First Impression

M

mcatalfano

Joined
Dec 22, 2013
Messages
45
I knew the wait was over when my wife sent the following text message, "did you buy a sword?" It was my 18" 33oz WWII by Rajkumar. Thought I would share some first impressions, in no particular order...

  • Good heft, not heavy in the hand
  • Great grip
  • Perfect circumference for my hand size
  • Not sharp out of the box (arm hair intact)
  • Solid, solid piece of hardware
  • Serious blade
  • Great polish, nice detail work, really a piece of art
  • Companion knives were smaller than anticipated
  • Like the handle ring
  • Cho does not appear to compromise strength
  • Thicker spine after the bend - full 1/2 inch by my measure
  • Solid, handsome sheath

Couple more notes - plan to take it for a spin tomorrow after work, will share an update and some pics. Chakma is great for teaching my five year old about knife safety - doesn't realize it is blunt. Could not be happier with the purchase. Was originally pining for an AK, but think this one is right for me.
 
Great choice. Don't sharpen it but try chopping wood as is. You'll be surprised how well it chops with the stock edge.
 
Congrats. I really like the WWII model; they're simple, straightforward, powerful and scream Ghurkha soldier. Knowing these models cut the boot laces of fearsome Japanese soldiers as they slept makes them all the more special in my book.
 
Arm hair shaving sharp is fine for knives dedicated to slicing. Having a knife that sharp used for chopping is asking to have edge damage.
A fine edge will not hold up to the stresses of chopping. For chopping, it is better to have a "field sharp" edge, more like an axe or hatchet. This leaves more "meat" behind the edge and allows it to survive the chopping blows.
 
It is possible to combine "shaving sharp" and chopping edges. The edge profile as ground by the maker is the biggest safeguard against chipping-the kamis know their kukri physics. That being said my gelbu special (which has edge angles like an axe) will shave-it just took some fiddling. Brown ceramic hones as a final edge polish give the edge some tooth as well, which is challenging to get in a shaving edge. Congrats on the WW2-I really like the look of those. Looking forward to the field testing!
 
J W Bensinger said:
It is possible to combine "shaving sharp" and chopping edges. The edge profile as ground by the maker is the biggest safeguard against chipping-the kamis know their kukri physics. That being said my gelbu special (which has edge angles like an axe) will shave-it just took some fiddling. Brown ceramic hones as a final edge polish give the edge some tooth as well, which is challenging to get in a shaving edge. Congrats on the WW2-I really like the look of those. Looking forward to the field testing!
Click to expand...
:thumbup: Glad you think the same like me and you as a maker have more credibility than me.
Not to pile on Karda but just to help the others. A big angle makes it a more stable edge and at the same time it can be so sharp that you can shave with it. Sharp does not mean thin and brittle edge.
I have seen metal cutting tools which have 45 degree edges or even wider edges and are so sharp that they can easily cut flesh. (of course they wouldn't slice very well since they are so thick but that has nothing to do with lack of sharpness)
There is no reason to not have a sharp Ax or Kukri as long as sharp does not mean thinning out the edge.
Some of my HI Kukri were arm shaving sharp out of their triangle box!

If somebody says again that sharp means more edge damage than I need to get 2 identical Kukris sharpened at the same angle and make one dull. Then we test how they can chop through the same wood, how long it takes, with how much force and how much damage they take.
I imagine the sharper edge will require less force to bite through wood and thus will be faster and have less damage than the dull edge which would have to be hammered through the wood with all my strength.
Of course with this being the internetz I could be cheating, so we need some judges.
When do we meet at Aunties place?
:D

Maybe this links about edges and cutting wood explains it much better than me:
http://workshopcompanion.com/KnowHow/Tools/Sharpening/1_How_Tools_Cut_Wood/1_How_Tools_Cut_Wood.htm
Even if you look at only one picture of dull vs sharp at the same edge angle SH_1_9.jpg (Source:http://workshopcompanion.com/KnowHo...t_Wood/1_How_Tools_Cut_Wood_images/SH_1_9.jpg) you can imagine how a dull edge is more prone to take on additional damage faster than a blade which starts out sharp.
 
