CRKT Williams HZ6....The good and the bad.

Today we are taking an upclose and honest look at the CRKT HZ6 designed by James Williams. Another Asian inspired beauty in a long line of offerings from CRKT and Mr. Williams.
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Instagram: bazonblades

[@SystemOfStrategy]

Here is a video demonstrating penetration, and grip, for the HZ6. The amount of resistance from wood is substantial. There are a couple of other videos on my channel demonstrating the how and why of grip. I work directly with those in our military who use knives the most. I have a vested interest in their welfare and success and every aspect of my designs is for that purpose. That being said no design can cover all of the uses that a person might need for their specific tasking. If you have questions please ask and I will endeavor to answer.

[@BazonBlades]

Thank you for taking the time to drop by and comment.

[@SystemOfStrategy]

@@BazonBlades You are most welcome.

[@WTF-Cubing]

The man himself comes and comments! That’s incredible Mr. Williams, you designed one hell of a knife, and I’m looking forward to getting it. I’ll admit that to justify it, I’m telling my woman that I’m using it for making beef jerky 😂 But when she’s not looking, I’ll be in the back yard playing samurai.

[@harvestblades]

Finally after years & years ordered mine so as not to miss out on another great design should CRKT discontinue it. Next day delivery, free shipping, & 3 payments from Amazon made that such an easy pill to swallow I didn't even need water. I hope you gotten yours & had fun playing ninja (& didn't get in trouble with the Mrs!) Mine is "for work" that's my story & I'm sticking too it!

[@AndrewBradley-kx4bb]

My Williams Blade Design SZK 005 #76/150 created by TRC knives is the very best blade known to all of mankind! I love mine , and carry/use it everyday! Thank you Mr Williams or MASTER or whatever your title is you are Completely AWESOME, and so is your Son! GOD BLESS! respectfully submitted, DOCTOR BRADLEY GENERAL BRADLEY Andrew John (WICK)BRADLEY GOD. (BUDDAH) FYI I am also a United States Marine , and a multiple WAR veteran. A top ten 4 yrs in a row mtn bike winner, and a Freestyle Fighting MUAY THAI, BJJ, Wrestling takedowns, THUG JITSU Mixed Martial Artist 8-1 @ 185 in the CAGE! We get out the kydex blades after BJJ practice and KNIFEFIGHT 4 real. I am supremely confident in my knife skills I did this for years, my knife, my fighting. I have a total SAVAGE KILLER mindset from all of the combat, and battles. I was born with a twin brother that all I did was fight more than you coy,d ever imagine! All of my life!

[@steveclarke4542]

Blade thickness counters flex in a stab. Osoraku is designed to stab. Kiyomaro knew what he was doing when he created o-kissaki swords

[@isabellam1936]

Also the handle isn’t designed to be comfortable. It designed for your hand not to move when you hit bone in someone. If you’ve ever stabbed a tree with a normal knife you know your hand will slide over the blade and cut you. Hilts are designed for the same thing but it’s better to not have your hand move at all on the handle than against a hilt.

[@peterm.souzajr.2112]

i got one. my tip bent just from touching the sheath when i inserted a little carelessly. that tip was cool, but it bent immediately and i also eased it off to make it sharp and more durable.

[@BazonBlades]

Exactly what happened with my example except my tip cracked off.....Apparently. Since I never used it for anything, the culprit has to be a too thinly ground tip vs. sheath.

[@BazonBlades]

@@beowulf_of_wall_st, get the f**k outa here with that BS. A fragile tip is a fragile tip.

[@harvestblades]

That was a great bit of info to know. When mine arrived tomorrow I'll fix that before it bends or snaps off taking good steel with it. As you said it's too fine of a point & while it's a stabby knife it doesn't need to be that fine. I'm also grateful you were honest about the sheath & that will be remedied as well. I'll do a two piece just incase I'm feeling fiesty & want to belt carry, but I plan on it living in molle webbing & that would likely be too wide. Love your reviews & keep up the good work.

[@russholcomb]

same thing happened to me ,dos the warranty cover this?

[@SharpChronofighter]

As a martial arts enthusiast and practicioner I just love all JW designs. His knives definitely need a decent know how in using... always excellent reviews Brother Baz. Take care.

[@OGBladeReviews]

On my personal copy I removed the handle slabs and noted that the tang was weight relieved. I did a bit of smoothing on the G10 grooves and it's just a bit knder to the flesh of the hand! Great reivew Baz!

[@BazonBlades]

Thanks for dropping in and commenting. What about that sheath??? I'm still traumatized by it.

[@jessej22]

hell of a blade for sure

[@BazonBlades]

No doubt about it.....

[@Sombody123]

You could probably wrap a paracord inside those jimping grooves and finish the tie in the lanyard hole.

