TheOne Tsunami Clone Review: The New King of Clones?

You can also read this review on Reddit!

tl;dr

I'm just gonna come right out and say it: TheOne's Tsunami is the new king of clones. This thing is so good it's already my second-favorite balisong in my entire collection, second only to my $650 Seigaiha. If you're looking to dip your toes into titanium balisongs without breaking the bank, this is definitely the clone to buy.

PINSLESS?!

First of all, I'm gonna address the pinsless design, because obviously it's the most controversial aspect of this clone.

Here's my take: Pinsless is fine and at worst identical to tang pins if properly implemented, and TheOne's implementation here is very good.

In most cases, pinsless designs lead to steel-on-Ti contact (assuming steel blade and Ti handles of course). This is the same as how tang pins work, so that's why I say pinsless is basically the same as tang pins.

Just like tang pins, poorly implemented/engineered pinsless can and will lead to handle slap. We've seen this before with designs like the V1 Monarch, etc. However, just like tang pins, properly engineered pinsless designs will basically last forever. And unlike tang pins, pinsless designs present the advantage of never needing to worry about press-fit tang pins falling out.

Zen pins are overall still better for handle gap longevity, as they guarantee steel-on-steel contact and are replaceable if anything ever does go wrong. But pinsless is not automatically bad, and TheOne has implemented it very well with their Tsunami clone. As far as I can tell, there should be no concerns with handle gap longevity with this design.

Weight/flipping

As you can see in the second picture, this trainer weighs only 112.5g (or 3.97oz). It will weigh a bit more with the bottom screws in, and a bit more still if you get the live blade configuration. But I believe even in the heaviest possible config (live blade w/ bottom screws) it still only clocks in at 116g or 4.09oz.

I'm pretty sure this makes the TO Nami the lightest Ti clone on the market (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Also, it comes very close to the weight of a genuine Tsunami, which is 109g or 3.88oz (without any weight pins installed).

The lightweight nature, combined with a very neutral balance and good weight distribution (ample ass/tip weight), makes this bali a joy to flip. It carries momentum admirably while also remaining nimble and never feeling like a chore for your fingers to manipulate.

Handle geometry and flipping cont.

I should also mention that the handle geometry is supremely comfortable and aids in the fluidity of the flipping experience. TheOne got much closer than Baliplus when it comes to replicating the roundness of the Tsunami handles and it really shows. That said, rounded handles are not unequivocally better; in my experience, I prefer blockier handles when learning tricks as they are more controllable and assist in "feeling" which side of the handle you're on at all times. But once I've gotten a trick down pat, I usually prefer rounder handles for comfort and speed. Regardless, the extremely rounded handles is a big part of what draws people to the original Tsunami in the first place, so it's nice to see TheOne nailing that feature here.

Aesthetics and feel

The aesthetics and general "feel" of this balisong are also top-notch, IMO. I know this "Timascus" ano is somewhat controversial, but personally I think it's really well done and attractive. It's easily the best "factory" ano I've ever seen on a clone, personally.

In the hand, the TO Nami feels exceptionally premium. Like, very impressively so. As pictured, I own two other Ti clones that are also in contention for the coveted "king of clones" title (the Baliplus Squiggle Rep and the Armed Shark Gale) and the TO Nami feels significantly more premium than either. The "Tsunami" texturing on the handles is immaculate here, and I'd say it gets closer to the texture of a real Nami than the B+ clone as well.

EDIT: I should mention that the TO Nami does fall short in "premium feel" compared to my Seigaiha. Of course, this shouldn't be surprising given that the latter is literally 6x more expensive. But I do wonder if a zirblast or bead-blast would bring it closer, along with maybe subtle chamfering on the (rather sharp) edges.

Grip all around is great thanks to Ti + the aforementioned texturing. Obviously, the jimping leaves a lot to be desired but I can't fault TheOne too much for that given that it's lackluster on the genuine Tsunami too. Otherwise, the only small gripe is that the flat sides of the handles could be grippier if there was a milling line or speed channels cut into it instead, but again, the real Tsunami also has this issue lol.

Tolerances/tuning

As most of you probably know, TheOne is using floating washers on basically all of their new clones. Now, from what I can tell, floating washers require a very long break-in period compared to traditional bushings. This thing came out of the box with literally 0 play (and obviously no tap) but both handles were pretty stiff (but still flippable). After a couple days of heavy flipping, the handles both have perfect swing and there is still no tap and minimal play. This is a lot longer break-in period than I am used to with regular bushing knives, and I have no idea what causes it lol.

I should also mention that the hardware seems to be pretty top-notch, despite being T8. These stupid screws actually stripped my Wiha T8 bit, so yeah. Very strong T8 screws. I've also noticed that the pivot screws basically don't back out at all, which is impressive, especially for a clone.

Sound

Here's that same sound test on Instagram (second slide).

This balisong sounds insanely good, IMO. Super ringy (and it's a pleasant ring, IMO) and surprisingly bouncy despite the pinsless system. In fact, I'm pretty certain that the pinsless system is at least partly responsible for the ring that these handles produce.

Anyways, it sounds really good. Easily better than the B+ Nami and IMHO better than the real Nami too. It's pretty much tied with my Seigaiha for my favorite sounding bali in my collection.

Note that the TO Nami may not sound very bouncy out-of-the-box; that's due to the floating washer system needing longer to break in. Out-of-the-box, the swing will probably be a bit stiff and impede the bounciness. It should get better after a few days.

Conclusion

It's really good. Looks good, feels good, flips good, sounds good  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