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Convex edges can be made sharp enough to shave hairs, and still be strong enough for chopping wood. Axes put to hard use on trail crews, for example, can be routinely kept "shaving sharp".

Stropping is a good way to get a hair-shaving edge on axes and khukuris. I've read that the resulting polished edge (instead of a "toothy" edge) gives better performance when chopping, something about the friction or resistance being reduced? Maybe the micro-serrations of a "toothy" edge give better performance for slicing (like saw teeth or a serrated knife), but when chopping those micro-serrations will tend to fold over or break off, effectively dulling the blade.

I think the problem arises for khukuris when an angled bevel is imposed onto the formerly convex edge. Then the edge is weaker, especially if it's made "shaving sharp". This must be what Karda wants HI khuk buyers to avoid doing, and rightly so (IMHO).
 
Speaking of "out of the box" sharpness. This can be very deceiving. During the final polishing stage sometimes the Kamis get the edge polished so fine you can run your finger across it without cutting (disclaimer goes here) and feels "butter knife" dull. Dont let this deceive you! If you drag the edge over 600 grit paper under the blades own weight at the right angle and i do mean only once or twice at the most on each side it can become scary sharp and shave very nicely. Just those few micro serrations across an otherwise deceptively dull blade makes a HUGE difference (for slicing). You must do it at the right angle tho. For choppers I dont do this except near the cho recurved area for drawcutting etc. Most of the Khuks ive been getting are profiled at very high angles compared to most knives. They must be in mid twenties. KLVUK a little less and a few others? This is just an observation.
 
Thx Steve Tall
So arm shaving sharp is actually fine if it doesn't come at the price of a smaller edge angle? But Karda says sharp is not good because he assumes people don't know the difference and just to be sure he keeps them in the dark and generalizes all kinds of sharp as bad and blade damaging?
Makes sense. Kind of.
More likely it seems he didn't know the difference. I wouldn't mind that but since he always brings up sharp = bad I will always correct it if I come across it. I guess Kukri owners deserve to know that sharp is good.

Thank you.
 
Whoa gentle Jens. I'd have a hard time swallowing Karda and not knowing the difference in the same sentence.

I'm a true believer in that what is a reality to the pros as far as durable shaving / chopping sharp edges and what us ordinary mere mortals can do are planets apart.

Course I also believe that what one man can do another can do, just might take 10 times longer and only close but we can do it.

Do please ease up on Karda though huh. He surly don't need no defense from me but we oughta be nice to him ya know?
 
Bawanna said:
Whoa gentle Jens. I'd have a hard time swallowing Karda and not knowing the difference in the same sentence.

I'm a true believer in that what is a reality to the pros as far as durable shaving / chopping sharp edges and what us ordinary mere mortals can do are planets apart.

Course I also believe that what one man can do another can do, just might take 10 times longer and only close but we can do it.

Do please ease up on Karda though huh. He surly don't need no defense from me but we oughta be nice to him ya know?
Click to expand...

Sorry if it came across like I dislike Karda. I hope I didn't?
The only issue is that sharp does not have to mean thin and brittle edge and that came up repeatedly here at HI forum.
So while I disagree with Karda's opinion in this case, I like him as a person and whatever he types here. He's probably the nicest guy in our forum and is so fair to even remind us to not work around paypal fees. Everybody else I know would try to avoid any fee wherever possible. He strikes me as a very honest guy.

So long stuff short, sharp is cool and so is Karda.
 
[video]https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10151637133772384&id=208207042383&_rdr[/video]
Test cutting and forgetting where the fencepost was in the tube. Shaving sharp high convex 1084 hu die dao. Speaking of microserrations, if they're sufficiently micro (brown ceramic finish) they're very durable.
I understand where Karda is coming from. If I had a limited time frame to explain sharpness, I would err in the direction of caution as well. It's also traditional in many cultures to get a new blade from the maker with a basic working edge, to be adjusted by the end user to his or her requirements.
 
