EXTREMELY SATISFIED

[GONESAILING]

Uncle Bill
Received my new 20 inch sirupati and 18 inch WW11 today. Frankly, they are breath taking!!
I have purchased other hand made knives much more expensive, but WOW, these khukuris are beautiful!!! My only other experience with this type of knife is a panawal from another company that I received earlier this week. Much less expensive than your Ang Khola. Unfortunately, it has been sent back because the blade was twisted clockwise about 10 degrees. In appearance and finish it was not in the same ball park. Functionally, I didn't have it long enough to evaluate adequately. Hope the garrantee is as good as yours.
Let me start with the scabbard. BTW the following applies to both the sirupati and WW11. The blade fits solid and locks into place in the scabbard with a sharp firm snapping sound. Violently shaking will not displace the blade from its home! It also slides in and out on the same track each time, not cutting into the leather or wood.
I told you about my large sized hands, and the handles are more than adequate. The bone and the brass endcaps look striking.
The blades are true and symmetrical. The spine is much thicker than what was expected. Both are hair shaving sharp. I am suprised that a blade this large is so consistent. No wobble, no twist. Just, well, as a blade should be.
Like the gold engraving on the sirupati and the tooled design on the cap on the WW11.
Haven't had a chance to use them much, but tried the whack test (against an oak tree),and I do mean whack, with the spine and sides and finally the cutting edge, both kuhks passed. Chopped a few limbs and a 8 inch oak log. So far no tang failures.

Bill, these are worth every cent I payed for them and much more. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, PERCEIVED VALUE IS FAR IN EXCESS OF PRICE PAID. Felt good when I purchased my Sebenza. Same feeling but amplified now.
I fully intend to chop, slice, and use these knives as well as take very good care of them. I have no doubt if any problems arise Bill, you will solve them. They are not perfect, nothing is, but I can't see any imperfections!!!!
My comments are not to inflame any other companies or knives. Just to share my happiness with the HI khuks. YMMV
Jim

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What? Another knife? Don't you have enough of those things already?
How many does one person need?

 

[mohd]

Yes ! It is not just another knife - it is a real knife ! A lady just need one knife but surely not a man. Ha ha ha !

Gonesailing - sometime I just don't believe ! - how come you whack (real whack some more !) the spine and the sides of your beautiful 20" Sirupati & 18" WW II against that oak tree ! Ahhh - I may agree if you whack the tree with the cutting edge ! Anyhow - I like your simple & very practical test especially when you mentioned "both kuhks passed" !

Pakcik Bill - should I perform that same test to mine ?

 

[Yvsa]

:
gonesailing.
Nice,ain't they??!!! Now you have the fever. I have seen a few Kukris at gun and knife shows,but Never have I seen anything like H.I.s Kuhkuris.

mohd.
One of the things that smacking your Kuhkuri like that up against a tree is it will exert force on the blade.tang and the whole assembly in every direction and is an excellent test. Also helps to give you a "feel" for what the knife will "do.'
You may want to drive a stake or hammer a nail with it someday.

The way the handles are made helps with blade orientation.(knowing where the edge is.) I sent my son a CS Trailmaster with a blued blade so it could be used tacticaly. He was a trainer at Camp Shelby and was out on manueveors one night. He was using it to set some artillery simultors with trip wires and was tapping the little nails in with the spine.
He layed the knife down and when he picked it up it was the wrong way,when he went to tap the next nail in he got two of them.

His thumb and index fingernails as well as his fingers. Good thing he was only tapping.

That's a good reason for the handle orientation.


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>>>>---¥vsa---->®
The civilized man sleeps behind locked doors in the city while the naked savage sleeps (with a knife) in a open hut in the jungle.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Mohd, when you are chopping and get tired the blade will start to see twisting and strong lateral forces due to you no longer being able to keep the impacts clean. It is very necessary for a blade to be able to take side impacts if you are going to use it for heavy chopping. And as Yvsa noted, there are some utility aspects to being able to strike with the spine and blade flats.

Gonesailing, if the other khukuri was from GH would you mind posting up the details of what caused the twist in the non specific manufacturer forum.


-Cliff

[This message has been edited by Cliff Stamp (edited 16 July 1999).]

