Most premium folders make you choose between a steel you want and a handle you like. The Kizer Feweed does something rarer: Kizer built the same 2.98-inch harpoon blade in six different steels, wrapped each one in a different titanium-and-carbon handle, then repeated the trick at a larger size. That leaves thirteen configurations in the current catalog — and a real question at the end of it. Which Feweed is the one worth carrying?
What the Kizer Feweed Is
The Feweed came out of Kizer's X U Design Contest and is credited to designer Vu Huynh Nam Anh. In Kizer's catalog it sits in the KizerB tier, the premium bracket that also holds the Drop Bear, which means titanium handles, fat carbon and camo carbon inlays, and blade steels that start at CPM S35VN rather than 14C28N. If you are still mapping Kizer's tiers, the Kizer knives guide lays out where KizerV ends and KizerB begins.
Both sizes share the same formula:
- Frame lock — a titanium handle slab acts as the lock bar, which is the simplest and stiffest lock geometry in common use. We covered the trade-offs in frame lock vs liner lock.
- Harpoon-style blade with a 0.11-inch (regular) or 0.118 to 0.12-inch (XL) spine.
- Tip-up pocket clip and a flipper or thumb stud (or both, depending on variant) for one-handed opening.
- Titanium handle with carbon inlays on most variants.
Feweed vs Feweed XL
| Spec | Feweed (3694 series) | Feweed XL (4694 series) |
|---|---|---|
| Blade length | 2.98" | 3.45" |
| Overall length | 7.07–7.09" | 8.2" |
| Blade stock | 0.11" | 0.118–0.12" |
| Weight | 83.1–102.1 g (2.9–3.6 oz) | 116.2–123.3 g (4.1–4.35 oz) |
| Lock | Frame lock | Frame lock |
| Opening | Front flipper and/or thumb stud | Thumb stud |
| Steel options | S35VN, S45VN, S90V, Elmax, Z-Wear PM | S90V, CPM Rex 45 |
| Price | $169–$229 | $199–$229 |
The regular Feweed is a sub-3-inch blade in a 7-inch frame, which lands it squarely in the "easy to carry every day, still enough blade for real work" bracket. The XL adds just under half an inch of edge and roughly an ounce and a half of weight. That is the whole decision at the size level — the rest is steel and trim.
The Six Steels, and What Each One Actually Buys You
CPM S35VN is the baseline here, and it is a sensible one: a niobium-bearing powder stainless with a reputation for balancing toughness, edge retention and corrosion resistance without a weak spot. It is the steel in the orange-and-blue 3694A8 and the Purple Haze 3694A1.
CPM S45VN is the newer Crucible stainless with more carbon and vanadium than S35VN. The practical result is better edge retention at the same corrosion resistance, which is why it costs a little more. Only one Feweed uses it.
CPM S90V is where wear resistance jumps. It is a high-vanadium stainless that will out-cut S35VN by a wide margin in slicing tests, at the cost of toughness and sharpening effort. The S35VN vs S90V comparison goes deeper on that trade.
Elmax is Bohler-Uddeholm's powder stainless, and it plays in the same league as S90V for wear resistance while holding up better to impacts. We put it next to M390 and CPM-20CV in the premium steel comparison if you want the numbers side by side.
Z-Wear PM is a powder tool steel — the same grade family as CPM-CruWear, which Knife Steel Nerds has tested for toughness{:target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"} and found notably above the conventional version. It is the toughest blade in the Feweed lineup and the least corrosion resistant, because its chromium sits below the level that makes a steel genuinely stainless. Treat it as a tool steel: excellent edge stability, prefers a dry pocket and an occasional wipe of oil.
CPM Rex 45 is a cobalt-bearing high-speed steel used on the Halloween 4694HW1. Wear resistance is extreme and stain resistance is the weakest of the group, so it is a knife for someone who enjoys sharpening and does not mind a blade that patinas.
Every Feweed Variant, Spec by Spec
| Model | Steel | Handle / trim | Finish | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feweed 3694A1 | CPM S35VN | Titanium + Fat Carbon (Purple Haze) | Stonewash | 91.3 g | $169 |
| Feweed 3694A2 | CPM S90V | Titanium + Fat Carbon (Toxic Storm) | Stonewash | 92.2 g | $179 |
| Feweed 3694A4 | Z-Wear PM | Titanium + Camo Carbon (Gold) | Satin | 90.4 g | $179 |
| Feweed 3694A3 | CPM S45VN | Titanium + Camo Carbon (80s) | DLC | 89.6 g | $189 |
| Feweed 3694A8 | CPM S35VN | Blue & orange handle | Cerakote | 102.1 g | $199 |
| Feweed 3694A6 | Elmax | Titanium | DLC | 83.1 g | $209 |
| Feweed 3694A5 | Elmax | Titanium | DLC | 101.5 g | $229 |
| Feweed 3694A9 | Elmax | Titanium | Stonewash | — | $229 |
| Feweed XL 4694A1 | CPM S90V | Titanium & aluminum laser pattern | — | 123.3 g | $199 |
| Feweed XL 4694A2 | S90V | Titanium + Fat Carbon (Nebula) | Satin | 117 g | $219 |
| Feweed XL 4694A3 | S90V | Titanium + Camo Carbon (Shipwreck) | Stonewash | 116.2 g | $229 |
| Feweed XL 4694HW1 | CPM Rex 45 | Titanium + GID G10 (Halloween) | Black PVD | 121.4 g | $189 |
| Feweed XL "Damtanium" | CPM S90V | Camo carbon, Blade District exclusive | — | — | $229 |
Weights and prices come from the current EDCDeal catalog; Kizer lists the same lineup on its official Feweed collection page{:target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"}, where the XL variants have their own dedicated page{:target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"}.
