budget mtb flat pedals

I'm a bit of a flat pedal connoisseur in a way, always swapping and changing. To me the Vault is the go to standard still combined with 5-10's.

However, I was very happy with Funn "Funndamental" which you can see have taken a lot of inspiration from the Vault.

https://funnmtb.com/products/funndamental/

I have never gelled with composite pedals, have always preferred alloy. But a lot of people love them

The one up composites are good, had 2 sets take a lot of abuse, had a third that got replaced because they broke when I struck a rock while pedaling up the trail. I am on the aloys now because even though the composites are much cheaper, they just don't last as long and maby it was just in my head but I felt the composites had some flex in them. If price is the main concern then composites are a great option.

It may be worth changing up your shoe, the saints are a pretty decent pedal but the sleuth looks more like a casual biking shoe. I use a Ride Concepts which has a similar grip level to the 5ten stealth rubber and have a better fit (for me) than 5ten's and have been really happy with them.

Oneup for small parts availability, V11s if you prefer concave, and I second the shoe suggestion. Ride Concepts is a great shout for a budget option because previous year colours can be had cheap.

The DMR v11 shape is awesome (copied from one of the world's grippiest flat pedals, the Vault). DMR's do require a bit more maintenance than some others, the bushings tend to get sloppy very quickly (if you don't mind a bit of axle play, they will actually keep going forever though). OneUp's pedal is also cool, lots of grip even though it's not really concave in shape. If you like a big pedal, the Crankbrothers Stamp 2 is OK but there may or may not be something new coming from them in a couple of weeks...that might be worth waiting for... ;-)

HT PA03A are great pedals with good durability. I have several pairs and they last a long time. 85kg's and very much like to shred.

Nukeproof Neutron's have been pretty solid for me. If you keep an eye on CRC, you can get them ridiculously cheap during sales. 

I went to buy some pins and other spares a while back and they were on sale for I think between $18-30 depending on the color. I ended up with an extra set as it was cheaper than buying all the rebuild parts

Those Looks are not really recommended for more demanding conditions, the raised center portion gets quite slippery...these are some ways behind the best composites in terms of grip (they are also quite small underfoot). 

Another good recommendation for a composite flat pedal is Deity's Deftrap...some of our editors swear by them to the point of not really considering alloy pedals anymore...

I am very happy with the PNW Range composites and the Sleuth as well as the Freeriders..

E13 base fan. Big platform and big pins. Improvement over my mk5 burgtecs. Wider Q factor than Burgtec suited me as well. On both bikes now. 
Nip up all the pins before riding as they are a touch under torqued. 

I agree with others that you might be experiencing a shoe issue instead of a pedal issue. I know shoes are a lot of money, but I think you'd be amazed how much better shoes can be than Sleuths. I have Sleuths for dirt jumping and I would never ride a trail bike or downhill bike with them (given a choice). The new Specialized 2FO rubber is good (and it's on sale right now) and the classic Five Ten Impact is great, too.

Mountain bikers and their flat pedals…it’s like that hot sauce scene with these half inch tall pins. Seems too much to me, especially with how grippy the shoes are. I have some Deftraps and they’re so gnarly…I like the Chesters, they’re mellower and I can adjust my feet more easily. If I’m on flats I want to be able to move my feet around—trying to take it easy—I’d still be clipped in if I was serious. So weird. I’ll get used to whatever, but it seems wild to pair mega grippy shoes with huge flats and insane pins. 
I do prefer plastic pedals to metal for cold temps. That’s a thing. 

HT PA03A is the way. Cheaper and better than OneUp Comp.

Most of my flat pedals have been bought cheap or even given to me free.  Lots of people start on or try flats and switch to clips. The used market is a great place to look.

I've been running the nylon nuke proof pedals last couple years on 2 different bikes.

About half the price of aluminium ones, grip is on par, generally getting 2 years out of a set before the bearings implode and fall out.

I have the V11s and Deftraps

Deftraps have more outright grip while the V11s feel better underfoot for all day pedaling. Can't go wrong with either. 

How did you like your HT PA03As? From what I know it's a great pedal that no one knows about. 

I've been on the Tag Metals Nylon pedal for a few months with good results.  For the money it seems a good option, very comfortable under foot and grippy.  Durability remains to bee seen.

On sale for 27.50 right now, might be worth a go...

T3 Nylon Pedal– TAG Metals MTB US (tagmtb.com)

They are very good, I find them better than OneUp Comp.

Honestly... I was just looking at the Yoshimura pedal. It is NOT a budget pedal if you're just looking at baseline dollars. It's $230 I think it was.

But it's got a lifetime warranty. Blow out 3-4 budget pedals and you're gonna end up spending as much money in the long run and not have the pleasure of a quality pedal that entire time. 

I'd be looking at pedals with lifetime replacement warranties with a different lens when considering budget.