Made in China

Kizer Alter Ego Review

Kizer’s 2017 catalog wasn’t released to the same fanfare as Spyderco’s or KAI’s. That may be partially due to the fact that it’s massive. Most of their old designs are still on there, so don’t worry, there’s no need for panic purchases a la Spyderco’s discontinued list. At the same time, Kizer has collaborated with a host of new makers so up and coming your plaid-bedecked neighbor who won’t shut up about vinyl records hasn’t even heard of them.

In the interests of full disclosure, you should know that this review sample was provided by Kizer. While that won’t have an impact on my impartiality, there is the risk that the product I was sent was double or triple checked for quality, and that my sample is the best of the brood. That risk is counterweighted by Kizer’s deserved reputation for high manufacturing tolerances. In other words, I don’t think you need to worry about it.

The Alter Ego falls into their “Bladesmith” line, which is seemingly reserved for collaborations with custom makers. I was surprised to learn this, as the Alter Ego seems aesthetically similar to many of Kizer’s in-house designs. Searching for “Kim Ning” and “Kim Ning Knives” yielded no results outside of Kizer products. It may be that he is better known internationally, or that he doesn’t have an English website, but I suspect that (much like Jim McNair of KAI) he’s a full time designer for Kizer.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Kizer Alter Ego has a 3.55” blade housed in a 4.625” handle. Overall, it’s 8.125” long and weighs 4.91 oz, with a blade thickness of .1375”. For some this isn’t terribly large, but it’s definitely more knife than I’m accustomed to. To their credit Kizer kept the weight pretty low. As a point of comparison, it weighs only .6 ounces more than the Zero Tolerance 0900, but has a .85” longer blade. Those numbers might not look impressive on paper, but trust me when I say that the difference is significant in person.

The blade itself is made of S35VN, a powder metallurgy steel developed by Crucible as the successor to S30V. Prior to the revolution of high-end Chinese manufacturers, a steel like this would have been unheard of on a Chinese knife. Times have changed, and now it’s sound business sense for companies like Kizer to import high performance steels. S35VN is a particular favorite of mine. It retains S30V’s wear and rust resistance, but doesn’t chip as frequently. I’ve used the Alter Ego frequently (if not rigorously) over the past month, and the experience matched my expectations.

As nice as the S35VN is, I wish it had been paired with a plainer utilitarian blade. The Alter Ego sports a drop point blade with a profile that echoes the Viper Dan 2 or the ZT0770 (both blade shapes that I love), but which is drawn up into a recurve closer to the base of the blade. While by no means a dramatic recurve, it exaggerates the belly enough to make certain tasks – press cutting in food preparation, for example – less predictable than a continuous curve or a straight edge. If I found myself cutting rope on a regular basis the recurve would have more appeal, but my needs are fairly pedestrian.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

Much like the blade, the handle is comprised of organic, muscular lines. In some respects it’s comparable to the Hinderer design aesthetic, but where Hinderer relies on hard angles and a very industrial appearance, Kizer turns to curves that are almost anatomical. In keeping with this, ornamentation is kept to a minimum. I’m not normally a fan of decorative pivots, but Kizer’s rendition is eye-catching, subtle, and most importantly is torx compatible.

The ergonomics on the Alter Ego are good, if narrow in application. It’s difficult to tell from the photos and product literature, but the handle coerces your fingers into something akin to a pistol grip. That’s not necessarily a downside, especially if you’re in the market for a tactical folder. This knife won’t leave your hand unless you want it to. However, it’s less than ideal for everyday tasks, such as preparing a picnic lunch or opening a clamshell package.

While the design is ergonomically sound, if not to my taste, there is one flaw in the execution: the pocket clip. It’s not offensively bad (like this little guy), but it does generate enough of a hot spot to cause some discomfort. Gloves and careful finger placement mitigate this problem. The clip aside, Kizer put a lot of work into making this knife comfortable. All the edges are buffed and all the corners are softened. Kizer clearly knows how to make a knife comfortable,

The Alter Ego is pretty quiet in the pocket. No one could call it svelte – it is fairly wide, and nearly an inch of the handle sticks out past the edge of the pocket – but for a knife this size, it’s better than I expected. The aforementioned contouring keeps it from feeling like a brick in your pants, and though the clip detracts from the blade’s ergonomics, it also ensures that an errant seat belt can’t make off with your rather expensive pocketknife.

Deployment and Lock-Up

As with most of Kizer knives, the Alter Ego’s blade is deployed via flipper tab. Sadly, Kizer committed something of a cardinal sin in the design stages of the Alter Ego: they put aggressive jimping right under the flipper tab. For the first two or three days I carried it, my index finger would slam right into the aforementioned jimping every time I flipped it open, leaving my finger raw and smarting. Eventually my technique improved and the problem went away, but it was a literal pain to deal with. It’s a shame that such a flaw wasn’t caught earlier, because otherwise deployment on the Alter Ego is perfect. The detent is crisp and firm, and there’s not a hint of grit in the bearing pivot. It’s not as snappy as the action on my ZT0900 – there’s more of a hydraulic feel to it – but that’s a matter of taste, not quality. Deployment on both knives is as smooth as glass.

