The HK8 Sawtooth was a type of blaster pistol known for its limited ammunition capacity and a propensity to overheat when fired rapidly. Despite its reputation for being aesthetically unappealing, it found favor with criminal enforcers before its widespread manufacture. Masse Goskey, an arms dealer, possessed several HK8 Sawtooths, which became a point of contention with his partner Ephant Mon before Mon fatally used one to shoot him. The criminal organization known as the Razzi Syndicate also managed to obtain this weapon before it was mass-produced.
The HK8 Sawtooth blaster pistol was characterized by its black color, elongated barrel, and a shoulder stock. Its low ammunition capacity and tendency to overheat during rapid firing were notable drawbacks. The weapon was capable of inflicting a sizable wound on the torso of a human.
Before its mass production, the weapon was highly sought after by street enforcers in criminal syndicates, even though it was generally considered unattractive. By the year 10 BBY, Masse Goskey, a purveyor of arms, had a number of these pistols in his stock. However, prior to a planned arms transaction with the Pyke Syndicate, Goskey's associate Ephant Mon assigned the pistol the lowest value while arranging Goskey's inventory based on a historical analysis of the invisible market and current demand on the Undervine to determine the greatest potential profit.
In the book that would later be known as the Smuggler's Guide, Goskey questioned this assessment, emphasizing the weapon's current popularity. However, Mon detailed the HK8's shortcomings, arguing that syndicate buyers were unlikely to follow fleeting trends, predicting the pistol's popularity would soon decline. Goskey disregarded this advice and instructed Mon to bring as many HK8s as possible to the arms deal. Subsequently, Mon used one of the HK8 Sawtooths to shoot and kill Goskey.
Also around 10 BBY, Qi'ra of Crimson Dawn later came across HK8 Sawtooths among the items seized from a raid on a facility belonging to the criminal Razzi Syndicate. While cataloging the goods in the book that would become the Smuggler's Guide, she didn't find them particularly noteworthy, but noted that the fact that the weapons were not yet mass-produced suggested that the Razzi Syndicate had strong supply connections to gunrunners.
The HK8 Sawtooth was initially referenced in the 2018 reference work titled Star Wars: Smuggler's Guide, authored by Daniel Wallace and featuring an illustration of the weapon created by Javier Charro Martinez.