Rizzuto quality?

[Mario]

Mr. Mario,

Your topic speaks volumes with that question mark. It's non-existent. They are however, a coveted collectible item due to their past novelty popularity. Certainly not a reliable self defense weapon due to it's pot metal innards and flimsy liners, you could very well be short of a few digits after losing the battle. I look at them as an investment, and never pass one up as long as I know the seller is gullible.


Best regards,

Bonz

Thanks for your input Bonz! Yeah, they certainly never seemed like ideal weapons if a situation came up where you had to defend yourself. The button open/button close locking system on them seems like it could be potentially dangerous if you had a really tight grip on the handle and were thrusting heavily. Definitely a high chance of the button getting pressed and the blade closing up on your fingers. Only way to avoid that would be if you immediately put the safety on after deploying the blade, but how many would think to do that in an emergency situation? I wouldn’t trust using a NATO or Super Auto OTF for self defense either. They seem to have flimsy blades that could easily snap off.

[HLangston]

I had two Rizzutos in high school back in the early 1970s, a 9-inch and a 7-inch, both will pearl scales, both early Japanese-made knives. Colorado Springs was on the drug trafficking route from Tijuana, and with that came lots of Rizzutos and M-80's, so they were very easy to come by.

Mine could not have been more than a few years old when I got them, but the blades in both of them were already peeking. The locking pin and locking hole wore out easily on Rizzutos. I had to carry them in my pocket with the bottom bolster down to keep the blade tip from going under my fingernail when I put my hand in my pocket.

At the time, I also had an Italian swivel bolster that I bought in Milan when I was in junior high, so I had a direct side-by-side comparison. The Rizzuto is fun to play with, but they are on par with American-made Shur-Snap knives -- cheaply-made metal and plastic toys.

[Bill DeShivs]

Rizzuto and quality should not be used in the same sentence.
While they have appeal to certain people, as knives they are pure junk.

[sammy the blade]

Rizzuto and quality should not be used in the same sentence.
While they have appeal to certain people, as knives they are pure junk.

True that! I've only seen one Rizzy that I didn't consider junk and it cost me $150 over 15 years ago to get it.

[picklocksrock]

I own one Rizzy and I love it! I don’t flick it open maybe on a rare occasion. It’s too nice of condition and the attributes of this Rizzy are very nice. It has no gaps,no blade or spring peek, rock solid lock up. It’s from around 1968 I have had both the Korean clone and the Japanese version is way better quality. The guards are even rock solid! It also has a decent weight to it. The Korean model has only one or two pins and it’s light as a feather in the hand. The early Japanese Rizzy are the ones to really look for if you’re looking to buy one. I don’t believe I’ll ever come across a mint un-used one from the late 60’s ever again in my life!