Hissatu folder vs gerber combat folder

As i said I am not a fan of CS however I do like the ti lite and the Voyager. and If I am going to be honest they actually are pretty good blades. I carry the Ti Lite mostly for shits and giggles. It just is the blade to play with. However my 4 inch Voyager actually gets quite a bit pf pocket time. It is actually my favorite boat knife I use.
 
I don't have the Gerber, but I have a Hissatsu folder and overall it feels solid, opens fast, has a great blade shape for stabbing, but also slices well. You'll probably have to remove the assisted opening bar because it made the blade insanely hard to open.
 
I do not own either.
That said, I have known quite a few US soldiers who owned and loved their Gerber Applegate-Fairbairn folders. It is a very well-known knife, very well designed, and is reputed to be very durable, was top of its class when originally released, and there are versions with S30V (special) and 154CM (standard), both made in U.S.A. (I'm not sure where the information regarding 425M or 420 blade steels comes from... You can call Gerber to confirm which versions employ which steel, but people may be confusing the Combat with the Covert). The knife is covered by their reliable lifetime guarantee.

The Hissatsu is newer, imported (if that matters to you), and less expensive. It hasn't garnered much reputation yet, perhaps because the design is so purpose-specific... I've yet to meet a person in the flesh who owns/uses one. That does not make it inferior, just less well known/common. And again, that's my personal experience.

Both knives are from Oregon-based companies, Gerber has the better reputation for quality among users, but CRKT has been working to improve its reputation.

The two knives are such different designs, get whichever design you find more appealing.
 
chiral.grolim said:
I do not own either.
That said, I have known quite a few US soldiers who owned and loved their Gerber Applegate-Fairbairn folders. It is a very well-known knife, very well designed, and is reputed to be very durable, was top of its class when originally released, and there are versions with S30V (special) and 154CM (standard), both made in U.S.A. (I'm not sure where the information regarding 425M or 420 blade steels comes from... You can call Gerber to confirm which versions employ which steel, but people may be confusing the Combat with the Covert). The knife is covered by their reliable lifetime guarantee.

The Hissatsu is newer, imported (if that matters to you), and less expensive. It hasn't garnered much reputation yet, perhaps because the design is so purpose-specific... I've yet to meet a person in the flesh who owns/uses one. That does not make it inferior, just less well known/common. And again, that's my personal experience.

Both knives are from Oregon-based companies, Gerber has the better reputation for quality among users, but CRKT has been working to improve its reputation.

The two knives are such different designs, get whichever design you find more appealing.
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I actually think that you have it reversed..I think the covert has the 154cm steel. I'm not really to concerned with the steel as long as it's comparable to aus 8 because I never had a problem with it.Have you ever handled it? What did you think of it personally?
 
I have the Gerber 4.5" Combat Folder which looks very much like the one in the photo. Actually etching " Combat Folder" on the blade seems a little guache [honest Officer,I would never dream of using this knife for self defence no matter what it's called!] but otherwise the knife seems to be very well made and I love the design. My only beef is that it doesn't have a clip and therefore I find I hardly ever carry it.
I also love the design of the folding Hissatsu and I definitely intend on buying it. I have the black blade fixed Hissatsu and I don't think you'll find a more wicked looking blade. I wish CRKT had been a bit more generous with the blade length on the folder but still, for the price, I think it's irresistable.
 
You DID know that all the haters would dominate the thread, right? Gerber and CRKT attract those kind. Kinda like flies on sh...... well, you get the idea. OK, from someone who actually owns both, I would go with the Gerber. A thicker, more versatile blade. The Hissatsu is a single purpose blade, where the Combat Folder can be used for othr tasks as well. Both are extremely well made, and decently priced as well. Ignore the haters. Just knife snobs spouting off. BTW, the Recon and M21 are both great knives too. Still like the Gerber better, though.
 
Nternal said:
It does have a clip, do you think you have a different model or something?
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both have clips. the Gerber hanlde slides out of the pocket a little easier due to the texture on the Hissatsu. Food for thought.
 
