My wife bought me a Kizer Assassin with the red Micarta handle. Works great, and we both liked it so much she ordered one for herself. We ordered through Amazon, though I'm not sure if that's relevant. The next Assassin we received arrived stuck. Wouldn't even open the blade. We returned it for another... that had the exact same issue. We ordered a third through BladeHQ, and that worked. I also bought a Mini Paragon, and it's just awesome. Perfect lockup, action is on point, detent is great. I also ordered that from BladeHQ. Then my wife surprised me with an Assassin XL off Amazon. The action was really smooth - a bit too smooth, and I found that the detent was so weak I could easily shake the blade open. So we ordered a second one, and again it arrived with the exact same problem, except the new one also has lock stick, which the first one didn't. We're returning both of them to Amazon, and I ordered another from White Mountain Knives. I hate to say it, but if this one arrives with defects, I'm going to have to step away from Kizer. I love the two Kizers that I have, but it's crazy to have to get such serious defects repeatedly. Is this possibly a problem with shipping via Amazon? I can't imagine what they'd do, and the first Assassin we bought was through Amazon, which worked perfectly. What I find the most concerning is that the problems I had with both versions of the Assassin were the same in both cases. Is anyone else having these problems?
Kizer QA Problems
- Thread starter Ironwil
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That definitely sounds like a bad experience. And would be very disappointing and frustrating for you.
We sold Kizer knives from 2016 until 2021 and the quality was excellent - we had very few faulty knives. I estimate the fault rate at less than 1% during that time.
They recently had the sticking button problems with their button locks as well.
We sold Kizer knives from 2016 until 2021 and the quality was excellent - we had very few faulty knives. I estimate the fault rate at less than 1% during that time.
They recently had the sticking button problems with their button locks as well.
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I would say that your experience sounds “extreme”… I have a lot of Kizer knives from different vendors and never had a problem like what you described. Maybe one or two over the years needed a tiny amount of pivot tune to get it “subjectively perfect”, but never one that wasn’t functional from factory.
I’m sorry but it sounds like REALLY bad luck on your part
I’m sorry but it sounds like REALLY bad luck on your part
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While that is true, anyone can have a run of bad luck with a particular product (cars can be particularly bad) , it's possible but it's not very probable in this case.
That Kizer would have several different knives with the same problems in a row, it is more likely bad batches of knives in my opinion.
The fact that only one person has reported it here, doesn't mean it's an isolated incident either. When I do a search on the Amazon USA site the Kizer Assassin does not appear (the Assassin XL does) so I cannot see the reviews.
That Kizer would have several different knives with the same problems in a row, it is more likely bad batches of knives in my opinion.
The fact that only one person has reported it here, doesn't mean it's an isolated incident either. When I do a search on the Amazon USA site the Kizer Assassin does not appear (the Assassin XL does) so I cannot see the reviews.
Problem solved. I ordered the Assassin XL via White Mountain Knives, and it just arrived today. No weak detent. No lock stick. Action is buttery-smooth. The micarta is already starting to patina a bit. I really enjoy Kizer's micarta. Can't wait to see what the handle looks like in a few weeks. I'm going to avoid Amazon for knife purchases. It could have been a complete fluke, but this makes two different knives, two defective each. I've had a lot of good experiences with WMK, so I'll likely order through them when possible.
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I just received a Kizer Assassin from Amazon (green Micarta), and the action is stuck. It is so stuck, I am unable to even get it to open. The button lock is impossible to push as well. I am not a small guy. 6’1” 225 lbs. I am no expert in knives like the majority of you, but I have been collecting for over a year so I know my way around them. I am also fairly competent with most tools - tried almost every tool in my garage and it was impossible to get this knife open. It’s almost like the blade and button lock are welded together (I know not possible but it’s crazy). I have had issues with knives off Amazon before, but no issues when ordered from knife center, knife works, blade hq, etc. I think I am done ordering knives off Amazon for good.
