Damascus Steel Knives

Damascus Steel Knives

Kizer Knives: A Hands-On Review of the Titanium

Kizer Cutlery is a testament to the old admonishment: “Don’t jump to conclusions!” In a relatively short period of time, this China based company has made a respectable name for itself in the knife industry. Using high quality materials, intelligent design and precision manufacturing, they have cranked out some top-tier knives for the world market. With many of their cutters resulting from collaborations with well-known USA knife designers, Kizer Knives has made impressive strides in the American market, and that’s a tough nut for a Chinese knife company to crack.

Founded in 2012 in Guangdong, China by C. K. Zhou, they’ve been making professional grade cutters for 14 years now. Kizer Knives has debunked the “buyer beware” stereotyping of Chinese made tools and knives, at least as it applies to them. A case in point is the Kizer S35VN / Titanium Framelock Folder, Ki401B1. This is one of Kizer’s most popular models and one of my favorites.

Here are the specs for the cutter: the total open length is approx. 8¼”; closed length of 4¾” and blade length of 3¼” from point to ricasso. The thickness of the blade is 4.0mm. The knife weighs in at 5.2 ounces.

The blade is CPM (Crucible Particle Metallurgy) S35VN stainless; satin finish in a Drop point style. It’s hollow grind with a swedge in a spear point design. It is equipped with dual thumb studs in a stepped cylinder design. The spine of the blade includes thumb jimping for an improved grip and the ample flipper is ridged for improved leverage as well. Hardness is 58-60 HRC. The Kizer knives brand logo is etched on the left side of the blade along with the steel brand; the model # on the right side.

Now for the striking handle scales. Sculpted of gun metal gray 6AL4V Titanium, the design pattern consists of polished ridges and matte gray flats, similar to the look of metal mesh screening. Finger grooves and thumb jimping make for a comfortable and secure hand grip and thumb grip, respectively. The scales are joined with modified Torx screws and supported by stainless concave pillars. The framelock utilizes about 30% of the tang heel and a Titanium pocket clip is affixed to the same side; reversible for tip-up or tip-down carry. The scales are drilled for a lanyard hole.

The knife feels very comfortable in the hand and although it’s a fairly large cutter, it’s Titanium construction minimizes the weight. That’s not to say it’s lightweight, it’s just right weight. I like the size of the jimping on the spine of the scales and the blade. The space between the ridges is wide and the ridges are flat on top, both features improve the thumb grip and comfort.

To sum it up, this appears to be a well-made cutter that’s well worth the attractive price. I can’t find anything seriously wrong with it. The blade is almost perfectly centered between the scales when closed – less than 1mm off. There is no blade play. The lockup secures solidly and with a satisfying click. If I have any takeaways for the knife, it would be that the thumbstuds are a little too sharp around the ridges and a little too tall; the Torx screws might be a problem to remove because of their unusual design and I would prefer the framelock have a bigger bite on the tang heel. Other than these small knocks, I really like this cutter. It’s built with top-grade materials, it’s rock-solid and it has an eye-catching design.

What more could you want for the price?

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