Full Tang?

Joined
Dec 22, 2013
Messages
45
Really like the HI style, community and reviews - hoping to get an AK someday. One thing I have not been able to determine - are all HI products full tang? Is the AK?
 
No. Actually most are not full tang. The AK is available both ways. If you want full tang you want a CAK a chiruwa Ang Khoala.

Some models are always full tang, some almost never are but there are always exceptions.

The nice thing about HI is it's like Burger King, have it your way, special orders don't upset em.
Just tell Auntie what your dreaming of and she'll usually make it happen.
 
WOW...that came as a surprise for me... I bought 4 this chrismass, I´m yet to recieve my first, but I am surprised to find out that anyways...
 
Mail is almost a week behind on priority shipping. I had three in the mail. Its not Aunti. Its the Mail bogged down by sheer volume.
WOW...that came as a surprise for me... I bought 4 this chrismass, I´m yet to recieve my first, but I am surprised to find out that anyways...
 
Well, it depends on what you're calling "full tang".

The HI knives typically have a full length tang, with the sturdy forged tang extending completely through the handle and peened at the butt or pommel end.

Some HI knives are full tang in the sense that the tang is visible along the full length of the handle (top and bottom), and these are called "chiruwa", as in Chiruwa Ang Khola (CAK).

A couple uncommon models (like the ones with grips carved to look like animals) have partial tangs that don't extend the full length of the grip.
 
Excellent call Mr. Tall, wow I'm a poet and didn't know it......

When I think full tang I think visible with slabbed handles. Your far more accurate in your description.

I shall apply a little more thought before I let my fingers do the walking next time.
 
Mail is almost a week behind on priority shipping. I had three in the mail. Its not Aunti. Its the Mail bogged down by sheer volume.
Same here. Reno is 2.5 hrs from here but USPS took 8 days. It's the season as usually it takes 1 or 2 days.
Didn't mind the anticipation at all. In a way it makes it more Christmassy like when I was small and every minute before gift opening felt like an hour.
 
Auntie must be magic, she sent my KK on 12/24/2013, and I just got it 12/26/2013 @ 1:00pm. I'm in SSF, CA
 
Bear in mind that traditionally Khukuris were not made with the Western-style full tangs and slab handles. By using a rattail tang the handle flexed and absorbed some of the shock rather than the user. It wasn't until the British came along and requested that a Western-style full tang be made that they were introduced. At least that's the history as I understand.
 
By the way, I've never personally heard of the rat tail/traditional tang breaking on a Himalayan Imports khukuri. It is heavily made. Has anybody ever heard of them breaking?
 
I bet you Bawannas paycheck youll break your wrist before you break the tang itself!
By the way, I've never personally heard of the rat tail/traditional tang breaking on a Himalayan Imports khukuri. It is heavily made. Has anybody ever heard of them breaking?
 
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By the way, I've never personally heard of the rat tail/traditional tang breaking on a Himalayan Imports khukuri. It is heavily made. Has anybody ever heard of them breaking?

I've never hear of or experienced any kind of HI handle failing.
 
The short rat-tail type of tang (which is not how most HI tangs are done) might loosen up or even pull loose after extensive use, but the only actual example I've read about on the forum was when a forumite rehandled a knife himself and the epoxy failed. HI knives (the non-Chiruwa style) have the tang going all the way through the handle and peened over at the end, so the "pulling loose" problem is just about impossible.

I have one of those vintage khukuris (pre-WWI) from the Nepal Armory that's around 100 years old and appears to have the original handle. It's obvious that the blade saw a lot of use before it was warehoused, but the tang is still completely tight in the handle. And that's a short (4.25") handle where the tang only goes partway into the wood.
 
In an infamous video, a Himalayan Imports Ang Khola was subjected to a destruction "test" (what a waste of a good knife), and even after multiple hits from a sledgehammer, the "stick" tang did not break (it bent, and so did the blade). So they should be plenty strong.
 
HI do not make a 'rat tail' tang, which is really a thin threaded rod tack welded to a tangless blade:
View attachment 403081

if anything, the full sized hidden tang is a 'kangaroo tail':
View attachment 403082

a 'full tang' scale sided 'exposed' chiruwa tang is normally not only thinner but has it's cross sectional area reduced by holes drilled in it to attach the scales. only marginally stronger than the hidden tang.

even the shorter partial tangs that do not go all the way through are durable, and have been used in nepal for centuries.

they expect a well used khukuri with a partial tang to have the grip break after about 20 years hard labour, a full hidden tang every 50 years or so, and the chiruwa once a lifetime.

they like the stubs because when it eventually fails, it's easier for then to whittle a new handle, drill a short hole & hot glue it in with laha & be good for another couple of decades.

us westerners do not use them near as much, so you can probably multiply those times by 4. :)
 
I ordered my first HI khuk this Christmas from the UK and got mine within 3 days, I ordered a second without priority mail but it's understandable that the second one will take a bit longer. Also, I think this idea that rat-tail tangs are weak is a very American thing. Americans tend to be more obsessed with full tangs because they think it means the knife is stronger, but if you think about it rat-tail tangs are harder to forge, there has to be a reason why rat-tail tangs have been used in katanas, khukuris, hunting knives and swords all around the world, it's because they give you a lighter blade with more forward weight and the tang has a spring-like quality to it and will bend instead of breaking. I'm not trying to call Americans dumb or anything like that but I guess because most knife people on YouTube etc. are from America and America is the biggest knife importer that's where I hear these stupid remarks about rat-tail tangs. But these same people that say that a Mora knife is bad because it has a rat tail tang are the same people who believe that the American tanto point gives you extra penetrative force, which as far as I'm aware was invented by Cold Steel because it looked cool and provides literally no extra penetrative power as well as taking away from the belly of your cutting edge and making it difficult to sharpen. It annoys me sometimes. I have a WW2 khukuri that my friend gave me that belonged to his uncle who was an Irishman who went to India and served with gurkhas and it has been through a war and is still in perfectly good shape aside from a few chips on the edge, I'm 100% sure if I put an edge on it I couldn't break it even though it's so old. Although since it was made for Indian/Nepalese people the handle is very small so it would be pretty hard for me to wield seeing as I'm 6'5 and have shovel hands. ^^
 
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i remember reading about the brits in the sepoy revolt of 1857 complaining that their swords were not cutting as well as the sepoys. the brits were using their nice shiney new 1854 pattern ones in metal scabbards (which tend to dull the blade when it is removed rapidly) and almost straight spear point blades sharpened dutifully by the regimental armourer. they had a devil of a time. another note: the grips were essentially full tang with pinned on scales.

View attachment 403111

the sepoys were using their old reconditioned war surplus tulwars. turned out that in typical bean counter economy, these were mounted by their british masters pre-revolt with blades from surplus british 1796 light cavalry sabres which had a wicked curved blade with a hatchet point. and a hidden tang peened at the pommel.

View attachment 403112

they carried them in leather scabbards and sharpened them lovingly to a razors edge. they also mounted them in their traditional tulwar hilts after cutting down the tangs to a partial tang held in the handle only by hot melt laha (cutlers cement).

View attachment 403113

the brits stored the blades and grips seperately to prevent a revolt from being able to arm themselves rapidly as they'd need to reglue the grips on, and let them cool. not a quick operation. didn't stop the sepoys for long tho.

a certain unnamed vendor of such replicas makes a replica 1796 LC sabre. in honour of the above, it comes with either an as issued metal scabbard, or the optional leather one. they also sell a tulwar replica. it uses the 1796 sabre blade, and is held in by cutlers cement.
 
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