i've been hankering for a kukri for a long time, ever since seeing my grandfather's, which he traded for with an aussie while in the philippines back in wwii.
anyhow, i'd always heard that HI was the way to go, so i waited around until the right deal came along.
i scanned the HI website and decided i wanted a chiruwa ang khola.
so, when the "deals for 6/10" came along and i saw this:
16.5 inch 31 ounce chiruwa Ang Khola by Vim Kami. Horn handle. Strong and steady Knife at $100 even.
... i figured i'd better jump on it.
yangdu was very pleasant and easy to work with.
i shelled out my dough and waited.
today, i went to the post office and picked up the huge triangular box and hauledass home to tear it open.
now, let me preface this by saying i have a huge respect and admiration for so-called "primitive" or "ethnic" blades.
i've owned several from thailand, java, indonesia, etc. and i've come to expect a different kind of fit and finish from these things, especially since some of them were made without any power tools at all (a fact that absolutely boggles my mind).
and, after hearing about HI's reputation, i developed a vision in my head about what to expect.
the verdict?
well...
the first thing i noticed was that the two little knives accompanying the kukri wouldn't stay in the sheath no matter what.
there was absolutely no way i could wear this thing out in the boonies without losing those two.
and, the fit and finish of those two little things... ugh.
seriously, they look like they were made by little kids.
but, i didn't sweat it, since i didn't shell out my money for those two little things - it's the big boy i'm interested in seeing!
let me tell you, folks - until you heft a 2 pound knife, you really can't appreciate how burly this thing is.
it really is a monster.
i just stood there and stared at it for a while.
just from a design standpoint, this is one of the most impressive knives i've ever seen.
to call it a "knife" even seems a little inappropriate.
it's just plain scary to hold this much potential mayhem in your hands!
the edge on the kukri was very poor, but i figured i'd see how it performed "out of the box."
so, without too much further scrutiny, i decided to go outside and abuse an old dead elm tree that has become my de facto crash test dummy for big-ass knives.
just a couple of days ago, i had whacked out a nice big chunk using my preferred chopper, a valiant golok kelapa.
after a few light test swings to figure out the technique and sweet spot, i took a couple of whacks with the kukri.
i was utterly astonished at the massive chunks of wood flying off the trunk!
it became readily apparent that, even in my amateur hands, this blade could easily take a limb or head off a person with one swipe.
no wonder these were so feared and respected on the battlefield!
my curiosity satisfied, i went back inside to give it a closer inspection.
upon closer inspection, i was pretty disappointed with the fit and finish of the kukri.
i guess i've been lucky, but the quality of all the ethnic knives i've collected over the years far surpass this one - and it isn't really even close.
maybe "vim kami" is one of the less-experienced makers at HI, i don't know.
everything about this knife seems sloppy.
nothing seems to really fit together.
there are lots of dents, gaps, and other blemishes all over this thing.
i expected something on par with valiant quality, but this is strictly amateur by comparison.
i also noticed a crack developing on the brass ferrule/guard/whatever you might call it) - after only a couple of whacks on a tree!
as well as this knife performed, there's no way it will withstand much serious work without splitting that brass fixture.
there was also some rolling and chipping on the blade edge, which i've never encountered on any of my choppers, even after much more abuse than this one took.
in the end, it's a very impressive piece of steel, in terms of design and function.
it really is a chopping monster.
however, the fit and finish of this piece was just a total letdown.
this kukri isn't worth $100, and i doubt i'll take a chance on HI again.
anyhow, i'd always heard that HI was the way to go, so i waited around until the right deal came along.
i scanned the HI website and decided i wanted a chiruwa ang khola.
so, when the "deals for 6/10" came along and i saw this:
16.5 inch 31 ounce chiruwa Ang Khola by Vim Kami. Horn handle. Strong and steady Knife at $100 even.
... i figured i'd better jump on it.
yangdu was very pleasant and easy to work with.
i shelled out my dough and waited.
today, i went to the post office and picked up the huge triangular box and hauled
now, let me preface this by saying i have a huge respect and admiration for so-called "primitive" or "ethnic" blades.
i've owned several from thailand, java, indonesia, etc. and i've come to expect a different kind of fit and finish from these things, especially since some of them were made without any power tools at all (a fact that absolutely boggles my mind).
and, after hearing about HI's reputation, i developed a vision in my head about what to expect.
the verdict?
well...
the first thing i noticed was that the two little knives accompanying the kukri wouldn't stay in the sheath no matter what.
there was absolutely no way i could wear this thing out in the boonies without losing those two.
and, the fit and finish of those two little things... ugh.
seriously, they look like they were made by little kids.
but, i didn't sweat it, since i didn't shell out my money for those two little things - it's the big boy i'm interested in seeing!
let me tell you, folks - until you heft a 2 pound knife, you really can't appreciate how burly this thing is.
it really is a monster.
i just stood there and stared at it for a while.
just from a design standpoint, this is one of the most impressive knives i've ever seen.
to call it a "knife" even seems a little inappropriate.
it's just plain scary to hold this much potential mayhem in your hands!
the edge on the kukri was very poor, but i figured i'd see how it performed "out of the box."
so, without too much further scrutiny, i decided to go outside and abuse an old dead elm tree that has become my de facto crash test dummy for big-
just a couple of days ago, i had whacked out a nice big chunk using my preferred chopper, a valiant golok kelapa.
after a few light test swings to figure out the technique and sweet spot, i took a couple of whacks with the kukri.
i was utterly astonished at the massive chunks of wood flying off the trunk!
it became readily apparent that, even in my amateur hands, this blade could easily take a limb or head off a person with one swipe.
no wonder these were so feared and respected on the battlefield!
my curiosity satisfied, i went back inside to give it a closer inspection.
upon closer inspection, i was pretty disappointed with the fit and finish of the kukri.
i guess i've been lucky, but the quality of all the ethnic knives i've collected over the years far surpass this one - and it isn't really even close.
maybe "vim kami" is one of the less-experienced makers at HI, i don't know.
everything about this knife seems sloppy.
nothing seems to really fit together.
there are lots of dents, gaps, and other blemishes all over this thing.
i expected something on par with valiant quality, but this is strictly amateur by comparison.
i also noticed a crack developing on the brass ferrule/guard/whatever you might call it) - after only a couple of whacks on a tree!
as well as this knife performed, there's no way it will withstand much serious work without splitting that brass fixture.
there was also some rolling and chipping on the blade edge, which i've never encountered on any of my choppers, even after much more abuse than this one took.
in the end, it's a very impressive piece of steel, in terms of design and function.
it really is a chopping monster.
however, the fit and finish of this piece was just a total letdown.
this kukri isn't worth $100, and i doubt i'll take a chance on HI again.
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