Time for a new set of competition knives I thought. Sure I like my current set of no-spin knives too but somehow I'm dying to try more neutrally balanced knives. The ones I now throw the most with are markedly handle-heavy.
Based on that thought, the step is not that far from these knives from Zitoon Knivescalled The Devil's Claw.
Not only do they meet that requirement, but they are also pointier than my old ones. A feature I was looking for after I missed a number of throws in competition due to my knives not sticking in the planks that make up the targets in both silhouette throwing and long-distance despite good hits. That can frustrate any knife thrower.
Zitoon Knives The Devil's Claw
Zitoon Knives is a small French company that produces knives of the highest quality. I already have some models from them such as Spinning Dagger, Spinner, and The Iron Mistress. However, they are all intended for rotational throwing.
But now it was time for a set of no-spin knives. As I said, the first choice is between more neutral knives and handle heavy ditto and the second is about weight. In general, it can be said that the limit is around 250 grams. Anything below that and down towards the competition limit of 195g can be considered light and anything over as heavy. These belong to the more heavy category.
Just under 25cm long and a whopping 8mm thick is The Devil's Claw
Concretely, this means that The Devil's Claw weighs 270 g. The length is 245 mm and the thickness 8 mm. The height of the handle varies between 18.9 mm and 24 mm. The steel used is Hardox. It makes for an extremely solid knife. But it must be admitted that the model is perhaps a bit too heavy for me. But it remains to be seen when I get used to throwing them. Should it be that way, there is actually a lighter version of this knife. With the help of a hole in the blade, the weight is then reduced to approx. 210 grams.
But I will come back to what suits me best. What I can tell immediately, however, is that as usual with products from Zitoon, they are very well made. Now I will find out how they fly out of my hands.
"And now for something completely different" as Monty Python used to say. In this case Guillaume Henry's "Babies" as he calls them or The Scalpel. They are made by French Throwingzoneand are throwing knives with a rather unique appearance. In addition to the name, they have borrowed their shape from surgeons' tools. The question that immediately arises is how do such visually unique knives feel to throw?
Throwingzone Scalpel
Appearance and measurements
The shape of these knives differs from most other throwing knives. They are longer, narrower, and lighter than many others. But those who are familiar with the world of throwing knives and know their history quickly make associations with other throwing objects such as classic bo shuriken. Japanese throwing weapons that look a bit like an overgrown nail.
One characteristic these knives do not share with their namesake is thickness. These are sturdy, made out of 6 mm Hardox 550
They vary in length but if you take one of the longer ones and then add the appearance of a scalpel you get the Throwingzone Scalpel. The length is 29.5 cm and the height is at most just over two cm combined with a thickness of 6 mm which gives a weight as low as 205 g. Normally I would have said that it is too little weight for my taste but that might not be the case here?
Guillaume Henry or Abeille Métallique as he is known in the knife-throwing community and on Youtube was obviously aiming for a long and slim design. With such a specific look comes a unique feeling when thrown.
Material
The steel used in these knives is recognizable from other knives made by Throwingzone and some other French manufacturers and is Hardox. In this case with the number 550. This group of steel from Swedish SSAB is high-strength steel and is found in rather extreme applications otherwise. They are used for, among other things, dumper flatbeds, rip hooks for bulldozers, and the teeth of excavator buckets and the like.
In other words, it is an extremely durable material, which is a good basis for a throwing knife. The fact that they are also 6 mm thick means that they do not break easily.
The finish is available in two variants, "Classic" which is a matte gray, or a slightly lighter brushed version. Regardless of the version, the buyer should be aware that Hardox is far from stainless. So certain maintenance in the form of oiling and the like is required at regular intervals. Otherwise, not only patina but rust will be a feature on your knives.
To Throw
That these knives are intended for No spin throwing may not come as a surprise to anyone after looking at them. Perhaps more surprising is that they are actually quite good to use even with rotation techniques!
Despite their rather extreme shape, these knives rotate predictably
There are two things that contribute to that they despite their extreme appearance also can be used for other throwing techniques. Firstly, Scalpels are fairly long knives and secondly, they are rather neutrally balanced. In that regard they differ from many no spin knives which are often back heavy. Or rather there are two main categories. One where the blades are slight to very back heavy and one where they are slightly back heavy to neutral. In the first, you find knives of "Arrow" type and the other are "Osetr"-style knives.
