Kizer Roach Mini Green Pocket Knife, 154CM Steel G10 Handle 3 Inch Folding Survival Knife with Thumb Hole, Removable Flipper Tab Hunting Knife, V3477C1

Bought this for $39. I've seen many reviews of this knife on YouTube, and I've read many reviews of this knife here on Amazon. They were overwhelmingly positive, so I took a chance and bought it, especially with the 20% discount. Figured if I didn't like it, I'd just return it. Well... the knife I received is GREAT. This is my first Kizer knife, and it is a very nice, strong little knife. I've examined it very closely, and I can't find anything really significant to complain about. I really like the shape of the blade, and it is very sharp. It opens/closes very easily/smoothly. Nice jimping on the blade and flipper. The detent is very very good, allowing for a nice flipper action. When open, the blade lockup is strong with no wiggle. When closed, the blade is properly centered. Access to the lockbar is ok, and the lockbar releases the blade easily. Also, the end of the lockbar is actually polished smooth (not a sharp point like many other knives have). All the screws are snug. The handle design is very nice, providing my fingers and thumb a solid comfortable place to hold. However, if you have large hands you may find this knife a little small. But, there are a couple of things I have to mention... I think the pocket clip is too strong. Others may like it, but I find I have to help the clip when inserting it into my jeans pocket (the end of the clip should have had an upturn to provide a ramp), and when removing the knife it hangs onto my pocket for dear life. Also, the edges of the G10 scales are a little sharp. Not real bad, but they needed some smoothing. I used some 220 grit sandpaper and lightly buffed the edges to smooth them. Good now. (Wish they offered this knife with Micarta scales.) I find this knife to be just the right size for everyday carry in the little watch pocket of my jeans, not bothering to use the pocket clip. Overall, I really like this knife. It is an excellent addition to my growing collection of “inexpensive” EDC knives.

I LOVE this knife. Nailed just about everything I could have wanted. Ergos are comfortable and useful. The hollow grind is super slicey, especially after a nice session on the WickedEdge. The removable flipper is pure genius. Nice sturdy detent that will still allow reverse flick and a quick thumb flick to open. It's smaller, but not obnoxiously tiny, it's just right for edc. This knife overall nails it for the money. 154 steel, ball bearings thumb hole, hollow grind, yes yes and yes some more. Kizer has it going on and they won't break the bank. Just get it, you'll understand.

I saw a lot of reviews stating that the honeycomb style G10 scales were very aggressive! I find that to be just the opposite. They are very smooth. However, there is a little sharpness on the very edge of the scales but nothing I would complain about. Nice knife. Well built, sharp out of the box and very smooth detent. Love it for what it cost me 😊Highly recommended!Update:For those who find the scales too rough.I picked up some 1500 grit sandpaper. Lightly sanded the edges of the honeycomb pattern scales! Smooth as glass 😊😊Took me all of two minutes. Try it, you’ll like it!

Let's get on down to business about this sleeper of a knife. The Kizer Mini Roach.Pros:Great looking knife154CM Steel that is reasonably sharp from factoryA beautiful green handleQuality materials used throughout the buildCons:Very stiff and excessive detent. It was so bad you could not do a opening with thumb. The pressure it took to break detent from the closed position was the most extreme I've ever seen. The fix= Disassembled the knife and found the detent hole on blade to have a no chamfer/relief. That was causing the liner lock detent ball to hang horribly. There was also no slight bevel to ease from locked position to disengagement of liner lock. Some time with a file and fine sandpaper fixed these problems. There was still way too much pressure from the liner lock itself so I slightly reduced that pressure by adjusting the liner lock. After those changes it is perfect now.The scales had some very sharp points around the edges. This presents a problem when stuffing into your pocket and when removing from pocket to use the knife. Left in the stock condition it will eat some pants pockets up in no time. The fix=Use some 1000 grit sandpaper and then progress up to 2500. By working on each sharp edge you will slowly start to deburr the high sharp spots. The method here is take it slow, a little bit of sanding at a time very lightly. After this treatment it is no longer hanging on pants pockets.Factory sharpening was ok for general use. But for a knife nut like me that edge simply was not bringing out the best that 154CM has to offer. The factory angle on mine was around 20 degrees per side. That is fine if you want to cut boxes but for finer work and seeing what 154CM has to offer the angle must be lowered. I lowered to 17 degrees per side using a KME sharpener 300 grit, 600 grit, and finished with 1500 grit. Absolute beast of a cutter now. Shaving sharp. We will see about edge retention but according to CATRA tests, 154CM is a steel that likes lower angles, often showing its best performance at 15 degrees per side or even lower (14-12). I didn't know how Kizer's 154CM was on hardness so played it safe with 17 degrees per side which gives a total of 34 degree inclusive angle.Final ThoughtsI like this knife a lot. It could be I just received a problem child unit that needed some love. But inside that knife Kizer did it right. There is good blade steel, some good finishing on the liner with nice rounded edges, and ceramic bearings. They also give you extra screws in the box. I simply did not want to send this knife back because I knew it was a solid foundation that only needed some extra attention.I'd like to think this one was an isolated incident, but still Kizer needs to step it up and shine instead of letting knives like this out of the factory. And at the purchase price you do at least expect a reasonable action. Mine was by all rights a knife that I should have sent back but I felt by me doing those final steps it just made it more for ME..

I have a huge knife collection, but always like adding a new blade every couple of months. I carry different blades depending on what I’m doing and where I’m going. It’s amazing the quality for price you can readily get now compared to even just 10 years ago. Kizer and Civivi have become favorites for quality budget pocket knives in the past couple years, and this Mini Roach is a perfect example of why. Living in a city with a 3” blade law limits my legal carry options (not that I always adhere to them!) so this blade is a perfect option, and feels bigger in hand than it actually is. I have large hands and I find this handle extremely comfortable. It’s been primarily used for light tasks at work and breaking down boxes, with no hot spots and it’s still paper slicing sharp after about a month. Highly recommended!