Thoughts on Kizer?

I have had one Kizer. I gave it to my Brother-In-Law. The only thing wrong with it were things I disliked about the design, which I am sure was intended. Nothing manufacturing related anyways. It was well built, acceptably sharp, etc. I just felt it was completely devoid of character - the proverbial grey Ti slab.

Frankly, shame on me for thinking I would enjoy it.
 
I like Kizers, have 8. IMO the quality is as good as my Benchmades and Spydercos, I like the aesthetics of much of their line and they are a good value. Certainly more interesting designs than what Spyderco does, but not over the top like many of the WE's. Re. slabs of gray Ti I would not put my Theta, Sheepdogs, Megatherium, Corto or Mini Dorado in that category for sure. Could the Gemini or Feist be called that; maybe but they are both wonderful designs. They also do great collaborations with many fine designers. Made in China an issue? What makes Russia, Germany or Japan more "acceptable" than China if you are not committed to US only?
My Kizer rant in a nutshell.
 
The answer to the question about what makes others more acceptable is, in a word, communism.

Having said that, it won’t change without our participation.
 
Psy223 said:
The answer to the question about what makes others more acceptable is, in a word, communism.

Having said that, it won’t change without our participation.
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I frankly see it more as China bashing for the sake of China bashing than a statement about authoritarian, socialist political systems. Can't say that from a human rights standpoint China is much worse than say Russia, yet Shirogorov's are highly regarded here and I've never heard comments about "I'd never buy a Russian knife".
 
5881 said:
I frankly see it more as China bashing for the sake of China bashing than a statement about authoritarian, socialist political systems. Can't say that from a human rights standpoint China is much worse than say Russia, yet Shirogorov's are highly regarded here and I've never heard comments about "I'd never buy a Russian knife".
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I won't buy a Russian knife :cool:

===

On topic in the 100-200 range I'll always default to the PM2 and the new hotness AD10
 
5881 said:
Can't say that from a human rights standpoint China is much worse than say Russia, ".
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Probably not , but the consumers perception is reality,(right Benchmade?). The perception of many people is that purchasing Chinese products DIRECTLY funds the Chinese military. That’s an issue for some people. Combine that with the perception of low price= low quality and it becomes easy to disregard Chinese products. Additionally, there are some legitimate issues with intellectual properties and then, way down the list, we come to human rights concerns.

For what it’s worth when I started getting into knives last year I set some parameters. One of them was nothing from China. 10 months later and my most recent purchases a Kizer, a Ruike, and a Chinese Kershaw.
 
I totally get the buy USA sentiment and respect it. I'd just like to know where the people here (and elsewhere) who go on these mean spirited, xenophobic rants about China get their T.V.'s from. Something about waving the flag only when it's financially convenient irks me. Talk the talk...
And BTW, some will respond that their TV's are made in Mexico (like my Sony) but let's face it, Mexico is not the poster child when it comes to human rights and pretty much the entire government and law enforcement is drenched in corruption to some degree. But enough about politics and global commerce; did I mention I really like my Kizers?
 
5881 said:
I totally get the buy USA sentiment and respect it. I'd just like to know where the people here (and elsewhere) who go on these mean spirited, xenophobic rants about China get their T.V.'s from. Something about waving the flag only when it's financially convenient irks me. Talk the talk...
And BTW, some will respond that their TV's are made in Mexico (like my Sony) but let's face it, Mexico is not the poster child when it comes to human rights and pretty much the entire government and law enforcement is drenched in corruption to some degree. But enough about politics and global commerce; did I mention I really like my Kizers?
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I like high quality knives. This is why I won't buy Kizers. I have a t1 and it's got glaring issues to me. Good brand for budget knives.

I don't care if they are from China and I don't see anyone here saying anything cray cray along the topic.

Some people just won't buy from some countries and there are zero issues with there opinions.
 
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5881 said:
I totally get the buy USA sentiment and respect it. I'd just like to know where the people here (and elsewhere) who go on these mean spirited, xenophobic rants about China get their T.V.'s from. Something about waving the flag only when it's financially convenient irks me. Talk the talk...
And BTW, some will respond that their TV's are made in Mexico (like my Sony) but let's face it, Mexico is not the poster child when it comes to human rights and pretty much the entire government and law enforcement is drenched in corruption to some degree. But enough about politics and global commerce; did I mention I really like my Kizers?
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Globalization has pretty much killed the argument. That tv you mentioned... “assembled” in mexico, but where did all the parts come from? Same with other electronics, vehicles, tools... any product outside the most basic.

