Fox Folly - Pics & Review by DK

Daniel Koster

Daniel Koster

www.kosterknives.com
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 18, 2001
Messages
20,978
Rather than hijack Yvsa's thread...thought I'd make one of my own.


Pic first....test results to follow later.


This is probably the best finish I've seen on a H.I. khukuri in a long time. The handles are just amazing (all I did was wipe the oil off the blades).


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Whoa!!! You weren't kidding about the finish...wonder if they have new assistants who really appreciate the high earnings available due to HI?

Beautiful!!

.
 
Gorgeous looking! Any idea what kind of wood the handle is? Can't wait for the review but looks like I have to anyway. ;)

Bob
 
I did part one of my testing, but my video converter is not working....:mad:



Initial thoughts - I agree with Yvsa & Yangdu that indeed it is a bit too heavy. Because of the large leaf-shape, the blade is very forward-heavy. Somewhere between a Berk Special and an M-43. I'll post a balance pic in a minute or two.

However, the spine is nicely tapered and the blade, of course, is wonderfully fullered. That alone makes the whole thing worth it.

I just beat it to death outside on some cherry and pine.....the handle seems to fit fine in my hand. I'll take some grip pics and post 'em.

So far, so good.
 
Outstanding Dan. Glad you could get too do some cutting. My tests will unfortunately ahve too wait until tomalle.
Oops, there I go again with my mind on food.:rolleyes: :p ;) :D

Edit:
I especially like the way the handle was sanded down around the buttcap!!!!:cool: That is something I do on my users and then I fill a triangular notch in between the buttcap and the wood.

I don't know what the wood is but it is sorta reminds me of the Rosewood we used too get. As you can see it is very dark and mine has some even darker grain, almost if not black!!!!:cool: :D
 
I believe it is Chandan wood, Yvsa. Very, very nice. Excellent finish.
 
grrrr........:grumpy:

My test pics are worthless without the videos......Seems Windows Media Player no longer wants to play nicely with my Stoik Video Compressor.......

Anybody know of a utility I can use to compress a 37MB .avi file to .wmv? (or similar)
 
John K said:
OK, I want one-better to ask for forgiveness than permission
John
Click to expand...

Hey, John, check for the Foxes Folly sign up list thread a bit further down, or send a PM to Yvsa and ask to be put on. The thread tells all about the total cost ($150) and gives all the specs. So far about 35 guys have asked for one, and a couple of guys are getting two.

This is a remake run of an older discontinued larger model that most of us missed, but also that most folks acknowledged was way too heavy.

For the last few months Yvsa has been driving the effort to get a new lighter run made in the 24-28 oz. range, and these are the first two out for approval. Once that is given then we all pay up and the kami's get the order!

There is still time to sign up I'm sure, and $150 is a great deal believe me.

Regards,

Norm
 
Tis a thing of beauty. I only have two points of reference for this style of blade - the original FF and an oldie from John Powell, but I think the balance is going to be funny with this sort of design. The short stubby handle and big-bellied blade will put the weight balance waaaaay forward. It's a khuk that goes out and grabs things - not so hot for waving around, but it will deliver a fearsome blow to anything you actually hit it with.

Some requests for Dan -

Can we get a boring, top-down shot like the Deal of the Day photos? I'd like to see the curves without foreshortening. Maybe a ruler for scale.

Also, some comments on the handle. The original was a fireplug, but somehow it worked. I think the fat shape made it necessary to smooth out the horns a bit. I'm curious how this matches up in length and diameter.

:D :D :D
 
pics as promised, and requested....


balance pic - about 4 inches in front of the bolster. That would not be a problem normally, but since the handle is short/stout, it does put the weight very forward (plus the overall bend angle adds to it - see Khukuri Dynamics Page for reference).


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Straight, over the top boring pick.....:p
(still pretty dang curvy)


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The rounded buttcap Yvsa was talking about:

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more pics.....


Here's my only beef with the Fox Folly....and it's because of me, not because of the design itself.

I gravitate toward khukuris that favor my preferred grip....which is two fingers behind the ring. The FF is a three fingers in front type grip which puts strain on my hand (combined with the heavy, forward balance). I beat the heck out of it tonight and I'm really paying the price sitting here trying to type this out....right hand's shaking every once in a while. Perhaps I was just a bit too excited? :D

Anyway, have a look at these pics:

Here is how the FF should be held:


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same grip, opened up to show ring placement:


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Here's how I prefer to grip....but you can see it doesn't fit the khukuri.


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pinky is useless in this grip (usually I use it for stabilizing) and the butt plate digs into my palm.


same grip open:



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You can also see in the topmost grip that the handle really is a bit too big. Since we have the opportunity to provide feedback to the kamis (something we did not have with the YCS) then I'm going to recommend that the handle be taken down a bit in size - though, it's not as big as the last run of YCS.

With a smaller diameter handle, it would fatigue my hand less.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the handle shape and size itself, since it IS based upon a traditional khukuri handle - and for that, I love it.
 
DK, nice observations and pics on the FF. I've found that larger diameter handles fatique me quicker as well. how wide and thick is the handle on your FF, and what dimensions would you personally recommend to the kamis?

Bob
 
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