Eight and an eighth inches of knife for $41.30 is a number that does not fit the current market, where most sub-fifty folders have shrunk to three-inch blades and call it a design philosophy. The Begleiter V4458N2 has not shrunk.
The spec: 8.125 inches overall, 3.56-inch drop point in N690 at 0.13 inch stock, 4.625-inch green G10 handle, stainless liners, liner lock, thumb-stud deployment, tip-up clip, 3.80 ounces, designed by Azo. The build is open-backed with two barrel spacers either side of an elongated lanyard hole, which is a cheap way to save weight and an easy way to clean the knife out with a brush.
N690 at 0.13 inch is a work-knife configuration. The steel is Bohler's cobalt-bearing stainless, about VG-10 in edge retention with better corrosion resistance, and at that thickness behind the edge it will take real lateral load without chipping. This is not a knife that punishes you for cutting against a knot or prying a lid. It is also not a knife that will hold a polished edge for a month of cardboard, and the 61-HRC 154CM in Kizer's own T1 will out-cut it on abrasive material.
What you are buying is length and grip. A 4.625-inch handle gives most hands a full four-finger grip with room to spare, and the extra inch of blade over a three-inch folder changes what jobs the knife can do: it will process a cardboard box in fewer passes, it will cut a rope in one stroke, it will field-dress a deer if that is what October asks of you. At 3.80 ounces in an eight-inch package, it is light for its size.
The liner lock is the usual budget compromise: one-handed, not ambidextrous, and the thumb has to cross the blade path to close. Kizer's budget liner locks are consistent and the detent on the Begleiter line is good, so the practical experience is fine, but it is not a button lock and it is not going to become one.
Compared with the Barbosa V3487N1 at $42, the Begleiter is the bigger knife and the Barbosa is the more refined one; same money, same steel family. Compared with the T1 V3490E1 at $47.40, you pay six dollars less for a longer blade and softer steel. Compared with a $41 Civivi or a $50 Bestech, the Begleiter is simply more knife per dollar for anyone who wants size.
Verdict: buy it as a truck knife, a glovebox knife or a first fixed-blade substitute. Skip it if you want a small, smooth, pocketable knife, because eight inches of G10 does not disappear into a front pocket.
We earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you.