Kizer Knives Thoughts

GatorFlash1

GatorFlash1

Joined
May 28, 2012
Messages
3,189
I'm wondering what your thoughts are about Kizer knives.

How are the new Kizer knives compared to the original Kizer knives which had similar features to the Chris Reeve models, S35Vn blades, fit & finish, etc. Are the Kizers still being made to a very high quality standard?

Do they compare with the knives like the Spyderco Gayle Bradley being made in Taiwan as far as quality?

Thoughts or impression?

 
i can't compare to the old Kizers or the Taiwan Spyderco, but I purchased Vanguard Velox 2 last year. VG-10 steel and G-10 handle and have been happy with it.
with the plan to carry as an EDC, I did from December until yesterday. the first month or so was light use, but as the weather warmed and I was doing lots of house and yard work, it got a lot more use. very satisfied with the edge retention for VG-10 and it was a breeze to touch up.

fit and finish were very nice out of the box, blade centered, action was smooth and lockup was solid
 
What the hell...in before this devolves into a Chinese knife debate, then a dumpster fire, then gets locked...again. ;)

I enjoy the three Kizer folders in my collection. The T1 is up there as one of my favorite frame locks for the thumb stud, size, and blade shape.

Their business model of offering collaboration designs from established domestic and international makers keeps my attention and business. Materials, fit and finish, and overall build quality are good and represent good value IMO. Not every sample has been perfect, this T1 was returned for another. Pricing can vary widely during the year, which has an effect - especially on secondary market.

ZS.jpg

Yes, they have flooded the market with S35VN titanium frame lock flippers. The pinwheel pivot hardware bothers some people. "Soft" hardware was an issue at some point in the past. They are made in China and represent, to some, everything that is wrong in the market and the world.

Not known for their fixed blades, I've enjoyed the T2 very much. A Bradford G4 is my primary fixed blade knife, and the T2 is what the new G3.5 should have been IMO.

T2.jpg

I have a Kizer Tangram Santa Fe in a box somewhere. Was not impressed, even for what it cost.

Most unbiased consumers would be hard pressed not to find something in Kizer's line up that speaks to them.
 
I've been buying Kizer knives since they first became available. At their best I never would have compared them with Chris Reeve knives. They were never close in terms of fit and finish. The only similarity they shared was in materials.

When Kizer first came on the scene, they were somewhat of an anomaly. They were one of the earliest "Chinese House Brands" to make a splash in the US market. Reate was around, maybe Stedemon was just popping up a little but Kizer overwhelmed them all with the sheer number of original designs they brought to market. I wouldn't say the quality was on par with ZT or Taichung Spydies, but it was approaching it. At the same time the early Kizers were half the price of typical ZTs or Taichung Spydies.

Kizer carved out a niche as good quality knives with high grade materials at an exceptional value price. They started to get a little following and a little buzz.

Then Kizer began to work with known designers. I think some of the first were Matt Cucchiara and Justin Gingrich. This was an evolutionary development. Reate was also doing some early collab work also, but those were at a higher price point. For the first time you could get a production Cucchiara, Laconico, Vagnino for sub-$200. With these collabs, Kizer raised the bar in terms of design and style.

As they pumped out more and more designs, both original and collabs, Kizer prices invariably went up. As the price went up, some of the problems that Kizer had had all along became more prominent. Lots of people had problems with soft'ish hardware. There was a great deal of detent variability. Individual knives that shouldn't have passed QC slipped out for sale and designs that needed a little more work were rushed to market.

Kizer took a black eye and stumbled over itself, mostly due to an overly aggressive release and development schedule.

I think they've done a good job responding to the stumbles. They have a fairly responsive Stateside service center and it's my perception that the hardware and QC issues have improved. I'm not sure about detent strength.

Today, I'd say that Kizer quality is still in the realm of "approaching" Taichung Spydies and ZTs, probably closer than ever before. Of course, the price of a typical Bladesmith (top of the line) Kizer isn't that much less than a Typical ZT or Spyderco either. They're not quite the value they once were, but the quality has improved and they continue to bring knives to market that could never before be bought at a production level price. Along with Kizer, Reate continues to bring collaborations that are truly excellent and now WE is doing the same thing.

