The CRKT Hissatsu may be a contemporary knife, but it harkens back to the days of the Samurai.
The blade is of a modified tanto design, yet the secondary point is so elegant it almost makes the blade look curved. Even the handle, which has steel liners and zytel handle scales, is molded with the similar "ray skin" texturing of the ancient katana in mind.
The Hissatsu features CRKT's patented Auto-lawks feature, which provides a secondary lock for your liner, making the knife's overall strength about as close to "fixed blade" strength as possible.
It also has Outburst capabilities, making deployment of the beautiful blade fast and secure. This is done by way of an oversized torsion bar, which requires you to start opening the blade 1/3 of the way, at which point the torsion bar takes over and effortlessly opens the knife the rest of the way, making sure the Auto-Lawks system engages everytime.
There is a backspacer, but it only takes up half of the back, leaving the upperhalf (towards the blade) exposed. This allows for easy removal of dirt or debris that may accumulate after prolonged carry.
Continuing with the samurai theme, CRKT uses Japanese AUS 8A stainless steel in the blade. Ask most knife lovers and they will tell you that this is a good quality steel. The Hissatsu comes shaving sharp right out of the box, and it is no problem to put a sharp edge on the knife due to the high quality of steel.
The Hissatsu also features an oversized pivot screw, providing zero blade-play. Overall, a beautifully elegant and solid knife, worthy of any modern-day Samurai.
Cheers!