Kizer’s Tiny Ultralight EDC Knife Lets You Gaze into Its Inner Workings

The affordable Parakeet is a hard-working folder offered in five different configurations, so there’s one for everybody.

By Sean Tirman

Published March 28, 2025

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It wasn’t always easy to find compact everyday carry knives, but these days, they seem as numerous as ever. That means new releases must offer something other than a small size to stay interesting.

Kizer’s Parakeet, for instance, is a well-appointed small EDC knife with a bevy of configurations available — all good things. But it also has a pair of exciting options with handle scales that let you peer into their nuts and bolts.

Kizer Parakeet family — Five of the six Parakeet configurations have dropped, including two with transparent scales.

Little package, big value

Designed by South African designer Johan Jordaan, the Parakeet’s five configurations share some similarities. For instance, they all feature a 2.46-inch sheepsfoot Nitro-V steel blade.

That blade steel is affordable, albeit respectable and hardworking. It pairs beautifully with the sheepsfoot (almost drop-point) shape, offering a great piercing point and a deceptively wide belly.

The blade also boasts a thumb hole deployment that mates to a trendy, reliable, and strong button lock. The lock is housed in a 3.41-inch handle with deeply machined grooves that offer a great grip.

The knife weighs less than three ounces, making it surprisingly light and carry-friendly. Its stout length and light weight make it an extremely easy-to-carry cutting tool.

Kizer Parakeet knife closed — The Parakeet with acrylic scales is a fun novelty that lets you gaze into the knife’s inner workings.

X-ray vision

The Parakeet is a value-packed budget knife. You really can’t go wrong with any of its options. However, two stand out as especially intriguing.

The ones with the acrylic and PEI handle scales are just a little more interesting than their Micarta and aluminum siblings. That’s because, in addition to adding grip, stability, and durability, they’re both transparent.

As such, one side of the handle shows the liner’s pair of weight-saving cutaways, and the other, perhaps more interesting, shows the functionality of the button lock mechanism.

It’s especially cool that the button lock is largely internal. This knife is highly captivating for those with an interest in mechanical engineering.