This is truly a good time to be a Knife Knut.
 
Thanks for the heads-up on Kizer knives. From what I get from your posts they are migrating from designs originating in-house to designs from recognized custom knife makers. Unfortunately the quality seemed to have fallen, which must be disappointing to the custom knife designers who's names are on the Kizer model, but they are working to improve the quality. Prices have gone up, but still in the affordable range, perhaps because of increased competition from other knife manufactures located in Asia.

What do you mean my soft'ish hardware?
 
I had a Kizer I got for a very good price, the GPB. It was well made, solid, sharp. Just wasn't for me design/pattern wise. But if something in their line up interested me again I would have no reservations about trying it out.
 
GatorFlash1 said:
Thanks for the heads-up on Kizer knives. From what I get from your posts they are migrating from designs originating in-house to designs from recognized custom knife makers. Unfortunately the quality seemed to have fallen, which must be disappointing to the custom knife designers who's names are on the Kizer model, but they are working to improve the quality. Prices have gone up, but still in the affordable range, perhaps because of increased competition from other knife manufactures located in Asia.

What do you mean my soft'ish hardware?
Click to expand...
I never had too much problem first hand with soft screws and hardware. I did strip a clip screw once, but that may have been my bad from grabbing a cheapo Torx wrench. Lots of others have reported issues with stripped clip, body and pivot screws. I'm not so sure this is from over zealous application of thread lock rather than bad hardware, but the reports are out there. With any knife, I proceed as if the screw head will be soft and the threads will be locked. I think if you take that approach, hardware "blow-outs" don't happen that often. Use good tools, use some heat if you encounter initial resistance that isn't easily overcome and you should be good to go.

In terms of in-house vs. designer knives, Kizer is pushing ahead on both fronts. They are still rolling out great original designs like the Envoy and the Corto. Honestly, I'm not buying that many Kizers new these days; only grab a used one that catches my eye on the Exchange from time to time.

It's my perception that the drop in quality is in the past and Kizer quality has improved. If you go to the Kizer sub-forum and read about the Lundquist Feist, it paints a fairly favorable picture about the company. The Feist was hotly anticipated and hit the market with some production issues. A lot of them had bad action. Justin worked with Kizer to pinpoint the problem, manufacturing changes were made and improved knives hit the stores. The fix was implemented quickly and responsively. Unfortunately, it was hard to tell if you had an original Feist or a post-fix Feist. Knife Knuts grumbled. Kizer responded again and are coming out with a V.2 model.

I think the measure of a manufacturers QC isn't that you never make mistakes, it's in how you respond when you do. Kizer's response over the Feist was as good as one could expect.

I don't buy as many Kizers as I used to. I tend to save my knife dollahs for more selective purchases. If I saw a Kizer design that caught my eye, I wouldn't hesitate to give it a try.
 
Have a Kizer t1 and while the design is nice the execution is poor. I don't plan on buying anymore. Overall I think they are fine. But they are still low cost manufacturing.

I don't recommend buying right away due to prices dropping like a rock after a short time.
 
I have two and the worst thing I've found is they come out with new models that are fairly expensive. Then when they're out awhile I always see them for sale for half the price.
 
I have a Superbad fixed blade, 2 Quicksilvers (1 old style and 1 new), a Dorado, and a Roach. They've all been outstanding in every respect; my son has really enjoyed his Dorado.

I prefer carrying fixed blades almost every day, but defer to larger folders when necessary; I usually EDC a Recon XHP XL... even with all the new offerings out there, I still find it hard to beat, even bought 2 on clearance at XMAS.
 
jill jackson said:
I have two and the worst thing I've found is they come out with new models that are fairly expensive. Then when they're out awhile I always see them for sale for half the price.
Click to expand...
Yeah, this is a great point. BladeHQ and Knifecenter, among others, usually clear out Kizers and other Chinese brands toward the end of year. Starting around Black Friday you may find some huge discounts. You definitely don't buy a Kizer and expect the value to increase. I've never seen a Kizer really "sell out" with the possible exception of the left hand Gemini.

