Rizzuto bidding frenzy

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dragonsteel
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by dragonsteel »

Probably one of if not the most valuable switchblade also happens to be a rizzuto . But that one belonged to Elvis . Out the hundred million Elvis fans bet a few of them own a rizzy just for that reason. I still think that "Sprite Kid " has hacked lot folks computers with a virus that sends out subliminal messages thats got people paying outrageous prices for the Korean models.
swinguard1
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by swinguard1 »

They're basically a nostalgia piece. Us knife heads usually saw one as a kid and always wanted to own one later in life. They're a very good looking, sinister looking piece. Sadly, that's about where it stops. The Rizzuto and quality have never met each other. I use mine for a letter opener. (Yes, it's always funny when someone sees me open mail with it for the first time. Lol!)

I agree with the rest of you that a beefed up version would be the top seller, no question. For the life of me I cannot figure out why Renzo, Frank B, akc, etc., haven't made a REAL rizzuto yet... Black scales that are flush with the bolsters (not horn. G-10, or micarta imo), no damned safety, a flush mounted round button, a REAL blade, very strong lockup, etc., basically similar to the aga batwing, but an exact rizzuto "on steroids" clone.

Maybe the squeaky wheel would get the oil if many reqests were made of the better Italian knifemakers. I'd love to see Renzo put out a few hundred of these!
dragonsteel
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by dragonsteel »

I think you guys would have better luck trying to get a Original Italian Rizzy made,then the Rizzuto ones.Why I say this is the blade would not have to be machined for a button open button closed Original Italian the new style rocker assembly could possibly be used. Seems the Italians are set with those rocker assemblies and seldom make a stiletto style knife without it. I brought this up to Walter Hulcha . I told Walt I did not own any of his knives or any the new style thick stilettos .Why ?For one I'm straight up vintage. 2. I told him I knew that the new thicker ones and his models all had the same rocker assembly that is found on the same basic thinner 9" and 11" that Frank B. sells. I made the suggestion that he suggest precautions be taken to strengthen them .I felt that this may effect future collective knives from having peek issues years from now. Most may not due to that most will be "case queens" and rarely fired. But what if they are fired alot ? .Vintage picklocks are built very heavy . There rocker assemblys were thicker with D-stamped liners and some of the old flat guards had pinned or tabbed brackets.Very heavily built . Even those can peek so why not look find a way to improve on this.But on some the old knives the blade will wear a grove before it wears out the rocker assembly so they were tough. To me that is also what killed the Rizzys quick is their weak rockers assembly . I would want better rocker assemblys in any "replica"knife not just something that looks good.


I also sent Frank many pictures about 1-2 years back of coil spring and leaf-spring humpbacks inside and out .I even offered to sell him a few coil-springs vintage knives in various conditions to use for patterns. He declined on buying knives for patterns but said he would try to release a humpback model sometime. Perhaps a Original Rizzuto style would be more practical for him to make .Using a leaf-spring and a flat bar instead of the raised hump on the lock released humpbacks. The lock release style of the Original Rizzy would be a lot cheaper to make due to thickness of steel . Stainless liners instead of brass,also cheaper .I had a Original and think the liners were steel or stainless ? A set of synthetic scales,cheaper . Sounds like A good Idea that could cost less to make and sell for more or around the same as there basic line. It would also give the Italians something back that was once stolen by the Asians from them. Just my 2 cents.
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jmack1944
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by jmack1944 »

Nice post Dragonsteel but I think you are missing the point of wanting the clones. It is strictly a nostalgia thing. Yes...maybe we want them made a little better than the original pos but, personally, I don't want another quality Italian stiletto. I have all of the ones I want now. I want a funky, cheapo, cloned Rizzi! Actually I want a whole truck load as it appears there are a lot of folks out there who want the same. Just my 2.1 cents CDN :wink: (the Canadian dollar is trading higher than the greenback these days).
dragonsteel
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by dragonsteel »

jmack1944 wrote:Nice post Dragonsteel but I think you are missing the point of wanting the clones. It is strictly a nostalgia thing. Yes...maybe we want them made a little better than the original pos but, personally, I don't want another quality Italian stiletto. I have all of the ones I want now. I want a funky, cheapo, cloned Rizzi! Actually I want a whole truck load as it appears there are a lot of folks out there who want the same. Just my 2.1 cents CDN :wink: (the Canadian dollar is trading higher than the greenback these days).
I'm referring to the Italian knives that rizzys were copies of . They are not the same knives as the vintage swing guards from the 60's . They are more or less a beefy Rizzy with a lock tab (located in center of spine) release instead of BO/BC. Most folks from a distance could not tell them apart. they must been very short lived .Probably due to the fact the Italians did not want people thinking they made rizztuo quality knives. The design as well as the name was STOLEN and with these clones quality suffered of what people thought were real Italian switchblades . To the Italians it must have felt like they lost a design design.As the Original Rizzy style knives may have been there first swing guards. I would not want people thinking I made POS would you.Especially if you made them almost completely by hand .


I also expect too see a lot vintage peeking rizzys that were once mint for sale next year for high prices.
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Viking45
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by Viking45 »

The last posts prove my theory has been correct. Some simply do not want it to be high quality,just the same low-end letter opener they have always been.
I can understand this.
The only thing they should do is make the mechanisms higher quality and leave the knife design the way it is.

