Two Kizer T1's, two weak detents. Did something change?

Misanthropia

Misanthropia

Joined
Jul 10, 2011
Messages
1,941
After hearing so many rave reviews at the T1, I finally had to try one out for myself. I have 10 other Kizers, almost all of which have been fantastic or at least good. The 2017 models especially have had some crisp, strong detents, and judging by the multitude of the T1 videos I've seen on youtube, they supposedly had strong detents too.

Got the first one in on Tuesday, and out of the box it had a weak detent and lock slip. I was disappointed, but assumed it was a fluke so I returned it and purchased one from a different retailer (Amazon). Got it today, no lock slip but an almost identically weak detent.

So my question here is: did Kizer change the detent in response to people saying they were too strong? I have my third and final one on the way, if there wasn't an intentional change then this is pretty disheartening. I've been impressed with Kizer in 2017 but this is either some bad luck, bad QC, or bad communication about changes.
 
I'd say mine is perfect, but that is subjective. Definitely not flipper strong so you can still open it slowly, but its quite snappy and I can't shake it out. How do you define too weak?
 
abbazaba said:
I'd say mine is perfect, but that is subjective. Definitely not flipper strong so you can still open it slowly, but its quite snappy and I can't shake it out. How do you define too weak?
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I was expecting it to be flipper strong judging by comments and videos I've seen - some saying it's not easy to open slowly. These two have shaken out relatively easily. The Kizer River Cat I just got has thumbstuds and has a fantastically strong/crisp detent. If this third one is like the first two (minus the lock issues of the first) I guess I will re-calibrate my expectations.
 
Perfect detent on my sample from KnifeCenter. Snappy with no shake out. Lock bar is smooth and lock up solid. Picked mine up when RamZar posted the clearance sale back in November. Very happy with my T1.

Who is fulfilling your Amazon order?
 
Mine has an issue where it feels like your finger is on the lockbar when it's not. It's really annoying and anyone I hand the knife to has the same issue and can never open it.

The issue goes away but is always there. So it's intermittent I guess.
 
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Eagle Scout said:
Perfect detent on my sample from KnifeCenter. Snappy with no shake out. Lock bar is smooth and lock up solid. Picked mine up when RamZar posted the clearance sale back in November. Very happy with my T1.

Who is fulfilling your Amazon order?
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First one was from Urban EDC Supply, second was from an Amazon store called "Mojave Outdoors", who some may remember as the Amazon store that the Vipon coupons went through. The majority of specific knife retailers are sold out of the T1 which is how I ended up buying from Amazon (the super generous return policy doesn't hurt either).
 
Agreed that Amazon is great when it comes to returns.

The first T1 KC sent had an ever so slight asymmetrical plunge grind. The light would hit it just right and catch my eye, which might not bother the next guy. Everything else about the knife was ideal for me even placed next to my Reate Torrent in the case. I sent that one back for another with a request to check the replacement prior to ship. The second one was and is perfect, including the action.

Really wish you luck finding a good sample of the T1. It's a great blade that feels and looks as good as it carries.
 
Eagle Scout said:
The first T1 KC sent had an ever so slight asymmetrical plunge grind. The light would hit it just right and catch my eye, which might not bother the next guy
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Mine are off too.

I'm never buying a Kizer again tbo.
 
Misanthropia said:
First one was from Urban EDC Supply, second was from an Amazon store called "Mojave Outdoors", who some may remember as the Amazon store that the Vipon coupons went through. The majority of specific knife retailers are sold out of the T1 which is how I ended up buying from Amazon (the super generous return policy doesn't hurt either).
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I got mine through the same retailer(mojave outdoors) and it's a perfect example, perfect detent IMO, no shake free, yet i can slow open it or it fires out with minimal effort.

Ergo's for me are spot on and it's a heck of a slicer.

One of my all time favorites!
 
I've been able to adjust my expectations and as a result I'm really loving the T1. It's as a great as everyone says it is!
 
For anybody that feels his T1 (or most any knife with a lockbar) has too weak or too strong detent; just adjust the lockbar tension a LITTLE bit and it will be better.
In most cases this will solve your problem completely. Only very rare cases where the problem is caused by a detent ball that is set too deep or too high, adjusting the tension on your lockbar wil not cure the problem.
 
Mesenzo said:
For anybody that feels his T1 (or most any knife with a lockbar) has too weak or too strong detent; just adjust the lockbar tension a LITTLE bit and it will be better.
In most cases this will solve your problem completely. Only very rare cases where the problem is caused by a detent ball that is set too deep or too high, adjusting the tension on your lockbar wil not cure the problem.
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ti work hardenes so that can be a problem... think if you bend a paper clip back and forth, it will snap after a few bends.
 
Mesenzo said:
For anybody that feels his T1 (or most any knife with a lockbar) has too weak or too strong detent; just adjust the lockbar tension a LITTLE bit and it will be better.
In most cases this will solve your problem completely. Only very rare cases where the problem is caused by a detent ball that is set too deep or too high, adjusting the tension on your lockbar wil not cure the problem.
Click to expand...

What is a little bit? 1 mm?
 
Mo2 said:
ti work hardenes so that can be a problem... think if you bend a paper clip back and forth, it will snap after a few bends.
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A paperclip is made of steel and this lock bar is made of titanium.... Titanium is relatively flexible (that's why it is a perfect material for use in this application; a lock bar that keeps its tension even after long use).
And I was talking about "a LITTLE bit" meaning like 0.5 to max 1mm (0.02 to 0.04"). So adjust with care using little force and checking the result after each try.
 
Mesenzo said:
A paperclip is made of steel and this lock bar is made of titanium.... Titanium is relatively flexible (that's why it is a perfect material for use in this application; a lock bar that keeps its tension even after long use).
And I was talking about "a LITTLE bit" meaning like 0.5 to max 1mm (0.02 to 0.04"). So adjust with care using little force and checking the result after each try.
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right, but it can and has happened. not everyone who tries it, is that skilled at it. I was just saying, as a warning.
 
You're right; you could f... up your knife. So if you are not 100% sure about your skills, just leave it to a more experienced guy or dealer. Or return the knife of course if you still have that option.
 
I did it several times and it is not that difficult. You only have to be very careful, because it is amazing how much force you need to bent a lockbar a little bit.
But I agree, you have to be experienced.
I just increased the lockbar tension of my WE threax. It flips like a champ now!
 
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