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Kizer Marketing Supervisor Collaborates on First Production Knife

July 14, 2021

Kizer quietly revealed a new model last week, a front flipper called the SS1. The SS1 is a collaboration effort between the company’s lead designer Azo Mai, and Imkee Cheung. Cheung is a Kizer employee herself, but not typically a knife designer, working instead in Kizer’s marketing department.

What kind of knife does a marketing person come up with? Well in this case, the SS1’s blade is an American-style tanto, with a primary edge that runs straight out to an up-angled secondary edge. As with any American tanto, the SS1’s piercing capability and tip resilience is heightened, but it’ll have no issue tackling the standard suite of EDC chores either. It opens solely through a front flipper tab, and locks up with a liner lock.

For many, Kizer may still be inextricably associated with S35VN; their early releases were among the first affordable production knives to be made from the steel, which has gone on to become the most ubiquitous super steel out there. But despite this legacy, Kizer’s steel selection is surprisingly varied, and the SS1 is the latest proof of that. It is made from 154CM steel – an older steel, but still a solid performer after all these years. Although no price has been given for the SS1 at this time, given the steel choice and handle materials (see below), it will likely fall on the cheaper side of the company’s pricing spectrum, without moving into full-on budget territory.

The SS1 closed

The handle design on the SS1 is more restrained than its blade: just a simple, clean, curving shape with a single finger groove up front. The full G-10 scales are a royal purple color, contoured but not textured. A deep carry clip keeps the slim flipper low in the pocket, and can be swapped to the show side to better accommodate the southpaws out there.

According to Kizer, the SS1 is still a little ways out; current ETA is within the next four months. And of course we’re still waiting for some of the models that Kizer showed off in the spring to arrive.

Knife in Featured Image: Kizer SS1

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