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The CRKT 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.
Full, updated review of the Hissatsu appears here at The Martialist.
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.
Full, updated review of the Hissatsu appears here at The Martialist.