- Rotational Throwing
It was when I first tried throwing the Scalpel with rotation that I was really surprised. As they are neutrally balanced, the balance point and also the center of rotation are found in the middle of the knife. It makes it very easy to calculate the spins. Or simply put, the Scalpel spins a revolution of about three meters like most knives and you don't have to think too much about how fast or late the rotation should be initiated.
However, it should be pointed out that the light weight means that the blades rotate very quickly. Therefore, no extra power is needed. From four meters it becomes extra clear. When you hold the knives in the blade, it is important to throw without using too much force because the rotation is nevertheless very quick, which still gives a good punch when they stick.
Chisel-type tips penetrate very well
There I can point out that a distinguishing feature of this model, regardless of throwing technique, is that they hit the target hard. Very hard even and the penetration is really extreme.
In fact, these knives work with rotation techniques right up to the maximum competition distance for "Walk back" which is seven meters if you feel like it. And since Eurothrower's rules are not nearly as strict for knives used in rotational disciplines as for those used for no-spin, it's perfectly fine to use these if you feel like it. But it's not something I recommend as the knives are so light. The strength of these knives is found elsewhere.
- Half Spin
Half-spin techniques are also no problem with Scalpel. It would be strange otherwise considering that almost anything can be thrown that way. But here it is the length that helps by making them calmer during flight than they would otherwise be. It is the other big factor besides weight that affects knives in flight.
Military half-spin is easy to throw with these knives. But it mainly applies to shorter distances. At least I want more weight when distances approach or exceed five meters for half-spin throws. However, they work just as well for backhand, side throws, and underhand throws as for regular overhand throws. They are therefore more flexible than one might initially be led to believe.
- No Spin
If you are a novice in the field, these knives are not entirely easy to handle. It can be a bit frustrating to start with them as first knives I suspect as they require a certain understanding of different techniques.
The back ends are softly rounded and have some grooves for the best effect during the actual "release"
Or rather, they can be used with two different basic styles of no spin. On the one hand, it is possible to use "slide" as intended by the creator and which is his basic technique. It involves throwing with a soft wrist, a kind of whip-like movement where the thrower lets the finger slide along the back of the knife to control the knife. This is why transverse grooves are found on this knife at the end of the handle. They index the grip and provide friction against the index finger for better pressure at the actual release. For those who do not like that detail, the knives can be had without them after contacting the manufacturer.
The second style is somewhat similar, but here you don't let your finger slide in the same way. At least not consciously. The grip is fixed and even if the index finger slides here too, it is not actively used to push the knife in the same way.
Either way, Scalpel works great. But the flight is not calm in the same way as with a heavy knife. This, in turn, makes any attempt to use power instead of technique very difficult, if not impossible. It is also easy for the knife to flutter in the air in the event of a miss in the actual moment of release and then it will not stick.
This is also when you discover another peculiarity of these knives. They bounce! And not a little either, they are probably the knives I have tested that have the worst recoil of all. If you throw from five meters, after a miss you can find them behind you after you (hopefully) ducked! The combination of little weight, slim shape, and steel make them veritable springs. In return, they are forgiving when it comes to angle into the target. They stick easily even if they are slightly over- or under-rotated or come in somewhat sideways towards the target.
A tip is not to hold long sharp knives with the point upwards if you intend to throw technically correct with a nice follow through. Scalpel punches a neat and tidy almost square hole
Another peculiarity is that they are very sharp even though the point is of chisel type. It is noticeable if, for example, you follow through a throw properly and at the same time hold the other two knives in the other hand. Then it may happen that you stab them in the throwing arm! We can also call it clumsiness on the part of the undersigned.
If you are more experienced and have gotten used to these knives, they are, like their namesake, veritable precision instruments.
Conclusion
Scalpels are not only quirky in appearance but also provide a rather unique but very satisfying experience when throwing them. Once you master the technique, it's hard to stop throwing. There is something about the feeling itself that is pedagogical. The knives provide instant response to the thrower by not working at all if you make a mistake. In return, they are easy to stick in the target once the technique is in place.
The shape of the tip also means that they penetrate very hard despite their modest weight. Since they don't require much force to throw, the precision can also be very high.
Scalpels are truly precision tools
Unfortunately, I have to briefly mention that even though the designer, Guillaume Henry, has won both national and international competitions with these knives, they may be banned. Yes, only in the context of competitions and the clashes that fall under the Eurothrower umbrella, of course.
Namely, they belong to a category of knives which, together with a long line of others, will become persona non grata at competitions if Eurothrower's new proposal for no spin rules is implemented. Thankfully, no sign of it yet.
