I picked up this 18 inch Chiruwa Ang Khola by Kumar from DOTD 9/05/06. The rig came in the classic well packed triangle box in perfect condition from Yangdu.
Blade - The blade is very similar to 15 inch Ang Kholas that I have owned before except the fullers seem quite a bit deeper. Right below the normal fullers there are ever so slight fullers that are maybe a 10th more shallow then the normal ones, this is an interesting feature and I am glad to see them. They can be seen a little in the pictures, but pop out more in real life. The smaller fullers help add to the feel of the blade, while the knife weighs 35oz I could swear that just by heft that it feels closer to 30 or maybe even a little less. The smoothness of the blade on the flats show some hammer marks, while they are not noticeable without proper light or a ruler and they don't affect performance I don't think they take away from the knife at all, but rather they show that it was really made by a man rather then just a machine. The overall lines of the blade are very crisp and elegant, while keeping with its brute strength look and feel. The edge has a little more convex grind to it then other Himalayan Imports I have seen and it is almost a full convex (which is a real plus if you ask me). The bolster is the "habaki" style, while I like the more traditional bolster this one is very well done and fits fairly well. The bolster also helps keep the blade in the scabbard better then traditional ones, it adds a little extra grab to it even when its upside down.
Handle - The handle has a full tang surrounded by Himalayan hill walnut with a very nice grain to it. The tang on the handle is not quite even with the wood, but after a little file work on the ring area I found it not to be a problem and in fact the little bit of metal sticking up of the tang around the rest of it adds a little extra grip and prevents twisting. I have yet to find any hot spots while using the kukri so I guess the tang sticking above the handle has no ill effects, at least none so far.
Scabbard - Good quality leather with great stitching on the back. The blade fits great with no rattling and the bolster provides a good friction fit. The area for the karda and chakma is also very well done, with no nails protruding and a good friction fit. The chape is nice on this scabbard as well, its not overly pointy and has a nicely done solder job. The frog is made out of thick leather and fits nice on a belt and will surely last me a lifetime, like the rest of the rig.
Chakma and Karda - They are both very nicely done. The karda is one of the sharpest I have received from HI as well is it sports an almost full convex grind. My only minor complaint about the karda is that it could of been finished better, some of the grind marks are visible. The chakma is also very well done, with a better finish then the karda and seems to be a little harder then others I have seen from HI (another plus). Both the chakma and karda fit my hand very well, sometimes they feel a little small for me but with these they are just about perfect.
Chopping - The 18 inch chiruwa ang khola is a beast to say the least, chopping is made extremely easy to the point that for branches 2 inches and under you don't even feel them. Even hard wood offers little resistance to this mean chopper. The weight on this one may be a bit much for some people, however I found it to be great and fairly easy to control. The blade just leaps into the cuts and penetrates deep. Even batoning is made easy with the ang khola, one chop and the blade went about 2 inches into the log. Even on large pieces of wood the ang khola does a wonderful job, I was able to sink over 3/4th of the blade into the log with maybe half power (the log even started to crack below this).
Overall I could not be happier with the way this kukri performs. Its simply a beast and is a wonder to behold. If I receive another Kumar blade and its only half as good as this one, I will still be very pleased. I feel that this kukri was money well spent, and will last me a lifetime.
Thanks Yangdu for providing me with this wonderful kukri.
Here are the stats of the knife
Blade - 11 3/4"
Handle - 6 1/4"
Overall length - 18"
Blade thickness - 11 mm
Point of Balance - 2 5/8" away from bolster
Weight - 35 oz
Smith (kami) - Kumar
Blade - The blade is very similar to 15 inch Ang Kholas that I have owned before except the fullers seem quite a bit deeper. Right below the normal fullers there are ever so slight fullers that are maybe a 10th more shallow then the normal ones, this is an interesting feature and I am glad to see them. They can be seen a little in the pictures, but pop out more in real life. The smaller fullers help add to the feel of the blade, while the knife weighs 35oz I could swear that just by heft that it feels closer to 30 or maybe even a little less. The smoothness of the blade on the flats show some hammer marks, while they are not noticeable without proper light or a ruler and they don't affect performance I don't think they take away from the knife at all, but rather they show that it was really made by a man rather then just a machine. The overall lines of the blade are very crisp and elegant, while keeping with its brute strength look and feel. The edge has a little more convex grind to it then other Himalayan Imports I have seen and it is almost a full convex (which is a real plus if you ask me). The bolster is the "habaki" style, while I like the more traditional bolster this one is very well done and fits fairly well. The bolster also helps keep the blade in the scabbard better then traditional ones, it adds a little extra grab to it even when its upside down.
Handle - The handle has a full tang surrounded by Himalayan hill walnut with a very nice grain to it. The tang on the handle is not quite even with the wood, but after a little file work on the ring area I found it not to be a problem and in fact the little bit of metal sticking up of the tang around the rest of it adds a little extra grip and prevents twisting. I have yet to find any hot spots while using the kukri so I guess the tang sticking above the handle has no ill effects, at least none so far.
Scabbard - Good quality leather with great stitching on the back. The blade fits great with no rattling and the bolster provides a good friction fit. The area for the karda and chakma is also very well done, with no nails protruding and a good friction fit. The chape is nice on this scabbard as well, its not overly pointy and has a nicely done solder job. The frog is made out of thick leather and fits nice on a belt and will surely last me a lifetime, like the rest of the rig.
Chakma and Karda - They are both very nicely done. The karda is one of the sharpest I have received from HI as well is it sports an almost full convex grind. My only minor complaint about the karda is that it could of been finished better, some of the grind marks are visible. The chakma is also very well done, with a better finish then the karda and seems to be a little harder then others I have seen from HI (another plus). Both the chakma and karda fit my hand very well, sometimes they feel a little small for me but with these they are just about perfect.
Chopping - The 18 inch chiruwa ang khola is a beast to say the least, chopping is made extremely easy to the point that for branches 2 inches and under you don't even feel them. Even hard wood offers little resistance to this mean chopper. The weight on this one may be a bit much for some people, however I found it to be great and fairly easy to control. The blade just leaps into the cuts and penetrates deep. Even batoning is made easy with the ang khola, one chop and the blade went about 2 inches into the log. Even on large pieces of wood the ang khola does a wonderful job, I was able to sink over 3/4th of the blade into the log with maybe half power (the log even started to crack below this).
Overall I could not be happier with the way this kukri performs. Its simply a beast and is a wonder to behold. If I receive another Kumar blade and its only half as good as this one, I will still be very pleased. I feel that this kukri was money well spent, and will last me a lifetime.
Thanks Yangdu for providing me with this wonderful kukri.
Here are the stats of the knife
Blade - 11 3/4"
Handle - 6 1/4"
Overall length - 18"
Blade thickness - 11 mm
Point of Balance - 2 5/8" away from bolster
Weight - 35 oz
Smith (kami) - Kumar
Good review.
