Kizer Slicer

Excellent fit and finish, nothing wrong with the design if it is what you seek

I felt the need to balance the only review for this relatively cheap yet nice knife.
I'm a machinist/fabricator who replaced his 20 year EDC SOG Magnadot with the Kizer Slicer.

It is a basic, simple knife that does everything it is intended to do. It is well built and should be durable... my only complaint is that I would wish for a heavier (thicker) blade, preferably… read more a clip point, but I'm learning to adapt. I will be buying the next model simply for the S35vn blade... specifically for the toughness; my knives get used hard.

That said, reviews by people not familiar with the design/function of the knife will obviously not get it right. Let me address some errors...

The scales do not have sharp edges. The edges are rough radiused about .02" (.5mm) which is far from sharp, and not a problem at all for working hands. They are actually preferred so you have better feel than an excessively rounded edges.

The lock release is 2/3 down the handle from the blade, where it belongs on a working knife. It can not be accidentally pressed with almost any hand hold and is sufficiently stiff and requires enough travel that you don't have to worry about it. The release is nicely textured so it is easy to feel.
To close the blade, simply keep your grip but slide your thumb back and depress the release while giving the knife a slight downward snap, making the blade go from locked (180 degrees) to unlocked (155 degrees?), shift your grip to clear the blade path and bump the blade's spine on an object (I use the outside of my thigh), and it will snap closed. (the spine has a radius to make this even smoother)
If you know how to use a true lockback, this is not rocket science, it is probably reflex.
1-2 second 1 handed closing.


There are only 3 positions on my knife:
Closed (snaps into place and holds position with moderate force, no blade contact)
1/2 open at 90 degrees (mild detent that is easily bypassed but gives audible/tactile position indication)
Open (blade snaps into place with an audible and tactile result)

As for the rest, I think Ken needs to return his knife, his is defective compared to mine by his description.


This is not a race horse, so if you are a knife slinger... keep looking. This is not tacticool, so if you need shock & awe... keep looking.
If you need a solid built, no nonsense working knife that can do everything, I do recommend you handle one. It took me a little to adjust after 20 years, but I find that this knife promises to be reliable and functional for a long time.

(I've EDC the knife for 2+ months and I have large, working hands so this knife is "normal sized" to me; the handle is about the smallest I feel comfortable holding)

I'd give it 5 stars if the blade was a little heavier, the handle a was little bigger and if it was free. Obviously those are just my issues... it is a perfectly good knife so check one out.

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Excellent fit and finish, flawed design

The actual fit and finish is very good, nothing to really complain about. Clean lines, smooth action (where intended), and a screaming sharp edge. There's a very clean and satisfying snap as the blade opens and the lock engages.

Where this knife falters is some of the design decisions. Despite the machined curved G-10 scales, they still have relatively sharp corners that… read more are very apparent when holding, no idea why they didn't soften those corners.

The lock is probably the biggest con - if you're expecting the smooth and quick open/close of a spyderco mid lock, this is not the knife for you. The lock access is located far down the handle making access awkward, and upon closing, the blade features two (2!) "halfstop" positions - a true half-stop location, and one right before the blade is fully opened, making the closing operation impossible via flick-and-intertia as you would a spyderco. This is very much a two-handed task for closing.

If what you're looking for is something more like a modernized Buck 110, then this knife will be great if you don't care about changing how effectively the knife is closed one-handed. The lockwork is at least designed well enough so the blade can't be pushed past its closed point and hit the edge into the spine.

If, however, you're looking for a fast one-handed knife, you're better off looking elsewhere.

Edit: After some more handling, I've found that the setup of the half-stop and 90%-stop actually increases the danger of accidentally cutting yourself during closing.

The half-stop does not engage when the lockbar is depressed, but the 90%-stop (when the blade is nearly opened) does engage. This means that when naturally trying to close, you would hold down the lockbar, and with your other hand, press the blade closed. When trying to overcome the resistance from the 90%-stop, it's easy to suddenly break free and accidentally launch the blade with more momentum than expected, and since the half-stop isn't engaged when the lockbar is pressed, the blade has a very real chance of flying into your fingers.

Due to the design of the knife creating a cutting hazard more severe than a normal backlock knife, the rating has been changed from 3stars to 2stars.

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