Slippy-J Sunday: Kizer ZipSlip in CPM-4V - Michael Vagnino Design with 2.84" Blade & Micarta Scales

Published: 2 years ago

I planned on releasing this a couple days earlier, but it felt appropriate to wait for Slippy-J Sunday!

This is the Kizer ZipSlip. It was the first Kizer I'm familiar with that was offered in CPM-4V steel. It being a slipjoint though, is probably why we've seen 4V make it to the Feist a bit after this one.

I think this guy scratches an itch for a lot of Europe, barring the German "42" regulation as it can be opened one handed. It's less than 3", has a clip and decent contoured scales, and a finger choil without an overgrind.

The walk and talk is a bit weak for my tastes personally, but I think that was a concession they made to make it possible to open one-handed. The backspring is mostly concealed under a spacer in the spine, so it's a little strange to look at initially.

The steel in this is probably a point of hardness or two less than the Feist as it was much easier to reprofile. I doubt that translates much into an actual difference in edge retention though.

Specs:
2.84" (72mm) CPM-4V blade with 3 mm stock thickness
3.33 oz / 94 gram weight
0.47" (11.9mm) handle thickness (Micarta)
Slipjoint
Bronze washers
sovrn