Kizer Phoca Micarta

L

loosfinest

Joined
Jan 15, 2026
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2
I can't find anything that compares to the quality feel of knife the rounded edge feel of the Kizer just fits the hand better.

However I'm a collector and I'm looking for something comparable or better. Under $200

Looking for more of a micarta feel vs smooth feel.


I have tried

Kizer Drop bear - Loved them.
CJRB Pyrite - Great brand so far just doesn't have the same flawless fidgit feel.
Kershaw Bel Air - Huge fan definitely top notch. Thinner profile for sure.
Vosteed Racoon - Too big for my liking
Firebird Ganzo, 729 etc. - Wasn't a fan they felt cheap quality.
Benchmade Bugout.....ehh - I mean I get it but I can't say the value is there compared to others I have tried including the knock off Bugout.

Just looking for suggestions I really appreciate the quality of knives under $100 these days it's quite shocking.
 
I'm a big fan of Ray Laconico designs. They span across many different brands, as of right now my all time favorite design is the CJRB Prado which is about $50. They have a limited edition micarta version with a button lock in the new and improved steel, that would be my suggestion at just shy of $100.

Edit: it's a big knife but it's light and feels very nimble to me.
 
Kizer generally does good stuff. They either have done or still do some of the manufacturing for Vosteed and a few other brands. I tend to like "fuzzy" Micarta. I also prefer rounded edges. There are so many great knives with cool designs out there but the scales will have crisp edges. That is easy to solve with some sandpaper or even a dual-sided emery board, going coarse and then fine. The smoothed or rounded edge won't be fuzzy if altering Micarta that is, but it usually blends in just fine. Most Micarta is easy and forgiving to sand. (Smooth Richlite can be a pain to get right, especially if it has a pre-existing texture.) As with anything you sand though, don't breathe in the dust when sanding and either do it outside or where you can clean up thoroughly when done.

If you were interesting in a tiny knife, you might want to check out the new Kizer Microbe. There are a bunch of variants. The scales are very round. It's just a little small for large hands.

I'm not a cross-bar guy but given your love of the Phoca, you might check out the Aegis or the Madrac from Kizer. Those are both new releases with cross-bar locks available in that type of Micarta. They've also got new versions of the T1 with both cross-bar and top-liner button locks. (I love the latter, especially versus the plunge-style button locks that have been popular in recent years.) I had one of the old frame-lock versions of the T1 and liked it.
 
Kizer's micarta is really nice

I really like the sheepdog in 10v, for a lendable knife, has a fuzzy micarta that offers great grip and is soft on the hands
 
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