Kizer Gives the Begleiter 2.9 a Sunset PVD Blade and Vortex Micarta
The Begleiter has been Kizer's volume seller for years because it does nothing strange: a drop point, a flat grind, a handle that fits an average hand. The new 2.9 colorway, model V3458.2BDA8, does not change the formula. It changes the finish, and for once the finish is the reason to look.
The blade is BD1N, a high-nitrogen stainless that Kizer has leaned on for its working knives. It is not a steel that wins forum arguments against MagnaCut, but it is stainless enough to ignore a sweaty pocket, tough enough to survive being used as a scraper, and easy to bring back on a ceramic rod. At 2.9 inches with a flat grind, the geometry is set up for slicing rather than piercing, which is the correct compromise for a knife that mostly opens boxes.
The finish is what separates this run. Kizer calls it Sunset Metal PVD, a warm gradient coating over the blade, and it pairs with a black vortex-pattern micarta handle whose concentric rings form during the layering of the material. It is a louder knife than the standard black-on-black Begleiter, and it will show scratches more readily than a stonewash, which is worth knowing if you actually cut with your knives.
The lock is Kizer's Button Liner Lock: a liner lock released with a button, so the show side stays clean and the knife can be closed without putting a thumb in the blade path. Compared with a crossbar lock the action is more mechanical and less fidgety; compared with a standard liner lock it is safer on close and worse for left-handed users who have to reach across.
At $69.97 it sits in the crowded middle of the market, above the $40 to $50 budget tier and well under the $129 Drop Bear or the $149 Astur ZeroS. What it buys is a familiar shape in a finish you will not see on everyone else's table at a knife show. Verdict: a good buy for someone who already knows the Begleiter fits their hand and wants a version with some personality, and a skip for anyone who wants a knife that hides wear.
Disclosure: EDC News may earn a commission on links in this article. Nothing here changes the price you pay.
We earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you.