Scalpel certainly meets the distinction of a "clearly marked handle" being one of the requirements but otherwise they violate most parameters. The "blade" definitely does not make up a third of the length of the knife and the width is far too small among other things. But I think the proposed regulation is a bit bizarre because there are no clear definitions of what they mean by a knife and that makes the regulations too narrow.
In any case, this is not a knife according to them. Although I would counter that NO professional throwing knives count as knives in that case. Namely, they lack a cutting edge and therefore fall completely outside the definition of what a "knife" is.
So if you know that you will be competing internationally (or in Europe rather), you might have to wait and see what happens on this front. It would be rather sad to train really hard and then not be able to use the tools you got used to.
I like the Throwingzone Scalpel so much that I made a sheath for them
But for those who do not compete and are looking for a unique set of knives that not only offers a personal design but also a special and sympathetic throwing experience, The Scalpel is a really good choice!
They are knives that help you develop your no-spin technique and once you achieve it, they are real precision instruments made to operate a bullseye. For those who are sold on this type of knife throwing, they are almost a must!
Specification:
Steel: Hardox 550
Length: 29,5 cm
Height: 13-21 mm
Thickness: 6 mm
Weight: 205 g
Point of balance: slightly back heavy, the point of balance is found 13/16,5 cm from back/front
/ J - humming "like a surgeon, cut for the very first time..."
The suffix XL in the name suggests that there is also a smaller version of this knife. And of course, there is. Unlike this one, it is more geared towards no spin throwing. This monster is clearly intended to be used for rotational techniques. I call it a monster because it feels that way in the hand. Much depends on the fact that it is rather thick in relation to its length.
The knife I'm talking about comes from FrenchZitoon Knives, a one-man company from Normandy. This model is named Le Classic XL.
Zitoon KnivesLe Classic XL
The material in the knives is known to me as Zitoon uses Swedish steel. It is steel from SSAB called Hardox 450. The steel is so-called high-strength steel found in applications such as flatbeds for dump trucks, bulldozer blades and rip hooks, and teeth for excavator buckets. In other words, extremely sustainable.
From that, you get 8 mm thickness in this knife distributed over a length of 28 cm. That gives a total weight of 360 g. Not extreme by any means, but still a lot for a knife that measures under thirty centimeters.
The knife has clear Bowie influences with its proportions and clip point blade. Holes are found in the handle for attaching handle sides if desired. It remains to be seen if I add a leather handle or not. Something that also remains to be seen is whether I will complete this model into a set. The finish of the knife is brushed and the whole knife exudes quality. It feels as solid as a piece of, well shaped but still, massive metal.
Olivier Feret is the man behind Zitoon Knives. He is a knife thrower himself and both designs and manufactures the knives. The blanks are laser cut, but he is responsible for the rest of the work. In other words, these knives are handmade or "custom" knives if you will. The quotation marks are not there to be ironic but because the definition of the term varies.
A review of this model will come later. Something also tells me that this is not the last knife from Zitoon that will appear here on the blog. The first impressions of this knife and the Iron Mistress are really really good!
France is a nation with proud knife-throwing traditions and there are companies that still fly that flag. These include Throwingzone.fr. It is a store that focuses on everything that has to do with sports throwing. They sell throwing axes and especially throwing knives from several major brands. The range includes knives from Cold Steel and specialists such as AceJet, Passatore, Skill Blades, Pierre Cazoulat, Opus, and Zitoon. In addition, Guillaume Henry, who is behind the company, also collaborates with well-known names such as Thomas "Tom Tom" Hampich and Werner Lengmüller and manufactures knives for them. That line includes two modern classics such as the "Arrow" and "Werner's Pirate".
The knives from Throwingzone.fr in a homemade sheath
Biting Metal Bug Osetr TZ
In addition to this, Guillaume has also designed knives sold under the brand Throwingzone as the model Raptor. But he has also released knives under the name Biting Metal. It is one of the models I will present here and it is called Bug Osetr TZ.
Appearance and dimensions
Part of the look but also the history behind this model is explained by the name. If we start from the back, "TZ" in Bug Osetr TZ is not difficult to deduce as it of course means that the knife was made for Throwingzone. Should you hesitate, the knife is also marked with their logo. But even "Bug," says something as it flirts with Guillaume Henry's Youtube channel where he calls himself Abeille Métallique (the metal bee).
