David Craik
11-26-2006, 11:25
Some time ago, I received a Hissatsu (http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_maker/a_through_d/columbia_river_knife_and_tool/crkt_hissatsu_desert_blade_wdesert_sheath.html) knife as a gift from my wife and thought I'd give it a review here, as it may seem of interest to military and law enforcement folk. Mine came from A.G. Russell Knives, as the Bugei subsidiary Ancientedge.com appears to be defunct. I have used some Japanese terms in this review, as the knife is designed in a Japanese style, but these are defined. "Hissatsu" means "decisive victory" or "final blow/coup de grace" in Japanese. Methinks it could very likely live up to this name if used. It retails for about $90.00.
The Hissatsu was designed by Mr. James Williams, owner of Bugei Trading company, purveyors of excellent swords and Japanese items related to martial arts. He was a soldier in the U.S. Army, and has practiced a variety of martial arts over the years. His bio is here:
http://www.dojoofthefourwinds.com/instructor.html
The Hissatsu I received was the satin finished one, but they are also available in a desert finish and in an all-black configuration and made by Columbia River Knife and Tool. I may be wrong, but the yokote doesn't appear to be present in these other versions. Also, from early literature a previous version seems to have been made with a sharpening system in the sheath - something I see no indication of in my example. A "drone" is also available from A.G. Russell for training. The published specifications for mine are as follows.
Blade: Length: 7.125” (18.1 cm)
Thickness: 0.20” (0.55 cm)
Steel: 440A, 55-57 HRC
Knife: Overall length: 12.25” (31.1 cm)
Weight: 7.9 oz. (224 g)
From my own measurement, there is yokote(a grind line) 3 3/4 from the tip.
The knife is designed as a modern version of an aikuchi, a tanto without a tsuba (guard). It is designed to be a weapon only, not for any more utilitarian purposes.
The blade: Though I would have liked a harder blade (something that Rockwells at about 60) for such a knife, it is shipped very sharp. The geometry is such that the yokote opens the cut to prevent the blade getting stuck during a deep slash in soft material. The sori (curvature) of the blade allows for exceptional cutting power. From the yokote forward, the blade is sharply tapered to allow for very effective stabbing as well. With a strong thrust, one can easily achieve ridiculously deep penetration - straight to the hilt with many materials. Due to the yokote and rapid change of angle, it is not as quickly sharpened using conventional sharpening techniques as a bowie or drop-point blade would be. Care should be taken to sharpen the first half of the blade separately from the rest.
The handle: It has a polypropylene core with a Kraton® overlay. Though when the knife first came out there were concerns stated about the lack of a guard, I have had no problems with my hand sliding off of the handle. I have found that a very secure grip can be had on this knife - but it is not to be held loosely, particularly during thrusting. With a good strong grip, the surface, hourglass shape of the handle, and 'tackiness' of the Kraton® is rock-solid. The handle simulates a fine old Japanese aikuchi in that it is pebbled like same (rayskin), and even has a simulated oyatsubo (emperor node) that is found on fine Japanese swords. This serves the function on this knife of serving as an instant tactile reference of which side the blade is facing. When gripped normally, the tip of the middle finger contacts the oyatsubo for most hand sizes. The handle also includes a molded simulation of fuchi(hilt) and kashira(pommel) fittings in a wave pattern. These are very soft and easily scratched (especially on the blade side face of the fuchi), and the traditionalist in me would have liked to have seen these made of steel or iron and fused or pinned somehow to the polypropylene core.
The sheath: The sheath is of Zytel®, and though this material is supposedly very strong, I don't like this sheath. It is very light and feels like flimsy garden-variety plastic. The belt attachment is held on by two shallow-slotted Chicago screws with rubber spacers, and just doesn't seem very strong. Chicago screws loosen very easily with stress or vibration, and the shallow slots preclude much torque on them. On the upside, there are numerous slots and holes to make the sheath easily secured to a belt or web gear in any number of configurations. I still would have preferred a good leather sheath with a Zytel® core and a large strong boot/belt clip, and some slots for strapping to gear. It just seems very weak and easily broken if the end of the sheath caught on something.
Overall, the knife feels very good in the hand. It is light, quick, and very fluid. It should serve admirably for it's intended purpose. Once again, it isn't designed for the myriad more mundane tasks one normally encounters in the field - no prying, heavy cutting, or can-opening here. You either need to have another knife for that or simply carry a KA-BAR instead.
I think this is a knife worth having, in it's niche it is superior to many other knives on the market. With a better sheath it would certainly be a top performer. It should be noted that for civilians, this knife is not something you would want as 'People's Exibit "A"' at your trial if used in a self-defence situation. It is very obviously a knife for killing, and it will be pretty hard to convince a jury that you were on your way to clean some catfish with this thing. It was expressly designed to be a backup weapon to a firearm, and once the distance is closed could be used to cause lethal damage. It's very appearance shows this, even to people who aren't familiar with combat knives.