Nternal said:
I actually think that you have it reversed..I think the covert has the 154cm steel. I'm not really to concerned with the steel as long as it's comparable to aus 8 because I never had a problem with it.Have you ever handled it? What did you think of it personally?
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:confused: I could have sworn it was a Combat that I handled, belonged to an ex-army infantryman who was showing it to me. His had a sheath but no clip, the handles felt like aluminum not FRN/plastic, and he was telling me about the steel being 154CM. I remember looking it up later to confirm too...
Anyway, I really like how it handled, good balance, good grip. As a civilian, I thought it a bit large for a folder, another reason i could almost swear it was the larger Combat...

Now I'm really curious about this, did they change the materials (as Gerber often does, e.g. the LMFII's various incarnations) or is my memory mistaken?

EDIT: I called up that ex-infantryman. He got his Combat back in the 80's, might have been mistaken about the steel, and the handles are definitely FRN.
 
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The Hissatsu is newer, imported (if that matters to you), and less expensive. It hasn't garnered much reputation yet, perhaps because the design is so purpose-specific... I've yet to meet a person in the flesh who owns/uses one.

I have a friend who uses one as a utility knife. He loves it. I would recomend handling one first, though. Some people have a lot of trouble with opening it, and the auto-lawks can also be awkward for some.
 
Nternal said:
I always overlooked the ti-lite but I might get it considering it's about 50$.
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If it is the Ti-Lite VI you should definitely get it. Much better for what you want than either of the others. It is fairly lightweight, incredibly strong lock, wave-like opening, and it scares people.

Cons of this design are: it is practically useless for anything other than stabbing people, weird serrated reverse wave will shred the pockets of your jeans, weird reverse wave only works maybe 7 out of 8 times (poorly designed), and it scares people.
 
Nternal said:
Hissatsu folder being stabbed through 1/2" plywood.

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:D
made for a purpose :cool: (and i don't mean plywood)

:thumbup: Thank you for posting the pic. If you get the Hissatsu, let us know what you think of it?
 
chiral.grolim said:
:confused: I could have sworn it was a Combat that I handled, belonged to an ex-army infantryman who was showing it to me. His had a sheath but no clip, the handles felt like aluminum not FRN/plastic, and he was telling me about the steel being 154CM. I remember looking it up later to confirm too...
Anyway, I really like how it handled, good balance, good grip. As a civilian, I thought it a bit large for a folder, another reason i could almost swear it was the larger Combat...

Now I'm really curious about this, did they change the materials (as Gerber often does, e.g. the LMFII's various incarnations) or is my memory mistaken?


EDIT: I called up that ex-infantryman. He got his Combat back in the 80's, might have been mistaken about the steel, and the handles are definitely FRN.
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I have had the Gerber (80's model) no clip, came with a nylon sheath. The original Covert's started having clips on them and I believe the newest version of the Combat have clips now. The steel changed a few times over the years, most common on the Combat's I have seen were 420 (Coverts were 154cm). I still have the Hissatu and the CS Ti-lite(4"), my son has the CS Ti-lite(6"). The big problem I had with the Hissatu was the AO spring, it was too hard to open. I removed it and now it is much easier to open. The Hissatu is made for stabbing and slashing and not much else, same for the CS Ti-lites( I think the 6" is too big). The Gerber Combat is made for more general uses plus "fighting". I feel the better "buy" of these choices would be the Covert not the Combat, better steel and easier to carry. With all these models you need to be careful when "stabbing", there is not much to keep your hand from sliding up onto the blade, especially on the Hissatu. If you want a serious knife for "stabbing", you need to look into Emerson folders. IMHO
 
tyr_shadowblade said:
Folder or fixed? Factory edge? What style of vests? Any damage to the knife?
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Folder and fixed, the folder did much better at penetrating that the fixed. I tried it on a few MG Gold standard 8 vest level III A.
No damage to the knives at all, the edges on the knives wear factor edges.
 
drillsgt71 said:
If you want a serious knife for "stabbing", you need to look into Emerson folders. IMHO
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I handled a Persian Emerson folder yesterday, the blade and handle designee is just perfect and is exactly what I would look for in a stabber, very cool knife, I hope they get it in to production again at the end of the year.
 
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