Commensurate with Kizer’s reputation, the frame lock on the Alter Ego is perfectly executed. There is zero wiggle in the lock while deployed, and because of the steel insert there’s no break in period or risk of the lock face galling inappropriately over time. Since arrival, the lock has consistently engaged the blade tang at about 50%, though it should be noted that 100% of the steel insert engages the tang. Said insert also functions as an overtravel stop. To round things out, Kizer also milled a slight cut out in the handle to make the lock more accessible.

Kizer Alter Ego Final Thoughts

At a price point that hovers between 160USD and 180USD, the Alter Ego is competing with the premier lines of most brands; within the genre – titanium framelock flippers – it’s directly competing with most of Zero Tolerance’s catalog. While I’m not going to wade into the waters of which brand I prefer (the gaming industry has console wars covered), I can say that the Alter Ego is as well made as any normal run ZT. That’s pretty high praise, all things considered.

End of the day, this knife isn’t for me. It’s too big for my purposes and definitely has a different end user in mind. That said, everything else about the knife – the manufacturing tolerances, materials, attention to detail – is fantastic, and clues me into just how much I’ve been missing out on by not trying a Kizer sooner. If the design of this knife appeals to you, I’d wholeheartedly recommend it. If the quality of the Alter Ego is representative of their entire catalog (and the community’s response indicates that such is true) then I wouldn’t hesitate to buy any Kizer knife if the design appealed to me.

I recommend purchasing the Kizer Alter Ego at BladeHQ. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

CRKT Compact Batum Review

by Grayson Parker Leave a Comment

By the time this review is published SHOT Show 2017 will be old news. But as I write this introduction, the releases from SHOT are still fresh in my mind. After perusing everyone’s catalogs, I’ve noticed something; something that I’ve been waiting to see for some time. You see, it appears that the knife industry has finally realized that not everyone wants to (or is capable of) buying knives that cost upwards of $200 at a sustainable rate. Well…part of the industry at least.

There was a bevy of budget and mid-priced blades released at SHOT, and one of the more impressive showings was put forward by CRKT. Apart from undercutting the Snailor market, they also expanded their collaborations with Jesper Voxnaes, who designed a few knives for them last year. The 2016 models didn’t seem to grab the attention of the knife community. I’d venture that the reason why is that they lacked Vox’s typical design language: bold lines, dramatic edge profiles, and a quintessentially Nordic minimalism.

Happily for us, it looks like CRKT realized the amount of money they were sitting on and tapped Mr. Voxnaes for some of that Danish magic. While most of these collaborations are enticing for one reason or another, I eventually ordered the Compact Batum. After more than a month of on and off carry, I think I’ve got enough experience to offer my opinion.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Batum has a blade length of 2.45”, a closed length of 3.71”, and weighs 3.6 ounces. The Batum is made in China. These are some pretty middle of the road performance specs, but it’s a big step up from the relatively chunky specifications on the Squid. By comparison, the Batum has a longer blade and a more comfortable handle for nearly the same weight. Fit and finish is likewise improved: centering is perfect, primary grind is symmetrical, and everything is nice and polished. The only “real” complaint I can register is that the secondary bevel gets a bit wobbly near the tip. Not bad for a sub-$30 blade.

I’m working on a standardized cutting test, but until then, you’ll have to rely on my ad hoc testing. That means two (incredibly unscientific) tests: one for edge retention and one for slicing performance. I don’t test rust resistance or chipping: not because they’re unimportant, but because those faults – if present – are typically revealed without any help. To measure slicing performance, I used the Batum on a diverse array of fruit, including apples, pears, and oranges. It quartered the pears just fine and peeled the oranges with ease. The Batum split – not sliced – the apples, but to be fair they were large and crisp. Ideal for eating, not cutting.

During normal use, the 8Cr13MoV held up fine. It’s the budget steel of choice for Chinese made knives, and I wasn’t surprised to see it featured on the Batum. I strop it twice a week or so and that’s kept it serviceable. The only opportunity I had to “rigorously” test the edge retention was using the Batum to break down a pile of cardboard boxes destined for the bin, during which it exhibited odd behavior. After a few boxes, it wouldn’t cut as cleanly, but when I checked the edge against my thumb it was still passably sharp. The Batum just kept slipping out during protracted cuts. It’s likely a combination of the dramatic belly and budget steel. As soon as the edge starts to degrade, the blade will start to slide more in cuts. This in turn means you’ll glance onto that steep belly and slip right out of the material.

That’s not to say I dislike the blade shape. While the belly is too dramatic for my tastes, it does occasionally come in handy. On a cutting board, it allows for great slicing cuts, much like the front end of the Spyderco Zulu. A buddy of mine who’s an electrician also swears by the Vox blade shape, as he loves the straight edge for cable work.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

I was on the fence about reviewing the Batum; originally, it was a toss up between it and the Pilar. Both looked interesting, but in the end the G10 scale of the Batum was the more attractive proposition, as the G10 substantially decreases the weight and improves the grip. Still, I had concerns. On cheaper knives finishing is often the first thing to go, and if the G10 was as raspy as, say, Cold Steel’s, I’d be put out to say the least. Luckily that wasn’t the case. Out of the box I was impressed by the fit and finish on the Batum. The G10 was perfectly textured: not rough enough to feel like sandpaper, but just enough to register a grip. Both the steel and the G10 scales are generously chamfered. Even the backspacer – one of my complaints from the CRKT Squid review – is perfect. Not only is the machining improved, but the dark grey doesn’t have the “off-white next to regular white” look that the Squid’s backspacer had.

