- Joined
- Sep 3, 2006
- Messages
- 37
I purchased a Hatamoto for approx $175. While aware of many of the complaints about CS in this and other forums I personally liked this knife the few times I looked at it in the local shop.
I received it in the mail yesterday and was generally pleased with the finish. While not having the custom look that CS advertises for it, my example was well made and feels good in the hand with a good heft to it.
The Blade:
The layers of steel are easily seen on this blade and aesthetically I like it though I know some disagree. Whether their technique offers any functional improvement I cannot say but I think it looks just fine. The newspaper test was passed out of the box which can be unusual for this model as they can come far from sharp from the factory on occasion. The edge was polished and straight, following the curve of the blade nicely. I did not see any issues with the rest of the blade. My second test was to cut through a 48 page catalog which went very well. The knife went through it smoothly with no ripping and repeated it's performance three times, resulting in one inch strips of 48 pages each. This is hardly a scientific test but it's sure fun.
The Scales:
The G10 used has a very nice texture and is very easy to grip. Even with sweaty hands I felt in control of the blade and find the "Rising Sun" style cuts in the G10 fit the overall style of the tanto blade.
Safety:
I own quite a few liner locks and some Benchmade Axis Locks. While I prefer the Axis Lock in every way, I find this to be my favorite liner lock. The travel on the lock seems to be just right and there is a flattened surface that is textured for easier gripping as opposed to the usual serrated leaf I usually see. This makes it easier (for me) to retract even though the tension is quite high in comparison with knives such as my Buck Strider folder. I am disappointed that there is no accommodation made for a finger groove or other means of preventing my hand from sliding up to the blade that so easily cut through so many items in my tests. For aesthetic reasons there are no serrations on the edges of the knife's handle and I think I will be fixing that soon with a series of cuts into the steel / titanium to give myself some more grip on these surfaces. These will match up with the cuts in the G10's surface. The thumb stud is quite attractive but does not offer a very grippy surface to actuate the blade. It is simply too smooth and I think Cold Steel should address this.
Fit and Finish:
While I did mention in my opening that it is not a custom knife as Cold Steel would imply, it is generally high quality with most fittings as I'd expect them. A minor annoyance is the seams between the scales and the liners / bolsters could be inconsistent. At some places the line would be nearly invisible or invisible while at other places being a hairline. The blade has a very VERY slight wobble laterally that you must almost close your eyes to feel with no play rotationally. The blade, scales, bolsters etc were in perfect condition out of the box which should always be the case though I've seen some very expensive knives come to me with small marks that must be polished out.
Conclusion
I have a new favorite knife. It is not a knife I would have been happy paying MSRP for but at basically 50% of MSRP I feel it's a worthwhile purchase. If I were not in a position to personally fix (in a small but important way) the safety concern with the edges of the handle being too smooth, I would be significantly less pleased. I understand wholeheartedly that Cold Steel intends this as a $380.00 knife and that most people would not carry it daily or use it with any frequency, negating the need for many common safety features. I also understand that I'm essentially carrying around a Samurai sword in my pocket and giving some hand time to that blade while in a fight would make a bad night much worse. I genuinely like the weight of the blade (quite heavy) and find it to be very effective at slashing rather than the usual tanto point's thrust only concept. In fact the point is slightly blunt for me for thrusting though I frankly baby my points and don't do as many tests in that area as others do. The blade has a functionally significant curve to it that does make it an effective slasher, especially when compared with my Benchmade tantos.
I am an old hand with firearms but am quite new to knives so please be kind if I've used incorrect words for any of the above. I would include photos but I seem to remember someone having issues with this requiring a certain membership level. If I'm wrong I'll happily take some snaps for you and post them. I look forward to spending too much money on this hobby just like I've been doing with guns for years. Hope this is a good way to start with this forum. I look forward to getting to know you folks.
Andrew
I received it in the mail yesterday and was generally pleased with the finish. While not having the custom look that CS advertises for it, my example was well made and feels good in the hand with a good heft to it.
The Blade:
The layers of steel are easily seen on this blade and aesthetically I like it though I know some disagree. Whether their technique offers any functional improvement I cannot say but I think it looks just fine. The newspaper test was passed out of the box which can be unusual for this model as they can come far from sharp from the factory on occasion. The edge was polished and straight, following the curve of the blade nicely. I did not see any issues with the rest of the blade. My second test was to cut through a 48 page catalog which went very well. The knife went through it smoothly with no ripping and repeated it's performance three times, resulting in one inch strips of 48 pages each. This is hardly a scientific test but it's sure fun.
The Scales:
The G10 used has a very nice texture and is very easy to grip. Even with sweaty hands I felt in control of the blade and find the "Rising Sun" style cuts in the G10 fit the overall style of the tanto blade.
Safety:
I own quite a few liner locks and some Benchmade Axis Locks. While I prefer the Axis Lock in every way, I find this to be my favorite liner lock. The travel on the lock seems to be just right and there is a flattened surface that is textured for easier gripping as opposed to the usual serrated leaf I usually see. This makes it easier (for me) to retract even though the tension is quite high in comparison with knives such as my Buck Strider folder. I am disappointed that there is no accommodation made for a finger groove or other means of preventing my hand from sliding up to the blade that so easily cut through so many items in my tests. For aesthetic reasons there are no serrations on the edges of the knife's handle and I think I will be fixing that soon with a series of cuts into the steel / titanium to give myself some more grip on these surfaces. These will match up with the cuts in the G10's surface. The thumb stud is quite attractive but does not offer a very grippy surface to actuate the blade. It is simply too smooth and I think Cold Steel should address this.
Fit and Finish:
While I did mention in my opening that it is not a custom knife as Cold Steel would imply, it is generally high quality with most fittings as I'd expect them. A minor annoyance is the seams between the scales and the liners / bolsters could be inconsistent. At some places the line would be nearly invisible or invisible while at other places being a hairline. The blade has a very VERY slight wobble laterally that you must almost close your eyes to feel with no play rotationally. The blade, scales, bolsters etc were in perfect condition out of the box which should always be the case though I've seen some very expensive knives come to me with small marks that must be polished out.
Conclusion
I have a new favorite knife. It is not a knife I would have been happy paying MSRP for but at basically 50% of MSRP I feel it's a worthwhile purchase. If I were not in a position to personally fix (in a small but important way) the safety concern with the edges of the handle being too smooth, I would be significantly less pleased. I understand wholeheartedly that Cold Steel intends this as a $380.00 knife and that most people would not carry it daily or use it with any frequency, negating the need for many common safety features. I also understand that I'm essentially carrying around a Samurai sword in my pocket and giving some hand time to that blade while in a fight would make a bad night much worse. I genuinely like the weight of the blade (quite heavy) and find it to be very effective at slashing rather than the usual tanto point's thrust only concept. In fact the point is slightly blunt for me for thrusting though I frankly baby my points and don't do as many tests in that area as others do. The blade has a functionally significant curve to it that does make it an effective slasher, especially when compared with my Benchmade tantos.
I am an old hand with firearms but am quite new to knives so please be kind if I've used incorrect words for any of the above. I would include photos but I seem to remember someone having issues with this requiring a certain membership level. If I'm wrong I'll happily take some snaps for you and post them. I look forward to spending too much money on this hobby just like I've been doing with guns for years. Hope this is a good way to start with this forum. I look forward to getting to know you folks.
Andrew
