New Knife - Zitoon Knives The Rafale

It seems obvious by now that I have become a Francophile when it comes to throwing knives. But it is not so strange. Some of the world's best manufacturers are found there.* One of them is Zitoon Knives. A small company from the scenic Normandy. The man behind both the company and most of the models is Olivier Feret.

Speaking of nature, he took inspiration for the name of this knife, Le Rafale, from there. It means gust or breeze in English.

Zitoon Knives Le Rafale

According to Olivier himself, the Rafale took a long time to design. For the uninitiated, it may seem strange, as throwing knives do not have elaborate handles like many fixed blades or opening mechanisms and locks like folding knives. They often consist of just one piece of steel.

However, it is, at best, a very well-shaped piece of steel, and other details must be carefully considered. It requires a good basic design, preferably built on solid knowledge—one that can often only be obtained by being a knife thrower yourself or in close collaboration with one. Then, that design must be put into practice via prototypes and testing before the finished product is ready to be manufactured and sold.

Balance is, of course, exceptionally important compared to more conventional knives. However, it is also important how the handle meets the fingers when different grips are used, depending on which technique is preferred. It is about angles, length, width, curvature, etc.

Le Rafale, a throwing knife model from France focused on No Spin

The end result is a knife that measures a fairly, for no spin use, standardized 25 cm in length. The thickness is 6 mm and this gives a weight of around 220 g. The exact weight is difficult to say as it can differ by a few grams depending on the grinds. After all, these are mostly handmade items.

The finish is brushed, which is one of Zitoons' most common, and the material is Swedish Hardox 450. A very good choice for throwing knives as it is really tough and very impact-resistant. And also prone to rust, nota bene, so it needs maintenance.

It will be a joy to get to know these knives better during the spring. Especially as the options for the upcoming World Cup increase.

Zitoon

/ J - trying to catch a breeze


* In addition to Zitoon, there are, for example, Throwingzone and Pierre Cazoulat. Then there are quality knives from other parts of the world. The USA, for example, also boasts several manufacturers with really high quality. But buying and privately importing from there can be quite expensive. Especially with the current exchange rate. But Zitoon Knives are affordable even to other European manufacturers.

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New Knives - Wulflund Vengeance

Haven't you published pictures of those knives before is a question that might pop up? Especially for those who are not fully initiated in the knife-throwing world. If you're one of those people who got that thought in your head, you're actually not completely wrong. 

That is, these knives from Czech Wulflund and their throwing knife section  Sharp Blades belong to the same category of knives as the Stinger. A model from another manufacturer that I previously reviewed. It's also the same man behind them, Adam Čeladin. Basically, both models are based on a knife called Arrow, designed by Thomas "Tom Tom" Hampich. So there are definitely similarities. 

But Vengeance as this model is called is a further development from the two and differs in several ways.

Wulflund Vengeance

First, Vengeance is both longer and heavier than the other knives. The length, in this case, is as much as 25 centimeters and since the thickness is a massive 8 mm, the weight is palpable. They weigh in at 278 grams each, even though they are said to be a few grams lighter in the catalog.

Then the shape is certainly similar but not identical. They are not only longer but also slimmer towards the "blade" and slightly wider over the buttocks. In theory, the increased length should facilitate rotation control in certain techniques (not all nota bene) of no spin throwing. It should make them even less willing to spin while the wider and rounder stern should reinforce the anti-rotation movement with the index finger. Like I said, that was the theory. It remains to be seen how I perceive them in practice.

The tip is not the same either. Here the primary edges are steeper, and the tip also narrows in width, which the completely flat tip on the Stinger does not do. It should provide even harder penetration.

The material used for Vengeance is Czech spring steel with the designation 14260 which is then provided with a black coating that I actually do not know what it consists of. In any case, it helps to protect against rust and, in the worst case, the knives disappear into the forest when it begins to get dark in an early autumn afternoon.

Time to find out!

/ J 

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