CRKT Hissatsu in da house!!

Dexter Ewing

Dexter Ewing

Joined
Oct 3, 1998
Messages
4,670
Got some new toys in today This is one of 'em. Finally, the CRKT Hissatsu. My goodness...now THIS is a very impressive fixed blade! It's a little blade heavy. The finish on the blade is beautiful. Satin bevels with mirror flats...and a zero grind too! From the looks of the blade shape, this mutha will pierce through anything. The handle is pretty nice too - molded Kraton in the pattern of rayskin. The texturing does feel a lot like rayskin and has a nice grip-you-back quality. The sheath is standard CRKT fixed blade fare - appears to be vacuum molded POM and riveted together. It's plenty sturdy enough. Overall, the Hissatsu is a VERY impressive piece. You guys are definitely gonna love this one.

Here is a picture of it along with my Surefire A2 for size reference.
 
Got mine a couple of days ago, and I definitely like it. As for the steel, if they have to use a low-carbon stainless like AUS-6 it's nice that they used -6M, as the added molybdenum significantly increases edge-holding. (Might be worth pointing out that feudal-era Japanese blades were low-carbon as well.)

It didn't seem really sharp when I got it; however, just a few strokes with a ceramic rod and the hair was leaping in terror from my arm before the edge could reach it to shave it off.

I don't like the "issue" belt carrier, and have put a large-size Tek-Lok belt clip on mine. That allows me to mount it in the "traditional" edge-up, diagonal across-the-left-side-of-the-abdomen position for a right-hand crossdraw.

I'll be doing some tameshigiri cutting practice with about a dozen folks from my dojo on Monday, and along with the swords we'll give the Hissatsu a test-run as well. I'll report back after that.
 
This design looked interesting from the old days of the expensive original. Now it's looking better and better. I hadn't known the steel was a better grade than the usual AUS6, which isn't necessarily a deal-breaker in itself.
 
The test cutting was a disappointment -- not because of anything to do with the blades, it's just that it was in the rain (necessitating much wiping and oiling of swords afterward) and with mud for traction. . .

We weren't doing it traditional Japanese style with tatami mats, but we had a plentiful supply of pool noodles with 3/4" hardwood dowels to give 'em some backbone. I did some nice consecutive decapitations of a single noodle with my Cold Steel Scottish broadsword.

We didn't bother trying our knives on the noodles, but we also had a roll of new 1" manila rope, and used that (free-hanging) for some cutting with the various knives people brought. The rope was almost rock-hard, and no one managed to cut it completely through with a single stroke from the Hissatsu (it was more like trying to cut through a hanging arm-bone than anything else); but some of us did come very close. Mine was the only one there, and it saw a fair amount of use.

One thing that definitely favorably impressed me was that, when we were done, there was no deformation or any appreciable dulling of the edge: It would still shave arm-hair and slice paper.

Your mileage may vary: It will all depend on the heat-treat, and one of my students did have to send his knife back due to slight warpage of the blade which was apparent when he took it out of the box.

I'd like to do some work with this one on something more nearly approximating the medium for which it was intended, such as a side of beef. I have no doubts, though, that it will do what it was designed to do, and I feel it was a good purchase.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top