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Kizer Drop Bear Review
- Pros: Innovative clutch lock mechanism provides a smooth, fidget-friendly action. Adjustable omega springs allow for customizable tension preferences. High-quality materials, including 154CM stainless steel and aluminum handles. Comfortable and ergonomic handle design. Non-aggressive, user-friendly appearance makes it a great option for everyday carry. Excellent value for the price point. Comes with an extra set of omega springs.
- Cons: Aluminum handle scales may show signs of wear more easily than other materials. The pocket clip may be a bit long for some preferences. The knife may be difficult to find due to its popularity. Some users may prefer a slightly thinner edge thickness for better slicing performance. The clutch lock mechanism may require some adjustment and breaking in for optimal performance.
Greetings, knife enthusiasts! Today, we're going to do a Kizer Drop Bear review. The Drop Bear is one of the more impressive and unique knives.
This knife is another play on the crossbar style lock, but it isn't just a play; it's actually a little bit more innovation added to the crossbar lock. I'm very excited to bring this knife to you, so let's dive in!
Key Takeaways
- The Kizer Drop Bear is one of the most impressive and unique knives, featuring an innovative clutch lock mechanism that takes the crossbar-style lock to the next level.
- Designer Azo has created a knife that is both highly functional and visually appealing, bordering on iconic territory.
- The clutch lock studs are arguably the best in any crossbar-style lock, providing a fidget-friendly, addictive action that is beyond compare.
- The adjustable omega springs allow for customizable tension, with the middle setting being the sweet spot for the perfect balance of ease and security.
- The drop point blade boasts a high flat grind, swedge, and ample jimping for precision control, while the 19-thousandths edge thickness offers a balance between slicing performance and durability.
- The aluminum handle scales provide a comfortable grip, and the pocket clip, albeit a tad long, is functional without creating hot spots.
- At its price point, the Kizer Drop Bear offers impressive value and is a must-try for any knife enthusiast looking for a high-quality, fidget-friendly EDC knife.
Specs Overview
Before we go any further in our Kizer Drop Bear review, let's take a quick look at some overall specs on this knife:
| Specification | Value |
| Overall Length | 7.15 inches |
| Blade Length | 2.97 inches |
| Blade Width | 1 inch |
| Blade Thickness | 0.114 inches (114 thousandths) |
| Blade Material | 154CM stainless steel |
| Blade Style | Drop point with a nice high flat grind |
| Handle Length | 4.17 inches |
| Handle Thickness | 0.49 inches (490 thousandths) |
| Handle Width | 1.06 inches |
| Handle Material | Aluminum scales with stainless steel skeletonized liners (other handle material options available) |
| Locking Mechanism | Crossbar style lock (clutch lock) |
| Carry | Right or left-hand tip-up |
| Weight | 3.68 ounces |
Now, 3.68 ounces isn't heavy, don't get me wrong, but you feel a little more something with this knife—a little more beefiness, maybe not the word, but just a little more. A slightly extra little bit of heft like it had, you know, one extra plate at that Thanksgiving dinner.
Azo's Design Prowess
This knife was designed by Azo, to whom I need to give a little more credit because I am a big fan of his designs. I always talk about Ray Laconico, Vox, and other guys that I really enjoy in the knife community—their designs just speak to me.
Azo has easily gotten to that level, and I haven't given him the credit yet, but he really has. He's been with Kizer for a long time and has designed some of their most popular knives, a couple that may be bordering on iconic territory, like the Begleiter. The Begleiter is a fantastic knife that has a million different flavors in terms of blade shape, size, handle, and materials. It's a phenomenal knife.
Clutch Lock Innovation
What we have here is a crossbar-style lock, but it's elevated; it's innovative. This here is the clutch lock. We'll take a closer look at a diagram to see just exactly what the differences are with this clutch lock system.
When you see me do this, there are not many crossbar-style locks that do it that easily—that just drop and fall, and it's just so buttery smooth.
Customizable Omega Springs
Inside the knife, you have a blow-up of the area with your five-hole adjusting station, where you can move your omega springs from five different levels of resistance. The farther back you move it, the easier the tension is; the farther forward you move it, the tighter the tension is.
I have disassembled this one here, and I actually have it right in the middle. I think the middle is really the sweet spot. If you move it all the way back, in my opinion, it's too weak. I'm not a big fan of that. If you move it all the way to the left, it's nice, but it's definitely more of a firm feel on the clutch lock. I personally like it right in the middle—it's perfect.
Blade Highlights
Let's talk about the blade. It's a very non-aggressive drop point blade, but I really like the grind lines on this. I love the swedge up here, how it all kind of meets at the tip. You have excellent jimping—and lots of jimping, so you can really bear down and push in with just the tip on certain cuts, or you can kind of hold back like normal and just do your regular little moves. The jimping feels very good, and I love the traction you get from it.
The high flat grind is also really nice. The way it slightly angles up along the blade, meets with the swedge, and goes in. It just looks good in a non-aggressive manner.