The ergonomics on the Batum are tough to evaluate. When it first arrived, I noticed within seconds that the forward finger choil was too small for my hands. I couldn’t choke up on the blade without feeling like the knife was about to bite me. So – as shipped – the ergonomics were poor to say the least. Fortunately I have a set of diamond stones for my Spyderco Sharpmaker, and after a day or two of intermittent filing, the choil was big enough to accommodate a four finger grip. It was relatively easy fix, but buyer beware.

In the pocket, the Batum is an excellent companion. It carries quietly, and even though it doesn’t have a deep carry clip, it doesn’t leave enough of the butt end hanging out to alarm the masses. The clip seems like it could be a real paint scraper. I haven’t run into that issue personally, but that may just be luck.

Deployment and Lock-Up

For deployment, the Batum features Vox’s signature thumb…eye…thing. Folks online seem to love it; a deranged few like it more than the Spydie-hole. It’s arguable that it offers the ease of deployment that a thumbhole does without the larger footprint in the pocket, but I find the thumbhole easier to use most of the time. Mastering deployment on the Batum took all of a day on my end, so it’s probably not a major issue for most users. The teflon washers give deployment a slightly hydraulic feel. My only complaint is that the bit of the handle that covers the tang also blocks the path my thumb follows when I’m flicking the knife open. It’s less of an issue now, but you may need to spend some time getting acquainted with the Batum’s deployment.

I’m really tempted to just copy and paste the lock-up section from the Squid review. Nothing is really different here: lock up is stable at 50%, there’s no blade play in any direction, and there’s no lock stick. Disengagement is simple despite the lack of a cut out to access the lock. There is one improvement – if a negligible one – over the frame lock on the Squid, and that is the addition of an overtravel stop. Is it necessary? Probably not, but some will appreciate it, and there’s no real downside to its inclusion.

CRKT Compact Batum – Final Thoughts

For the money, it’s difficult to find a more compelling knife. There’s the perennial Alox Cadet, of course, but that’s hitting a slightly different need. You can find the Batum for around $30 after shipping, and I think it’s a steal at that price. It’s better finished than the Cryos that I’ve handled, the design is (in my opinion) much more attractive, and you don’t have to deal with an assisted opening. The ergonomics – once adjusted – are better than most knives in this price range. It may be a bit chunky behind the edge, but no worse than the Squid.

Knowing all that, who should buy the Batum? Well, fans of Jesper Voxnaes should probably line up. This knife has most of the design cues Vox is famous for: burlesque drop point, simple lines, and an open profile that’s strangely animated. While not perfect – the drop point is a tad overdone, and the choil may need tweaking – it’s one of the strongest budget knives to hit the market in quite some time.

I recommend purchasing the CRKT Batum Compact at BladeHQ and Amazon. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

WE Knife Company Model 605 Review

by Dan Leave a Comment

WE Knife Co. (or “WE Knives”) is a relatively new manufacturer from China. Technically that isn’t true as, they produced OEM knives for other brands for years, but WE Knives has recently garnered attention from knife collectors under their own brand. This is thanks to a combination of precision machining, high end materials, and a unique aesthetic.

I thought WE Knives were interesting, but largely dismissed them as most of their models feature 3.75″+ blades. I don’t mind a bigger knife, but for a true daily carry piece I gravitate towards knives with a 3.5″ blade or under.

The WE Knives Model 605 is a strong departure from their typical 4″ bladed behemoths. Here we have a compact and curvaceous design. Offered in a variety of colors and finishes, the 605 is anything but boring. And when I got a chance to check one out in person at Smoky Mountain Knife Works, I knew I had to pick one up for review.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Model 605 has an overall length of 7″, a 3″ blade, and weighs 4 ounces. My particular model is the 605J, with grey titanium handles, a two-tone blade, and purple anodized accents. This is a nice size for daily carry, but the knife itself is almost too nice to really beat on. It certainly could be considered a collectible, and it comes in a zippered nylon pouch with microfiber cleaning cloth.

The blade is a modified drop point. It has a satin finished high hollow grind and swedge, and black oxidized flats. The blade is beautiful featuring immaculate grinds, a perfectly even edge, a rounded thumb ramp, and interesting details around the thumb hole.

WE Knives went with S35VN blade steel for the model 605. Knife enthusiasts will know that this is an American steel made by Crucible. Much like Kizer, WE Knives appears to import raw material from the United States to manufacture their knives. That level of attention is uncommon, and helps shuck off the stigma that Chinese knives are cheap and undesirable.

