Kizer Vanguard Sheepdog Liner Lock Knife Natural Micarta (3.25" Black 10V)

This is by far my favorite knife in my collection. I finally splurged and got it on sale and I don't regret it one bit. -It has a thinner profile than I was expecting which is good because I was afraid that it would be too heavy. -It has a fantastic action. It's so smooth that it flips right open with no wrist movement. I love to fidget with it. -The pocket clip is very sturdy. -The main thing about this knife that impressed me was it's versatility. It is a big beefy blade that still cuts very well. I recently went on my honeymoon and when my wife and I got to our AirBnb the kitchen had everything we needed except for kitchen knives. I used this knife all week long to cook with and it never let me down. I cut chicken, bacon, sandwiches, sliced tomatoes and onions, and more. Now it's only a matter of time before I get my hands on an XL and a Mini.

Overall, the Sheepdog is amazing! I'm generally pleased with the feel and performance of this knife, especially the action. With a medium/large hand, I get a full 4-finger grip and it's super comfy in the hand when using thumb support at the handle/spine junction, which is most favorable. Once I switch to the hammer grip, the handle presses awkwardly into the pad of my thumb. I wish the handle swell sat back a bit more so that it would fall into the middle of my palm instead. Otherwise, the saber/thumb support grip feels the best, for standard use. The reverse grip (edge out) is pretty awesome, too. Despite not having any jimping, the micarta is grippy enough to make this knife sticky in the hand, so the jimping really isn't needed. However, I'd always argue that it never hurts to have jimping---at least, when done properly. I'm not too familiar with BD1N, but I understand it's like the bigger, stronger brother to BD1. I'm looking forward to learning more about this steel. It came plenty sharp, and I'm very pleased with it's cutting performance. I loved this knife so much, I bought the much larger Sheepdog XL, which is AWESOME!!! But I'll rave about that knife in its own review. I'd love to get the mini, but it seems so tiny in the videos. And if I'm going to spend close to another $100 (with taxes and shipping), I'd rather throw that money towards something else more suitable for my needs and not just a cute novelty knife. Sorry, but I opine that anything less than the regular Sheepdog is a novelty item because the regular Sheepdog is perfectly sized, and already leans towards the smaller size spectrum, being just a tad over 3inches. The flipper action is Flip-a-Licious! It's so much fun playing with this guy. I just wish the flipper tab would've been a bit more angled for the push-button method because the handle shape makes it a bit awkward to get the right leverage for the light-switch method. I'd prefer to be able to push down on the flipper tab, but the tip of the flipper is super POINTY and starts hurting after a few flips. Therefore, I had to modify my way of flipping, which is similar to a front flipper-style, but with my index finger. So I'm using the inside (side portion) of my finger rather than the fingertip, and it's much more comfortable and more enjoyable. Without my modified flipping style, I'm convinced the skinny, pointy flipper tab would quickly kill the fidget fun. Despite its imperfections, I still love this knife and would recommend it for a serious enthusiast. However, for someone new to knives, there are too many other options available that would be more suitable for a beginner--unless you're a beginner knife-nut who wants to experience it all. Good luck, and enjoy the slice!