The weapon was not tested to destruction as it was a gift and I can't afford such a thing anyway.
http://www.bugei.com/images/hissatsu-plywood-web-small.jpg
The Hissatsu was designed by Mr. James Williams, owner of Bugei Trading company, purveyors of excellent swords and Japanese items related to martial arts. He was a soldier in the U.S. Army, and has practiced a variety of martial arts over the years. His bio is here:
http://www.dojoofthefourwinds.com/instructor.html
The Hissatsu I received was the satin finished one, but they are also available in a desert finish and in an all-black configuration and made by Columbia River Knife and Tool. I may be wrong, but the yokote doesn't appear to be present in these other versions. Also, from early literature a previous version seems to have been made with a sharpening system in the sheath - something I see no indication of in my example. A "drone" is also available from A.G. Russell for training. The published specifications for mine are as follows.
Blade: Length: 7.125” (18.1 cm)
Thickness: 0.20” (0.55 cm)
Steel: 440A, 55-57 HRC
Knife: Overall length: 12.25” (31.1 cm)
Weight: 7.9 oz. (224 g)
From my own measurement, there is yokote(a grind line) 3 3/4 from the tip.
The knife is designed as a modern version of an aikuchi, a tanto without a tsuba (guard). It is designed to be a weapon only, not for any more utilitarian purposes.
The blade: Though I would have liked a harder blade (something that Rockwells at about 60) for such a knife, it is shipped very sharp. The geometry is such that the yokote opens the cut to prevent the blade getting stuck during a deep slash in soft material. The sori (curvature) of the blade allows for exceptional cutting power. From the yokote forward, the blade is sharply tapered to allow for very effective stabbing as well. With a strong thrust, one can easily achieve ridiculously deep penetration - straight to the hilt with many materials. Due to the yokote and rapid change of angle, it is not as quickly sharpened using conventional sharpening techniques as a bowie or drop-point blade would be. Care should be taken to sharpen the first half of the blade separately from the rest.
The handle: It has a polypropylene core with a Kraton® overlay. Though when the knife first came out there were concerns stated about the lack of a guard, I have had no problems with my hand sliding off of the handle. I have found that a very secure grip can be had on this knife - but it is not to be held loosely, particularly during thrusting. With a good strong grip, the surface, hourglass shape of the handle, and 'tackiness' of the Kraton® is rock-solid. The handle simulates a fine old Japanese aikuchi in that it is pebbled like same (rayskin), and even has a simulated oyatsubo (emperor node) that is found on fine Japanese swords. This serves the function on this knife of serving as an instant tactile reference of which side the blade is facing. When gripped normally, the tip of the middle finger contacts the oyatsubo for most hand sizes. The handle also includes a molded simulation of fuchi(hilt) and kashira(pommel) fittings in a wave pattern. These are very soft and easily scratched (especially on the blade side face of the fuchi), and the traditionalist in me would have liked to have seen these made of steel or iron and fused or pinned somehow to the polypropylene core.
The sheath: The sheath is of Zytel®, and though this material is supposedly very strong, I don't like this sheath. It is very light and feels like flimsy garden-variety plastic. The belt attachment is held on by two shallow-slotted Chicago screws with rubber spacers, and just doesn't seem very strong. Chicago screws loosen very easily with stress or vibration, and the shallow slots preclude much torque on them. On the upside, there are numerous slots and holes to make the sheath easily secured to a belt or web gear in any number of configurations. I still would have preferred a good leather sheath with a Zytel® core and a large strong boot/belt clip, and some slots for strapping to gear. It just seems very weak and easily broken if the end of the sheath caught on something.
Overall, the knife feels very good in the hand. It is light, quick, and very fluid. It should serve admirably for it's intended purpose. Once again, it isn't designed for the myriad more mundane tasks one normally encounters in the field - no prying, heavy cutting, or can-opening here. You either need to have another knife for that or simply carry a KA-BAR instead.
I think this is a knife worth having, in it's niche it is superior to many other knives on the market. With a better sheath it would certainly be a top performer. It should be noted that for civilians, this knife is not something you would want as 'People's Exibit "A"' at your trial if used in a self-defence situation. It is very obviously a knife for killing, and it will be pretty hard to convince a jury that you were on your way to clean some catfish with this thing. It was expressly designed to be a backup weapon to a firearm, and once the distance is closed could be used to cause lethal damage. It's very appearance shows this, even to people who aren't familiar with combat knives.
The weapon was not tested to destruction as it was a gift and I can't afford such a thing anyway.
http://www.bugei.com/images/hissatsu-plywood-web-small.jpg