Which Feweed Should You Buy?
If you want the cheapest way in: the 3694A1 in S35VN with Purple Haze fat carbon at $169. It is the least expensive Feweed, the steel is the most forgiving of the lineup, and the inlay is not a downgrade — it is fat carbon, the same material used higher up the range.
If you want the best all-rounder: the 3694A2 in S90V with Toxic Storm fat carbon at $179. Ten dollars over the S35VN model buys a genuine step up in edge holding, and 92.2 g is still a comfortable carry.
If corrosion resistance matters more than wear resistance: the 3694A3 in S45VN at $189. It is the newest stainless in the lineup, and the DLC blade finish adds a layer of surface protection on top of the alloy itself. It is also one of the lighter regular Feweeds at 89.6 g — right at 3.16 ounces.
If you want the toughest blade: the 3694A4 in Z-Wear PM at $179. That is the tool steel option, and it is the one to pick if you would rather have a blade that shrugs off impact than one that holds a fine edge forever.
If you like a light knife: the 3694A6 in Elmax is the lightest Feweed listed at 83.1 g — just under three ounces — with a DLC-coated Elmax blade at $209.
If you want the large version: the Feweed XL 4694A3 at $229 pairs the 3.45-inch S90V harpoon with a Shipwreck camo carbon inlay, and at 116.2 g it is the lightest of the XL trio. The 4694A2 (Nebula fat carbon, $219) and 4694A1 (laser-pattern aluminum, $199) are the same knife with different trim.
If you want something no one else has: the 4694HW1 Halloween edition at $189, with a CPM Rex 45 blade and glow-in-the-dark G10 in the handle. It is the only Feweed with a high-speed steel blade and the only one with G10, and it undercuts the other XL models by $10 to $40.
Carry and Ergonomics in Practice
The regular Feweed's numbers land in a useful place: 7.07 to 7.09 inches overall, a 2.98-inch blade, and a body that runs from 83.1 g to 102.1 g depending on trim. In a pocket that reads as a compact folder — the kind that disappears next to a wallet — while the harpoon blade gives you a slightly reinforced point with more material behind the tip than a straight drop point. Stock is 0.11 inches — on the stout side for a three-inch folder, stiff enough to push-cut with, without turning the knife into a wedge.
Kizer varies the opener across the range. Most regular Feweeds pair a front flipper with a thumb stud, the 3694A4 adds a flipper alongside its thumb stud, and the 3694A8 uses a flipper alone. The XL models keep it simple with a thumb stud. A front flipper removes the tab that hangs off the butt end of a conventional flipper knife, which is part of why the Feweed looks as clean as it does — and why the deployment motion takes a little practice. It is a thumb roll rather than a push, and it works best when the detent is tuned right. The upside is that both opening styles work slowly and deliberately, so a front flipper is not just a novelty on a knife you might hand to someone.
All thirteen configurations carry tip-up on a pocket clip, which keeps the butt of the handle in the palm and the blade edge away from the seam of your pocket. This is the same reasoning covered in our pocket carry guide: tip-up carry puts the pivot where your fingers expect it and leaves the handle spine smooth against your hand.
Sharpening and Long-Term Care
The Feweed's 0.11-inch spine and full-flat grind make it an easy knife to sharpen — with one caveat. S35VN and S45VN respond well to a normal water stone progression. S90V and Elmax reward diamond plates, because their vanadium carbides are harder than most conventional abrasives. Z-Wear PM and CPM Rex 45 ask for the same diamond treatment and, unlike the stainless grades, a protective film: a light oil on the blade and pivot before storage is cheap insurance.
Keep the pivot clean and the frame lock interface dry-ish rather than swimming in lubricant — the same advice applies to any titanium frame lock, and it is worth reading up on knife upkeep if this is your first premium folder. Every Feweed ships on washers or bearings with a detent tuned for a flipper or thumb stud; if you want to understand what separates a good action from a great one, that is its own topic.
Who the Feweed Is For
This is a knife for someone who has decided that a titanium frame lock with a carbon inlay is what they want, and now needs to pick a steel rather than a brand. It is not the cheapest way into Kizer — the Kizer stage guide and the Feist 3 and Quoll reviews cover other entry points. But inside the KizerB tier, the Feweed is the model where the same design is offered in the widest spread of alloys, which makes it unusually easy to match the knife to how you actually use it.