Hissatsu or Zero Tolerance 0400ST?

[Folderguy]

They may not totally suck, but an awful lot of their line leaves a LOT to be desired. While some of the designs look interesting, many just plain don't work. Interesting does not equal functional.
I've tried several and swapped most off. Still have a Natural. The Ripple and Eros are apparently decent (least I'm hoping they are since I plan to try an Eros).
I've pretty much reached the point that if I can't handle one, I'll pick someone's elses.



:thumbup:Thats for dang sure!

I have two Ripples, the Ripple 2 and the regular Ripple, both with the plain blade, the Ripple 2 is charcoal and the Ripple is the blue.

IMHO, they are excellent.

 

[Folderguy]

Is that your battle tested 0400ST Folderguy?

Yeppers, that's mine. I bought it on eBay together with a ZT 0300 from the same fellow in a package deal. The 0400 was his EDC for a year or so. After I got it, my sharpening of it on a Norton coarse grind stone followed by the fine one, then sharpening steels and finally a good stropping added some more "character" to the knife...

It's a plenty good knife.

And the character flaws are part of its pedigree

And that blade's S30V steel takes a hair whittlin' sharp edge.... whooooeeeeee

 

[RevDevil]

Yeppers, that's mine. I bought it on eBay together with a ZT 0300 from the same fellow in a package deal. The 0400 was his EDC for a year or so. After I got it, my sharpening of it on a Norton coarse grind stone followed by the fine one, then sharpening steels and finally a good stropping added some more "character" to the knife...

It's a plenty good knife.

And the character flaws are part of its pedigree

And that blade's S30V steel takes a hair whittlin' sharp edge.... whooooeeeeee

I love seeing a knife that has been thoroughly used. :thumbup: I always thought that knife was awesome, the grind on that blade is perfect IMO.

 

[Folderguy]

I love seeing a knife that has been thoroughly used. :thumbup: I always thought that knife was awesome, the grind on that blade is perfect IMO.

Totally agree. Somewhat reminiscent of the nightmare grind on certain Striders.

And the ergos on the knife are simply perfect, at least for me.

 

[Bimmer1]

Which specific model is that? I was unaware they had two different sizes. Is the unassisted model different in any other way besides being unassisted?

There is the original Hissatsu folder (which is available with or without the torsion spring for assisted or non-assisted opening) and there is the new smaller version called the Hissatsu 2 or Heiho. The new Hisstasu 2 is the same design but I just don't feel the quality is quite the same (at least not on the ones I purchased).

I think for $60 the original Hissatsu folder is fine for what it is. I'm not saying it is a Kershaw and I am not an overall fan of CRKT blades but the Hissatsu folder is worthwhile in my opinion. Kershaw makes a few cheapo folders themselves.............

The Hissatsu is made to be a stabbing knife. It's not really an EDC everyday chore kind of blade.......so it functions quite well for what it was intended to do. The auto LAWKS backup safety works well.

 

[Folderguy]

The auto LAWKS backup safety works well.

Well that seals it for me. I find the extra safety unnecessarily complicates closing the knife. Not easy for me to close it one handed, although I'm sure some have mastered that.

 

[Larry Turko]

Hi Larry-
I also own the 0400, it is without a doubt one of the best tanto folders around. I cant say enough good things about the knife overall. Are you certain that the scratch on your knife is the coating that has come off the handle? The reason I ask is because I would guess that the plastic didnt scratch the coating off. Rather the zipper rubbed off on the coating. It happened to me when I was cutting into drywall with a 0350 (black blade), what appered to be scratches were actually the drywall that rubbed off on my blade. Also, how does a knife handle coating affect the knives ability to perform "serious duty"?

Edit: @ Folderguy : In terms of quality, CRKT is not close at all to ZT (IMO & experience). As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. In this particular comparison, ZT has a great design and solid materials, the CRKT not so much. YMMV.

You're right of course about the scratch having nothing to do with how tough the knife is. I just ment that you'd expect a knife that was made for hard use to come with a coating that would be abrasion resistant.
Your idea about the zipper rubbing off on the coating is an interesting one. I'll see if I can rub it off. Thanks
In any case, permanent scratch or not, I like the knife and I'll be keeping it.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

My sisters boyfriend carries one, and he loves it. When I checked it out, it was a pos. He practices a segment of Japanese sword fighting, and really likes the tanto point. I would stick with the ZT, and if you can find the Hissatsu really cheap used, I would get it if you still want it. IMHO, they took a crappy knife, and gave it assisted opening. If you want a tanto model, get a tanto Griptilian etc. Before the LAWKS system, the titanium M16 series were great knives, if you want to go with tantos.

 

[RevDevil]

You're right of course about the scratch having nothing to do with how tough the knife is. I just ment that you'd expect a knife that was made for hard use to come with a coating that would be abrasion resistant.
Your idea about the zipper rubbing off on the coating is an interesting one. I'll see if I can rub it off. Thanks
In any case, permanent scratch or not, I like the knife and I'll be keeping it.

I find that sometimes the pink eraser on a pencil is enough to rub out any of the residue on the black blades. I used that with a little water to clean up my 0350 and it worked well. Give it a shot

 

[Larry Turko]

Thanks for the tip Red Devil. I'll try it.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

If you get a hissatsu folder, get the new one. It's WORLDS better than the old (still in production) larger one. The polished G10 is niiiiiiiice. Also the AO is smooth. I'm not normally a big fan of AO but I don't mind it on the Hissatsu 2--opening OR closing.