Chronovore
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2019
- Messages
- 12,673
A little review of the new Kizer Area Eight for Fixed Blade Friday. This one strikes me as more outdoor utility than EDC and scratches a particular itch. Given that it's spring and the snows have mostly melted, I took it on my first hike of the year!
The Area Eight uses a hidden partial tang that wraps around the second screw. With the solid G10 scales, it still feels plenty sturdy though I might not want to use it for regular batoning (which I don't tend to do anyway). The scales are very nicely done with everything fitting fairly well. The ergonomics are mostly neutral with a slight taper and that's great. The handle edges are slightly rounded and while I might have rounded them a little more, the whole handle is comfortable in a variety of grips.
The blade is decent. The slight swedge near the tip is a nice touch. The sharpening choil seems okay. I do have two complaints here though.
First, there is a slight recurve that feels unnecessary. I don't think it will be a real issue in sharpening but it just feels unnecessary and looks a little sloppy. I forget which reviewer first called this kind of thing a "non-committal recurve" but I'm not a fan.
Second, it's AEB-L. Sure, that feels like a classic choice and the high toughness can be good in this kind of blade. However, it's 2026 and we have 14C28N. Kizer uses it on other models. It might cost a tiny bit more to use but it's worth noting that 14C28N is a direct improvement over AEB-L (a.k.a. 13C26). While 14C28N might be slightly less tough on paper, you won't notice the difference. 14C28N is still among the toughest stainless blade steels and it's significantly more stainless than AEB-L. Every time I see Kizer using AEB-L, I always ask "why isn't this 14C28N?"
That aside, the sheath is excellent. The blade snaps into it firmly with no rattle. It comes with this Tek-Lok-style clip but they also give you a more pocket-friendly clip in the box (not pictured).
At around $60 and especially if you have a discount code or get it on sale, it's a win for what it is.
The Area Eight uses a hidden partial tang that wraps around the second screw. With the solid G10 scales, it still feels plenty sturdy though I might not want to use it for regular batoning (which I don't tend to do anyway). The scales are very nicely done with everything fitting fairly well. The ergonomics are mostly neutral with a slight taper and that's great. The handle edges are slightly rounded and while I might have rounded them a little more, the whole handle is comfortable in a variety of grips.
The blade is decent. The slight swedge near the tip is a nice touch. The sharpening choil seems okay. I do have two complaints here though.
First, there is a slight recurve that feels unnecessary. I don't think it will be a real issue in sharpening but it just feels unnecessary and looks a little sloppy. I forget which reviewer first called this kind of thing a "non-committal recurve" but I'm not a fan.
Second, it's AEB-L. Sure, that feels like a classic choice and the high toughness can be good in this kind of blade. However, it's 2026 and we have 14C28N. Kizer uses it on other models. It might cost a tiny bit more to use but it's worth noting that 14C28N is a direct improvement over AEB-L (a.k.a. 13C26). While 14C28N might be slightly less tough on paper, you won't notice the difference. 14C28N is still among the toughest stainless blade steels and it's significantly more stainless than AEB-L. Every time I see Kizer using AEB-L, I always ask "why isn't this 14C28N?"
That aside, the sheath is excellent. The blade snaps into it firmly with no rattle. It comes with this Tek-Lok-style clip but they also give you a more pocket-friendly clip in the box (not pictured).
At around $60 and especially if you have a discount code or get it on sale, it's a win for what it is.
.....Appreciate your time and thoughts...