A crossbar lock at $70 is the cheapest way into the mechanism that most people should be using. The Kubey Pebble KU481D pairs one with a 14C28N drop point and a purple G10 handle, and weighs 97 grams.
The spec: 7.72 inches overall, 14C28N drop point with a blackwash finish, flat grind, vacuum and cryogenic heat treat, purple G10 handle at 0.47 inch thick, crossbar lock, caged ceramic bearings, 3.42 ounces, ambidextrous, lifetime warranty. The blade length and handle proportions are almost identical to the Belus, which is not a coincidence — Kubey has built a small family around this frame size.
The crossbar lock is the reason to pick this over the Belus. It is ambidextrous in the true sense: the thumb can pull it from either side, and the knife closes by pulling the bar back rather than by moving a liner out of the blade path. For a left-handed user it is the difference between a knife you can operate and a knife you tolerate. It is also more mechanically complex, which is why $70 for one is a good price.
Kubey's heat treatment is vacuum and cryogenic, which on 14C28N is not marketing — a cryo soak converts retained austenite and buys you a measurable bump in edge stability at the same nominal hardness. 14C28N at 60-62 HRC with a cryogenic treat is a sensible pairing: the steel is tough, stainless and easy to sharpen, and the crossbar mechanism means you will be opening and closing it constantly, so you want an edge that touches up in a minute rather than a steel that holds forever and resists maintenance.
Verdict: the best cheap crossbar-lock knife Kubey currently lists, and the one to hand a left-handed friend. Skip it if you want a bigger blade or a heavier-duty frame — 97 grams means thin G10 and steel liners.