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lol… I wonder if it’s really the same damn knife. I’ve never had a problem with ordering knives from Amazon, especially from Mojave Outdoor Inc (the main Kizer dealer on Amazon).
I had precisely this problem. My wife suprised me with the Kizer Assassin (red micarta), and it was outstanding. And she actually got that from Amazon. No problems. But she liked the knife so much she ordered another for herself, also from Amazon. The knife that arrived was impossible to open. I was able to finally pop it open by performing adjustments to the body and pivot screws, but it still stuck terribly and just had terrible actions. So we returned it for another, and had the exact same problem. I’ve done grip training and can squeeze or pull with a lot of pressure, but those two knives just weren’t coming apart.
Locutus D'Borg
Platinum Member
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I bought a Kizer Begeiter Mini from Amazon (impulse buy) and it is absolutely perfect. I'm trying to downsize my collection; otherwise, I'd buy another Kizer. The Cormorant looks interesting.
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The Cormorant is one of my all-time favorites of ANY knife. I somehow don’t have an S35VN version yet. Got the 4V KC exclusive, the frag Ti, S90V, and the ELMAX, and they are all BEAUTIFUL!
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One thing bothering me and need to ask, perhaps
Kizer Cutlery
can answer that. Got two knives recently, Coniferous and Klipper. No blue loctite on pivots, not a drop even. After some time Coniferous became off center that's why I discovered it. Unscrewed the pivot in both models and clean screw came out. Is it made on purpose or what? 
Kizer Cutlery
can answer that. Got two knives recently, Coniferous and Klipper. No blue loctite on pivots, not a drop even. After some time Coniferous became off center that's why I discovered it. Unscrewed the pivot in both models and clean screw came out. Is it made on purpose or what? One thing bothering me and need to ask, perhaps
Often nicer knives will be sent out without thread locker so that the customer can have an easier, cleaner time setting their knife's pivot to their preference after it's had a couple of weeks or so to settle in.
SwissHeritageCo
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Having just received a knife with a stuck pivot (no doubt from loctite) I can appreciate that.
Yep, we may not be professionals who do it all day, but as the user we're going to feel better about a botched loctite job if we did it to ourselves.
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That can explain lack of loctite, but the blue one never caused problems for me. At least it helped with centering issues after long term use
Chronovore
Gold Member
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That can explain lack of loctite, but the blue one never caused problems for me. At least it helped with centering issues after long term use
Blue is okay but I'd prefer none. Of course, I tend to take new knives apart right out of the box, clean off the factory stuff, and do my own lubrication, surface coating, etc.
I like this for the same reason that I appreciate companies using good T8 hardware.
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I've had a bad run with Kizer knives too. Here lately I've seen the following issues from certain Kizers along with the places of purchase: Kizer October-Incredibly stiff detent and dull factory edge (Amazon), Kizer Original Tuxedo- seemingly soft blade steel that won't take an edge (Amazon), Kizer Crossbar Sheepdog- bad factory blade grind, slight stick and weird marks on blade tang engagement area (WMK), Kizer Hyper Blue/Red-absolute worst button lock stick ever encountered. Thumb stud had finish coming off out of the box. (WMK).
These are obviously factory problems. All knives were factory sealed and came from different sources. I also bought an Elmax version of the Hyper. Originally thought it was good but tonight I noticed a scratch on the blade. The knife hasn't even been carried yet nor cut anything. I've had other Kizers with problems in the past also. The part that sucks is that their designs appeal to me. What doesn't appeal to me is their lack of consistency. With all this in mind will probably be steering away from Kizers in the future. The prices are creeping up anyway.
These are obviously factory problems. All knives were factory sealed and came from different sources. I also bought an Elmax version of the Hyper. Originally thought it was good but tonight I noticed a scratch on the blade. The knife hasn't even been carried yet nor cut anything. I've had other Kizers with problems in the past also. The part that sucks is that their designs appeal to me. What doesn't appeal to me is their lack of consistency. With all this in mind will probably be steering away from Kizers in the future. The prices are creeping up anyway.