Overview & First Impressions
Ostap Hel's DUCI has always been a compact knife with expensive tastes, and the BT2605G is the loudest version yet. A 1.97-inch CPM-20CV blade with a black PVD finish runs at 61 to 62 HRC, the handle is pink titanium, and the whole knife weighs 54 grams. Open length is 6.38 inches. It opens on a flipper over ceramic bearings and locks with a frame lock. If you want a small folder that behaves like a custom, this is the one to handle before you decide.
Materials & Construction
CPM-20CV is a powder-metallurgy stainless with a heavy vanadium carbide load, which is why it holds an edge through abrasive material that dulls lesser steels. At 61 to 62 HRC it is hard, and the trade-off is sharpening effort: this blade wants diamond stones, not a kitchen rod. The black PVD coating protects the surface and cuts glare. Pink anodised titanium is the statement piece, and Bestech has matched the clip and the lanyard ring to it so the colour story holds together.
Design & Details
The proportions are unusual: a sub-two-inch blade in a handle that fills an average palm. That ratio makes the DUCI a precision tool rather than a chopper, and the flipper tab is positioned for a light-switch flick rather than a hard push. The frame lock has a steel insert at the interface, so the titanium lock bar will not wear a groove into the blade tang. Hardware is black PVD steel, the pivot runs on ceramic bearings, and the pocket clip is titanium with a matching finish.
Real-World Use
This is a knife for detail work: opening boxes without crushing the contents, cutting tape along a seam, trimming cord, slicing a label cleanly. The short blade gives you fine control at the tip, and the handle gives you a full grip for pressure. Among folding knives aimed at collectors, the DUCI is one of the few that is genuinely pleasant to use every day rather than just to look at. It disappears in a coin pocket and comes out looking like jewellery.
Ownership Notes
Sharpening is the ownership cost. Use a diamond plate to establish the bevel, finish on a fine ceramic, and strop with compound; a 20CV edge at this hardness rewards patience and punishes impatience. Keep the PVD surface clean and avoid abrasive polish, which dulls the coating's sheen. EdcMall lists the DUCI in several finishes, so compare the pink against the darker variants before committing. The lanyard ring takes a small bead stack without fouling the flipper. The one thing to accept before ordering is that 20CV at this hardness is not a steel you touch up on a coffee mug. Among Bestech knives the DUCI is the most jewellery-like object in the catalogue, and it is honest about that: it cuts beautifully and asks to be treated well.
Who Is This For?
Collectors who follow Ostap Hel, buyers who want a small knife with a premium steel, and anyone who has grown tired of black-on-black folders. It suits an office or a studio rather than a job site. The size makes it legal in more places than a three-inch blade, which is part of the appeal for city carry.
Final Verdict
The BT2605G is a pocket jewel that actually cuts: CPM-20CV, a steel-inserted frame lock, ceramic bearings and a colour nobody else is doing at this price. Buy it if you want a small folder with a serious steel and you are willing to learn to sharpen it. Skip it if you need a blade that shrugs off abuse, because this one wants to be looked after.
