from $40: modeled on the Spanish Altor Oso Negro and added on February 17, 2016, with Operation Wildfire.
Falchion Knife and Ursus Knife, from $45: the Falchion is modeled on the Espada Large, and the Ursus came in the Horizon Case alongside the Navaja.
A full catalog of models with price ranges is in our article on all CS2 knives, and the CS2 knife tier list ranks them by popularity and value.
Top 3 Budget Knives
A knife has long been a status symbol in Counter-Strike. To stand out among teammates with default knives, an inexpensive knife finish is enough, and the rest of your loadout can stay stock. The most affordable options cost around $35 right now, and for many of them Field-Tested costs about the same as Battle-Scarred, so the better wear is the smarter buy.
Navaja Knife | Safari Mesh: about $35 in both Battle-Scarred and Field-Tested. The Navaja Knife | Forest DDPAT and Navaja Knife | Urban Masked cost about the same.
Shadow Daggers | Bright Water: about $35 in Field-Tested, while a Factory New copy is only around $40. It is one of the few ways to get a knife in top wear for the price of the cheapest one.
Kukri Knife | Safari Mesh: about $35 in Field-Tested, and the newest knife on this list.
To match gloves to your knife without breaking the budget, see our top 5 budget knife and glove combos and the list of the cheapest gloves in CS2.
Budget Stiletto Skins
The Butterfly Knife and Karambit remain the most popular knives in Counter-Strike, so even their plainest finishes cost $370 to $410. If that is out of reach, take a look at the Stiletto Knife: it is also a folding knife, with a stylish draw and great animations.
On a tight budget, consider these Stiletto finishes:
First, the Stiletto Knife | Forest DDPAT: the cheapest Stiletto on the market, about $110 in Battle-Scarred and around $120 in Well-Worn.
Second, the Stiletto Knife | Scorched: about $120 in Battle-Scarred.
Third, the StatTrak Stiletto Knife | Safari Mesh: about $140 in Battle-Scarred. The regular version without the counter costs around $120.
Cool and Inexpensive Knives
A striking knife does not have to cost hundreds of dollars: about $100 is enough for any knife on this list.
The best inexpensive knives include:
Navaja Knife | Crimson Web. The same finish that costs thousands on a Karambit or Butterfly Knife goes for about $50 on the Navaja in Battle-Scarred. If you want the web to read more clearly, Field-Tested is around $55. It is arguably the best inexpensive knife for the money.
Shadow Daggers | Slaughter. An eye-catching finish that looks more expensive than it is: about $95 in Factory New. It only exists in the top three wears, Factory New to Field-Tested.
Gut Knife | Freehand. Even Factory New costs only about $65, and Field-Tested is around $50.
Bowie Knife | Damascus Steel. A clean gray metal pattern that suits the wide blade. The best wear, Factory New, costs about $90.
Where to Buy a Cheap Knife in CS2
Every knife in this guide is sold on LIS-SKINS. Market prices change daily, so the figures here are approximate; if an item is out of stock right now, it will be back with new listings.
You can buy a knife right away instead of saving up for weeks: sell the skins you no longer need instantly on LIS-SKINS and put the money toward the knife. How that works with Trade Protection is explained in our guide on how to sell CS2 skins without delay.
FAQ
What is the cheapest knife in CS2?
Right now it is the Shadow Daggers | Bright Water and the Navaja Knife | Safari Mesh, both at around $35. The Kukri, Survival and Paracord Knives in camo finishes cost almost the same.
How much is the cheapest Butterfly Knife or Karambit?
The plainest Karambit finishes start at about $370, and the Butterfly Knife at about $410. These are camo finishes such as Boreal Forest and Forest DDPAT.
Is it cheaper to open cases or buy a knife?
Buying is cheaper. A knife or gloves drop on average once every 385 cases, and that many openings cost at least about $1,000, while the cheapest knife sells for around $35.
Which cheap knife looks more expensive than it is?
The Navaja Knife | Crimson Web (about $50) and Factory New Shadow Daggers | Slaughter (about $95): both finishes are well known from far pricier knife models.
