The Rizzuto Estileto Milano, also known as the Rizzy, is certainly an iconic knife. It is often the first switchblade many of us carried in our pockets. While not as sturdy in its construction as the Italian knives of the time, there sure are good ones still around today. There are characteristics of the common rizzy which define them. The variations are another discussion. No matter what, the rizzy is an enjoyable and very collectible knife for those of us who appreciate them.
These were made in Japan. They often were sold in Mexico and through mail order by importers, finding their way onto the streets of the US. There is debate about whether there was ever an Italian made Rizzuto knife the Japanese copied. That is a whole different topic. The Koreans later made a rizzy, and that too is a separate topic.
Blade and Stamp
On the blade, a rizzy is stamped “Rizzuto Estileto Milano” and “stainless steel” is stamped on the tang. Whenever you see a knife which involves a stamp that includes Milano, rest assured it is not an Italian knife. The blades are almost always a swedge grind and sometimes a bayonet grind on a classic Japanese rizzy.
The most commonly found lengths are 9 and 11inch. Less common are the 7 inch variety, but they are still around.
The classic guard is rounded. Though less common, some were made with batwing and mustache guards. Even less common are the guardless variations.
The most frequently seen is black bakelite. After that is white. There are other colors and those are harder to find. The front scale was held with 4 brass pins and the rear scale was held with three. Sometimes seen are single pin, which for some reason, seems to be found on white handled rizzys. That is yet another variation.
The bale on a Japanese rizzy is filigreed and most commonly silver. There are some in gold tone and that is very uncommon and associated with the variations.
The Japanese Rizzuto Estileto Milano aka rizzy is an enjoyable and very collectible switchblade knife. It comes in a variety of sizes and colors. For those of us who collect them, that leaves a lot of work cut out for us. But that is really the fun. If you have a cool rizzy that you enjoy, send us a picture We’d love to see it.