Also, just as Kizer is aggressive in new models, they're also aggressive in retiring old models. If you check out this thread: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/kizer-discontinued-items.1557133/#post-18095119
you'll see that the discontinued list is long and has some popular names.
 
As already mentioned , the old models are discounted when the new ones come out.
So I usually buy them when they're reduced.
The only full priced one I bought is the 2nd gen Zugang ( hated the handle graphics on the 1st gen)

In total , I own 4 of their folders and 1 fixed blade and the quality is very good for the price , I don't have any complaints.
 
I had only one Kizer - ki5401, which is an early model. Its a big folder but the detent is on the weak side. Other than that, the material and building quality are there, especially given the price.
 
I unfortunately had a bad experience with my first kizer which was a sheepdog...the detent ball fell out an hour after I opened the package.

It had to of been a lemon and not normal because so many people back the company and that knife as well....however kinda turned me off and I upgraded to a liong man endeavour that I love...really love it.. made in China doesn't matter to me.

I hope I have a better kizer experience sometime because they do put out some cool knives.
 
Actually, Kizer is a bit different than when they first showed up on the market. Generally I think they are higher quality today than they were at the beginning and offer a lot more collabs. But that also meant that the prices went up. Gone are the days when they were an absolute value, ie titanium s35vn at just around $100.
 
Hackenslash said:
I've been buying Kizer knives since they first became available. At their best I never would have compared them with Chris Reeve knives. They were never close in terms of fit and finish. The only similarity they shared was in materials.

When Kizer first came on the scene, they were somewhat of an anomaly. They were one of the earliest "Chinese House Brands" to make a splash in the US market. Reate was around, maybe Stedemon was just popping up a little but Kizer overwhelmed them all with the sheer number of original designs they brought to market. I wouldn't say the quality was on par with ZT or Taichung Spydies, but it was approaching it. At the same time the early Kizers were half the price of typical ZTs or Taichung Spydies.

Kizer carved out a niche as good quality knives with high grade materials at an exceptional value price. They started to get a little following and a little buzz.

Then Kizer began to work with known designers. I think some of the first were Matt Cucchiara and Justin Gingrich. This was an evolutionary development. Reate was also doing some early collab work also, but those were at a higher price point. For the first time you could get a production Cucchiara, Laconico, Vagnino for sub-$200. With these collabs, Kizer raised the bar in terms of design and style.

As they pumped out more and more designs, both original and collabs, Kizer prices invariably went up. As the price went up, some of the problems that Kizer had had all along became more prominent. Lots of people had problems with soft'ish hardware. There was a great deal of detent variability. Individual knives that shouldn't have passed QC slipped out for sale and designs that needed a little more work were rushed to market.

Kizer took a black eye and stumbled over itself, mostly due to an overly aggressive release and development schedule.

I think they've done a good job responding to the stumbles. They have a fairly responsive Stateside service center and it's my perception that the hardware and QC issues have improved. I'm not sure about detent strength.

Today, I'd say that Kizer quality is still in the realm of "approaching" Taichung Spydies and ZTs, probably closer than ever before. Of course, the price of a typical Bladesmith (top of the line) Kizer isn't that much less than a Typical ZT or Spyderco either. They're not quite the value they once were, but the quality has improved and they continue to bring knives to market that could never before be bought at a production level price. Along with Kizer, Reate continues to bring collaborations that are truly excellent and now WE is doing the same thing.

This is truly a good time to be a Knife Knut.
Click to expand...
Nice accurate summary.
 
My Kizer experience is limited (one knife) and mixed. The knife was nice and decently priced. I found the quality to be very good, not great. I had a difficult time adjusting the pivot to balance between a good flip and keeping the blade from moving laterally.
 
I don't own a Kizer yet, but based on their handling of the Feist issues, I am definitely considering purchasing a Feist (or other models) in the future.
 
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