[@BazonBlades]

@@Sombody123, no doubt. And that would effectively tame down much of the super aggressive feel of the "texturing." Good call on that little mod. That may work for someone with more sensitive hands.

[@harvestblades]

Great review & not a knife I bought for slicing paper. I pray it sits in it's sheath, on my vest, oiled, & never is used for it's intended purpose, however I'd rather have it & not need it, then need it & not have it. I love James' designs & glad to see CRKT make an affordable version of the Winkler Hira Zukuri though I wish they still made the Yukanto the 4 5" version of this blade.

[@patrickmccrea3455]

Thanks Mr. Baz i have the Otanashi Noh ken i love that knife the HZ6 is my next purchase 😊

[@BazonBlades]

I still have a high opinion of the knife. And still hate the sheath. But as a Williams fixie goes, I think it is pretty damn sweet.

[@chiefslief1886]

Nice one again Baz! And now you've got me ordering this knife too...😊 Thanks Bazzz❤

[@BazonBlades]

It's a killer knife. Just be careful with the blade tip. It's very thin and, at least in my sample, a little fragile.

[@requiscatinpace7392]

Thanks for also using metric!! You are ahead of your time, most Americans don’t realise that most of the world doesn’t understand those thousandths things that you still use 😁. Edit: “eye aids”!! 😂 subbed for that comment.

[@BazonBlades]

@requiscatinpace7392 , thank you, and welcome to the Baz on Blades family.

[@requiscatinpace7392]

@@BazonBlades thank you. I’ve ordered one now, it arrives tomorrow. If it’s shit I’m blaming you 😜.

[@BazonBlades]

@requiscatinpace7392 , the blade is killer. Just watch the tip. It is super delicate. And of course, the sheath is an abomination to all that is holy. The review covers all of that. I still have my personal example and have never thought about getting rid of it. So I still feel really solid recommending it.

[@jorgefernandez6407]

Great review Baz. I have that knife. Put my own edge on it and it's one of my favorite "martial blades"! No tip breakage here, razor sharp and the grip is perfect for my leather skinned palms!!! I've even made the sheath work...!

[@jeffcon123]

I’ve got one coming.. just watching reviews again lol I’m stoked.. I recently got a super badass dagger, from United cutlery axrually.. it’s a bud slab of d2 and I tested at 59 hrc

[@SpartacusColo]

I have a Hissatsu and have watched a number of JW's videos explaining his background and some of his philosophies when it comes to knives. The retention on the Hissatsu is as minimal as this one appears to be: it also does not 'click' into the sheath and depends on minor friction for retention. In a video I recall seeing some time ago, JW's rationale explaining the lack of retention is that he wants the knife to be able to come out as fast and easy as possible for the guy who gets surprised in-close and needs a fighting knife immediately. He probably intended the same for HZ6. That rattle is horrendous. My Hissatsu has some rattle, but doesn't seem to be as bas as your HZ6. JW has a video explaining some theory behind this knife, including preferred-grip, and the grip he advises is unusual: it's basically a saber-like grip with the blade facing up and the butt-corner in your palm area to help back up the fingers in keeping the hand from riding up on a stab. I speculate that the sheath is mainly intended to be worn inside the belt (not necessarily inside the pants, though), blade-up to facilitate this grip, which would prevent anything from riding underneath it in the manner you suggest. Wearing it inside the belt is also out of the Japanese influence he comes from: blades were typically tucked into the wearer's belt. I don't recall him going into it in that video, but that seems the 'Japanese thing to do', and would make his suggested grip-style easier to arrive at.

[@steveclarke4542]

Dulled the point? Sheath it properly. Mine is still needle sharp after many shows and resheathings

[@powerplay4real174]

Baz that thing is built for war 😡⚔️🗡️

[@BazonBlades]

Haha.....It damn sure is. A war started by both sides arguing about how ugly the sheath is.

[@johnnyindalecio4577]

This knife was in Tomb Rider 😂😊😁

[@Solly-ow4od]

How can you put your name on a blade that comes with a sheath like that? A knife in that price range should have a fully functional sheath……and be good looking as well. Especially considering the blades intended purpose.

[@BazonBlades]

It's damn sure an ugly, crap sheath.

[@steveclarke4542]

The sheath, you wouldn't wear on the catwalk?

[@ericsierra-franco7802]

The blade style is Shobu Zukuri.

[@steveclarke4542]

Does the Shobu Zukuri have a yokote?

