Kizer Sheepdog C01C Mini (S35VN, Raffir, Ki3488A6) Review

The verdict

Knife laws differ by state and city, including on blade length and how a knife may be carried; check your own before you buy.

How I use it

Next to the Drop Bear. The Sheepdog is a bit of a different story. It is not as refined, at least not the one that I got. I got the one with the Raffir handle, which looks cool but is not weighted enough to offset the blade. The weight is very unbalanced.

Still a classic. That being said, it is still very enjoyable to play with and fidget with. It has a great blade shape and ergonomics to attack even bigger tasks with, and maybe even with a little fury. You can see why it's a classic. But the knife seems to stick a little when flicking it open at times, though that could be because it needs a good cleaning.

What I'd change. The balance issue is probably my only real gripe. I would love to put some textured titanium on there, to enjoy it more, but that's for another day. I do reach for it quite often, though. With that Spidey flick, it's hard to put down, especially working at a desk.

For lefties. I would also recommend that they make a lefty version of the Sheepdog Mini, since mine has to go naked, with no pocket clip, due to it only being on one side. You can refer to my lefty page regarding my gripes with non-lefty knives.

What two years actually tells you

Right-hand only

A week-one review can tell you about action, fit and finish, and first-cut sharpness. Here is what two years in my rotation told me, and what I still have not measured.

• It stayed a classic. Great feeling in the hand: it fills the hand nicely despite being so small. The blade shape and the usability are really up there, and I can work with it a long while without fatigue or hot spots. That is the part a spec sheet never shows.
• The balance is wrong, and it is the handle's fault. My version has decent grip, but the handle is very light for its size, which takes the balance out of the knife. Heavier scales to offset the blade weight would be the single best change to this knife.
• Thumb hole, no flipper. Kizer's frame page and several retailer listings describe a flipper on this family. Mine does not have one, and I would take one if it were offered. What it does have is a thumb hole with a satisfying flick to it, enough that I stopped noticing the missing flipper. The listings and I disagree about what is on this knife. I have the knife.
• No reversible pocket clip, and I am left-handed. This knife carries on one side only. So do many of the minis I like most, which is a running disappointment in this whole category: the clip is designed as if every buyer is right-handed. If you are a lefty, know that going in. If you are a righty, this is a high recommend.
• Not measured: how many sharpenings two years took, whether the Raffir scales changed sheen, whether the bearings still drop it shut after lint, and any lock play. Those need a bench and a scale, not a memory, so this page does not guess at them.
• Lock type: Kizer's own pages for this frame say liner lock; some retailer listings say frame lock. I have not taken mine apart to referee.

Key specs

Specs from Kizer's published listing copy for Ki3488A6 (via the Amazon product page, verified live Sep 2, 2026) and cross-checked against retailer listings for the Mini family. These are Kizer's numbers, not mine; I have not put this knife on a scale or a caliper.

Discontinued: what to buy instead

I checked Kizer's own Sheepdog collection page on Sep 2, 2026. It listed 28 products: button-liner-lock and Clutch Lock C01Cs in Nitro-V, ELMAX at the top end, utility-blade variants, even a fixed-blade Survival model. Exactly one Mini, a 14C28N/G10 version, and it was sold out. The premium Minis of my knife's generation turn up only as discontinued listings at KnifeCenter and leftover stock at smaller dealers.

If you are shopping today, the C01C 275 is the closest living relative: 2.75-inch AEB-L, button liner lock, micarta. AEB-L gives up some edge retention to S35VN and gets easier sharpening and more toughness back. For most people, most of the time, that is a fair trade. What you can no longer buy is the exact thing that made mine worth two years of notes: powder steel in the smallest frame. If that combination matters to you, this is your periodic reminder that "I'll grab it next sale" is how knives like this end up reviewed posthumously.

