First off, it's named the 'pen' knife since it was designed by daniel koster, who was known on the forums as 'pendentive' at the time.
Secondly, the 'Villager' designation is sort of the 'beater line' of HI knives - built to the same toughness, but blades are satin rather than mirror finished, and fittings are sometimes a bit rougher. They also come razor sharp out of the box, which isn't always true for the full polish ones.
This little guy's got a nice handle which just fits my hand in terms of length (it could be a bit thicker, though) and a really dramatic curving belly. I really like the thick buttcap and the satin finish on this knife. The ring on the handle fits nicely between my middle and ring fingers and gives a rock-solid grip.
This is a great knife for chopping - lightweight, thick enough to withstand any kind of abuse, and it bites really nicely thanks to the belly.
Stats:
12.5" Overall
6 3/4" Blade (measured in a straight line from the cho/kauri to the tip)
4" Walnut Handle
13.75oz (knife only)
21oz (complete set)
Forged from 5160 (mercedes truck leaf springs) with white metal fittings (some kind of nickel alloy - it's non-magnetic.) and a wood scabbard with waterbuffalo leather covering. Full rat-tail tang peened over on buttcap.
2 3/8" blade on accessory knife
3 1/4" burnisher
I am delighted with this blade - it is hands down my favorite purchase from Himalayan-Imports so far.
Some initial scans of it 'fresh out of the box': (click for full-size)
After I gave the handle a bath in mineral oil for a few hours, the wood has darkened somewhat and the grain is a bit more apparent:
I may eventually do a bit of sanding and finishing on the handle just to bring out the grain a bit more - I want to keep the feel of the natural materials, though, so no glossy coats for me.
Secondly, the 'Villager' designation is sort of the 'beater line' of HI knives - built to the same toughness, but blades are satin rather than mirror finished, and fittings are sometimes a bit rougher. They also come razor sharp out of the box, which isn't always true for the full polish ones.
This little guy's got a nice handle which just fits my hand in terms of length (it could be a bit thicker, though) and a really dramatic curving belly. I really like the thick buttcap and the satin finish on this knife. The ring on the handle fits nicely between my middle and ring fingers and gives a rock-solid grip.
This is a great knife for chopping - lightweight, thick enough to withstand any kind of abuse, and it bites really nicely thanks to the belly.
Stats:
12.5" Overall
6 3/4" Blade (measured in a straight line from the cho/kauri to the tip)
4" Walnut Handle
13.75oz (knife only)
21oz (complete set)
Forged from 5160 (mercedes truck leaf springs) with white metal fittings (some kind of nickel alloy - it's non-magnetic.) and a wood scabbard with waterbuffalo leather covering. Full rat-tail tang peened over on buttcap.
2 3/8" blade on accessory knife
3 1/4" burnisher
I am delighted with this blade - it is hands down my favorite purchase from Himalayan-Imports so far.
Some initial scans of it 'fresh out of the box': (click for full-size)
After I gave the handle a bath in mineral oil for a few hours, the wood has darkened somewhat and the grain is a bit more apparent:
I may eventually do a bit of sanding and finishing on the handle just to bring out the grain a bit more - I want to keep the feel of the natural materials, though, so no glossy coats for me.