S35VN is an excellent choice for blade steel and is cropping up in a lot of the high end knives I review. Much like CTS-XHP and CPM-154, S35VN gives you a good balance of edge retention and ease of sharpening. It’s a practical steel for a user knife. It’s high end, but not high maintenance. It also takes a beautiful polish as this 605 clearly demonstrate. I had a tough time getting a photograph of the blade without getting reflections in the shot.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle of the 605 is another thing of beauty. The crisp lines, the use of texture, and faceted handle all serve to catch the light and draw in the eye. The bookmatched titanium handles provide the illusion that the handle is made from a single piece of material. And of course we can’t ignore the purple hardware. Usually purple isn’t my first choice for a knife, but it’s a nice change of pace from the typical blue. WE Knife Co. has a muted color palate that they like to feature on all their knives. It’s unique and I like it. Another surprise is the fact that the inside of the handle has been milled out. This lightens the knife and shows even more care and attention.

While the handle itself is immaculate, I care less for the choice of proprietary star head hardware. Much like on the Southern Grind Spider Monkey, hardware like this makes the knife impossible to take apart without a special tool. That said, at least WE Knife Co. has the decency to include a take down tool with every knife. That is much more forgivable to me, but it still requires the use of a specialized tool.

The 605 ergonomically dialed in. This is a small knife with several finger grooves. Oftentimes that spells disaster, but here WE Knives managed to get this spaced right, at least for my larger hand. There is just enough room on the handle for a full 4 finger grip. However, if you use the forward finger choil on the blade there is plenty of room the spread out. I’m generally a fan of forward finger choils, and the one on the 605 is no exception. For traction you have light texturing on the handle and a short run of jimping on the spine of the blade. This jimping is good: it offers some traction without being too aggressive.

The 605 comes with a milled titanium pocket clip. Milled clips seem to fall in and out of favor. At first they were a desirable high end feature appearing only on expensive custom knives. As they became more accessible some people came to the conclusion that they were ineffective pocket clips, bulky and with poor spring retention. I haven’t had a ton of experience with milled clips, but I can say the one on this 605 is excellent. Retention is about perfect. The knife slips in and out of the pocket easily, but isn’t loose. Aesthetically, I think it’s a big improvement over a stamped clip.

This knife carries well, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. It has a small blade, but at 4 ounces and .54″ thick it’s pretty chunky. The pocket clip does a good job keeping the knife in place, and I largely forgot about the 605 as it rode in my pocket.

Deployment and Lockup

This knife comes with both a thumb hole and a flipper. Of course most people will be drawn to the flipper, myself included. I found it flips nicely. It’s on par with my Zero Tolerance flippers and my Kizer Intrepid. Much like some Zero Tolerance folders, you do need to take care when opening up the knife with your right hand. If you put pressure on the lock bar, it will make it tough to deploy the blade. That is one of the few perks of being a lefty.

Of course if you get tired of the flipper you can also open the knife with the thumb hole. The detent on the 605 is substantial so it will take some dedication to use the thumb hole, but it’s entirely possible to open the knife this way. Action is smooth thanks to a ceramic ball bearing system. It is not the absolute smoothest knife I have operated (that is probably reserved for the ZT 0454 or the Shirogorov 95t), but it’s pretty damn smooth. You can shake the knife closed after disengaging the lock.

Speaking of locks, the 605 comes equipped with a titanium frame lock with stainless steel lock bar insert. The lock has been executed perfectly. There is no lock rock, lock stick, or blade play of any type. I would again put this on par with my ZTs, which I consider to be a gold standard for titanium framelock flippers.

Blade centering is dead perfect.

WE Knife Co. 605J – Final Thoughts

We are only 3 months in to 2017, and I am already thinking that this could be the nicest knife I review all year. I enjoy it because it is unique, meticulously machined, and above all, thoughtful. There are so many details to consider that I can’t help but compare this to a Shirogorov. It’s not quite on that level. It is pretty close, but it’s not a $700 knife. Everything from the superbly finished blade to the pocketed titanium handle has been a fanatical level of consideration. I also enjoy the design. It won’t be to everyone’s taste but I think the 605 is unique and compelling. This is something I can’t say about every one of their models.

I am glad I took a chance on the WE Knife 605. I’d recommend it without reservation if you are interested in the design. It isn’t cheap, but I see a lot of value for money here. I think you will be impressed.

We Knives 605J – $242.25
From: BladeHQ

I recommend purchasing the We Knives 605J at BladeHQ. Purchasing anything through any of the links on this site helps support BladeReviews, and keep this review train running. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated.

Kizer Ki3480 Dirk Pinkerton Rogue Review

by Dan 10 Comments

The Kizer Ki3480 Rogue is a series of firsts for me. It’s the first Dirk Pinkerton design I have ever reviewed, it’s my first review of a mid-tier Kizer knife, and it’s the first wharncliffe I have reviewed in a while.

The designer, Dirk Pinkerton, is an interesting guy. He is a custom knifemaker from Huntersville, North Carolina, and his focus is on purpose built knives for self defense applications. He even did a collaboration with our very own Chad McBroom, the Active Response Kerambit.

Using knives defensively is well outside my wheelhouse, but I have been curious about Dirk Pinkerton’s designs ever since reading RoadKill’s review of the Meyerco Wharning back in 2012.