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Jens Schuetz said:
Thx Steve Tall
So arm shaving sharp is actually fine if it doesn't come at the price of a smaller edge angle? But Karda says sharp is not good because he assumes people don't know the difference and just to be sure he keeps them in the dark and generalizes all kinds of sharp as bad and blade damaging?
Makes sense. Kind of.
More likely it seems he didn't know the difference. I wouldn't mind that but since he always brings up sharp = bad I will always correct it if I come across it. I guess Kukri owners deserve to know that sharp is good.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

Jens Schuetz said:
Sorry if it came across like I dislike Karda. I hope I didn't?
The only issue is that sharp does not have to mean thin and brittle edge and that came up repeatedly here at HI forum.
So while I disagree with Karda's opinion in this case, I like him as a person and whatever he types here. He's probably the nicest guy in our forum and is so fair to even remind us to not work around paypal fees. Everybody else I know would try to avoid any fee wherever possible. He strikes me as a very honest guy.

So long stuff short, sharp is cool and so is Karda.
Click to expand...

I speak from experience, both on and off the forum.
If a person absolutely knows what they're doing in regards to sharpening and profiling a blade it is possible to have a shaving sharp edge that will chop. The majority of people, though, will not have enough knowledge or experience to accomplish this task. There is a very fine line between a scary sharp edge that will chop and one that will blow out when you get to refining your edges that far.
For years we had a member getting everyone to believe that khukuri were supposed to be that sharp....quite frankly...theyre not.
You won't ever find a Nepali or Gurkha complaining that he can't shave his arm hair with a khukuri and they have been using these blade for hundreds of years before most of the western world had the slightest inkling of what these blades are.

This has been enough of a problem in the past that it is actually referenced in the warranty. HI will not warrant an edge that has been modified to the extent that it becomes unsuitable for it's designed task. Auntie should not have to warrant end user mistakes. Oversharpening is not a quality control or manufacturing defect. It is the end users fault. This it why we sell and recommend field sharp edges put on the blade by hand rather that with powered devices such as worksharps or belt sanders. They easily modify the edge past its suitability for chopping if you are not careful.
 
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J W Bensinger said:
[video]https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10151637133772384&id=208207042383&_rdr[/video]
Test cutting and forgetting where the fencepost was in the tube. Shaving sharp high convex 1084 hu die dao. Speaking of microserrations, if they're sufficiently micro (brown ceramic finish) they're very durable.
I understand where Karda is coming from. If I had a limited time frame to explain sharpness, I would err in the direction of caution as well. It's also traditional in many cultures to get a new blade from the maker with a basic working edge, to be adjusted by the end user to his or her requirements.
Click to expand...
Whats the best way to get micro teeth?
Having big teeth and polishing them down to small or make a mirror polish and then add a few strokes with a rougher stone perpendicular to the edge?
The video is kuul :thumbup: Impressive!:)
 
Karda- that's what I thought you meant. I feel the same way with my stuff-I'll warrant it but not against idiocy, unless said idiocy is my own :) . Jens- any of the brown ceramic hones-gatco dogbones or the spyderco ceramic files (save some $$ and get the triangular replacements for their sharpening doohickey-the pro-files are $$$$$$.) use it like a butchers steel after basic sharpening and A) it puts on a tiny tiny microbevel and B) it pulls itself into the thing being cut.
For cutting tools, work base to tip. For things that must cut on the push (dagger points or bowhunting broadheads) tip to base. Perhaps I'm being OCD but you can feel the difference (GENTLY) touching the edge to your thumbnail and GENTLY pulling or pushing the blade (i emphasize gently because I almost sliced through my nail when i first discovered this).
 
Couple thoughts here...

One joke, a story about my son, ten positive bullets...and everyone saw the little note about sharpness. :D
Really blown away by the knowledge on display here

Last note - love the WWII. Wonderful tool - the minute it gets above 12 degrees, I am going outside to test this baby.
 
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