Kizer Degnan Guru

[evilgreg]

. . . it may be my new favorite Kizer knife. It's a weird little knife, but I find it oddly compelling.

It's got contoured titanium slabs like the Gemini, but it's got a thicker blade with a funky shape. It feels quite stout, to the point of feeling as tanky as a goofy overbuilt Medford or something, just on a smaller scale. Mine has a strong detent, and flips with authority.

The handle is oversized, with the titanium slabs projecting far beyond where they need to be. The result is a much larger handle to blade ratio than I usually prefer, but it's still relatively pocket-friendly (it clocks in at about one Southard, in my standard scale of pocket space).

It feels great in use, albeit with a tanky sort of vibe to it, and it carries fine with the nice Ursa Minor-style ti clip.

Quick comparison shots. To give you an idea how oversized the handle is, I've included a small Sebenza insingo, which has a similar sized blade but which obviously packs up into a much more svelte package. Also included are my other favorite Kizer and a Southard for scale.

All in all, I really like it. It's like a Gemini but with a funky, shorter, thicker blade, which is about what I was hoping for when I bought it (well, except for the thicker blade, I could have done without that).

 

[oprichnik]

Very nice, I may have to try that one out!

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk

 

[BladeScout]

Not weird looking at all IMO.

Nice looking little flipper.

 

[RamZar]

I like it. The 3" blade makes it legal in places with 3" max blade limits. I find Sheepsfoot blades more practical for urban EDC. The longer handle affords more grip space. I looked up the blade thickness of Guru and Gemini on BladeHQ and they're the same at 0.12".

 

[Biginboca]

I like it. The 3" blade makes it legal in places with 3" max blade limits. I find Sheepsfoot blades more practical for urban EDC. The longer handle affords more grip space. I looked up the blade thickness of Guru and Gemini on BladeHQ and they're the same at 0.12".

That's a misprint. The thread on the Kizer forums the Guru blade was measured and its thicker, around .14" if memory serves me right.

 

[evilgreg]

I like it. The 3" blade makes it legal in places with 3" max blade limits. I find Sheepsfoot blades more practical for urban EDC. The longer handle affords more grip space. I looked up the blade thickness of Guru and Gemini on BladeHQ and they're the same at 0.12".

The Guru blade is thicker, trust me, I have both (it's 3.5mm vs 3mm). You can see it in the picture I posted to your small flippers thread on Saturday:

 

[brancron]

Just got mine in yesterday:

I love it so far! It may just be that I'm used to the custom (which is thicker), but the blade stock thickness doesn't bother me on this one. The action is super smooth and the detent is perfect.

 

[MaxFactor]

Looks fantastic. I just wish Kizer would stop using those pivot screws. I think it clashes with the simple, subdued look that a lot of their models have.

 

[RamZar]

The Guru blade is thicker, trust me, I have both (it's 3.5mm vs 3mm). You can see it in the picture I posted to your small flippers thread on Saturday:

Thank you.

I emailed both BladeHQ and KnifeCenter to measure and then correct the blade thickness of the Guru line.

 

[evilgreg]

Just got mine in yesterday:

I love it so far! It may just be that I'm used to the custom (which is thicker), but the blade stock thickness doesn't bother me on this one. The action is super smooth and the detent is perfect.

I'm quite fond of mine, but that your orange custom is making me pretty jealous--that looks really nice.

 

[RamZar]

My Kizer Guru Flipper without handle holes shipped today but I won't receive it until late next week.

BladeHQ responded and corrected the blade thickness from 0.12" to 0.14" but never heard back from KnifeCenter which continues to list it at 0.118". GP Knives has it at 0.14".

[video=youtube;-TBJmGQFFEE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TBJmGQFFEE[/video]

 

[Nap]

I own a Gemini and two Böker Nanos, so it's aesthetically fantastic. Practically, though, I could never carry something that thick.

 

[evilgreg]

I own a Gemini and two Böker Nanos, so it's aesthetically fantastic. Practically, though, I could never carry something that thick.

It's definitely thicker-bladed than it has any need to be (it sucks that that's what's in style, most of my knives would be far better off if their blades were half as thick), but I've really enjoyed carrying it so far.

It's one of my favorite small flippers already, and I have one or two or twenty to choose from.

 

[RamZar]

Received my Guru flipper with no handle holes and it's GREAT!

It has the best flipper action and detent of any Kizer I've had! You can't misfire in any position.

No issues at all. Great EDC blade shape with blade finger choil. The handle is longer than my Mini Bodega and Mini Intrepid but it affords a very comfortable hold including the index finger choil.

The overall design is very clean and uncluttered with just one scale screw and very happy that there are no extra holes on the handle but it means only tip-up right-hand carry.

Scuplted titanium clip, sharp/centered blade with no movement in any direction, steel lock-bar interface, ceramic bearings, etc. all for just $182!

My Guru weighs 4.14 ounces. Blade length is 2.98". Blade thickness is 0.135". Handle length is 4.47".

 

[abbazaba]

I've had mine for over a week (thumb stud, no holes) and found myself carrying it a lot. Initially it was bigger and stouter feeling than I thought it would be, and the extra handle turned me off a little. However, its been an awesome carry and I really like it as a whole. I do wish it didn't have the pointed lanyard hole that sticks out of my pocket way above the clip, but it certainly feels right in hand.

All of my titanium Kizers have had great fit and finish, and this one might be the best yet. Absolutely perfect and a pleasure to hold. Like most of the Kizers I've received though, the edge wasn't very sharp and pretty obtuse. I reprofiled to 17dps and it took a great edge. Might have to pick up the flipper at some point, but I feel like it would be eclipsed by my Ursa Minor more often than not. Now I just wish Kizer would put out more FFG slicer blades.

 

[RamZar]

I do wish it didn't have the pointed lanyard hole that sticks out of my pocket way above the clip, but it certainly feels right in hand.

Like most of the Kizers I've received though, the edge wasn't very sharp and pretty obtuse.

I totally agree on the lanyard hole extension making the whole handle longer that it needs to be and too much of the handle sticking out of the pocket when clipped. In the case of the Guru it would've been better without a lanyard hole or if the lanyard hole was to the side resulting in a deeper carry and shorter handle.

Digression: Never liked lanyards, lanyard holes and lanyard beads. Also, never liked all those holes on folders so that you could carry it left side, right side, tip up and tip down. Tip-up and right-side is the most common carry by a long margin. For those who rightly object there are plenty of folders that accommodate you.

 

[dskobli]

Looks fantastic. I just wish Kizer would stop using those pivot screws. I think it clashes with the simple, subdued look that a lot of their models have.

I just got this knife Friday and I agree. I really love the knife especially at the price I got it for but would prefer a beefier larger torq less "fancy" pivot. That and the forward finger choil is just a little small for my big paws. I am going to either make it a little larger or at least round off the heel of the blade so I don't feel like I'm going to cut my finger when choking up. I haven't actually cut myself but my finger comes right to the edge. It wasn't real sharp out of the box but it's a laser beam now. Still very happy with my purchase.