The Rogue shares some obvious design similarities to the Wharning. Namely, the aggressive wharncliffe blade. It’s different from what I typically review, and different from Kizer’s other designs, which is exactly why I wanted to check it out.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Rogue has an overall length of 7.125″, a 3.00″ blade, and it weighs 3.92 ounces. Like all Kizer knives, the Rogue is made in China. I like that although the Rogue was likely designed with self-defense in mind, this is still a practical size for Every Day Carry (EDC). In fact, it almost resembles a folding box cutter. An obvious comparison would be with the Spyderco Yojimbo 2, a knife designed by Michael Janich. In addition to being a designer for Spyderco, Michael Janich is a martial artist and fellow enthusiast of the wharncliffe.

The dramatic wharncliffe blade is what makes this model stand out. You are going to either love it or hate it, and it is different from anything else in my collection. The 4mm thick blade has been given a partial flat grind. There is no swedge but the blade still comes to a needle-fine tip. The blade has been given a fine tumbled finish.

The benefit to a wharncliffe blade is that it excellent for slicing cuts. Power is applied uniformly to the edge whether you are at the tip, or by the ricasso. Combine that with an excellent tip for thrusting, and you have a very capable blade shape. For these reasons it is easy to see why guys like Michael Janich and Dirk Pinkerton prefer the wharncliffe.

The flip side is that there is no belly, which makes tasks like skinning near impossible. This is not my favorite knife to use in the kitchen.

Kizer chose S35VN for the blade steel. S35VN is excellent stuff. The more I use S30V, the more I like my S35VN blades. They are easier to sharpen and less brittle, but still hold a good edge like S30V. S35VN is an American steel, and Kizer had to import it in to China to make their knives. We often think of products being exported from China, so it’s an interesting point to consider, and speaks to Kizer’s dedication to making high end production knives.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The Rogue has full titanium handles. Unlike the Intrepid, the handles of the Rogue are not 3-D contoured. Instead, they have been milled with a series of reliefs to provide texture and visual interest. The handle was then given a black coating and then the face of the handles were surface ground to provide a brushed titanium texture. The two-tone finish is unique, and so far it has held up well. Everything has been screwed together, and there are 2 barrel spacers and a decorative pivot.

Fit and finish is excellent. Everything has been completed to an eerie level of precision, much like a Taichung, Taiwan Spyderco.

The ergonomics of the Rogue benefit greatly from a simple handle design, and good use of jimping. The handle shape is about as simple as they come, which means that it will feel great for most people. There is flat top jimping on the spine of the blade. This offers good traction without being overly destructive. There is some additional light jimping / millwork on the spine of the handle, and also where your pinky and ring finger rest. These features, combined with the millwork on the handle slabs, offer a good deal of traction for the end user. The end result is a knife that feels secure in the hand without being obnoxious.

The blue titanium pocket clip offers a splash of color while being a good pocket clip. It’s a fold over deep carry clip, that has been placed so that about a quarter of an inch of the knife is left exposed. This was probably done to provide easy access in the event you needed the knife in an emergency situation. Personally, I’d prefer an even deeper carry, but the knife is still discrete.

The Rogue carries well. It’s not an overly thick or heavy knife, and the titanium clip offers plenty of retention. The knife stays in your pocket until you need it, and then it’s ready to go. No complaints with how this knife carries.

Deployment and Lockup

The Rogue is a dual thumbstud knife. I have always liked thumb studs, and the ones on the Rogue are nicely done. They are prominent and easy to access. The blade rides on phosphor bronze washers; my washer material of choice. Here the action is smooth and easy. There is a fairly strong detent, and the blade flicks open with a push of the thumb.

For lockup we have a titanium framelock with a stainless steel lockbar insert. The knife locks up early, and is secure. There is no blade play in any direction. There is also no lock stick. This is an excellent fame lock and rivals the Zero Tolerance framelocks I have owned over the years. Top shelf stuff.

Blade centering is good, but not perfect. That is about the only fit and finish nitpick I could find.

Kizer Rogue – Final Thoughts

The Rogue is solidly designed and perfectly executed. I have a hard time finding fault with this knife. Maybe I would move the pocket clip up a quarter of an inch, and the blade over a millimeter. Beyond that I don’t have much to say. Some may not care for the aggressive wharncliffe blade shape, or the 2 tone handle, but that is more personal preference than anything. If you are a fan of the design, then I would recommend it without reservation.

What you get for the money is also worth mentioning. As of the date of publication of this review, the Rogue can be had for just under $120. At that price you are getting a full titanium handle, a S35VN blade, a thoughtful design, and a near perfectly executed knife. The fit and finish is excellent, and the frame lock is among the best I have handled. I can’t think of much that touches it at this price point.

The Yojimbo 2 can be had at that price, but you won’t get S35VN or a titanium frame lock. That is an interesting comparison. I am sure some will prefer the thumb hole and compression lock, and find those to be worthy trade offs, but if Spyderco were to make the Yojimbo 2 as a titanium framelock, it would easily be a $200 knife.

