Kizer Militaw Review

Kizer Militaw (hummingbird in Mi’kmaq) is the design of Jonathan Styles, a custom knife maker who sells his own stuff and outdoor gear through his online store Newfoundland Knife Co. Jonathan’s design specialty is simple without the need for ornamentation here or ostentation there. Although most of his custom work consists of fixed blades. Styles brought the same philosophy with his latest Kizer collaboration. We have reviewed so many Kizer Knives which can help you picking the best one.

Kizer Miliaw is an 8.01” long folding knife with a 3.38” stonewash finish S35VN stainless steel with a drop point blade. It features a 4.63” handle made of gray titanium with black canvas Micarta inlay that makes the knife lightweight and durable. It has a titanium alloy 3D pocket clip configured for right hand carry tip-up.

The Kizer Militaw comes in a very impressive branded black box. Apart from the knife, the box contains a black nylon storage pouch, a microfiber cleaning cloth, instructions manual, a random sticker, and 5 pieces of T8 screws.

Inside the pouch was the Kizer Militaw, carefully wrapped inside a plastic sleeve.

The knife came out in an immaculate condition, finely polished with contoured edges and a clean titanium knife body.

The knife flipped open extremely smoothly the first time around, and continued to be impressive each time. The blade had its factory edge and sharpness right out of the box. You can also see the blade material S35VN etched on to blade near the spine. The titanium handle is also stonewashed finish without any scratches or wear.

The blade had only a slight jimping along the spine that did not cover the thumb when placed on it. The Micarta had a nice texture to it, not too rough or slippery. It provided a strong earthly grip.

It had a very clean drop point with excellent edge retention, stonewashed to the edge, and a small finger choil. The name of the knife designer is also etched on to the knife, which is cool.

It also provides an easy four-finger grip without any problem, so we can say that 4” is enough for a folding knife to grip fully.

Access to the frame lock bar is super easy, much simpler than other knives. It is semi-manual, but works absolutely flawlessly. The front and reverse flippers are both nice and easily accessible. It works in sync with the hand and its positions.

The pocket clip rides effortlessly and easily on to the pocket. It is tip-up carry and discreet, does not create any hot spots, feels lightweight, and does not take up too much space. Overall, very easy to carry and comfortable in use.

The blade of Kizer Militaw features a 3.38” blade, stonewashed and with drop point style. It matches the sweet spot for everyday carry for those unencumbered with length restrictions. There is a long swedge that takes the spine down to a sturdy pierce-capable tip. It will slice, dice, chop and pierce with ease.

The S35VN stainless steel has a hardness level of 58-61, which is again a sweet spot for everyday carry knives. It is highly corrosion resistant and frequently used by fishermen. It will act as a great kitchen knife and for food preparation.

The blade profile is just perfect, with the cutting edge lining the entirety of the blade with a false swedge and a thumb hole for easy deployment. It has a very tiny, almost negligible finger choil with little to no jimping along the spine. It is a straight-up blade.

The blade stock thickness of 0.12” makes it perfect for EDC tasks, thin enough for piercing capability and for making precise cuts.

The blade fits with a click inside the scales lined with skeletonized stainless steel liners. It is held upright from the pivot and tightly screwed.

The handle of Kizer Militaw has a titanium body with gray Micarta inlays for adding friction and ergonomic properties. The titanium provide durability and sturdiness, while the Micarta makes the handle comfortable to hold. Both act in conjunction with the handle’s profile of 4.63” long.

The pocket clip is also made of titanium alloy configured for right hand tip-up carry. The even lines on the clip makes it look delicate yet sturdy. It rests atop the gray Micarta lining and is clearly visible. It is sculpted with contoured handle edges screwed together with 4 T8 screws on each side, one pocket clip screw, and one pivot screw. The T8 screws are easier to handle when disassembling the knife for maintenance than the minimal T6, because they are smaller. The T8 screws on Militaw are neatly embedded inside the scales without any sharp edges.

There is a very pronounced finger guard below the handle that you can use to grip the knife. It is the only curve in the overall straight handle. That is also where the frame lock lies, which you can push to close the knife.

It is also good for choking up while cutting a rope or performing a tougher task. The bend in the handle also protects the knuckle when chopping, slicing or dicing fruits and vegetables.

The Kizer Militaw has a thumb hole and flipper opener, both of which work very smoothly. The lockup features a frame lock, which is similar to liner lock, but simpler and stronger. The frame is clearly visible in the handle of Militaw, with the frame line running up halfway towards the center, and you can see the silver lock inside. The bend inside the handle is where inward pressure is required to close the blade.

The triangular-shaped hole at the back of the blade is the thumb hole, just like those featured in Spyderco knives. Except, Spyderco knives have rounded thumb holes. But that is where the inspiration for thumb holes came. It is very easy to use when opening and closing the blade. It acts as a one-hand opener. You can use your index finger or thumb to flick it open. It will open and close smoothly each time.

