I don’t like buying disposable things. I don’t have any crazy-expensive knives, but I wouldn’t consider an 8Cr13MoV or Aus8 knife in 2024. You’re buying a handle and a trademark at that point. Sure, it’s a step up from Victorinox “steel” but leagues behind materials like the Chinese/Taiwanese D2 steel found in modern budget knives like CJRB, Sencut/Civivi, Knafs, etc.
My go-to “carry” knife for years has been a Spyderco Chaparral. Thin, super light, just under 3 inches, and the blade is CTS-XHP, which holds an acute edge like crazy but is resistant to chipping. It will open packages, slice cheese, cut apples, prep meats and fish, shave hair… and I can’t remember the last time it touched a stone. It maintains well on a strop and maybe touches ceramic every couple years.
My cardboard workhorse is a Spyderco Para3LW in full-serrated SpydieEdge. I moved house last year and we have been buying furniture at a steady pace for 18 months. A fully serrated knife in decent steel with decent geometry will outcut and outlast a plain edge for separating abrasive, messy media like cardboard. It’s not great for most things, but I have filled dumpsters with cardboard and not had to think about sharpening.
For four months, I have been experimenting with the Leatherman Free K2. It’s a decently heat-treated hollow-ground 420HC blade—probably the weak point of the knife, but it strops sharp quickly and holds an edge pretty well—with some nifty locking tools in the back: tiny eyeglass screwdriver, a 2.5D Philips head, a caplifter, a scraper, etc. I have loved using it. There’s something reassuring about being able to fix a loose eyeglass temple or fasten the odd screw with a normal pocket knife.