What independent sources say

• Kizer Knives, official Sheepdog collection: the live catalog. Current locks (Kizer Button Liner Lock, Clutch Lock), steels (Nitro-V, AEB-L, ELMAX at the top), and no premium Minis. Checked Sep 2, 2026.
• Amazon listing for the exact Ki3488A6: Kizer's published specs and Raffir description for a variant Kizer has since discontinued. Cited for specs only.
• Juicebox Hero, Kizer Sheepdog C01C review (Aug 2023): hands-on with the full-size 154CM Clutch Lock version. "Extremely fidgety," sharp out of the box, a comfortable four-finger grip, and two dings: thumb studs that worked loose more than once, and a weight near 5 ounces. A different knife than mine (bigger, different lock, different steel), cited for what carries across the family: the shape and the grip.
• KnifeCenter, Mini C01C carbon fiber sibling, marked discontinued: proof the whole premium Mini generation was retired, not just my variant.
• Kaviso, Sheepdog C01C Mini framelock (titanium sibling): spec cross-check for the Mini frame. Same 2.64-inch blade and 6.18-inch overall across the family.

Pros and cons

What works

• The mini-cleaver shape is the design's real idea: a tall, wide sheepsfoot puts big-knife cutting power behind a 2.63-inch blade nobody at the office looks twice at.
• S35VN at this size is what made this variant special. It is a powder steel with real edge retention, in a class where 8Cr and 14C28N are the norm, ground from 2.8 mm stock that keeps the knife slicey.
• Ball-bearing action off the thumb hole. Smooth at purchase, and two years on it sticks a little on a flick at times, which may just need a cleaning. Juicebox Hero found the full-size version "extremely fidgety" too.
• The deeper finger choil (the Mini's one change from the full-size C01C) makes a handle under 3.6 inches work with a full grip. The cramped-hand complaint you would expect from a knife this size mostly never shows up.
• At 2.61 oz it disappears in a pocket. Juicebox Hero weighed the full-size Clutch Lock version at 4.76 oz.

What doesn't

• No tip. A sheepsfoot trades away piercing entirely. Opening clamshell packaging or starting a cut mid-material is technique, not a stab. If you have never carried one, know that going in.
• Discontinued. You cannot buy this exact knife new, and I won't pretend hunting the secondary market for it makes sense for most buyers when the C01C 275 exists.
• Kizer retired the whole premium Mini tier, not just my variant. If you love small knives in premium steel, the catalog keeps voting against you.
• Family-level watch item from independent reviews: thumb-stud hardware working loose on the full-size Clutch Lock version (Juicebox Hero). Worth a periodic screw check on any C01C.

Common questions

What is a Raffir handle, actually?

Raffir is a Danish maker of resin-stabilized composite handle materials: layered media set in resin and machined like any other scale. Kizer's own description of this handle stresses the matte, non-plastic feel of the finish. In hand it reads closer to a stabilized natural material than to G10.

Is S35VN worth it over the AEB-L and Nitro-V in the current Sheepdogs?

For edge retention, yes. S35VN is a powder metallurgy steel and holds a working edge longer. For sharpening ease and toughness, AEB-L and Nitro-V (both fine-grained AEB-L-family steels) push back, and they take a screaming edge with less effort. If you sharpen rarely and cut a lot, mourn the S35VN Mini. If you enjoy sharpening, the current line gives up less than the spec sheet implies.

Why would anyone want a cleaver-shaped blade this small?

Because blade height does work that blade length usually gets credit for. A tall flat-ground sheepsfoot tracks straight through cardboard and strapping, keeps the edge fully in the cut, and puts your thumb over the spine for controlled push cuts. The whole Sheepdog family exists because Chris Conaway's original made that case. The Mini makes it at a size that fits an office.

Is the Sheepdog C01C Mini discontinued?

This premium generation of it, effectively yes. Kizer's live Sheepdog collection carries no S35VN Mini. The titanium and carbon-fiber Mini siblings show as discontinued at KnifeCenter. The one current Mini (14C28N/G10) was sold out at Kizer when I checked in September 2026. The design lives on in the larger C01C 275 and 2.9 versions.