Thoughts on Kizer?

After 7 months in storage it was the only one of my ten folders that didn't need lube. , Well modern folders.[/QUOTE]

Yikes on that bag cut!
 
Neat. I might have to add one to the collection, because I need another knife like a hole in the head! :D
 
MaxRichards said:
Neat. I might have to add one to the collection, because I need another knife like a hole in the head! :D
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I purely bought the Dukes to try out something made by Kizer. I don't need any more knives. But I can honestly tell you that I have used the Kizer and I can't say that about a lot of knives I've bought in the last couple of years. I tend to stay away from the "high end" Chinese knives simply because I don't want to spend that much money on one.
 
My only Kizer is a left handed Laconico Gemini, excellent fit and finish, excellent value. I have to admit I give it extra points for being a dedicated left handed knife though...;)
 
I like Kizer and have had a number of good ones but to make it worth while you need to wait until they are discounted which they always are eventually the Kesmec for 180 is okay but for 110 it's awesome and this principle holds true across their line up if you like one just wait till they go in sale.
 
I have the Vanguard Mini Sheepdog, and the Rogue. Spending a total of about $165 for the two of them, I figured that I wouldn't be out much if they were duds.
The Mini is actually well done for the price. I couldn't find one thing to nit pick. The VG 10 holds an edge better than I expected.

The Rogue needed some break in time, but is really smooth now. It has a pretty strong detent, but I like that. Like the Mini Sheepdog, couldn't find any quality issues.
The only thing with the Rogue is the S35VN seems to be on the soft side.
I've heard that they run their S35VN a little soft, and now I believe it.
 
Akcir said:
...The VG 10 holds an edge better than I expected.
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I agree. I was a bit displeased with the Boker Urban Trapper which is Chinese made and VG-10. Hence, I was a little hesitant to buy the Kizer Dukes in VG-10. But I have been pleased with this knife.
 
FWIW, I own 5 kizers, an early numbered lockback, and a vanguard series gemini. I got lucky and got two ok examples...I stayed away from Kizer for a while, until the Feist was released. It was an easy FF to obtain in Canada, and is an excellent knife. I also bought the ti gemini and the T1. Both are amazing and dialed in perfectly.
That being said, I recently took a trip to my "local" (3hrs away) brick and mortar store, and handled a bunch of other kizer designs. Walked away with no new ones. Nuf said.
 
The only Kizer I have experience with is the Splinter. It was a nice little knife with a great action. I ended up selling it though due to not carrying it much after picking up my Holt Specter. I can't fault it for that though. The Specter is just out of its league.
 
22-rimfire said:
I purely bought the Dukes to try out something made by Kizer. I don't need any more knives. But I can honestly tell you that I have used the Kizer and I can't say that about a lot of knives I've bought in the last couple of years. I tend to stay away from the "high end" Chinese knives simply because I don't want to spend that much money on one.
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Yeah, I got a good deal through BHQ for one of the skull ones, and it was sub $150, so I figured I'd give it a try. Think I have a Chinese-Made Boker somewhere, but I can honestly say I don't use it. Whenever possible, I try and buy domestic.

Also ordered a LionSteel ROK and am going to grab one of the Damascus ones next week (after Payday! :D) as I really like the look. Never ordered an Italian Knife, but I have a Steel Will that I like.
 
932E87C8-0FD2-49C1-8681-71600DBBE5CB.jpeg Kizer has come a long way since my first one. I would say the old Dorado has one of the best actions EVER!
 
Not buying any Chinese made knives!Stick with my CRK,Rockstead,Fallkniven,Hinderer,Wilkins...
 
rexromic rexromic you are missing out on some great knives. Reate, WE, and Kizer are right up there in quality and craftsmanship as the brands you mentioned. Not bashing.
 
i've only ever owned or handled one Kizer - a Velox 2 in VG-10, which I purchased new to try out as a replacement EDC.
I carried it about 6 months and had no complaints in performance or fit and finish - just happened upon a Domino which I liked better.
 
I’ve handled several Kizer at my LKS, which carries a small, variable stock.

The Vanguard Dukes impressed me a lot, and I kinda wish I’d grabbed one...but my niche is full.

The T1 impressed me, but not quite enough to purchase, partly for the same reason and partly because it just didn’t quite provoke enough emotion (YMMV).

Then I read about Kizer running a storefront on Aliexpress.. I get that they’re an international company and want an international presence, but it just doesn’t sit well with me.

I don’t have any vitriol towards Kizer. My personal preference is to spend a few more bucks on something else.
 
To me, Kizer is an odd knife company.

I got one of their early models, the V3 Magnum Vigor, with G10 scales, titanium liners, and a recurve tanto S35VN blade. I was decently impressed by the value and materials used, I liked how well the blade was ground, and I loved that it used bronze washers on a flipper/thumb stud knife. It also had a great titanium spring clip that worked well. However, there were some inconsistencies in the fit and finish of the handle, the detent was very light, and the knife got a lot of little design points wrong that a more experienced US company probably wouldn't have (like the bad proprietary pivot hardware, or the tiny stop pin set in the very edge of the liners that looked like it would break if you looked at it wrong). At this point, all they needed was some minor refinement to their designs and they could have had something really special.

Nowadays though, all I see coming out of them on the premium end is a flood of short-lived titanium framelock flippers on bearings with bland aesthetics and poor design choices, trying to compete with the ZT/WE/Reate market. If I want a premium Chinese-made folder, I'd rather look at WE or Reate because it'll be designed and made better. If I wanted a low-end Chinese knife, I'd rather get a basic Kershaw or a Civivi than their Tangram line.

I just don't really see anything about them that speaks to me.
 
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