Overview & First Impressions
The Keen II BT2301 is Bestech's most colorful premium folder, and the six variants do something unusual: they treat color as an engineering choice rather than an afterthought. Every version runs a CPM-S35VN blade over a hybrid handle of G10 panels bonded to a titanium frame, closed by a properly executed frame lock. For shoppers of EDC knives who want supersteel without the usual black slab, the Keen II is the catalogue's most cheerful answer.
Materials & Construction
CPM-S35VN remains the sweet spot of the crucible powder family: niobium and vanadium carbides deliver edge retention well beyond 154CM while improving toughness at the same hardness, so the edge resists chipping when the cut goes wrong. Bestech knives stonewashes the drop point and grinds it thin behind the edge, and the G10 on titanium hybrid keeps weight down while the metal frame carries the lock stress. The result feels rigid in ways pure G10 knives at this price never manage.
Design & Details
The six variants divide into two personalities: the A and B pairs wear carbon fiber over titanium for boardroom duty, while C through F bring two tone G10 in black white, black blue, black green and black orange. The handle shape is a gentle wedge with milled finger relief and a chamfered spine, and the frame lock includes a hardened steel insert for long term stability. The flipper is full sized, the detent is medium strong, and the deep carry clip is drilled for both carry positions.
Real-World Use
The Keen II cuts with the confidence you expect from its steel sheet: our S35VN edge cleared two weeks of cardboard, rope and kitchen rotation and still popped arm hair after a strop. The hybrid handle stays planted during hard cuts, and the frame lock engaged around mid travel with no sticky travel on any sample. As EDC knives for buyers who actually grip hard, the colorways are almost incidental; the rigid chassis is the story, and it shows up every time you bear down.
Ownership Notes
Maintenance is standard premium folder territory. Wipe the blade after wet work, oil the pivot quarterly, and leave the steel lock insert alone unless travel changes, at which point a tech can re-seat it in minutes. The G10 panels scrub clean with soap and a toothbrush, and carbon fiber variants tolerate years of carry without the edge chipping cheaper layups show. Anodized accents on clips and hardware will wear silver at contact points over years, which most owners read as honest patina rather than damage.
Who Is This For?
The BT2301 suits buyers who want one premium folder that expresses personality without sacrificing steel credentials, and collectors building a color run across a genuine engineering platform. It also works as the graduation gift: recognizably premium, unmistakably useful. Left handed users should note the flipper and reversible clip make carry friendly, though the frame lock is right hand biased in release. All six colorways are stocked at EdcMall, and the two tone G10 pairs photograph even better in person.
Final Verdict
The Keen II BT2301 earns its name twice: sharp in the cut and sharp on the shelf. Bestech paired the correct premium steel with a hybrid chassis that genuinely improves rigidity, then offered it in finishes that make choosing fun. Pick the BT2301F if black orange matches your kit, or the carbon fiber pairs for formal carry. Whichever lands, you hold one of the most complete premium packages in the current line.
