HSR 482 Tanto blade review

[Freaver]

So, I finally got my new folder - a knife that is streetlegal in Denmark and still of pretty good use.

The knife in question, is a HSR 482. I know, it's a weird name... HSR is the company that makes them and 482 is... Well, I don't know how they came up with that. As far as I can tell, they don't care much about names on their products.

But, let's get to the point. This particular knife is meant as a rescue-tool, due to having a glass-breaker and a seatbelt-cutter. It's a bright orange color, so it's easy to find and it has a great pocket-clip. The blade itself is a tanto-style blade, with a nailnick going all the way through the blade.
It makes it a lot easier to open the blade, since the spring is pretty strong - you literally can not open this blade with one hand, unless you loosen the blade to a point where it wouldn't be safe to have in the pocket anymore. Likewise, you can't really close this blade with one hand either; it almost feels like there's a lock in it somewhere, so you don't need to worry about the blade folding on your fingers. Should it occur anyway, there's a "drop" 90 degrees into the closure, where the blade is loose, so it won't snap down on your fingers.

So far I haven't found any flaws in it, except a small dent in the blade itself - gonna contact the seller and ask whether or not that will fall under some sort of warranty or if I should just grind it out. So far, the knife has only been used to cut paper and thread and not been dropped once, so the damage must've been there from the start.

My apologies for the bad picture, but it was the best one I could get, where you'd still be able to see the dent properly.

The cold facts:
Handle length, incl. glassbreaker: 9,7 cm/3,81 inch
Blade length: 6,1 cm/2,4 inch
Overall length, incl. glassbreaker: 15,3 cm/6 inch
Blade type: Tanto-style.
Blade material: 440C steel.
Handle material: Plane aluminium (Not sure that's the right description in English)
Pocket clip: Right side carry, tip down.
Screws/bolts: Don't know the material, problably aluminium - all Torx.
Locktype: Slipjoint.

Pros:
- Lightweight
- Low carry pocket clip
- Easy to EDC

Cons:
- Very tight to open and close (could be a pro, depending on the person)
- Some edges of the handle are a bit pointy and can become a problem when closing the blade
- Pocket clip is not reversible

Conclusion:
I like this knife. I actually like it a lot, so far. It's lightweight, rides low in your pocket so it doesn't scream to the world, despite its color. The seatbelt-cutter and glassbreaker are just added bonusses - I've never had any real use for those two, but having them on an item I carry every day, somehow gives me a piece of mind.
It's going to be carried to week with me for the next week and then we'll see, if I've changed my mind about it. But so far, I like it. Actually, even my girlfriend likes it, so HSR gotta be doing something right with these knives.


I forgot to mention, the text on the blade - if you can see it on my pictures - is "HSR 482" <- the manufacturer and model name and "Brand og redning", which means "Fire and rescue". This blade was originally made for danish EMT-services, but apparently they've made more knives, than they could sell, so now these knives are going out to the public, for 199 DKK, excl. shipping. That's just about 37 USD and then another 55 DKK in shipping/10 USD. The rather high shipping price is due to HSR using their own shipping insurance - in case the package gets lost, they don't wait around for the mail-service to finish their own investigation, they just send you a new one right away.

[Gareth]

Good review of a good looking knife.

[ducttapetech]

Thanks for the review.
Looks like a sweet blade. That little nick should go away when you sharpen it. But if they will replace it, go for it.

live from Nate's mobile

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Nice looking user there mate, and a fine review. Thanks

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Freaver]

Thank you. :-)
Ducttapetech, they actually did offer to replace the blade, but considering that I already waited two weeks for the blade to come and the fact that it should go away with sharpening, I decided to just keep it and sharpen it often in the start. It wasn't exactly sharp when I got it anyway.

I'm probably not gonna be very popular for this question, but should there be any problem in sharpening this blade on a Lansky pocket sharpener? As far as I can tell, the only difference between sharpening a Tanto blade and a droppoint blade, is that you gotta treat the tanto blade like two different blades, in order to not "round off" the secondary tip.

Sendt fra min HTC One med Tapatalk

[willc]

Very good review.
It sounds as though you are happy with the knife other than the nick in the blade.

Is the Lansky pocket sharpener a pull through device?
If so it will be very hard to get a good edge unless the blade is already at the same angle as the sharpener.
You should really get an inexpensive bench stone.
Most will have a course and fine side and sharpen easier and better than a pull through.

Watch some videos if unsure.
A little time and practice is all it takes to get a decent edge free handing.
A Sharpie, magnifier or loupe, good lighting and a light touch will help too.

Good luck with it.


Sent from my fancy work phone.

[Freaver]

Sorry for the late reply; didn't see your reply until now. Yes, the Lansky is a pull through. I think it's set at an angle of 45 degrees total.
And I actually have been thinking about getting a sharpening stone instead. Or the Spyderco sharpmaker, if I can buy it without my girlfriend seeing the price tag. :-P Saw some videos yesterday with both the sharpmaker and normal stones and ended up considering to throw my Lansky out the window.

Sendt fra min HTC One med Tapatalk

[RT1969]

So you went with the tanto blade. 
A really nice knife and I can't see anyone giving you grieve about carrying a 'weapon' with this friendly orange handles!

As for sharpening: After using a Fiskars (branded IKEA) pullthrough I changed to a Lansky sharpening set (the one with the guiding rods + clamp) that I got for christmas. My results improved considerably!
In your place I would at least get a sharpening rod/stone where you can vary the angle yourself. Even my Victorinox sharpener I carry while travelling yields better results than the pull-through.

And pro tipp: You will not hear any more complains about the sharpener after sharpening all her kitchen knives! 

[Freaver]

I like the advice about the kitchen knives, but they are all fairly new and still sharp - she cut herself a few days back and didn't even realize until she saw the wound. Nonetheless, I've really gotten my eye on that guided Lansky set.

Sendt fra min HTC One med Tapatalk

[RT1969]

I am not trying to preach to you. I like the Lansky, but some water stones would be good, too. Or the Spyderco sharpmaker. You have to make your own decision there.

I went with the Lansky, as I had lots of problems with varying angles as I sharpened on (small) stones (http://www.amazon.de/Gransfors-Bruks-Grinding-Sharpening-4034/dp/B007248K7W - It's very small for knives, it is for axes, after all) and I also wanted to build up some new edges. And the Lansky was the most economic for me (45€ via amazon, prices varied up to 65€ in the previous months!  ).

It is not the end of all means: with the 1000 grit 'very fine' stone I still need to strope afterwards (I am unsure whether I should the Lansky leather strope for ~10€, or not) and you have to rebend the guid rods, they are not perfectly straight.
You also have only 4 fixed angles for grinding, which means de facto grinding a new edge on every knife, as I have yet to find a knife with exactly one of those angles. E.g. my Mora Scandi-grind now has a slight secondary edge.
All in all I am happy with it, but I know some others can't stand the Lansky system.