The Rogue is another solid offering from Kizer. Between the high end Intrepid, and the value oriented Vanguard Gemini, the Rogue shows that Kizer can also play in the middle market. This is a company to continue watching. Their strategy of offering both high quality and high value is tough to ignore.

Kizer Cutlery 3480 Rogue Framelock

List Price: $116.00

Current Price: $116.00

Price Disclaimer

I recommend purchasing the Kizer Rogue at Amazon and BladeHQ. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Kizer Intrepid Ki4468A1 Review

by Dan 7 Comments

The high end Chinese Renaissance has been blossoming for a couple years, and Kizer is arguably the Michelangelo of the movement. Yet there hasn’t been much coverage here of this rapidly expanding segment of the market. Ben has capably covered a couple knives from Kizer including the original Ki3404-A3 and the Vanguard version of the Gemini. I have been curious about Kizer myself, and recently acquired a Rogue and an Intrepid, the subject of this review.

Like the Gemini, the Intrepid is another collaboration with custom knifemaker Ray Laconico. But rather than this being a knife from the more affordable Vanguard series, we have the premium offering here replete with S35VN blade steel and sculpted titanium handles. What I find interesting about Kizer knives is their singular focus on quality. This fanaticism has gone so far that they import their materials from the United States and Japan. That doesn’t sound at all like the Chinese manufacturers of yesteryear. I think a review of a modern high end Kizer is long overdue here.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Intrepid has an overall length of 8.25″, a 3.625″ blade, weighs 5.64 ounces, and is made in China. This is the bigger brother to the Gemini, which has a 3.125″ blade a weight of 3.65 ounces, and a much simpler and more “socially acceptable” profile. Although the Gemini is a more practical Every Day Carry (EDC) option, I wanted to check out the Intrepid because we already have an excellent review of the Vanguard version by Ben. Tony does a great job as usual with his review of the dress version.

The Intrepid is bigger and badder than the Gemini, and it features a large modified clip point blade. I always enjoy a good clip point, and this one is no different. Actually, it’s a little different in that the blade has a harpoon, but it works much like a regular clip point. The draw to the harpoon is that it makes for a good thumb rest and funkier looking knife. I like the unique blade shape. The hollow ground blade gets thin behind the edge, and the edge itself has been evenly ground. The swedge and belly meet to form a needle sharp tip. Although they are more aggressive looking, clip point blades are well rounded performers, and this blade is great for a variety of tasks.

Kizer Intrepid Blade

Kizer selected CPM-S35VN steel for the blade. S35VN is a popular choice, and I’m glad to see it here. This is an American steel made by Crucible with input by Chris Reeve, and the end result is a blade steel that is a little tougher and easier to sharpen than S30V. It also finishes nicely, and the blade of the Intrepid comes with a nice stonewashed finish.

I have carried and used my Intrepid extensively. I continue to be impressed by the ease of maintenance and edge retention on S35VN. My knife came sharp straight out of the pouch and I have used it for a variety of domestic chores including breaking down boxes, working around the house, and a little woodworking now that the weather here in Florida has finally cooled off.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

S35VN blade steel is all well and good, but what really impresses me with the Intrepid is the handle. Here we have full 3-D contoured titanium handles. These handles are milled, not cast, and if you look closely you can see the cutter path You just don’t see much of this. Probably the closest competitor I have reviewed with contoured titanium handles is the Spyderco Slysz Bowie. The Slysz Bowie is immaculate, but it’s also nearly $100 more than the Intrepid.

Kizer Intrepid Handle

This 3-D contoured handle comes with all the fixings you would expect in a premium titanium framelock flipper: oversized pivot, steel lockbar insert and overtravel stop, and a blue anodized titanium backspacer. Fit and finish is perfect on my knife.

Being a larger knife, the Intrepid has plenty of room for your hand and should accommodate most people with ease. The finger groove and broad spine both naturally draw in your hand. This is a comfortable piece that works well. There isn’t much in the way of a “traction plan”, but somehow the knife has managed to stay in my hand. The bead blasted titanium offers a little traction, and in my opinion the lack of jimping is a pleasure, not a curse. If you want something a little higher traction then I’d probably suggest the G10 handled version.

Kizer Intrepid Ergonomics

The pocket clip is understated when compared to the rest of the knife. This is a simple folded titanium clip, and the only adornment is the fact that it has been anodized blue to match the hardware and backspacer. That’s OK with me because the clip works. It has excellent spring retention and the knife stays firmly in place – even when clipped to lighter fabrics. This is a big knife, but it carries like a smaller blade thanks to the strong clip and slim handles.

Kizer Intrepid Pocket Clip

The only potential negative is that the handle is only drilled and tapped for right side tip up carry. Not a problem for me, and I’d hate to see them drill any more holes in this handle than absolutely necessary.

Deployment and Lockup

The Intrepid is a flipper on caged ball bearings. The bearings are smooth and the blade flips with authority. For people that like metrics, I’d say it’s a strong “8” on my 1-10 flipper action scale. It flips only crisply and reliably every time. The flipper tab is large, angled, and easy to get at. There is no jimping on the flipper tab, but once again we don’t need it. Clearly the guys at Kizer have spent some time studying the American flipper market and know what we want. This thing sings.

