Kizer Nice Guy Pocket Folding Knife, 2.84"" Nitro V Blade, Lightweight Sharp Camping and Hiking Knife, Comfort Richlite Handle, Liner Lock Flipper Knife V3011A4, Puple

The media could not be loaded. At this point Kizer is well-established as one of the premier and most prolific EDC knife cutleries in the world, releasing countless folding and fixed blade knife models. Their specialty is lower end premium production knives ranging from $75-125 blades featuring steels like the 154CM, to the more premium models with CPM S35VN blades, going up to $200+. However, lately they seem to have set their sights on the burgeoning “premium budget” knife market, dominated by the likes of Civivi/Sencut and CJRB.The Nice Guy is the least expensive model I’ve ever seen them release, putting it in direct competition with all the Civivis (lower end ones), Sencuts and CJRBs, in addition to the Chinese made Kershaws and CRKTs. It’s a budget-oriented, compact, lightweight EDC knife, released into a very competitive market. Does it have what it takes to stand out from the crowd? Read on to find out!This knife comes in cheaper packaging than what I’m used to from Kizer. The box is thinner, and it doesn’t include a storage pouch. However, you still get the standard Kizer stickers and a nice microfiber wipe/polish cloth. In addition, the knife comes with extra hardware in the form of scale and pocket clip screws, with Loctite pre-applied! Overall, it’s still nice and perfectly giftable packaging. Very similar to what comes with the excellent CJRB Pyrite Lite.Right off the bat, I’d like to mention that I’m reviewing my second (replacement) copy of this knife. Unfortunately, my original copy was defective, featuring a free-spinning, impossible to remove stripped scale screw and some rather gritty pivoting action. As a knife collector, I know that melons happen with knives from all manufacturers in all price ranges and thus, this initial bad experience with the knife is not going to affect my review score, especially since the replacement process was quick and easy.This knife impressed me out of the box, with its compactness, light weight, nice design aesthetics and good fit and finish. It’s a simple budget knife but is well designed and manufactured by people with a lot of experience. One of the things that sets it apart from the vast majority of the competition is the fact that the steel liners are inset and hidden inside the G10 scales. In my opinion, this always makes a folding knife look and feel “cleaner”. Speaking of liners, they are heavily skeletonized for weight reduction, without compromising the structural integrity of the handle. The handle won’t at all budge when you try to squeeze it. Also, the blade came well centered between the scales and there was no detent lash.Deploying the blade for the first time revealed a rather strong detent action, which makes the flipper impossible to “push button”. However, “light switching” works great and is satisfyingly snappy. Partial deployment is pretty much impossible. The bearings riding pivoting action felt a bit gritty and creaky at first but smoothed out with a drop of KPL and some break in. The liner lock access is good and it’s easy to disengage. The blade definitely takes some encouragement to drop shut. There’s no apparent double clutch. Speaking of the liner lock, it engages the lock face as about 35% which is perfectly adequate for a knife like this. It keeps the blade locked open even when some pressure is applied to the spine and there’s no lock rock. So, the action on this knife is about what you’d expect from a liner lock flipper knife in this price range in this day and age. Nothing spectacular but perfectly adequate.Word of warning about the action: this is a compact knife that tends to “melt” into your palm. It is also a very snappy flipper. One time, I flipped the blade open while it was sitting too deep in my palm and the back of the tip ended up catching the “mound of meat” located below the thumb and gave it a minor scratch. I’ve had this issue with another small flipper in the past. Before you flip, you just have to make sure that the knife is not sitting too deep in your palm and the blade will clear the “meaty mound”. 😊Speaking of the blade, it’s under 3” long, making the knife suitable for the unfortunate legal jurisdictions that restrict you from carrying anything longer. It comes finished in a semi-glossy black coat which looks nice. It has a thin flat ground drop point profile, making it an excellent slicer. My copy of the knife came with a fine and very sharp edge, which is typical for Kizer and is always good to see. In general, this is a very well cutting and slicing blade. There’s well implemented jimping on the spine, both near the handle AND (more unusually) over the swedge closer to the tip. The latter really does enhance blade control for precision cuts. In addition, there’s a generously sized and excellent finger choil area, allowing you to choke up on the blade. All very good stuff!The blade material is the ubiquitous D2 tool steel. Once considered a premium material, used by the likes of Benchmade, it’s now primarily associated with Chinese made budget knives. It has gained a bad rep, because a lot of the less reputable knife makers don’t heat temper it to decent hardness. However, I think that we can trust Kizer to get this right. When properly tempered, D2 is very hard and keeps an edge for a long time. One of the trade-offs is that it’s not a true stainless steel, making it less than ideal for outdoor use, especially in humid environments. On a personal note, I live in a dry climate, take care of my knives and have never seen one of my D2 blades corrode. Also, the coating on this blade should offer some corrosion resistance. Anyway, D2 is perfectly acceptable in this price range.The handle ergonomics are pretty darn good for a knife of this size, especially with the inset/hidden steel liners. The G10 scales are well machined and chamfered and feature a grippy but not too aggressive fine texturing. With my XL sized hands, I can nearly get a full 4 finger hammer grip and when choking up, with my index finger under the choil, the handle real estate becomes ample. Also, the pocket clip is very well implemented, as I barely notice it with any grip style.As I implied, the pocket clip doesn’t create a noticeable hot spot. It’s also deep carry and generally works very well. In addition, it’s reversible for left side carry, which is always great to see. Good job, Kizer!Overall, this is a well designed and implemented, attractive compact budget folding knife that’s well suited for everyday carry duty. It stands out from the large crowd of similarly priced compact knives with some neat design touches on both the blade and the handle. I recommend it without hesitation.