Osetr is self-explanatory provided one knows something about throwing knives in general and Russian knives in particular. In addition to being the Russian word for sturgeon, it is also a style of throwing knives. The characteristic of them is that they are strikingly similar to ordinary knives/hunting knives or whatever you want to call them. That means a distinctive blade and a handle that is clearly recognizable as such. The latter, however, without handle slabs. If you have such on throwing knives, it is often a couple of pieces of leather or similar. Other materials break down sooner or later, often sooner. If it is not misses or mistakes that cause it, it is the vibrations from the hits that are the cause. A hit or two goes well even with a regular knife. A couple of thousand or more during practice do not.
Bug Osetr TZ is 25 cm long with a thickness of 6 mm which gives a weight of 260 grams
I've said before that I like throwing knives that "look like knives" for purely aesthetic reasons. There are exceptions, of course, but here we have a typical example of the first category. Should you sharpen the edge, you simply have a regular knife. Albeit in abysmal steel for that purpose.
The length of that blade is 12 cm and the Bug Osetr TZ has a total length of 250 mm. The largest width is 30 mm and the thickness is fairly common for throwing knives, 6 mm. It gives weight and stability without making the knives too heavy. These knives weigh in at 260 grams.
In addition to this two-tone finish with brushed edges, the knives are also available in a finish called "classic" where the entire knife is monochromatic gray. In all versions, they have got a "rock pattern" which is certainly mostly for the sake of appearance but which also gives a slightly better grip and indexing. Something that is not for the sake of visibility, however, is the curvature of the handle. It is precisely calculated to give a good "release" of the knife with just the right slide if you use that technique or pressure if you use your index finger more as a catapult. In addition, you can turn the knife, especially over longer distances to get a clearer counter-movement when the knife is thrown.
Material
Bug Osetr TZ is a knife that has gone from being completely handmade, even forged to nowadays being what in the folding knife world is called mid-tech. That is, made in small series with modern methods when it comes to cutting and the like but with several parts that are made by hand.
Then it is natural that throwing knives that do not have handle slabs and that are delivered without sheath have fewer such manufacturing steps than the corresponding folding knife.
In this context, the steel is to be regarded as super steel. It is Swedish steel called Hardox 500. Hardox is a group of "abrasion resistant steel" developed by SSAB for extreme applications such as being used as teeth for excavator buckets and rip hooks for bulldozers. It is extremely tough and durable in other words and thus perfect for making throwing knives. It has exactly the required properties.
Then the steel is a bit on the soft side, which manifests itself in that the knives get their scars and the tips get rounded after a while. The advantage is that they are easy to sharpen again with a file and when you do, the new surface becomes more durable than the old one, it seems. In any case, the knife will never break!
To Throw
Biting Metal Bug Osetr TZ are knives that are certainly aimed at being the best at no-spin throwing. But since the shape is fairly universal, so are the throw properties. The balance point is found 11 cm from the back of the handle or 14 cm from the tip, depending on how you look at it.
The balance point is located slightly backward on the knife
It is of course excellent for especially no spin where a slightly or even very handle heavy knife is preferred. But the same properties also make the knife very capable of military half spin. However, the neutral appearance means that this knife is very all-around-emphasized. It is actually very sympathetic even to use for rotational throwing.
Rotational Throwing
Since the knives are relatively short for rotational throwing, you benefit from extending the knife slightly by gripping it slightly further out on the handle and the blade, respectively. But in both cases there is a point where the knife "tips over" and wants to start rotating and it should not be counteracted if the throw is to feel natural.
Both when throwing with a grip on the handle or blade, Bug Osetr benefits from being angled slightly forward to reduce the rotational speed. It does not spin extremely fast to be of this length but rotates noticeably faster than knives more specialized for this type of technique, read "longer and heavier". The feeling should thus be that the knife strives forward, but the throwing movement itself should still feel round, like a wheel.
When you get used to the rotational speed, the Bug Osetr TZ is really accurate
When rotating, I angle the knife slightly forward to dampen the rotational speed
However, the precision is very good with these knives. They weigh relatively much for the type so they behave calmly while in the air. No feeling of fluttering during flight or being affected by wind. They also hit the board with some force. In addition to the weight, the double-edged tip helps. When we talk about "edge" in this case, it is 2 mm thickness we are talking about. And it is not behind the edge but how much metal remains before it is sharp.