Kizer Intrepid Backspacer

For lockup we have a titanium frame lock. This lock has been outfitted with a stainless steel insert that doubles as a lockbar stabilizer, much like the Spyderco Domino and some of the Zero Tolerance flippers. Lockup is early without being too early, and secure without being sticky. Lockup is also rock solid. No blade play, no wiggle, and no tweaking required. I’d say the flipping action and lockup is on par with Zero Tolerance, a company known for making some of the best production flippers in the business.

Blade centering is perfect on my knife.

Kizer Intrepid – Final Thoughts

I was wrong to wait so long to check out these Kizer flippers. The Intrepid has everything I look for in a titanium framelock flipper and then some. Here we have a great design, premium materials, superb fit and finish, nice details, and a dialed in flipper. This is a bigger knife, but it carries like a smaller knife, and for a little over $200 you are getting a lot for your money. The 3-D machined handle is what sets the Intrepid apart. Offhand I can’t think of any production titanium framelock flippers with fullly contoured titanium handles.

The Intrepid is about the same size and thickness as the recently reviewed Hinderer MP-1, but it feels slimmer and more than .2 ounces lighter (the difference on paper). Granted the Hinderer is a tank and this is something of an apples to oranges comparison, but I still find it interesting to juxtapose these knives. The build quality on the Hinderer is superior, but the Intrepid is a special knife in its own right.

I recommend Intrepid if you are looking to scratch that higher end titanium frame lock flipper itch. There is a lot to like here, and again I can’t think of another flipper that has a handle like this.

I think the Vanguard version will also be a good buy if you want something at a more approachable price point. And check out the Gemini if you are wanting a more urban friendly EDC. Either way I don’t think you will be disappointed with these Kizer / Ray Laconico collabs.

Kizer KI4468 Intrepid Folding Knife BB 3.75" Blade/Titanium Handle

List Price: $220.00

Current Price: $220.00

Price Disclaimer

I recommend purchasing the Kizer Intrepid at Amazon or BladeHQ. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Kizer Vanguard Gemini Review

by Benjamin Schwartz 22 Comments

It’s a question I (and others) have been asking a lot lately: Where is the middle?

The Budget Knife has had its day: the Tenacious, the Cryo, the Skyline, the RAT-1, the Drifter; value was the byword of the industry, and knifemakers were showing some serious creativity and finesse working under the restrictive parameters of budget knife design.

Similarly, 2015 saw the high end of the market really take off, with a stream of great $150 announced and released. The materials were different – S35VN and titanium instead of 8Cr13MoV and black polymers – but the feverish pace of invention and the way in which our expectations for quality were reset were the same.

But the middle was more or less ignored. Companies’ attention was clearly elsewhere, and this is a shame. Designs in the middle of the market (let’s say the $60-$100 range) are some of the historical best: things like the Delica and the Mini Gripitilian have good materials and great designs at an affordable price. If I were feeling polemical, I’d say that the middle of the market is the only segment in which you can shake the feeling of having to have compromised: with a budget knife, even a good one, you can’t help but think it could be improved with better steel or execution; with a high end knife, you feel like you’re paying a lot for only a little more performance.

In the middle you can get, if not the best, the more-than-adequate of both worlds. Great design, great fit and finish, great materials and steel. Less compromise, more performance. But, there just aren’t a lot of designs coming out that cater to this segment; this is why Kizer’s Vanguard series, and in particular the Vanguard Gemini, excited me so much: this is a quality design, by a famous custom maker, at a very affordable price point. As soon as I was able to, I picked one up.

But there are a lot of questions here: is it a good knife? Is it a good knife for the money? Is a good knife compared to the classics of the middle genre? Is it a better value than the premium version? The answers are complicated, and intertwine; so let’s get into it.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Gemini has a blade length of 3.125″, an overall length of 7/25″, weighs 3.58 ounces and is made in China. In terms of proportions, it is adequate if not distinctive. Where it really distinguishes itself from other knives like the Delica or the Mini Grip, and even from some Kizer stablemates like the 3404, is in its custom pedigree.

The Gemini is a production version of Ray Laconico’s Jasmine. Really, the Jasmine is less a specific knife than a kind of overarching design or aesthetic, a series of lines and design nuances that are translated from one Laconico knife to another. Sometimes it’s a titanium flipper, sometimes it has a liner lock and a thumbstud, but always there’s a certain aesthetic in play, and I think this aesthetic comes through most clearly, on the various custom iterations and this production riff, in the blade shape.

It’s a drop point, almost a Platonically ideal Loveless drop point except for its somewhat more elongate tip. Although this is a larger knife than the SRM 710, it too embodies an excellent, near perfect combination of edge types: you have your straight edge, your curving belly, your acute tip. You can slice, pierce, chop gracefully. The single caveat I have is that it isn’t the most robust blade, but in all reasonable use you’ll be delighted. For all around utility, this is up there with some of the best of the best.

