Damaged goods #2 -- 18" AK by Durba

Bill Martino

Bill Martino

Joined
Mar 5, 1999
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Here's an 18 inch 34 ounce AK by Durba that took some damage in the field. I'm not sure what it went up against but there are gouges along the edge which tells me it encountered some pretty hard stuff. The edge was rolled and pretty beat up so I hammered it as straight as I could get it, put it on the grinder and brought it back to usable condition. You can still see a couple of ripples along the edge but this knife will make a good old workhorse if you don't try to chop rocks or railroad rails with it.

Old style scabbard that's pretty good and standard HI 100 year superfrog. Karda and chakma fine.

We'll deliver this one to your door for half price, too -- $72.50 -- and send it with HI guarantee.

Call or email if interested.
 

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You can still see a couple of ripples along the edge but this knife will make a good old workhorse if you don't try to chop rocks or railroad rails with it.
Click to expand...

I was gonna take it for my upcoming spring rock clearing project, plus the wife's been nagging me about clearing out those railroad tie saplings on the hillside, but I don't know anymore;) :p

Seriously, what must people be chopping to do damage like on these two blades!?!?:eek:

I chopped up a hardwood chair (many Foster's lagers and bad mood)awhile back and cleaved right through some type of bolt (cheap walmart kind of chair)that was a little less than 1/4" thick and it merely dented the edge of my 20" AK slightly. I have hit rocks and pitted the edge of some others. Although I must say I chopped a 2" rock in two with that 20" AK---by accident on an overly powerful swing.
 
I'm gonna say what I think needs to be said: Only Uncle Bill has Ganga Ram's "magic" blade that sharpens itself. The rest of us have wonderful but non-magical blades, and d*mmit folks, they are going to show wear & tear! Mine do and I think the scuffs and scratches only add character as the khuks begin their own 100-year stories. I guess what bothers me is knowing that HI is facing a crisis and the last thing it needs is to replace blades that were abused.

I acknowledge that this isn't my fight. I'll admit that I wish I could buy more khuks just for their beauty. I admire Bill for taking the damaged blades back. I don't know or care to know who is involved. But for pity's sake, if you want a pristine blade, put it on a shelf and don't use it. If you are going to use your khukuri, be sensible and accept the consequences of what you do.

Best wishes

Stephen
 
These knives were damaged in the field here in the US. We do guarantee the knives unconditionally and I never argue with a person who returns one.
 
That's a commendable attitude, Mr. Martino, especialy in light of what was obviously "pilot error" in both cases. Hopefully the idi..., uh, "past owners" of these blades have read this post and feel properly chastened.
 
I christened my 16.5" Chiruwa AK yesterday and I'm going to tell you all what I discovered, even though you already knew it long before I came along.

I took the Sanu blade into a thicket of black locust saplings and once I got the hang of it I was able to hew down anything under 3" diameter with one or two strokes.

There is much to be said for economy of motion. We don't have to build hand tools of this caliber in a land of mass produced power tools, so nobody does. But the men who built this knife have a different customer in mind. I like that.

The blade had a slight wire-draw on the edge when it was brand new. Yesterday's session (which included some burnishing every half hour or so) took care of that quite well.

Uncle Bill, if my great grandson ever tries to get my money back on this knife, make sure your great-great grandson straightens him out.
 
Ok guys, I might take flak but i'm the one who returned the bowie. But I didn't chop a mountain with it or anything, only a guava tree. Yes a 6" thick guava tree. Maybe it's the water here in San Diego, or the Miracle Grow, or a super tough area in the branch, but I swear on my honor that I didn't use it against anything else but the braches of that tree. And so I sent it back, but didn't ask for a full refund, seeing as how the damage was caused by me. I will no doubt continue to buy stuff from Himalayan Imports. I got a 18" Sirupati from Bill that has finished the job and came out with only scratches, which I could care less about because it does give it character. It has to be the most bang for the buck knife i've ever bought.
 
"But the men who built this knife have a different customer in mind."

Somebody carve that into granite somewhere ...please :)
 
I remember a post about a khukuri that someone's kid got a hold of and tried to chop through the concreet garage floor with it! It damaged the blade pretty bad and Uncle still took it back and gave them a new knife!!!

This is the BEST warranty in the knife industry even better than Busse combat knives bacause they don't cover intentional damage and abuse and H.I. does! I don't blame Busse and I wouldn't blame H.I. if they didn't cover this. If I were making knives and one of my customers tried to chop through concreet or an anvil I wouldn't cover that damage! That is like putting some push bars on a truck and driving through a brick wall and expecting not to have any damage!

H.I. really is 2nd to none!
And some times it is just a bad temper too. That is what it sounds like with the AK Bowie.
 
I can't tell what happened with that Bowie -- just a small chip or really a fracture about 1/32. After rework the blade seemed fine, tho, and I don't think it will offer any more trouble. Could be some little mystery flaw.
 
Don,

Sorry to lump you in my Rant earlier. I bet the edge did have a tiny forging flaw in it as Uncle said above. Glad to hear your Sirupati is performing well.

Welcome to the Cantina and my apologies for prejudging you when it was not called for.
 
Don if you say 'word of honor' then I believe it. I shouldn't have fired from the hip like that, but I remembered the other times alluded to (the concrete porch, a rock or two) and I just went off. It wasn't directed at you particularly since I'm a carpenter and get crabby about the careless ruining of good tools. Since you weren't careless then accept my apology as well and also my welcome to the cantina. Plus, I think you have guts to step forward as you did.

Stephen
 
Don's OK as is almost everybody else but then there's always some guy who'll say "I was just slicing butter and look what happened," but I don't argue with them either. BUT, if they damage two blades trying to slice butter I just send a polite letter saying I don't think I can supply knives that are going to slice the butter the way they want.
 
Hey it's cool guys, just thought I needed to clarify, I don't hold an offense to it. Thanks for the welcome by the way.:D
 
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