Back to Kizer, I have always wanted to try the Feist. The only one that has appealed to me so far.
 
Psy223 said:
As the T1 is on my watch list, I’m curious, what were your issues with it?
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https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/what-i-really-like-about-kizer.1541311/page-3#post-17783991

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/zt-0450-or-kizer-t1.1617779/#post-18478254

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/another-this-or-that.1624556/#post-18559407

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/what-do-you-think-about-kizer-knife.1628094/#post-18601182

Here's 4 of my posts on the subject. And I've seen plenty more about the subject of Kizer knives in general, so know im not the only one with the issues or nitpicks. But as I've mentioned for a budget brand these may be perfectly fine issues. I prefer better. Other brands with similar problems are Viper and Benchmade of which I won't buy either. I'm alot more picky than most of the folks who just deal with miner things and praise the knife because they bought it and don't want to share any negative issues. Those threads also have others opinions you can take too.

I cannot say that I don't recommend others to buy them... Cause that's up to you. I like the overall design of the T1 and you should try it. But it's not perfect.
 
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I think Mo2 hit the nail on the head stating" Good brand for budget knives." All of my knives with the exception of a Zieba Manhattan (Shinola branded) are in the sub $200.00 range and in my mind, at least at this point, are not budget knives. But that's why they make Kias and Rolls Royce's.
 
I was a little reluctant to try Kizer as I'd heard conflicting things about their quality. Traditionally, I've admittedly looked at Chinese manufacturers more when I was interested is budget friendly prodcuts and maybe a U.S. manufacturer was not an option. I think Kizer, WE , Reate, Stedemon, and others are really changing that though. So I decided to try a couple of Kizer models. I got my hands on a Feist and a Laconico Gemini and found them both to be excellent. It sounds petty but the little spiral pivot bolt drives me crazy. I just don't like the look of it, so I sold them. I still have a full-sized Sheepdog. I like the design and in addition to a great fit and finish, I've been pleasantly surprised by it being an impressive workhorse, performing really well.

While I'm not always crazy about some of Kizer's design choices, I like some of what I've seen in their plans (cleaner lines, simpler pivot hardware, etc.). Outside of the Vanguard line, they're not inexpensive though, so I'd expect them to perform well and we should be able to expect consistent quality. I'm still making up my mind completely, but so far so good for me at least. If you like a particular design, I feel like they're a decent option if maybe not my first choice.

For what it's worth, I've recently been looking at Ruike as a more budget option and have had awesome luck with them so far. The P801 is currently one of my favorite budget EDCs of all time. So I've been changing my opinion and recognizing Chinese and other overseas manufacturers who are bringing a quality product to us for a reasonable price. Also, it's not China but Spyderco's Taiwan ops have been killing it for a while argueably producing their best quality knives right now.

Good post and discussion. It's awesome to get folk's perspective on this.
 
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ronin.graves said:
For what it's worth, I've recently been looking at Ruike as a more budget option and have had awesome luck with them so far. The P801 is currently one of my favorite budget EDCs of all time. So I've been changing my opinion and recognizing Chinese and other overseas manufacturers
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I received a P801 as a Valentine’s Day gift and also like it quite a bit.
 
Mo2 thank you for sharing those links. I spent some time reading through the threads last night.
 
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4mer_FMF said:
In this thread?
Did I miss something?
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No you did not. I hear it a lot on this forum and also on a guitar forum I spend time on. In the guitar world Chinese guitars have yet to make "the big time" as there are no brands that are selling under their own names that have made any grounds in the market. What you see is either just really cheap stuff or low~ mid-range re-branded guitars made for the major players.
 
Kizer makes good knives, full stop. I don’t often feel drawn to their products because the designs and current pricing are a offputting to me, but I have had nearly a dozen pass through my hands over the years.

I currently only have one Kizer: a Mjolnir that I picked up entirely because I found it for a very good price given the materials involved (which used to be their claim to fame - getting a Ti S35vn folder for under $100. That went out the window pretty quickly.)

I often look at their new releases and say “cool” and then scroll past it for something I’ll actually carry or spend money on. Most recently, I looked hard at the Soze - a knife that is as neat as it is impractical.

Kizer is a brand I often almost click “add to cart” but then I invariably think something like “or I could finally get a Spyderco Caribbean instead” and then get neither because I already have 8 knives I carry.

That said, I’m a little burned out on plain Ti folders with S35vn blades that cost $120+. These days, given how often I actually use a knife in a given day, I’m more interested in finding <$60 knives with excellent build quality. Aiorosu, Civivi, and Stedemon are right up there and cost me 1/4 as much.
 
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