Overview & First Impressions
The Lion BG01 has been quietly sitting in the Bestech catalog as the answer to a simple question: what does the least money buy from a brand that does not make junk? The reply is a honest little folder with a D2 blade, G10 slabs and a liner lock, offered in four G10 colours for less than the cost of a decent flashlight. Bestech knives rarely miss on fit and finish even at the floor of their range, and the Lion keeps that streak alive.
Materials & Construction
D2 is the old-school semi-stainless workhorse: high carbon content for wear resistance, enough chromium to resist light corrosion, and a reputation for taking a keen working edge. The BG01 runs it stonewashed at a practical hardness, so sharpening stays easy on cheap stones. Black, beige, army green and two-tone G10 cover the handle options, over steel liners that are milled where the lock needs thickness. Hardware is standard Torx and the washers are smooth from the factory.
Design & Details
The blade is a compact drop point with a gentle belly and a spine that tapers cleanly to a sturdy tip. The handle is a simple, straight-sided pill with light texturing, a deep-carry clip and a lanyard hole at the tail. There is no flipper drama here, just a pair of nail-friendly thumb grooves and a detent that opens with a wrist or a thumb. Everything about the design says daily user, and the four colourways say different owners in the same household.
Real-World Use
This is a package knife, a garden knife, a glovebox knife, and it does those jobs without complaint. The thin profile behind the edge slices tape and twine well, D2 holds that working edge for a solid week of household use, and a two-minute touchup on a stone brings it right back. The liner lock engages early and stays put, and closing one-handed becomes natural within a day. For the price class, the action is genuinely smooth, no grit, no blade play.
Ownership Notes
D2's one demand is basic hygiene: wipe the blade after acidic cutting and oil it monthly, and the stonewash will only darken attractively with age. If the G10 texture collects lint, a toothbrush fixes it. The lanyard hole is standard sized, so a single bead dresses it up nicely. Disassemble and clean once a year if it lives in a pocket with sawdust or sand. In a market full of folders pretending to be premium, the Lion is honest work: real D2 steel, real G10, and a lock that outlives trends, which is why it remains a fixture among budget folding knives.
Who Is This For?
The Lion is for first knives, fifth knives, loaner knives and the drawer where guests find scissors. It suits parents buying a responsible first folder, workers who lose knives on jobsites and would rather lose this one, and collectors who want to see what the entry tier of a respected brand feels like. Skip it only if you demand premium steel; the rest of the Bestech line handles that itch.
Final Verdict
At its price the Lion BG01 is close to a default recommendation: real G10, honest D2, clean assembly, and a liner lock that works every single time. EdcMall stocks all four colourways, and the army green is the sleeper pick. Buy one to test the brand cheap, then climb the catalog with confidence; that is exactly what a gateway knife should be.
