- Joined
- Jun 9, 1999
- Messages
- 4,729
WHOOOHOOOOO! Just picked up my 18" Kobra and my 12" Sirupati from the mailroom. These things are phenomenal! In case I forgot to mention it before, Dan is the MAN! The handle on this 12" Siru is beautiful, and the edge is impressive to say the least. He even put an impressive edge on the little karda! The sheath is one of the best I've seen from Birghorka, if you can track down that sarki he deserves a bonus. The fit is a little off though, and like all khukuri scabbards it rides too high on my belt. That's a problem with my anatomy (short torso) rather than any of the sarkis skills, so it's no big deal. I think I'll make a nice conventional sheath for this one and use it as an EDC into the woods. The handle is even large enough for me, albeit a little thin. We'll see how it feels after a little use.
This Kobra is in another league though. Uncle Bill says Yangdu put it in the blem box because of a hairline crack in the handle. It took me a while to notice it, but it is there. There's also a little bit of light rust on the tip, five minutes with a dremel and it'll be fine. There's a little fold line in the blade, maybe 1/4" long. Besides that though, it's perfect. The buttcap is simply a work of art. The handle has the nicest polish I've seen on an HI yet, with several streaks and splashes of white to add character. I was planning to sand this one for a good grip, but I don't know if I can bring myself to do it. And then there's the blade... poetry in steel. The edge is dead center on the blade and straight, even more so than my Bura made Chitlangi. Besides the rust, the polish is even and bright, the distal taper perfectly executed, and it's even somewhat sharp! Not popping hairs like the Pendentive worked Sirupati, but definitely chopping sharp. The forward balance is perhaps a little more than I would prefer, but we'll see how it handles in the woods. The scabbard doesn't live up to the blade, but that's ok. At Yangdu's insanely low blem price I feel like a stole this thing. I would consider double the blem price fair for the blade alone, let alone this wonderful handle.
So thank you, once again, Yangdu and Uncle Bill, the dynamic HI duo. I've been sort of kicking myself for buying these with the coming holiday budget crunch, but not anymore. I'll eat ramen for a month to make up for it.
This Kobra is in another league though. Uncle Bill says Yangdu put it in the blem box because of a hairline crack in the handle. It took me a while to notice it, but it is there. There's also a little bit of light rust on the tip, five minutes with a dremel and it'll be fine. There's a little fold line in the blade, maybe 1/4" long. Besides that though, it's perfect. The buttcap is simply a work of art. The handle has the nicest polish I've seen on an HI yet, with several streaks and splashes of white to add character. I was planning to sand this one for a good grip, but I don't know if I can bring myself to do it. And then there's the blade... poetry in steel. The edge is dead center on the blade and straight, even more so than my Bura made Chitlangi. Besides the rust, the polish is even and bright, the distal taper perfectly executed, and it's even somewhat sharp! Not popping hairs like the Pendentive worked Sirupati, but definitely chopping sharp. The forward balance is perhaps a little more than I would prefer, but we'll see how it handles in the woods. The scabbard doesn't live up to the blade, but that's ok. At Yangdu's insanely low blem price I feel like a stole this thing. I would consider double the blem price fair for the blade alone, let alone this wonderful handle.
So thank you, once again, Yangdu and Uncle Bill, the dynamic HI duo. I've been sort of kicking myself for buying these with the coming holiday budget crunch, but not anymore. I'll eat ramen for a month to make up for it.
