As the second assisted knife from Klein recently, the Klein Bearing-Assisted Pocket Knife bears some similarities in the material choices to the spring-assisted model but has enough of its own personality to be a very different knife.

This is another sub-$30 knife from Klein and what we’ve seen so far is that there’s a trade-off in material quality while the build quality remains excellent. Will that be the case here as well?

Let’s answer that question and a few others!

Blade

Klein opts for a tanto style blade with a nod to clip points on this model. This has an excellent piercing tip and removes the curve of the belly in exchange for a more linear angle. What the design gains in piercing ability, it trades off with slicing that isn’t as smooth. However, this Japanese-inspired design gets high praise for its overall strength.

The Klein Bearing-Assisted Knife uses 440A steel. This lower grade steel is very easy to sharpen and holds a decent edge, but edge retention and corrosion resistance are poor. Klein adds a black oxide coating that will help resist rusting.

Handle

Anodized aluminum is the material of choice for the handle and it’s one I’m onboard with. I like aluminum (or titanium on a premium knife) over G10 or glass-filled nylon.

The handle has a very slick surface that is in need of some significant grip security help that it gets. There’s a little jimping at the base of the blade, but it’s deep enough to get a good hold on with your thumb. There’s more jimping in place on the finger stop integrated into the blade as well. The combination offers good grip for this style of handle.

You’ll notice the cutouts in the handle. These give the knife an interesting look along with reducing the weight some. The offset here is that it gives the knife a more forward-leaning balance than most.

Deployment

The Klein Bearing-Assisted Pocket Knife uses a finger flipper to deploy the blade – my design of choice on bearing-assist knives. The action isn’t as smooth as you might find from Kershaw, CRKT or higher-end manufacturers. It gets the job done, though, and is still a nice upgrade from a non-assisted knife.

There’s a frame lock in the handle that gives the knife a solid blade lock and a rugged look. I’ve only run into a couple of liner locks that are at risk of failure, but I still love the secure feeling that a frame lock offers.

Like the spring-assisted pocket knife, the single position clip gets in the way of a faster deployment. You’re stuck in a tip-down carry, which means you have to flip it around when you take it out of your pocket before you can open it.

The clip itself is a deep carry design and decently strong, but you can bend it out easier than the spring-assisted model.

Ergonomics

The shape of the handle is pretty basic. Though there is a slight rise in the upper handle, it doesn’t have much effect on the overall feel compared to others.

Klein’s website says that the knife weighs in at 2.2 ounces, which seems to be a misprint. Our scale has it at 5.2 ounces. That’s enough weight to feel solid in your hands without being a burden.

The Bottom Line

With a price just under $28, Klein goes for a lower quality 440A blade steel but wraps it up nicely with a solid build. As long as you keep your expectations in check, Klein does a good job on this design within the constraints of keeping the cost down.