- Joined
- Apr 21, 2015
- Messages
- 67
I purchased the Kizer Ki403A1 out of curiosity I wanted to spend time with a frame lock knife and get to understand how S35VN steel performed in my environment mostly light use but with serious hunting and outdoor activity thrown in occasionally. In the Kizer, I will be able to do this without spending massive money given they run about half the price of a ZT or similar. It has also been an opportunity to scrutinise a Chinese made product something I would normally have avoided. But the stars aligned, and I have here with me in my pocket the Kizer. This will be a review based on my initial impressions. I wanted to get some photos up too so others interested in the Kizer product have an additional resource to make an informed purchase.
This is my first review here and I am no expert, so go easy on me
Firstly, specs from the manufacturers website:
Model: Ki403A1
Blade Thickness: 0.157"(4.0mm)
Blade Material: CPM-S35VN
Blade Length: 93.6mm 3.68''
Overall Length: 213mm 8.37''
Handle Material: 6AL4V Titanium+G10(Green)
Clip Material: 6AL4V Titanium
Weight: 4.55oz（129g）
Locking: Frame Lock
Hardness： 58-60
The knife came in a smallish cardboard box which had been opened I asked the retailer to take some photos of the exact knife I would be getting due to there being some apparent differences from the knives on Kizers website I wanted to be sure my knife had a tip up carry option for the clip. Indeed, the knife came configured for tip up already, and was supplied with a blanking screw to cover the hole for tip down. I installed this later as the knife looked incomplete without it.
Here are some pics of the Kizer:
My immediate impressions were that the knife looked great drab G10 scale on one side and heat coloured titanium on the other. It is a look that is a bit juxtaposed I guess kind of military crossed with dressy, but it certainly adds interest to the Kizer. When I bought the knife, I had expected the G10 side to be a solid slab, but closer inspection reveals that there is a steel liner set into the G10 reassuring me this knife would be up to heavy tasks:
The heavy blade is nicely stonewashed, deeply laser etched with Kizer and the facets and grinds provide more interest still with the tip being flat ground for strength, converting to a hollow grind for the main body of the blade. The angles are cut to perfection and each side is virtual mirror image of the other very well done.
The blade was perfectly centred. I could not find any trace of play/wiggle/slop either side to side or backwards or forwards. There is a good bit of aligning jimping on the handle and blade too.
Lockup is seriously solid. No doubt about it. The lock bar does not have a steel puck insert which is one thing I am told I should want for time will tell how the Kizer wears. I was surprised by how much interface there is between the knife and the lock surface almost 10mm of full contact between the two. Grunty.
The fit and finish of the knife is very impressive overall. I could find nothing I could describe as imperfect everything is spot on. This is the area I was expecting to find flaws in the knife, but this Chinese machining and workmanship is flat out superb.
The Ki403A1 is not a colossus in hand - I am a big fan of this style. I did notice though that with its heavy blade, I felt like it could do with a fraction more bulk to the handle and indeed some weight at the butt of the knife to offset this. I am quickly adapting to its handling though.
From the box, the detent took extreme force to overcome too much in my opinion. The massive thumb studs are great, but the terraced edges are quite sharp. Disengaging the lock is also a challenge again a fair amount of force is required to overcome the lock bar, and you must have it fully against its overtravel stop before you can attempt to close the blade. This makes one handed operation slow, slightly tricky and a bit painful as the jimping on the lock bar bights at the side of your thumb. All up, opening and closing the knife is not something you want to be doing repeatedly, without gloves. I will reflect on this again in a moment.
When you do manage to pop the blade, it comes out smoothly on its (copper?) washers. It is not as smooth as if it were on bearings, but there are no complaints for me here. Lockup as I mentioned before is excellent. I found the edge to be hair-popping sharp along its full length and the hollow grind has made short work of the slicing and chopping I have carried out so far. I enjoy the way the hollow shape seems to suck itself into fruit adding feel to food prep tasks which I enjoy. I will report back on the blade durability and suitability for other tasks at some point in the future.
The clip. I hate the clip. Immediately I felt its shape was unergonomic when gripping the knife, potentially sticking into your hand at the end. As it came it was far to tight putting pressure on the lock bar, compounding the issues there. It seems too skinny also making me wish for my deep carry, wide Benchmade clip on the # 600 I own. Wherever I positioned it after bending out a bit, I could not get comfortable with it. Again I will come back to this in a moment.
To wrap up the review part of this I will say that with the exception of the break in issues with the detent and lock bar, and the crappy clip, this is an excellent knife for the money, and beyond. Overall the build quality is phenomenal. Fit and finish is top notch, the knife looks fabulous and is extremely solidly constructed. If it is representative of other knives in the Kizer family, I would not hesitate to recommend them at this early stage. For the money, I doubt you could go wrong.
Fixing the issues.
The knife came apart easily, and the clip went for a short trip down the bench to meet my grinder. In about 30 seconds I had it looking and performing much better and it no longer protrudes so far out from the pocket. Easy. I will still look for a deep carry option though. Compare the profile to earlier images:
Next I carefully sanded off the sharp edges of the thumb stud making them far more user friendly to the ungloved hand. The work was too fine to be represented well in a photo, so take my word for it.
Lastly I added the smallest of chamfers to the detent hole on the blade, using a tungsten drill bit. When I say small, I mean tiny you can just barely see it in the light. Upon reassembly I found this chamfer made a tiny, useful difference to the way the detent performed making it ever so slightly easier to pop, but still retaining its staunch feel on closing and plenty of spring on deployment. Some may criticise me for this maybe I should have let the washers settle in before attempting a change but that detent was strong even with a half profile washer in place instead of the factory unit.