I don't ever see someone like Frank B,Renzo or any other top Italian maker reproducing this knife.
They have pride. Why would they start making a knife that was an Asian-made fake or "affordable version" of their own. Actually neither of these terms fit- A Rizzy is only a "representative",just something that looked cool and snapped a blade out.

We talk about quality but in reality the basic Italian Stiletto is just a step above a letter opener,almost worthless in a survival situation,by this I mean it would be difficult to sharpen a stick with one.

Just my thoughts 8)
swinguard1
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by swinguard1 »

Viking45 wrote:The last posts prove my theory has been correct. Some simply do not want it to be high quality,just the same low-end letter opener they have always been.
I can understand this.
The only thing they should do is make the mechanisms higher quality and leave the knife design the way it is.

I don't ever see someone like Frank B,Renzo or any other top Italian maker reproducing this knife.
They have pride. Why would they start making a knife that was an Asian-made fake or "affordable version" of their own. Actually neither of these terms fit- A Rizzy is only a "representative",just something that looked cool and snapped a blade out.

We talk about quality but in reality the basic Italian Stiletto is just a step above a letter opener,almost worthless in a survival situation,by this I mean it would be difficult to sharpen a stick with one.

Just my thoughts 8)
I see your point. And like I mentioned, a rizzuto and quality have never met each other. Pure letter opener curios that look cool. I can't imagine carrying one as I'd rather throw rocks than get up close and personal with something that is going to fail miserably in a combat situation.

I see your point. Maybe the Rizzuto is something the Italians really look down at as junk, which is why they haven't made one.
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JerrBear
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by JerrBear »

I use a 13" AKC stiletto w/olive wood scales and dagger blade for a letter opener...
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Viking45
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by Viking45 »

JerrBear wrote:I use a 13" AKC stiletto w/olive wood scales and dagger blade for a letter opener...
You must be getting BIG letters :shock: :lol:
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hogwild
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by hogwild »

Yeah I saw that 1st one on SD and nearly spewed. Hell I have a 10 plus inch Rizzy in the drawer since the 60's that I gave $10 or so for. What a POS.

But I guess it's a cool POS.
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BTB0923
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by BTB0923 »

Yeah, the bayo bladed batwing Rizzutos like the one in your picture are usually on the lower end of construction quality.

I really wish you folks who seem to categorize ALL Rizzutos as being crap would get a chance to hold one of the original Italian-made lockbacks, or even one of the button o/c flat grind/swedge bladed models. They were the first generation of Rizzutos and are actually built pretty solid...nothing like the Japanese variations. I think if a new Rizzuto does come to pass I'd like to see it modeled after the original lockback version. Personally I'd like to see a higher quality of Rizzuto produced, but I wouldn't complain if a new generation of cheapo "click-therapy" Chinese Rizzies came out either. Either way, I think the prices the Rizzies are pulling on the auction site and ebay prove that there is definitely a market for them.
dragonsteel wrote:Perhaps a Original Rizzuto style would be more practical for him to make .Using a leaf-spring and a flat bar instead of the raised hump on the lock released humpbacks. The lock release style of the Original Rizzy would be a lot cheaper to make due to thickness of steel . Stainless liners instead of brass,also cheaper .I had a Original and think the liners were steel or stainless ? A set of synthetic scales,cheaper . Sounds like A good Idea that could cost less to make and sell for more or around the same as there basic line. It would also give the Italians something back that was once stolen by the Asians from them. Just my 2 cents.
I agree! I don't think it would be hard for an Italian maker to produce one of the original Rizzutos, and like you said they could reclaim the original Italian design as their own.

Here's a picture of the original Italian I have in my collection. This is a solid Italian knife, with nickel silver bolsters and guards...
Image
Last edited by BTB0923 on Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:27 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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dragonsteel
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by dragonsteel »

BTB0923 wrote:Y I really wish you folks who seem to categorize ALL Rizzutos as being crap would get a chance to hold one of the original Italian-made lockbacks, or even one of the button o/c flat grind/swedge bladed models. They were the first generation of Rizzutos and are actually built pretty solid...nothing like the Japanese variations. I think if a new Rizzuto does come to pass I'd like to see it modeled after the original lockback version. .
This was my point also.Why not let the Italians have there knife design back, that is if they want it.I agree all rizzutos are not the same. I do not personally collect these but as somewhat of a vintage dealer I have owned a few and the Original Italian made Rizzutos are not tanks but the quality of steel used was much better. Asian Rizzutos are flawed from use of pot-metal in there rockers .If the Asians had not cut corners in that department these knives would last a whole lot longer.
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FreeTheArmy
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by FreeTheArmy »

I doubt that it would be too difficult to see if Bill or Straydog could add a bail to an 11" Italian swinger :!: I've even heard of custom guards being added, to suit the owner's specs... but I'm not sure who would be the exact right person for the job...but price-wise, you're probably gonna get better quality from a custom for the same going rate as a Rizzy.
Just a thought :roll:
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BTB0923
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Re: Rizzuto bidding frenzy

Post by BTB0923 »

FreeTheArmy wrote:I doubt that it would be too difficult to see if Bill or Straydog could add a bail to an 11" Italian swinger :!: I've even heard of custom guards being added, to suit the owner's specs... but I'm not sure who would be the exact right person for the job...but price-wise, you're probably gonna get better quality from a custom for the same going rate as a Rizzy.
Just a thought :roll:
Another important Rizzuto characteristic is having rounded scales that are flush with the bolsters. Typical Italian swingers have extra thick and boxy scales.
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