Todd Begg Steel Craft Sun Tzu Kwaiken

EyeDog

EyeDog

Semper Fi
Joined
Feb 10, 2014
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Just bought this today (in the store) from my new friend Sanford Owen (young guy on the right-dark beard), owner of Carmel Cutlery in Carmel California--we're vacationing along the Cali coast.

This beauty came from G7 and most are currently on pre-order. I have big hands and the handle is a perfect fit. The textured titanium has a great feel. This all-stone-wash knife is a solid EDC tactical knife. Semi strong detent that fires like a rocket.

Was not sure about the almost-deep-carry clip till I tried it out. The clip has a polished ball bearing detent at the end which permits smooth pocket entry and extraction. Solid and ample lanyard hole.

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The pivot is an IKBS Ceramic which is one of the smoothest pivots I've owned. I was not looking for this knife when I went in the store but the more I played with it the more I liked it.

I've owned a couple other knives with this blade shape but not with this quality of knife. The knife is made by Reate and has a CPM-S35VN blade. The flipper and opposite side make a great guard when open. Up swept tip and 4" length make this a tactical EDC candidate.

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Early and solid lock up. After lock bar release the blade will drop into handle. NICE. Really nice that you don't have to spend time adjusting the knife to make it work right.

Here's a flipping video -- note that this is not a push down but a push back flipper. I like this action a lot.

https://vimeo.com/142555341

SPECS:
6Al4V titanium handle
CPM-S35VN blade steel
Framelock with steel lock tip insert
3D machined pocket clip
Ceramic detent
Ceramic IKBS

Mike
 
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Damn, that Begg Kwaiken is sexy!!! :eek:
Looking forward for an update after you've had a change to get acquainted with her! ;)

Thanks for the review!!!!
 
Thanks for the review! I have one on pre-order and this just makes me want it more!
 
@Hackenslash...been flipping it all day and just can't find fault with it. It's lite, sleek and fires like an auto. Really like the profile.

Mike
 
I received my Todd Begg Steelcraft Kwaiken just now. This is simply a FANTASTIC flipper. One of the best titanium millings you'll see. Great blade. Only 5.03 ounces with a 3.95" blade! Buttery smooth action on the ceramic IKBS bearings. Wow!
 
EyeDog said:
Just bought this today (in the store) from my new friend Sanford Owen (young guy on the right-dark beard), owner of Carmel Cutlery in Carmel California--we're vacationing along the Cali coast.
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Nice to see a pic of Sanford. I vacationed in Carmel earlier this month and dropped by his shop several times while I was there. I ended up buying a ZT 0450 from him. Really great guy and very knowledgeable about knives.

Congrats on the Kwaiken. It's definitely a handful of knife! :thumbup: :D
 
miso2 said:
Wow. Beautiful kwaiken.
Can it be opened as a front flipper?


Miso
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You can front open it but more like a thumb stud. Otherwise, for me, the fleshy part of the palm gets in the way.
 
I'm sold on this one. If I can raise the funds in time I will pre order the black one that's coming out, unless that is, someone wants to sell me their used one?
 
That's a goody. Price point in the upper four hundreds is reasonable in my book. I've been dieing for a Todd begg for a while.

I love the ball pocket clip. Trying to hold off on buying one. Lol.

Congrats on a very nice knife.👍
 
I'm really liking this knife alot by the looks and reviews of it. I've always thought the quality of the knives from china like all the knock off's were not up to the quality of other knife manufacturers around the world. This knife has got me thinking otherwise though from the reviews I've read so far. It still seems like quite a bit of $$ though for this knife, am I wrong? Hmm! :confused:
 
Great pics and write up, Mike! Thank you for taking the time to do so!

d762nato said:
I'm really liking this knife alot by the looks and reviews of it. I've always thought the quality of the knives from china like all the knock off's were not up to the quality of other knife manufacturers around the world. This knife has got me thinking otherwise though from the reviews I've read so far. It still seems like quite a bit of $$ though for this knife, am I wrong? Hmm! :confused:
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Although they are fairly new to the scene, Reate is a top notch operation and their quality and consistency has been widely verified. No worries there.

As for it being pricey, I agree, but I don't think it's way off. This is a very labor-intensive knife to produce. Both handle slabs are extensively machined on the outside AND have pockets on the inside (handle is also fully contoured). All of this milling work wears down tooling, and when you're making a thousand pieces or so that comes into play. The high satin accents on the handle and blade are an additional step as is the nitride coating on the black model.