[@AndrewBradley-kx4bb]

I am a MARINE, and multiple WAR veteran . I fight MMA. Undefeated Amateur, and a 4-1 pro. After BJJ we get out the kydex knives, and KNIFEFIGHT. Some of the knife combatants have had to go to hospital, and some had stitches from the kydex because we go so ABSOLUTELY HARD/INTENSE . real scenario.I have done this for a couple of years.i am supremely confident in my knife skills, and the best knife ever created is a Williamsbladedesign/trcknives SZK005 , and almost equal is the Half Face Blades Combat Dirt Nap, and a blade that was $156.00 and just as good is the TOOR kingpin CPM3V Ranger Green paracord wrap. The knife I couldn’t live without is my Winkler Crusher Belt knife with rubber handles! Good luck with your blades.

[@BazonBlades]

Thank you.....All very good knives. Also, don't forget the Kasper designs for a little wider blade profile.

[@NikosKatsikanis]

wow 🎉

[@4StonesHandcraft]

A single purpose fighting tool without a guard needs an aggressive grip like that, and even then I think your hand would be the first casualty. And after being subjected to that sheath for so many minutes I’m going to go spend some time in nature to cleanse my mental/visual palate.

[@BazonBlades]

Please accept my most sincere and heartfelt apologies for making you look at that sheath.

[@lionknives3]

Man Crkt has some great designs but they need to step up their game with the Steel choice! My Minimalist cuts 2 times and than I have to sharpen it. Hope you are doing well BAZ! Greetings from Austria of course!

[@BazonBlades]

Yeah....CRKT is way behind the curve in materials and refinement. Which is a damn shame. CRKT was foundational in my early tacti-cool days. They had so many bad ass custom designs available. And the quality was decent. The problem is CRKT hasn't improved since then. It's a whole other ballgame in 2022. Companies like Civivi, Bestech, Pet Fish, Kansept, etc. have spoiled us with higher end materials, superior fit/finish and even little stuff like zipper pouches. I can just imagine how well this knife would have been made if manufactured by Civivi.

[@lionknives3]

@@BazonBlades exactly! See you soon BAZ

[@steveclarke4542]

Watch kenjutsu masters as they resheathe their blades

[@ashemsavage6842]

Perfect boot knife

[@BazonBlades]

For a tall boot. And definitely with an upgraded sheath.

[@russholcomb]

the tip is weak sauce mine broke off just sheathing it. really not happy with this.

[@BazonBlades]

Yep....You will have to reprofile the tip. Seems like this is an issue with this model.

[@JT-466]

@@BazonBlades Maybe the steel/treatment or just geometry. I have seen historical dagger designs/modern knives like some from ANV knives, where the steel gets thicker towards the tip to make it tougher.

[@BazonBlades]

@JT-466 , I think it's just so thin that they are overheating the tip when they do the edge bevel. My example was stupidly thin at the tip. But it is just the very tip that broke off. I was able to reprofile it by hand in just a few minutes.

[@cuchulainn1967]

COOL KNIFE, GREAT REVIEW!!!!!!

[@BazonBlades]

It's a bad ass knife for sure. Thanks for watching brother.

[@9unslin9er]

I loveJames Williams designs, but as far as this one goes, I'll take the Otanashi No Ken. Tha's about as large of a stabber, as I need. For straight up shanking, I have a Tops Lions Toothpick, which will do the job better.

[@BazonBlades]

It's funny that you would say that. I have been carrying my Otanashi No Ken all this week. I absolutely love that knife. It is so easy to carry, has a great design, and looks cool as hell.

[@Hungrybird474]

Any flex in that blade ?

[@BazonBlades]

No....It's a solid feeling knife. Plenty of stock thickness at .200"

[@russholcomb]

no

[@stonefox9124]

No muscle detected in knife 💪

[@steveo13757]

A knife should have an equal amount of stabbing AND slashing capability like many ColdSteel knives do. My research shows this knife falls short as a slasher.

[@Ve-suvius]

Many mob guys preferred the icepick. Frank Abbandando to name one. No slashing there. Excellent penetration though. Narrow blades are often not the best slashers. There's always a trade off. Though a humble Mora companion does slice really well, and penetration is also effective. Though 'only' a 4 inch blade..

[@9unslin9er]

Hira-Zukuri

[@steveclarke4542]

Osoraku blades were tanto

[@steveclarke4542]

Tac knives don't wanna be razor sharp. Otherwise, use a razor

[@Bawidamann2.0]

A knife for self defense should be razor sharp too.

[@realitycheck4158]

Videos way too long

[@BazonBlades]

You know the length of the video before you start watching. Only a moron would come back to complain. If you don't like my stuff, then do your own or watch somebody else.

[@realitycheck4158]

@@BazonBlades only a "moron" wouldn't be able to take constructive criticism.

[@BigDaddySwingingMeat]

Mine came sharp enough to shave a ballsack. Whoever did the sharpening job at CRKT deserves a tip. 🥒

[@BazonBlades]

Hell yeah....Isn't it nice to get a knife that is actually sharp.