 

[Craig Gottlieb]

Cliff: gonesailing did get the Panawal from me. I can't comment on the nature of the twist because I haven't been to the mailbox today. However, I believe what happened was pretty simple (and definitely a mistake on my part). The twist, I think, is similar to the "little wave along the back" that Bill mentioned some of the Village Khukuris have. I guess I didn't see the "wave" because I've never seen any of the GH khukuris exhibit the wave. I failed to site the blade before shipping it, and have assured gonesailing that he can have a replacement, exchange, or refund (including his shipping costs). Sorry, gonesailing, for the hassle!

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor

 

[Bill Martino]

Gone, many thanks for the kind words. And, your initial tests are entirely appropriate and something that I would do myself if I had the time and strength. It is easier for me to lean on a khukuri than swing it.

I don't bother to sight all HI khukuris anymore. It is a waste of time. I do sight the villagers, however, and some of them will display a little wave along the back of the blade. This is simply due to forging and the wave does not affect the performance or strength of the khukuri. Village people know this and don't care. If the blade is twisted (torqued rotationally) in its original condition it generally indicates a hurried heat treat and this usually means a poor blade due to improper heat treat. If the blade was true in its original state and torqued after use it is the sign of poor steel, poor heat treat or both.

Uncle Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill Martino (edited 16 July 1999).]

 

[GONESAILING]

sometime I just don't believe ! - how come you whack (real whack some more !) the spine and the sides of your beautiful 20" Sirupati & 18" WW II against that oak tree ! Ahhh - I may agree if you whack the tree with the cutting edge ! Anyhow - I like your simple & very practical test especially when you mentioned "both kuhks passed" !
Mohd
I guess I was taking out a little aggression on these new ones. Wanted to see if beauty was skin (spline) deep. The dog ran into the house, the cat ran to the neighbors and I was just flayling away against that old oak tree.
Not satisfied yet, I even tried hedge trimming.
Jim


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What? Another knife? Don't you have enough of those things already?
How many does one person need?

 

[Bill Martino]

Jim, one of my oldest customers who became a dear friend, Ray Chiappelli, former Marine Forward Observer in Nam, tested every HI khukuri he bought exactly as you did except he did it on a large teak log in his back yard. Today he owns about 45 HI khukuris, including a Kancha Kami special that he will not sell back to me and none of them failed the initial test or any other work or test he has put them to in the past 11 years.

So, all I can say is your test method puts you in very good company.

Uncle Bill

 

[Waldo]

Used my 15" AK last week to prepare for a bonfire/party. First I used the spine of the blade to pulverize numerous milk jugs frozen solid with ice in them. Thought it was awfully convenient to be able to turn over my make-shift hammer and use the rzor edge to slice the plastic apart to pour out the ice chunks into the cooler! Needless to say I did not take it easy on the hammering. My buddy and I then proceeded to use the AK to split Black Locust logs which were so hard a wood that the furthest we could sink the AK into the edge of the pieces was maybe 2" . Proceeded to split a wheelbarrow of wood by hammering the AKon the spine through the hard wood with a round piece that was handy.

Apart from a few new scratches on the blade flats the AK was unscathed. A few swipes on my kitchen steel and the hair shaving edge was back. A little Tuf Cloth and back into the sheath for the next adventure.

I think that the spine and flat whack test are very appropriate for a HI Khukuri - at least for mine

Great knives Uncle Bill - looking forward to that Villager!

Waldo

 

[Bill Martino]

Thanks for feedback, Waldo. The AK performed as expected and as it should and you used it most appropriately. I have done the same thing without hesitation.

The villager should perform similar tasks but not quite as well and should show no more signs of heavy use that the AK. They are very tough little khukuris.

Uncle Bill

 

[Yvsa]

:
Waldo,I know what Black Locust is as there is a lot around here. There are only a couple of woods around here tougher and harder. One is Bois 'D' Arc or OsageOrange,Hedgeapple,
Horseapple and a host of other names. The other one is the Blackjack or Scrub Oak that seems to draw sand up with the water from the roots.
Tht wood is the worst there is around here Dulls knives,axes and chainsaws in record time.
If the Black Locust was seasoned I know what your task was like. Fantastc blades,The Kuhkuris from H.I. !!!

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>>>>---¥vsa---->®
The civilized man sleeps behind locked doors in the city while the naked savage sleeps (with a knife) in a open hut in the jungle.

 

[Bill Martino]

I figure if Cliff can chop up cars with his HI khukuris they should handle most wood okay. Personally, I've never tried cars -- nails and bolts, yes, but not cars.

Uncle Bill