1995 and 2005 BAS Comparison

SASSAS

SASSAS

Joined
Aug 16, 2005
Messages
616
I picked up a 1995 BAS from the Exchange and it arrived today. It's really nice. There is a big difference from my nice little Kumar BAS from this year. It's unmarked near the cho (not even a kami mark) and has a very small traditional bolster.

The spine is a little less than a half inch thick, compared to a little less than 5/16" on the newer blade and the length is 16" as opposed to the 15 1/4" of the newer one. There is a simple single line in place of the complicated, inlaid Sword of Shiva and the blade geometry is a lot different, particularly in how the blade tapers from the spine to the edge. The handle is very tapered and has a scrolled end cap.

The pics show it better than I can describe it...

user: hicantina pass: hicantina

http://www.khukuri.net/oldnewbas.html

edited to correct my bad fractions.
 
That IS a fine khukuri.

Yvsa or Norm or somebody can probably tell you what kami from looking at it... Could it be a DURBA?


Ad Astra
 
I still use dialup, and so I could not see the pics.
Are the spines really that thick? I don't think that I have a knife with a spine thicker than 1/2". My BAS villager weighs 21 oz, but the spine is not 1/2" thick....not even close.
What does your BAS weigh?
 
I'm not sure what this weighs (no scale). The newer BAS is 20 or 21 oz. IIRC and is a little less than 5/16, not 5/8. This one is heavier, but I can't really guess how much. I keep meaning to pickup some kind of scale for measuring these. With a ruler, the older one is right at 8/16 at the bolster and narrows down to 7/16 at the bend.
 
I picked up a 15" AK from 1998 a while back. Its got a 1/2" spine and is about 16" as well. Please do a field report on the old BAS and let us know how it compares to your newer one.

Bob
 
Interesting that they had the traditional bolsters back then and then switched. Did this forum ask for Habaki before I got here? Anyhow, that's a cool khukuri! Thanks for posting.

Chris
 
I know all to well that opinions will vary, so please don't think that my following statements are an attack on anyone or anything, it's just my opinion....

Imo, the older BAS appeals much more to my eyes. The buttcap having the scrollwork adds a nice touch and is not overdone. The buttcap being cupped over the older BAS butt's end also looks better to me then the flat buttcap on the newer version. One of the reasons I say this is because the average modern Service #1's and #2's are done in this fashion (cupped buttcap), so it just seems more appropriate for this model. The sword of shiva looks fine, but again, the standard groove on the older model seems more appropriate on this particular model, (imo). The standard bolster on the older model also appeals "much" more to me over the newer habaki style bolster.
The handle also looks strange to me on the newer version, with the longer brass bolster making the horn handle material look shorter in some way. It may just be an illusion, but that is the way it appears to me.

As for the cho/kaudi on the older model, it is not only closer to the handle because of the traditional bolster, but also because it's simply placed closer to the bolster than on the newer version. Imo, this makes the cho placement much better looking on the older model.

The addition of the U.B. initials on the newer models is a very nice idea in Honoring "Uncle Bill". But...... Imo, I feel it could be done in a more graceful way. The location of the U.B. initials is just fine, but I would imagine that a nicer more refined lettering would just be that much more appealing to the eyes, and would also be a more classy way of Honoring Uncle Bill. I hate to say this, and I really don't mean to upset anyone, but some of the photos that I have seen of the U.B. initials look very much like an after-thought. Not so bad for the early knives offered after Bill passed away, but surely something better can be done now. These initials look very much like something that was just scratched in (just my honest observation/opinion). On the other hand, the HI company marking on the blade looks very elegant.

Imo, something similar to the elegant HI marking would be more appropriate in Honoring "Uncle Bill", while adding a bit more visual appeal in the process.
Bill seemed to be a man that was very proud of HI's craftsmanship, so these initials should showcase that craftsmanship.

I feel the same way about the Kami marks that are used by HI.
I know some of these guys may not know how to read or write, but it should certainly be possible to have them take as much pride in placing their Kami marks as they do with their HI mark and sword of shiva.

Just my opinion guy's, no bashing intended at all. These are just opinions and maybe suggestions ;)
 
Big Bob said:
I picked up a 15" AK from 1998 a while back. Its got a 1/2" spine and is about 16" as well. Please do a field report on the old BAS and let us know how it compares to your newer one.

Bob
Click to expand...

I'm involved in quite an argument about this.

As this has never been used, I'm hesitant to scuff it in the field, but the khukuri keeps screeming that it wants to be used...
 
SASSAS,

The photos seem to be showing some surface rust (reddish/orange color), is this as apparent with your bare eyes, or is it just more noticable in the photo?

In any case, do you have a game plan to lesson or remove this tarnish?
If so, what will you do to restore it?

If you did not have a plan for using any particular method, then you may want to give some Flitz a try. The surface tarnish certainly seems minor enough for Flitz to take care of it.

Just my 2 cents :)
 
I'm going to note that the older style of buttcap had physical weaknesses as documented by Yvsa and others.



munk
 
Munk,

Was this weakness linked to the cone shaped brass cap (where the tang is peened over)?

If so, then it should have been an easy fix for HI to do on subsequent versions. They would only have to replace this cone shaped piece with a flat one (shaped in triangular or oval form), as found on many, if not most other khukuris.

When I was talking about my buttcap preference being the one on the older style BAS, I was speaking of the brass butt portion that cups it's wood handle. What I meant by "cupped", is that the brass buttcap has a small skirt (where the engraved pattern is on).
 
I like the new butcaps, but I wish they would use thicker stock.

I like both style bolsters, and value the differences between them. I think the blade edge/cho intersection in the newer knife is better. It looks sharper, and that looks better to me. I have one HI khuk that has a rounded blade edge/cho transition and I don't like it as much.

Both handles look nice to me, and I would strive to collect both shapes.

The blade shape looks better on the old knife. It just looks longer and more elegant. Just a worthless opinion though.

I would like to see both blades etched to check on the hardening. I would like to see more pics of HI blades that are hardened from close to, or at the cho to close to or at the tip. I've been seening etched blades that are only hardened from the tip to 1/2 way down the curve. I don't like that.

Keep in mind my newbie status and take my opinions with a chunk of salt. I'd like to have two knives similar to these in my collection.

Andy
 
JimmyJimenez said:
SASSAS,

The photos seem to be showing some surface rust (reddish/orange color), is this as apparent with your bare eyes, or is it just more noticable in the photo?
Click to expand...

I wasn't sure what you're seeing... I couldn't find a spot of rust looking at it in daylight and repeated rubbings with ballistol on a white t-shirt didn't show any signs of rust wither.

Looking at the pictures I can see what you mean and then could see it... At the bolster there is a brown streak, but it doesn't have a rust-like texture. On the back, the brown color seems mixed into the laha. It's soaking in ballistol now, so if it's rust, I should be able to get at least a little of it to rub off.
 
Jimmy, I wasn't there, but I seem to recall what you call the skirt would fold off or up or present an angle to the skin of the hand, that kind of thing.

I'm not going to reccomend to HI a return to that style unless, as we've seen recently with the UB Special, the design calls for it.


munk
 
SASSAS,

It just may be my eyes buddy :)

What I think I see is not rust in the sense of actual etched in damaging rust, but just a slight redish/orange tarnishing on it's surface.

Then again, maybe it's just me, and I'm seeing things ;)

Is it true? Is being 40 years old now the start of my falling apart? Are my eyes the first thing I'll be losing? Is it true that all those early years of self love catching up to me? LOL....... man, I sure hope not! LOL!
 
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