CRKT Hissatsu: Second Look
Review by Phil
Elmore
As I
wrote in the original review of the Columbia River Knife and Tool
Hissatsu on these pages, the design of this knife is not new. It
is a collaboration between its designer, John Williams of the Bugei
Trading Company, and CRKT, the Oregon-based knife company known for its
inexpensive, imported tactical folders and sporting tools.
Williams’ love
of Asian blades is obvious in the Hissatsu, which is distinctly
Japanese in appearance. From the tanto-style blade to the pebbled
Kraton handle (which mimics the traditional rayskin of a katana grip), the Hissatsu evokes images of stone-faced samurai warriors
and even menacing Yakuza enforcers.
The
Hissatsu was the subject of lengthy discussions in online cutlery
boards in years past. When Bugei first marketed it, the asking
price was a few hundred USD — making the knife unobtainable to
many. To complicate matters, fit and finish of the knife and its
reportedly loose-fitting scabbard were allegedly very rough. The
consensus seemed to be that the Hissatsu simply was not worth the money.
At
the same time, the Hissatsu’s marketing was… well, personally
offensive. I remember seeing a print ad for it containing copy
that went something like, “You’ve never fought for your life, you’ve
never been on the front lines, and you’ve never had to be there and do
that. We can tell because of the knives you buy.” The
implication is that this knife is chosen by true warriors and thus you
— presumably a “wannabe” warrior — should covet it if you
aspire to the level of “professionals.” The problem with this
approach was that it insulted the very people most likely to buy the
Hissatsu. It also annoyed those who knew what they wanted in a
knife and weren’t inclined to tolerate condescension. Now, I have
a lot of respect for both Bugei and Mr. Williams and I understand that
this was unintentional. It was an interesting example of how
marketing can and does affect perception of the marketed item, however.
LOOKING AT THE HISSATSU AGAIN
Since its introduction, the Hissatsu has proven very popular. It is still
marketed to the same demographic in its present
incarnation. Columbia River’s original press kit stated explicitly that
the
Hissatsu “is intended for use only by trained law enforcement and
military tactical team professionals.” This is a very effective
means of generating interest in the knife while setting certain
expectations for its use — and fortunately CRKT has learned
from Bugei’s early advertising missteps. The CRKT website, as of
this second look at the Hissatsu, still proclaims that the knife “…is a focused single-purpose knife for use in anti-terrorist/close-quarters
battle (CQB) environments, either as a primary or a secondary weapon to augment
the handgun in the hands of trained professionals.”
The
Hissatsu certainly is not a
utility knife. The dual-ground 440A blade (now manufactured in
China; the original CRKT Hissatsus were made in Taiwan of AUS 6M) is 7.125 inches
long. It tapers to a needle point
and is relatively narrow. (Overall length of the knife is 12.25
inches.) A blade like that is good for only a few
things, among them penetrating the softer parts of the human
body. On one of my trips to a dumpster site littered with
disposed plastic drums, the original Hissatsu pierced them
easily. As a
slasher it also performs well, because its subtle lines form a gentle
curve or cutting “belly.”
Just
as with, say, the Fairbairn-Sykes commando dagger — also a narrow
blade tapering to an elongated point — there is the danger of
breaking the tip of the Hissatsu. The knife must be used
accordingly. It is not a prybar, for example.
The
Hissatsu’s Kraton handle is very comfortable. It fits my hand
well, provides excellent traction, and is rounded for “capping” and
“feeding.” On a guardless knife, it’s very important that the
butt of the knife be comfortable against the palm for protection during
committed thrusts. The rounded contours also give the Hissatsu a
clean, traditional look. The “emperor node” on one side provides
a tactile index point for the symmetrical handle. It’s neither
too small nor too large.
I
do offer one caveat regarding the handle, however. It tends to
collect grease and grime thanks to its pocked surface. You’ll
want to wipe it down periodically with a clean, lightly damp cloth.
The
pommel and butt cap at the ends of the Kraton handle look and feel like
plastic. The molding process of the handle produced some tiny
irregular fringes
at one point on the seam (where one side of my knife’s handle meets the
other), but overall it looks good. This is unchanged in the
Chinese production model; there are a few irregularities in the molding
and seams, but overall the knife looks fine.
Is
this the “ultimate close quarters tactical knife?” When the
original Hissatsu was first introduced I was not keen on the idea of a
guardless knife as a dedicated fighter. I’ve since grown more
comfortable with such blades, provided they are equipped with properly
“grippy” handles and lack pointy “skull crusher” pommels. There’s
no doubt that the wicked-looking Hissatsu will cut or stab; it moves
exceptionally well and impressed me greatly in Kali pattern
drills. Is it “ultimate?” I don’t pretend to know —
though I know a lot of its buyers will be those seeking to emulate the
high-risk professionals to whom the blade is marketed. (I include
myself among those consumers.)
