- Joined
- Mar 26, 2002
- Messages
- 2,845
Last night I took out the khuks I'm sending to Sarge and gave them a little workout. I've used both before, and didn't really have any doubts but I wanted to double-check and make sure I was sending along quality gear.
Khuk #1:
Sher BAS blem, for minor handle cracks.
Great edge on this one. It's not "full convex" because the edge doesn't start at the back of the blade, but the bevel seems convex to my eye. It blasted through some old, well seasoned elm that was lying around the yard. The outside of the wood was sort of soft and spongy under the edge, and I'd get a 1.5" bite easily, with big chips flying out. The inside of the wood was much harder, approaching seasoned oak. Absolutely no damage to the edge. Chopping and prying also produced no damage. The wood broke, and the khuk didn't even bend. I had sharpened this one a bit on a Norton fine India stone. after cutting through about 10 -14 inches of wood, the edge was exactly the same as it started. Karda is thin and sharp.
Overall excellent performance. If I was heading "over there" this is the one I'd take. Tough as nails, in a compact package. I think it would turn an ammo can into swiss cheese. I think it would also do well in the "cinder-block chop" that was discussed on the Busse forum a while back. In previous use, I chopped into a rock and bent the tip a bit. A little gentle pounding and some work with a stone left it nearly new, except for a 1 mm moon-shaped divot in the edge bevel. If Uncle throws up any BAS blems anytime soon, I may have to fight for another.
Khuk #2
18" Bura AK, wood handle
I believe this is a post-stroke model. Bill sent it as a replacement in late August or early September.
Slightly forward balance on this one. Definitely more of a fighter/slasher than the BAS because the edge profile is thinner and flatter. The sweet spot seems well hardened. It did crazy things to the wood. Several times, I chopped out thin eighth - inch slices of wood that looked like they had come from a plane - the wood was almost perfectly polished. One-inch plus bite into the hard heartwood. Again zero edge damage. I was slightly surprised at this - I was able to slightly roll a portion of the edge on my 20" siru doing similar work with full-force blows. Perhaps my technique is improving. Handle is comfortable, though the ring may be a bit high. It definitely sticks in the hand despite being sanded smooth to 600 grit and tung-oiled. The high ring would be good for someone wearing gloves.
If I was in a close-quarters situation with only a knife, I'd be glad I lugged this one around. It's long enough to put some serious hurt into someone.
I hope the new users have similar good service. I can already smell the fear in whatever poor wooden crates they're loading gear in.
Khuk #1:
Sher BAS blem, for minor handle cracks.
Great edge on this one. It's not "full convex" because the edge doesn't start at the back of the blade, but the bevel seems convex to my eye. It blasted through some old, well seasoned elm that was lying around the yard. The outside of the wood was sort of soft and spongy under the edge, and I'd get a 1.5" bite easily, with big chips flying out. The inside of the wood was much harder, approaching seasoned oak. Absolutely no damage to the edge. Chopping and prying also produced no damage. The wood broke, and the khuk didn't even bend. I had sharpened this one a bit on a Norton fine India stone. after cutting through about 10 -14 inches of wood, the edge was exactly the same as it started. Karda is thin and sharp.
Overall excellent performance. If I was heading "over there" this is the one I'd take. Tough as nails, in a compact package. I think it would turn an ammo can into swiss cheese. I think it would also do well in the "cinder-block chop" that was discussed on the Busse forum a while back. In previous use, I chopped into a rock and bent the tip a bit. A little gentle pounding and some work with a stone left it nearly new, except for a 1 mm moon-shaped divot in the edge bevel. If Uncle throws up any BAS blems anytime soon, I may have to fight for another.
Khuk #2
18" Bura AK, wood handle
I believe this is a post-stroke model. Bill sent it as a replacement in late August or early September.
Slightly forward balance on this one. Definitely more of a fighter/slasher than the BAS because the edge profile is thinner and flatter. The sweet spot seems well hardened. It did crazy things to the wood. Several times, I chopped out thin eighth - inch slices of wood that looked like they had come from a plane - the wood was almost perfectly polished. One-inch plus bite into the hard heartwood. Again zero edge damage. I was slightly surprised at this - I was able to slightly roll a portion of the edge on my 20" siru doing similar work with full-force blows. Perhaps my technique is improving. Handle is comfortable, though the ring may be a bit high. It definitely sticks in the hand despite being sanded smooth to 600 grit and tung-oiled. The high ring would be good for someone wearing gloves.
If I was in a close-quarters situation with only a knife, I'd be glad I lugged this one around. It's long enough to put some serious hurt into someone.
I hope the new users have similar good service. I can already smell the fear in whatever poor wooden crates they're loading gear in.
