Ganga Ram Villager

H

hollowdweller

Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
13,182
Hate to go on...well not really ;) but this blade just kicks SO much ass! Bura really must have his **** together now, because the edge is just so great on this one!

I just got back from a hike. I try to take a hike about a mile or so thru the woods every night and always take a khuk with me and my little head light. 2 pines were down on this path I usually travel. They toppled over cause their root systems were shallow and then had been laying there suspended maybe 2' off the ground for months. Dried and hard. I put a really thin convex on this and I was anxious to see how it would fare on these dried out trees.

The thing cut like mad. I made it thru 2 6" trunks in no time including limbing them. When I was done ZERO rolling chiping etc. A few strops back home and back to razor sharpness. After having 2 from Bura in the past roll I am really happy to see some excellent tempering and a really nice edge profile!
 
hollowdweller said:
After having 2 from Bura in the past roll I am really happy to see some excellent tempering and a really nice edge profile!
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Wonderful!!!!:D
Tsimi how does the edge relate to the one I fixed up for you?
Is it thinner, fatter, more obtuse, extend further up the edge or other? :eek: ;)
 
Yvsa said:
Wonderful!!!!:D
Tsimi how does the edge relate to the one I fixed up for you?
Is it thinner, fatter, more obtuse, extend further up the edge or other? :eek: ;)
Click to expand...

Munk,

17" long and 23oz.

Yvsa,

The edge is much thinner than on that AK. It relies much more on the sharpness than on the weight to cut and of course goes deeper cause it's thinner.

The edge is not even at all. There are a LOT of forging marks in the blade. I wonder if that is why it is a villager, cause on one side there is a big dip in the steel like somebody struck too hard with a hammer on there. I don't think it could be ground smooth on both sides without ruining the knife so maybe that's why they made a villager. Kind of a factory second. Also in the cho the edge is much steeper but still not super steep.

However this one did have a convex edge already all the way down the edge and actually when I got it the tip and cho area shaved. The sweet spot was not as sharp but I worked it over with 600 grit and then 1500 grit on a strop and it has a super nice razor edge although if you look down the edge in the light you can see that the polished part of the edge varies in size cause the edge bevel is not smooth. But I don't really care about that part as long as it really cuts and doesn't bend or roll.

Without a doubt this is the best khuk I have got from HI as far as performance. I'd say the YCS comes in second because although it is very sharp the edge is steeper and it is too heavy for machete stuff. This cuts as well as a small axe, machetes, and doesn't weigh much more than a small axe like a Norland or something.
 
cliff355 said:
Hollow:

I have about the same khuk, also by Bura except mine has brass fittings. It seems to be just about perfect - not as heavy as an 18" AK but more horsepower than a 15" AK. A 16.5" is close but not quite.

A while back I got a 20" AK Villager by Kesar which had hammer marks by the edge similar to those you describe. After convex grinding the edge was not completely even and dipped just slightly where the metal was thinner. It has a few minor humps in it if you look real close but they aren't noticed in use and don't interfere with re-sharpening at all. Anyway, those hammer marks looked impossible to grind out, but they actually ground out pretty well.
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I'm not sure if this is a hammer mark or a dip like where the grinder went too deep when they were making the bevel for the edge. It is an area as wide as the bevel, but almost has a "hollow ground " look. The edge itself from the side or looking straight down on it looks straight, it is just the bevel that is uneven. I could really care less how it looks. It sharpens easy, doesn't roll and cuts great.
 
Ah, the GRS. Whether it's the 18" or the 22", these are some awesome khuks. Ol' Ganga really outdid himself when he designed it. My mom's neighbors thought me daft for using a "big knife" to clean up her backyard of debris and trees...that is until they saw that I could debranch and third a 20'x9" limb with a 22" GRS in about the same time that it took them to fuel up and put a chain on their chainsaws. It's the kind of khuk that makes you want to go out and build a cabin.

Jake
 
Ah, a thin Bura. I had an 18" AK, about 2/3 the thickness of my rather thick BGRS. That thing cut like the devil, light and quick in the hand. Still had more than enough metal to be durable, though.

Sent it off to Sarge. Hope the recipient used it well.
 
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