The
Hissatsu’s plastic sheath is both good and bad. Kydex or
Concealex would be better than Zytel, but would also raise the knife’s
cost (which is much less than the price of the original Hissatsu in old or new
CRKT incarnations). Thankfully, the sheath does not suffer from
over-engineering. It is a simple friction-fit affair (the collar
is split at the sides) with many holes and slots for mounting to
personal gear.
The
belt “clip” provided is too broad for a good fit on a standard
belt. I don’t like the way it forces the knife either above or
below the belt, either. Fortunately, the slots on the sheath are
perfect for Tek-Lok fasteners. I popped one on and was pleased
with the results, as the Hissatsu now rides right at my
waistline. It draws easily with a slight “clack” as the sheath
separates.
There
is no getting around the fact that the Hissatsu is long. It’s
just over twelve inches by itself and forms a package well over a foot
long in its sheath. Discreet horizontal carry proved possible
under a fairly heavy outer garmentr, but vertical carry at the belt or on web gear will be
the choice of many owners.
IMITATION AND FLATTERY
The
Hissatsu has been on the market long enough to have developed some
copycats. Forgeries and imitations are a big problem for the
major knife manufacturers; most have had their designs at least copied,
if not outright fabricated and falsely badged. The Bud K
company has offered (if it does not still offer) a copy of the Hissatsu
that sells for much less than the CRKT blade. In this case, you
definitely get what you pay for.
The
Bud K copy is roughly the same size as the knife it imitates. It
is, however, noticeably lighter than the CRKT Hissatsu, with a
blade that is more narrow and that is made of noticeably thinner stock
(the Hissatsu’s blade steel is easily twice as thick).
All of the design features of the Hissatsu have been replicated,
including the node on the handle, but the copy screams of cheap, shoddy
workmanship. When you shake it, something inside — possibly the
junction of blade to handle — rattles. The cheap plastic of the
collar and butt cap are gaudy, but much worse is the handle itself.
Instead of being made of rubber, it’s simply molded plastic.
It is hard, uncomfortable, and slick (though the molded, textured
knobs do provide some traction).
The
Bud K’s blade is coated with paint, a common tactic used to hide flaws
in cheap blade steel (while making the knife more “tactical”).
The CRKT Hissatsu, by contrast, is available in black and desert
blade coatings, but also in a nicely mirror polished version.
(Columbia River also offers a blunt, unsharpened “trainer” version of the Hissatsu.)
The
Bud K copy’s plastic sheath is a direct reproduction of the CRKT sheath, though
it shipped with no belt clip of any kind. The knife is retained through
simple friction. Both the CRKT and the Bud K copy rattle inside
the sheath when shaken. The CRKT draws more smoothly and locks
more positively.
In
test cutting heavy cardboard, the only thing the Bud K knife could do
as well or better than the real Hissatsu was penetrating the stacked media. This is
because it is thinner and more narrow than the CRKT blade, so a push of
equal force puts its blade deeper into the test medium.
Out
of the box, the CRKT will slice neat pieces out of heavy coardboard,
edge-wise. The Bud K would not. The CRKT could be thrust
into the cardboard and then pulled through the medium, cutting its way
out; the Bud K could not manage this. The edge of the Bud K also
went almost immediatley dull when used to cut cardboard, while the edge
on the CRKT held up for a little while before requiring resharpening.
Throughout
my tests, the CRKT Hissatsu felt sturdy in my hand. There were
times when I thought the Bud K copy might break, though it never
actually did. Copies like this do neither the consumer nor the
manufacturer any favors. Stay away from these gun-show specials
and purchase legitimate CRKT products.
CONCLUSION
Having
never handled the original Hissatsu, I can only speculate as to whether
the CRKT version is an improvement in production quality. Judged
by itself, it is well made. It is certainly an improvement in
price over the original. The knife as it was imported from Taiwan
exhibited good quality according to that reference
point. Current Chinese production Hissatsus display roughly
comparable quality. If there is a reduction, it is almost
imperceptible; as quality control in China improves, particularly under
the watchful eye of foreign interests moving production to China, we
are seeing significant gains in the quality of Chinese output. That’s good for consumers buying an inexpensive tactical blade
from CRKT — and a challenge to other manufacturers, who must learn to compete with these imports.
The Hissatsu remains a big, aggressive, attractive fighter designed to do
one politically incorrect thing. As such it
should perform to the purpose of its design. I am very pleased
with mine, both Taiwanese- and Chinese-made, and would recommend the Hissatsu to others. >>