- Joined
- Jun 28, 2014
- Messages
- 53
After much anticipation I finally received the famous triangular box in the post today. Two day shipping from Nevada to CT? Awesome.
My original plan was to buy an 18" WWII to use as a jungle brush clearer, but after seeing some of kami Kumar's chiruwa handles in the recent DOTDs I had to jump on the opportunity. The WWII's are (were?) out of stock, but as soon as I opened the box I knew I'll probably end up ordering the WWII anyway
These are the approximate specs of the blade:
Model: Chiruwa Balance Knife
Length: 16"
Weight: ~29 oz.
Blade length: 10.5"
Handle length: 5.5" (top of bolster to buttplate)
Blade width at spine: 3/8"
The width of the blade tapers down to the buttplate, and the blade itself is somewhat slender. Both of these factors ensure that the Balance lives up to its name - the kukri feels lighter than it is and has just the slightest forward weight.
I have read many praises of kami Kumar's work. Yangdu informed me that this kukri was made by Kumar and his brother. This piece certainly lives up to their reputation, and I will ask Yangdu to please pass them my gratitude and compliments.
Of course, beauty isn't everything - I immediately put this kukri to work! The edge was sharp out of the box, and as it happened I was tasked with de-limbing some encroaching branches in our yard. It seemed a fitting first test for the Balance.
Having zero technique, it took me a few chops to find the sweet spot on this kukri. It seems to be slightly behind where you might expect, about 4" up from the top of the bolster, just behind the belly. I'm guessing this is because of the more evenly distributed weight of the chiruwa handle. This kukri excels at speed rather than heavy chopping ability - the blade profile seems like a slightly more slender 16" WWII.
At any rate I began with a small branch about 1.5" thick, just to try it out. The balance ate through it in about 2 minutes even with my sloppy technique.
I upgraded to a branch about 2" thick. It took quite a few swings to get through (probably about 6 minutes of work all in all), however the lightweight Balance was very easy to swing repeatedly. The result:
The last branch I chopped was about 3" thick - wider than the blade. Keep in mind these are live, springy tree branches. At this point I did notice the wood grips sliding around a bit, and the protruding portion of the tang cut my pinky and hand. Nonetheless, the branch was no match for the kukri:
After the work was done I used the chakmak to hone the blade. At some point during the day a a chip came out of the back of the wood handle. I've heard that epoxy is the best solution here? The handles themselves could use a little reinforcing - they tend to slide a bit when the kukri is swung. I also sanded the exposed edges of the tang with 150 grit paper, they're a bit softer on the hand now.
All told this is a beautiful and hardworking kukri - an excellent addition to my field kit as well as a work of art. I will be very glad to take it with me on future adventures. Thank you Auntie Yangdu!
My original plan was to buy an 18" WWII to use as a jungle brush clearer, but after seeing some of kami Kumar's chiruwa handles in the recent DOTDs I had to jump on the opportunity. The WWII's are (were?) out of stock, but as soon as I opened the box I knew I'll probably end up ordering the WWII anyway
These are the approximate specs of the blade:
Model: Chiruwa Balance Knife
Length: 16"
Weight: ~29 oz.
Blade length: 10.5"
Handle length: 5.5" (top of bolster to buttplate)
Blade width at spine: 3/8"
The width of the blade tapers down to the buttplate, and the blade itself is somewhat slender. Both of these factors ensure that the Balance lives up to its name - the kukri feels lighter than it is and has just the slightest forward weight.
I have read many praises of kami Kumar's work. Yangdu informed me that this kukri was made by Kumar and his brother. This piece certainly lives up to their reputation, and I will ask Yangdu to please pass them my gratitude and compliments.
Of course, beauty isn't everything - I immediately put this kukri to work! The edge was sharp out of the box, and as it happened I was tasked with de-limbing some encroaching branches in our yard. It seemed a fitting first test for the Balance.
Having zero technique, it took me a few chops to find the sweet spot on this kukri. It seems to be slightly behind where you might expect, about 4" up from the top of the bolster, just behind the belly. I'm guessing this is because of the more evenly distributed weight of the chiruwa handle. This kukri excels at speed rather than heavy chopping ability - the blade profile seems like a slightly more slender 16" WWII.
At any rate I began with a small branch about 1.5" thick, just to try it out. The balance ate through it in about 2 minutes even with my sloppy technique.
I upgraded to a branch about 2" thick. It took quite a few swings to get through (probably about 6 minutes of work all in all), however the lightweight Balance was very easy to swing repeatedly. The result:
The last branch I chopped was about 3" thick - wider than the blade. Keep in mind these are live, springy tree branches. At this point I did notice the wood grips sliding around a bit, and the protruding portion of the tang cut my pinky and hand. Nonetheless, the branch was no match for the kukri:
After the work was done I used the chakmak to hone the blade. At some point during the day a a chip came out of the back of the wood handle. I've heard that epoxy is the best solution here? The handles themselves could use a little reinforcing - they tend to slide a bit when the kukri is swung. I also sanded the exposed edges of the tang with 150 grit paper, they're a bit softer on the hand now.
All told this is a beautiful and hardworking kukri - an excellent addition to my field kit as well as a work of art. I will be very glad to take it with me on future adventures. Thank you Auntie Yangdu!
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