However, it can be added that these knives are not completely easy to throw for the beginner as they require relatively precise hits. It is tied to the tradition of thick edges on this type of knife. This means that they do not cut into the target by themselves, but it is required that the knife hits straight and with a certain force. This is especially noticeable if you use targets made of harder wood (oak, birch, etc.) or if they happen to be a little frozen. Something that can happen up here in the north, especially in the spring-winter seasons.
Overall, Bug Osetr is otherwise easy to throw even with rotation techniques, although that is not primarily what they are made for. But it is in the character of this type of knife.
Half Spin
For half-turn techniques, this knife is good but not as extremely so as knives that have a more nail-like* appearance. The reason is that a knife like this does not have as tapered a tip, but mainly that they sometimes hit sideways during, for example, military half spin, at least for me. Then the knife hits cross the fibers of targets/trees, which means that more force is needed to stick them. That problem is not as obvious when throwing with instinctive half spin, that is, place the index finger on the back of the blade instead. Then the knife tends to end up on the right keel more often when it hit the target.
Since the knife is thrown with the thumb to the side, it tends to hit the board in that way as well, which means that it does not stick easily when using military half-spin
My grip when I throw with military half spin. When throwing at a longer distance, the thumb is moved further up towards the handle. This grip is for three to three and a half meters throw
Otherwise, the balance is excellent for this type of throw and the width of the knife makes it easy to find space with both the thumb on the side of the knife or with the index finger on the back of the blade.
No Spin
It is of course in this area that the knife has its main strength. This is perhaps not so strange considering the designer's background. Bug Osetr feels very natural to both grab and throw without rotation. Or the quarter-turn it's actually about, but you know that.
Whether it's my hand size or just good design is difficult to say, but when the rounded back of the handle is placed against the inside of the hand, the index finger naturally ends up where it should. I do not have to think much about the grip. This is where indexing in the form of the pattern helps. If you get there, your finger is too far forward, which makes it difficult to throw well. Should it go anywhere, it is possibly backward on the handle as it makes it easier to counteract rotation. That goes both for slide- and push techniques.
Given that this target is half-frozen, penetration is good. No spin is what this knife is best at
The finger on the balance point or a little further back is what I recommend
Then it can be pointed out that these knives are also made with a special technique in mind. Or at least I suspect so as they are very good for the purpose. And it's throwing with "push technique" rather than "slide". The smooth transition between handle and blade certainly allows it if you so prefer, but the knife is still better when you hold it in a slightly firmer grip and at the last moment control the throw and accelerate it by pressing with your index finger.
The flight is flat and easy to control. But for it to be so, it is necessary to really throw the knife, if you see what I mean. There is no need to put force behind the throw, but a certain speed. You should not use strength but a quick and relaxed movement. On the other hand, it generally applies to no spin. Soft throws do not provide the right technique.
Conclusion
Bug Osetr TZ is a typical example of how a good design can hide behind seemingly simple lines. In this case, based on extensive experience. This is especially noticeable in the design of the handle, which enables different pressures on the knife at the actual release, depending on whether the knife is turned upside down or thrown on the right keel. The subtle rounding of the handle together with the curved top also contributes to a natural feeling in the throw. It's in the area of no spin throwing that the benefits of Bug Osetr TZ come into their own. That's when these details are used. But even though it looks very similar to a knife I reviewed earlier here on the blog, AceJet's Appache, it differs from it in a distinct way and that is which technique it favors.
I claim that this model is better for those who use a "push" technique, that is, grip the knife slightly harder and use the index finger as a catapult instead of letting the knife slide in the hand at release. That's the direction my throwing is inclined, even though I vary it a bit depending on what distance I am throwing from and which knife model I am currently using.
Biting Metal Bug Osetr TZ is a knife for those who want to throw with all techniques but who prioritize no spin
Bug Osetr TZ is a very sympathetic knife for those who do not want to specialize and are looking for an all-around knife. But with that said, it is likely that this is the model I will compete with in the no spin Walk back discipline at the upcoming Swedish Championships. Maybe it gives a hit about what I think of it? It is simply extremely good for that kind of throwing. Even if that statement comes with a small disclaimer, it requires good technique to stick the knives reliably. An even pointier or sharper model is more forgiving in that respect. Therefore, I will probably sharpen my Bugs a bit for future use.
In addition, Bug Osetr looks pretty good I think. Not the most significant feature of a throwing knife which, after all, is a training tool but it does not hurt either. Over time, usually a fairly short one, all throwing knives get scars and battle wounds, but these are really nice when they arrive in any case.