The Gemini’s blade is made from VG-10. Certainly VG-10 has fallen from grace in recent years. It’s a really weird steel. It holds an edge better than 8Cr13MoV or AUS-8, but worse than most other mid-tier steels like 154CM or N690Co – and it’s harder to sharpen well. You can get a functional edge back on VG-10 quickly, but to get it really fine you need to work on it for a bit. In short, it has an odd work-to-performance ratio, with no real standout characteristic other than its rust resistance – which, let it be said, is incredible.

The choice of steel is one of a few budget conscious decisions Kizer made when producing the Vanguard Gemini, and probably the least successful of the three. The middle segment of the market doesn’t have a representative steel like 8Cr13MoV or S35VN are for budget and high end knives. There are candidates, like 154CM or N690Co, but nothing established – and, while I don’t hate it, I don’t think that VG-10 should be in the running.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

The Vanguard Gemini handle is G-10, as opposed to titanium on the premium version. And, to be frank, I prefer G-10 over titanium. Besides aesthetics, I don’t know what the argument is for titanium, now that I think about it. It isn’t warm to the touch, it isn’t lighter, it isn’t more durable in any practical sense. If the big advantage of titanium is that it allows for a framelock, that doesn’t sell it, as I find framelocks more or less strictly inferior at this point.

The G-10 on the Gemini is real good. It is grippy, without being outrageously aggressive. It accentuates the simple utility of the straightforward handle, giving you purchase no matter how you’re holding the blade. Compared to the Delica, which has a refined although somewhat dictatorial handle, you have a lot more freedom in terms of how you hold the Gemini.

Reviewing the 3404, the biggest issue I took with the knife besides its overall blandness was the horrible pocket clip. Kizer seems to have learned a lot about pocket clips in the time between the design of that knife and this one, because the clip on the Gemini, in terms of its lines, is very good – smaller than it looks like in pictures, but not in any way that affects carry.

What does affect carry is the clip’s tightness. It’s not terrible, but it can be a pain to pull out of your pocket. I kind of had to pull it out diagonally, in order for my jeans to not get bunched up. It’s not ideal, but I’ll take this minor inconvenience over the atrocious clip on the 3404, every day.

Deployment and Lockup

With the Vanguard Gemini’s flipper, instead of building to a price point Kizer went all out. The flipper on the Vanguard Gemini is as good a flipper as I’ve ever used. The combination of ball-bearing pivot and silky, perfectly-tensioned detent (complete with ceramic detent ball) makes for nearly effortless deployment. Seriously, I had to go out of my way to deploy this thing incorrectly, it’s that responsive.

I don’t think there’s any practical advantage to a flipper design, but like any knife collector, I am susceptible to fidget factor, and the Gemini is absolutely hypnotic and addicting to play with. It makes knives that I thought pretty fast, knives like the 3404, feel sluggish. I carried the Delica 4 again around the time I was testing the Gemini, and the laggardly lockback felt like the relic of a distant age.

Because the Vanguard Gemini has G-10 scales instead of titanium, it uses a liner lock instead of a framelock – to my mind a straight upgrade. I’ve gone on at length before about my distaste for framelocks. I suppose I’ll find one I like at some point, but until then I’ll continue to espouse the liner lock as strictly better – and here on the Vanguard Gemini we have an excellent rendition of the form.

In my experience, every knife I’ve owned has some bladeplay, or develops some over my review/testing period – even if it’s very, very little. So far on the Gemini, I’ve got nothing, and I didn’t baby this knife: a cardboard cut-off with the Delica 4 induced nothing at all. Things may change in the future but, as of now, this thing is solid.

Kizer Vanguard Gemini – Final Thoughts

There are three different ways to look at the Gemini. First as the realization of the Kizer Promise. They were making good knives before the Gemini, but nothing that struck me as really top-tier, nothing that really stood out amidst the competition. But the clean, ineffable lines of the Laconico custom have been given a characterful production life by Kizer. If you had any lingering doubts about their legitimacy as a manufacturer, the Gemini will put them to rest.

Second, we can compare the Vanguard Gemini to its higher-end iteration. I don’t think that it’s a question of one being strictly better than the other. I prefer G-10 to titanium and liner locks to framelocks, but S35VN is a better steel. The way I see it, there are a lot of other titanium framelock flippers with S35VN steel in the world, but there’s nothing that looks or flips like the $80 Vanguard Gemini.

Third, we can look at the Vanguard Gemini as a knife in the depopulated middle price bracket. What is its competition? The old standbys, mostly: the Delica 4, the standard Mini Grip. And against these knives I’d say the Gemini falls in the middle: I think all three are excellent designs and great users. It’s largely a matter of personal preference, but the Gemini, with its luxe flipping action and top-tier finish, feels a little nicer than either.

Regardless of where it falls in the overall middle price bracket hierarchy, the Vanguard Gemini is exciting precisely because it brings something new to this much-neglected segment of the market. It routinely sold out online. Maybe it will lead the charge of a new mid-priced knife renaissance? Be a vanguard, of sorts, if you will?

Gemini Framelock

List Price: $170.00

Current Price: $169.00

Price Disclaimer

I recommend purchasing the Kizer Vanguard Gemini from BladeHQ (or Amazon, when it inevitably gets stocked there). Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

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