Similarly, the flipper also acts just as smoothly and allows frequent flipper action. The only difference between the flipper of Militaw and other flippers is that the Militaw has its flipper upwards rather than sideways. When the knife is closed, you have to swipe your finger upwards towards the pivot to flip open the knife. Regardless, it works flawlessly each time. You cannot miss it if you are used to flipper knives.

The Kizer Militaw is an extremely sharp knife that cuts through a sheet of paper like butter – effortless. It cuts through cardboard very neatly too. The handle does not accumulate any dirt or residue of the cardboard. It works fine with sweaty hands, but can tarnish the color, so we wore gloves. It was extremely comfortable even while wearing gloves. It allowed fast cutting of a large sheet of cardboard. It only took around 5-7 minutes to shred the cardboard into long strips.

We then placed the small pieces of cardboard on a surface to check the Militaw’s piercing capability. It sliced right through it effortlessly. We used the edge of the blade. It proved to be hard and sturdy enough with fine edge retention and razor-sharp cutting ability. Next, we rolled up a leather glove and placed it on a surface to cut it up. The knife sliced right through the leather in one go.

We sliced right through the glove all the way, chopping it up in tiny pieces in one go. Although it did require some effort, considering it was leather, but the blade sliced through it like hard butter. It created fine strands of leather without any threads poking out. The result was very fine.

We then chopped a nylon piece of rope by laying it on a flat surface. It cut through the rope neatly without any problem. It especially showed very good piercing ability and edge retention. It cut through the entire rope of an average length within minutes.

We then chopped into a small piece of rubber pipe, and here again, the action was smooth as ever. It required a little more pressure, but the thin edge proved to be very beneficial. We then tried to choke hold a piece of strap made of the same material as the strap of a backpack. It cut though in a singular motion without much effort or trying again. We cut small pieces of the strap within minutes.

We then moved on to tougher tasks like smoothing out the edges of the wooden surface we were working on. It chipped the wood easily in a single action. Even after working on the wood, the knife did not show much signs of wear, and still had its extreme sharpness. It also did not accumulate much residue. We performed all the tasks in a row without sharpening or cleaning the knife, which shows the impressive performance of Kizer Militaw.

However, we still wanted to regain that sharp factory edge that the knife came with, so we sharpened it up a bit with sandpaper layered on a smooth surface. We slid the blade in one direction pointing the cutting edge on the sandpaper. And then on to the other side of the blade on the other direction. The sharpness of the blade can decline quickly by cutting through fabric like the thick nylon rope and the leather glove we chopped up, including the rubber pipe.

It is also beneficial to clean the knife with the microfiber cloth it came with to retain its texture and finish. Oiling the knife by disassembling is recommended once a week with light to medium use. But it also depends on the type of tasks. If the tasks are messier, cleaning it twice a week is better.

The flipping action, thumb hole, and the frame lock, all work immaculately each time during use. It does not disappoint, not even once. The Micarta inlays add the ergonomics to the handle, and the titanium pocket clip hangs well in the pocket. You can frequently slide it in and take it out of the pocket with ease each time. It is lightweight and sturdy.

Jonathan Styles draws some specs from Spyderco Knives and into the Kizer Militaw, like its trademarked thumb hole. The Spyderco Para 3 and PM 2 come in close comparison to the Militaw with the thumb-hole opener. It is a bit smaller in comparison, but deploys in the same way. The shape of the handle is also kore or less the same, with a singular bend on the knife side and the pivot design. Although, Spyderco a bit more expensive than Kizer.

The PM2 comes closer in length to the Militaw than the Para 3, along with the handle profile.

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Spyderco Paramilitary 3 Prices
		Check Price at Blade HQ
		Check Price at Chicago Knife Works

The Ontario RAT models 1 and 2 come in close comparison to the Kizer Militaw in terms of size and blade shapes. Both knives are good for tactical use and are reliable.

However, Kizer costs more than the Ontario RAT because of the premium materials it uses. It is also more refined and modern, The Ontario RATs, in comparison, look more rugged. They are good for rough and rugged use in the field, and used as a tactical knife.

The Kizer Militaw is an exceptional knife in features, performance and functions. It is a very smooth flipper knife with a thumb-hole opener and frame lock. It is 8” long with a 3.38” blade and almost 4” handle, with the perfect balance of size, materials and shape. It feels very lightweight, weighing only 3.8 ounces, with the titanium body with Micarta inlays and skeletonized stainless steel liners.

The S35VN is a premium blade material for pocket knives with 58-60 HRC drop point blade, which is perfect for everyday tasks. It chops, dices and slices through paper, cardboard, nylon rope, leather gloves, and chips wood easily. It is also easy to sharpen and maintain.

The handle is very ergonomic and versatile. It works well in sweaty and gloved hands, and does not accumulate dirt.

It is a highly recommended knife with superior cutting performance and a price that matches its functionality and features.