The Nice Guy is an all-around great little knife. Looks great, feels great, works great! The smooth handle-ability of the knife is its best feature. All the edges of the scales are chamfered, and the little guy fits soooo-oooo comfortably in hand. I got the red Richlite scales, and it arrived disappointingly chalky-pastel colored. BUT... after just one day of handling and fidgeting, my hand oils had transformed it into that rich deep maroon/red color that I had expected. I even transferred (temporarily) the pocket clip to the other side, so the scales get handled evenly on both sides. It's now richly colored all over. The color is deep and beautiful! The flipper action is sure, smooth, consistent, and easy. The thickness is slim, so you'll forget it in your pocket. It's light and easy to carry. I'm very satisfied!!

This is a nice knife. Hits well above its price point!.The blade is well centered and the grind is perfect.This EDC is very sharp with a nicely tuned detent.I stropped my knife for a couple minuets and now its Wicked Scary Sharp!.The Richlite scales are very light , have a great feel and are pretty to look at.Richlite is "Paper Micarta". The Nice Guy has the frame/liner lock on one side only and the Richlite scale works as the frame on the show side. This knife produces no hot spots on the hand during extensive use.The hand feel and blade shape is stellar so don't sleep on this sweet little EDC pocket knife!.The CIVIVI milled titanium pocket clip(T001B) fits perfectly!.

Nice for $29.00, works great, sharpe, light weight and fits in pocket.

When I first received this knife I was struck by it's skinner blade profile. The tip looked pointier in the pictures. The blade is fairly wide curving to a short stout point. This profile allows a full 90 degree wrist bend cutting motion. There is a seperate section of jimping on the spine near the tip to further control the tip.I got this one primarily due to the Richlite scales which are rare. They're nice, though a little slick. Like G10, richlite is a tough material.Opens easy with the flipper and action is smooth. Came plenty sharp. Overall i noticed how light this knife was. This would make a great backup skinning knife or for fine skinning work.

I’m surprised at how much I enjoy the smooth flip to open aspect. Knife handle feels good in my hand. The scale material is grippy enough even with mild moisture. I have not yet tested in a down pour. Liner lock is ok. I kind of wish there was a thumb stud, as an alternate opening method,..but I can probably do this as a future mod. Feels light and unobtrusive in my pocket. For the price, no complaints.

The Kizer nice guy has suprised me. I have a few other Kizer knives that I love to death and I think this one might end up with the others. Starting with the build itself, its simple in its design. The Richilite makes it incredibly light and gives it an almost bakelite look. With the flipper tab, its about on par for most Kizer knives, opening the knife is fast and snappy. And the Nitro V blade is amazing for the price point. Overall a great knife.

Solid design, feels great, razor sharp right out of the box. I'm very impressed. I have yet to use this much but if the D2 is heat treated properly I'd recommend this as an EDC knife all day long.