Now, let's talk about the edge. You guys know a lot of Kizers come in at like 14 to 16, maybe 17 thousandths behind the edge. This one is slightly thicker at 19 thousandths, but as you know, anything under 20 thousandths is pretty much good to go for me. That 19 thousandths is going to give you a little more sturdiness right behind that edge, and it's still going to slice very well. No issue there whatsoever. It's not an intimidating blade, but it's definitely ready to put some good work in.
Handle Ergonomics
Moving on to the handle, there are a lot of things that just feel really good in hand. It's the perfect length, so it fits really well in my hand. I like the aluminum scales—I don't really have any issue with them. But if you drop your Drop Bear as I did, well, now we have some battle scars. But again, it's not a $700 knife; it's a true user. It's a knife that should probably have some scratches on it at the end of the day.
Pocket Clip and Improvements
One thing that I don't love—I like it, but I would like to see a little improvement—is the clip back here. Now, I like the design of it. This is a slightly different design clip, which is nice. It's not fully recessed, but I don't really need that. The screws are recessed; there's plenty of room. It's good to go there.
I wouldn't mind seeing the clip a little shorter, though. Just a little shorter, maybe like a Bugout-style clip. I think something like that would look really good. It doesn't have to be quite that short, maybe something in the middle. Even if it were at the exact length of the Bugout clip, I would really like that. I just think this is maybe just a hair too long. Again, that's a very personal preference. It doesn't create any hot spots or discomfort in hand, but I would like to see it just a little shorter. I think that would look a little better and obviously work just as well because it's not a big knife.
Fidget Factor
Now, let's talk about the action because there's something about these clutch lock studs or clutch bar studs—they're really, really nice. I think a lot of people, myself included, love the studs on the Hogue Deka, but they can be a little sharp around the edges. Some people complain about that.
The Kizer Drop Bear's studs are basically Able Lock studs without the sharp parts, and they do stick out a little more, too, compared to the Deka, which makes them even easier to fidget with and close the blade. You can use both, or you can use one—they're both super functional and work just fine.
These studs, I am a huge fan of. They are arguably my favorite studs in any crossbar-style lock. When it comes to the overall action, I can say this right now with 100% confidence: this is the best fidgety action on any type of crossbar-style lock I've come across. It is beyond addictive. I found myself doing this before without even realizing it. You just kind of get into your little mode. If my clumsy self can sit here, talk and write, and do that, that really speaks a lot for just how fidgety it is. Excellent action!
Comparing the Kizer Drop Bear to Other Knives
Let's bring out all the crossbar-style lock knives I have and do some size comparisons:
Spyderco Para 3
First up, we have the Spyderco Para 3, which is not a crossbar-style lock. But I really see some of the WE Banter in this Kizer Drop Bear—not a ton, but it's just that friendly, more non-aggressive look that you have between these two knives. I think they relate really well to each other, and I think this is another one—the Banter and the Drop Bear—that are two of the better knives you can carry that are non-threatening, not so intimidating, but also very, very good knives with great blades that have a lot more to them. Really good options there.
Giant Mouse Ace Nazca and TRM Shadow
Now, let's get into our crossbar-style locks. We have the Giant Mouse Ace Nazca with its crossbar lock, and then, of course, we have the TRM Shadow with the River Lock. As you can see, the Kizer Drop Bear is a little shorter than both of those two, which is expected. These are bigger knives.
Hogue Deka
Now, let's pull out a knife that's even closer to the Kizer Drop Bear in terms of comparison—my personal favorite before the Drop Bear, the Hogue Deka. Excellent action on the Able Lock from Hogue.
Benchmade Bugout
And, of course, I would be remiss if I didn't put the Benchmade Bugout on the table. I think we still need to give a little ode and credit to Benchmade for bringing the axis lock to the industry. I will say this, too, because I feel like they've gotten a little harsh rap over the past year or so about their axis lock. I've handled a couple of new knives from Benchmade recently, and their axis lock has improved. I don't know what the secret is behind the improvements they've made, but just overall, the smoothness and the consistency are definitely getting there a little more in the Benchmade axis locks.
It all started right here with Benchmade and their axis lock, which gave us all of these amazing knives. So, thank you to Benchmade for bringing that innovation to the table, and thank you to Kizer for adding to it because the Drop Bear is not an axis lock; it's very, very different.
Video Review Section
Conclusion
The Kizer Drop Bear is an absolute winner in my book. I cannot wait to see the other versions they come out with because I will buy more. I think this is a great knife that would make a good gift. It's right at that price range where it's a decent amount of money, you get some good quality, and it's a real, real good option for a lot of people.
If you're looking to get into that crossbar-style game in terms of your EDC knife, this is one you really, really should look at. Buy it if you can, of course. It'll probably be hard to find, so you can try winning this one right here!
There you have it—my Kizer Drop Bear review. Let me know what you think of this knife. I really hope you enjoyed this review. Until the next one, stay sharp!
