- Joined
- Dec 28, 2003
- Messages
- 4,794
This knife arrived today. I was just hitting the sack but wanted to mention it briefly. It was from the 4/8 specials and there's a good pic of it there. FYI, I bought a small 10" 9 oz. horn handled Shop 1 knife from Uncle Bill last year called a "Bagh Marne." Nice knife with a very rough sheath. Anyway, I think the first words must mean "knife" in Nepalese, or something similar, and that the "h" addition is an optional spelling.
The knife is just 1/4" shy of being 23 inches long and weighs an even 37 oz. on my scale.
Positives are many:
Scabbard is nicely done and fitted very well to the knife. Above average with no play at all, which I really like. The steel is highly polished, with a beautiful sweep to the blade and very well sharpened. It would be very easy to cut yourself with this guy. The horn has some nice subtle gray feathering to it ala Sgt. Karka along the top (those of you who have his BAS's and 12" Dhankuta Kothimoda's will know what I mean.) The karda and chakma are clean and simple but very well done. The buttcap is perfectly fitted, and where there were some very minor gaps in the horn to buttcap fit they were filled with laha or something similar and polished down perfectly, so you must look really hard to see them. There is absolutely no cho creep, and in fact I think the cho on this knife is further back than on any khuk I have. Looks very traditional and nice. It has a well done traditional (non-habaki) bolster. You get great reach with this thing, but it still balances well. With the handle style (see below), it looks like a very authentic ethnic knife, more so than a lot of other khuks you see.
Negatives:
Only one:
The handle size. My Kumar Kardas average 4.25" (4 1/4") in handle length, and they are an average of 10" and 8 oz. The handle on this 37" long 2 lb. 5 oz. knife is 4.62" (4 5/8"). If you have ever held an otherwise wonderful M-43 you will know what I mean. This is just too short, and going by Dan's hand size matrix I by no means have the biggest hands out there. A handle similar to that on the Chiruwa style YCS would have been great, and IMO the ideal handle would have been a Chainpuri style handle as seen on the last few Bura and Sgt. Karka WWII's (Red chandan; someone got one, a Bura, the other day and I have a Sgt. Karka from 2 months ago. I could just imagine this knife with one of those beautiful belled bright red chandan handles!) Those are the most comfortable style handles made, and indeed as you swing the knife outwards it actually gets tighter in your hand.
The bottom line is any handle style as seen on the latest Mallas and Sirupatis and AK's would have been fine as well. This one is too small in diameter for me and at least an inch or 1.5" too short.
The good news is that my fellow knife enthusiast, my daughter Lauren, really likes it. It fits her hand perfectly, and because of it's length and balance does not seem too heavy for her. She helped me clean it up tonight, and was admiring it. Tomorrow is her 16th birthday (or I should say today now I guess), so maybe I'll make her a present of it. She really loves the khuks and appreciates them, while my son and wife are still trying to figure out what all the fuss is about.
Anyway, I am not disappointed at all, and the knife is a real beauty. We ARE paying for traditional Nepalese knives afer all, but it really would be nice if they finally understood that most folks here in the States are not as small statured as the average Nepalese man.
On the other hand, this Bagh Bhairab was listed as a Ceremonial knife, and perhaps for something like that the Kami's don't want to deviate at all from tradition, and that includes the traditional styled and sized handle. (?)
I'll try to post some pics later next to a Sirupati and Junge so you can get an idea of the knife and handle.
Well, I'm hittin' the hay, so see you guys in the a.m.!
Regards,
Norm
The knife is just 1/4" shy of being 23 inches long and weighs an even 37 oz. on my scale.
Positives are many:
Scabbard is nicely done and fitted very well to the knife. Above average with no play at all, which I really like. The steel is highly polished, with a beautiful sweep to the blade and very well sharpened. It would be very easy to cut yourself with this guy. The horn has some nice subtle gray feathering to it ala Sgt. Karka along the top (those of you who have his BAS's and 12" Dhankuta Kothimoda's will know what I mean.) The karda and chakma are clean and simple but very well done. The buttcap is perfectly fitted, and where there were some very minor gaps in the horn to buttcap fit they were filled with laha or something similar and polished down perfectly, so you must look really hard to see them. There is absolutely no cho creep, and in fact I think the cho on this knife is further back than on any khuk I have. Looks very traditional and nice. It has a well done traditional (non-habaki) bolster. You get great reach with this thing, but it still balances well. With the handle style (see below), it looks like a very authentic ethnic knife, more so than a lot of other khuks you see.
Negatives:
Only one:
The handle size. My Kumar Kardas average 4.25" (4 1/4") in handle length, and they are an average of 10" and 8 oz. The handle on this 37" long 2 lb. 5 oz. knife is 4.62" (4 5/8"). If you have ever held an otherwise wonderful M-43 you will know what I mean. This is just too short, and going by Dan's hand size matrix I by no means have the biggest hands out there. A handle similar to that on the Chiruwa style YCS would have been great, and IMO the ideal handle would have been a Chainpuri style handle as seen on the last few Bura and Sgt. Karka WWII's (Red chandan; someone got one, a Bura, the other day and I have a Sgt. Karka from 2 months ago. I could just imagine this knife with one of those beautiful belled bright red chandan handles!) Those are the most comfortable style handles made, and indeed as you swing the knife outwards it actually gets tighter in your hand.
The bottom line is any handle style as seen on the latest Mallas and Sirupatis and AK's would have been fine as well. This one is too small in diameter for me and at least an inch or 1.5" too short.
The good news is that my fellow knife enthusiast, my daughter Lauren, really likes it. It fits her hand perfectly, and because of it's length and balance does not seem too heavy for her. She helped me clean it up tonight, and was admiring it. Tomorrow is her 16th birthday (or I should say today now I guess), so maybe I'll make her a present of it. She really loves the khuks and appreciates them, while my son and wife are still trying to figure out what all the fuss is about.
Anyway, I am not disappointed at all, and the knife is a real beauty. We ARE paying for traditional Nepalese knives afer all, but it really would be nice if they finally understood that most folks here in the States are not as small statured as the average Nepalese man.
On the other hand, this Bagh Bhairab was listed as a Ceremonial knife, and perhaps for something like that the Kami's don't want to deviate at all from tradition, and that includes the traditional styled and sized handle. (?)
I'll try to post some pics later next to a Sirupati and Junge so you can get an idea of the knife and handle.
Well, I'm hittin' the hay, so see you guys in the a.m.!
Regards,
Norm