Anyhow, the knife is a pleasure to carry, open and use now my little gripes may well not have been issues for others, but they were for me so I sorted them. Make your own decisions about modifying knives, and warranty issues etc.
Thanks for reading I leave you with a couple of pics of the knife after my subtle work.
This is my first review here and I am no expert, so go easy on me
Firstly, specs from the manufacturers website:
Model: Ki403A1
Blade Thickness: 0.157"(4.0mm)
Blade Material: CPM-S35VN
Blade Length: 93.6mm 3.68''
Overall Length: 213mm 8.37''
Handle Material: 6AL4V Titanium+G10(Green)
Clip Material: 6AL4V Titanium
Weight: 4.55oz（129g）
Locking: Frame Lock
Hardness： 58-60
The knife came in a smallish cardboard box which had been opened I asked the retailer to take some photos of the exact knife I would be getting due to there being some apparent differences from the knives on Kizers website I wanted to be sure my knife had a tip up carry option for the clip. Indeed, the knife came configured for tip up already, and was supplied with a blanking screw to cover the hole for tip down. I installed this later as the knife looked incomplete without it.
Here are some pics of the Kizer:
My immediate impressions were that the knife looked great drab G10 scale on one side and heat coloured titanium on the other. It is a look that is a bit juxtaposed I guess kind of military crossed with dressy, but it certainly adds interest to the Kizer. When I bought the knife, I had expected the G10 side to be a solid slab, but closer inspection reveals that there is a steel liner set into the G10 reassuring me this knife would be up to heavy tasks:
The heavy blade is nicely stonewashed, deeply laser etched with Kizer and the facets and grinds provide more interest still with the tip being flat ground for strength, converting to a hollow grind for the main body of the blade. The angles are cut to perfection and each side is virtual mirror image of the other very well done.
The blade was perfectly centred. I could not find any trace of play/wiggle/slop either side to side or backwards or forwards. There is a good bit of aligning jimping on the handle and blade too.
Lockup is seriously solid. No doubt about it. The lock bar does not have a steel puck insert which is one thing I am told I should want for time will tell how the Kizer wears. I was surprised by how much interface there is between the knife and the lock surface almost 10mm of full contact between the two. Grunty.
The fit and finish of the knife is very impressive overall. I could find nothing I could describe as imperfect everything is spot on. This is the area I was expecting to find flaws in the knife, but this Chinese machining and workmanship is flat out superb.
The Ki403A1 is not a colossus in hand - I am a big fan of this style. I did notice though that with its heavy blade, I felt like it could do with a fraction more bulk to the handle and indeed some weight at the butt of the knife to offset this. I am quickly adapting to its handling though.
From the box, the detent took extreme force to overcome too much in my opinion. The massive thumb studs are great, but the terraced edges are quite sharp. Disengaging the lock is also a challenge again a fair amount of force is required to overcome the lock bar, and you must have it fully against its overtravel stop before you can attempt to close the blade. This makes one handed operation slow, slightly tricky and a bit painful as the jimping on the lock bar bights at the side of your thumb. All up, opening and closing the knife is not something you want to be doing repeatedly, without gloves. I will reflect on this again in a moment.
When you do manage to pop the blade, it comes out smoothly on its (copper?) washers. It is not as smooth as if it were on bearings, but there are no complaints for me here. Lockup as I mentioned before is excellent. I found the edge to be hair-popping sharp along its full length and the hollow grind has made short work of the slicing and chopping I have carried out so far. I enjoy the way the hollow shape seems to suck itself into fruit adding feel to food prep tasks which I enjoy. I will report back on the blade durability and suitability for other tasks at some point in the future.
The clip. I hate the clip. Immediately I felt its shape was unergonomic when gripping the knife, potentially sticking into your hand at the end. As it came it was far to tight putting pressure on the lock bar, compounding the issues there. It seems too skinny also making me wish for my deep carry, wide Benchmade clip on the # 600 I own. Wherever I positioned it after bending out a bit, I could not get comfortable with it. Again I will come back to this in a moment.
To wrap up the review part of this I will say that with the exception of the break in issues with the detent and lock bar, and the crappy clip, this is an excellent knife for the money, and beyond. Overall the build quality is phenomenal. Fit and finish is top notch, the knife looks fabulous and is extremely solidly constructed. If it is representative of other knives in the Kizer family, I would not hesitate to recommend them at this early stage. For the money, I doubt you could go wrong.
Fixing the issues.
The knife came apart easily, and the clip went for a short trip down the bench to meet my grinder. In about 30 seconds I had it looking and performing much better and it no longer protrudes so far out from the pocket. Easy. I will still look for a deep carry option though. Compare the profile to earlier images:
Next I carefully sanded off the sharp edges of the thumb stud making them far more user friendly to the ungloved hand. The work was too fine to be represented well in a photo, so take my word for it.
Lastly I added the smallest of chamfers to the detent hole on the blade, using a tungsten drill bit. When I say small, I mean tiny you can just barely see it in the light. Upon reassembly I found this chamfer made a tiny, useful difference to the way the detent performed making it ever so slightly easier to pop, but still retaining its staunch feel on closing and plenty of spring on deployment. Some may criticise me for this maybe I should have let the washers settle in before attempting a change but that detent was strong even with a half profile washer in place instead of the factory unit.
Anyhow, the knife is a pleasure to carry, open and use now my little gripes may well not have been issues for others, but they were for me so I sorted them. Make your own decisions about modifying knives, and warranty issues etc.
Thanks for reading I leave you with a couple of pics of the knife after my subtle work.
Last edited:
i guess we all need to read honest review before buy a knive