You also have to consider the cost of materials, and it's a big knife. Reate imports their S35VN from Crucible, so tack that on (I'm not sure if they import the Ti). The difference between steel and ceramic IKBS is also considerable, think pennies vs. quarters.

As far as I know, the knives are also inspected one last time at the Begg shop before they're sent out to the dealers. If this is true, it's just another time/money aspect to consider.

I have a blacked out variant on the way, I'll be sure to post my impressions as well.
 
Thanks for the great review Mike. Carmel is just on the other side of the bay from me. I'm going to have to visit Sanford's shop. From what I saw of his website, it looks like he has a nice one.

I'm not a huge fan of the "tactical" genre (but I do give in more often than I'd like to admit :D), and didn't pay much attention to this knife at first. I do love that Japanese inspired blade shape though. After staying up way too late reading everything I could about this knife, and Reate, I decided I "needed" one. Placed the order just the other day. The quality and quality control seem very good and the design and materials are top notch. Aside from the excitement of having this knife in my possesion (hopefully soon - awaiting shipping notification), I'm especially interested in seeing how the ceramic ball on the clip works. Seems like a great idea. I'm kind of tired of clips and overly aggressive scale finishes tearing my pants up. Reate seems like it is off to a very good start. I have heard nothing but good about them. This will be my first knife from them also.

Thanks again for the review and great photos. Much appreciated. Mike (also)

Ha! Just received the shipping notification. Very excited.
 
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Definitely a gorgeous knife, and the quality indeed is top notch! I have been very impressed with Reate based off of all the models I have handled, you wouldn't know they were made in China unless someone told you so! Something about this particular knife just doesn't fit my hand that well, I think it's the top swing guard, I guess I tend to like a more "choked up" grip. It bums me out because I love everything else about it! Oh well, I guess my wallet deserves a win every now and then :P
 
I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these. Looks absolutely beautiful. But does it, in your opinion, fill a similar role as a zt0452 re: size, feel, style, action, carry-ability, etc. Other than the one CF scale on the 0452 there seems to be a fair amount of similarities, aside from obvious cosmetic differences. I'm wondering if having an 0452 would make adding this knife feel a little redundant. I'm hoping not but would love to know your (and anyone that owns this Begg Kwaiken and/or an 0452) thoughts on this.
 
Scrim said:
I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these. Looks absolutely beautiful. But does it, in your opinion, fill a similar role as a zt0452 re: size, feel, style, action, carry-ability, etc. Other than the one CF scale on the 0452 there seems to be a fair amount of similarities, aside from obvious cosmetic differences. I'm wondering if having an 0452 would make adding this knife feel a little redundant. I'm hoping not but would love to know your (and anyone that owns this Begg Kwaiken and/or an 0452) thoughts on this.
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You can't beat the value of a ZT 0452CF at $220 compared to the Steelcraft Kwaiken at $445. ZT 0452CF takes a little to break-in but becomes very smooth. With CF and slightly longer blade it's 0.40 ounces lighter. It's also thinner.

However, the Steelcraft Kwaiken is an excellent design with great execution. The milling and finish alone are costly. The use of ceramic bearings, detent and end of the clip add up. It's something that would cost twice as much if Todd Begg's shop made it. The price of $445 includes a big portion for Todd Begg Knives.

If utility is all that mattered by all means the ZT 0452CF. It's a great knife at a great price.

If you need to stay under a 4" blade, have a thing for Kwaikens, buttery smooth operation and Todd Begg's name, Reate quality then the Steelcraft Kwaiken.
 
RamZar said:
You can't beat the value of a ZT 0452CF at $220 compared to the Steelcraft Kwaiken at $445. ZT 0452CF takes a little to break-in but becomes very smooth. With CF and slightly longer blade it's 0.40 ounces lighter. It's also thinner.

However, the Steelcraft Kwaiken is an excellent design with great execution. The milling and finish alone are costly. The use of ceramic bearings, detent and end of the clip add up. It's something that would cost twice as much if Todd Begg's shop made it. The price of $445 includes a big portion for Todd Begg Knives.

If utility is all that mattered by all means the ZT 0452CF. It's a great knife at a great price.

If you need to stay under a 4" blade, have a thing for Kwaikens, buttery smooth operation and Todd Begg's name, Reate quality then the Steelcraft Kwaiken.
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RamZar, thanks for making it (the Begg/Reate Kwaiken) even more tempting.;)
 
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