Good old BAS

Sylvrfalcn

Sylvrfalcn

Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
3,930
This morning an Army sergeant came to me asking to borrow a saw to take care of a tree limb that was in the way of some commo wire. I asked how big the limb was, and he said pretty big, about 2.5 inches in diameter. I grinned and told him as soon as I finished my coffee I'd come over and take care of it with my knife. He looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Then he saw the BAS in action and realized his idea of a knife and mine aren't quite the same thing.:D

Sarge
 
Sarge did u show him ,did u show him uh???did u lope it off in one swipe???i love my BAS!!!!!! :D ;) :)
 
In honesty, it took me two chops, 'cause I had to reach and couldn't safely deliver a full power blow. The blade of my BAS is covered with fine scratches, but no stains and no rust. It's well used and well loved.

Sarge
 
Cutting in one swipe is grossly overated, but pretty damn neat when it happens.

The BAS is big enough to do real work, light enough to carry forever. When I got into the bigger blades, BAS was overlooked for ahile. But I Keep Coming Back.


munk
 
My BAS is still my go to knife when I don't know what I might encounter, and a lot of times when I do.
 
Hee, and this very morning I decided that my first HI khuk will be a BAS. Looks like I made a good choice :D
 
Looks like I made a good choice
Click to expand...
Sharri,
You did, and you won't regret it. A good BAS is hard to beat for an all around carry/work khuk. Of course, when I get home, I'll probably have to try out a 15" AK and a 15" Sirupati by way of comparison. Dadgummed HIKV!:D

Sarge
 
Okie,

This may have been asked and answered million times before, but I need to know;

What are the differences between the BAS and the 15" AK? Specifically, in performance, etc.?
 
Dunno. Theoretically the AK should be heavier than the BAS. However, the AK I got is lighter than my BAS. Another AK I have is heavier than my BAS. So... it depends which one you get. I've found that for the same weight they chop about the same.

Just my opinion though.

Do you prefer fullers or a little brass inlay on your blade?
The 15" AK sometimes is available in wood.
The BAS has a double loop frog.
My AK seems to have a slightly wider blade.
The BAS is a few bux less.

More worthless opinions...

As a first khuk I usually recommend the BAS. It's just as strong as the other knives and it's relatively inexpensive compared to the other models. If you get a UBDOD or a PGA it's even better. Plus it's a do everything blade, unlike a kobra.
 
Many on the forum no that my first two Khuks arrived at the same time. 15" AK, and BAS. The AK was ordered first, after asking Uncle Bill what his opion was for the needs I have for the Khuks.
Just a slight mix-up and they both arrived at the same time. The AK was a Bura and the BAS a Kesar.
Old Faithful made the standard BAS so, you could tell without a doubt that the AK was heavier. They both do good work but, for the chopper supreme the AK's have got it. Now the kicker, My 18" WW11 is a 30OZ. blade that chops almost like an axe. I may but, I doubt that I will get an 18"AK. For all but the real heavy work around this place the BAS does just fine.
Sarge, I find the 15" Sirupati just a bit light for much of a chopper. It works well in the kitchen though. The Sirupati that I used the most outdoors was the 18". It doesn't look very heavy but, the extra length gives it a lot of leverage or torque or what ever it is that makes it one working fool. That KNN blade if taken care of will get sharper with use. Naturally it won't get any sharper than any razor but I never had to sharpen it after the initial touch up.
Sharri, I will have to agree with Sarge. I don't know how you could ever be disappointed in a well made BAS. Even after Two the darn thing is still growing on me. This second one is also a very good knife. and handles pretty much like a dream. The limb that Sarge was talking about would have been a more dangerous job with some of the heavier blades.
Just the way things are for me.!!
 
I have a 20" siru, and it seems a bit long. Cuts well, but less control than my AK, because the balance is a bit farther forward. The 20" is great for brush-type cutting - one-swipe jobs where you don't have to hit the same place twice. Then again, it still works pretty well, and I definitely need some practice. I have about 20 years of catch-up 'til I get to Limbu precision.

Comparing it to an 18" Gelbu Special, I'd probably carry the shorter knife more - but then, I usually throw my Khuk in a backpack and go tromping, rather than working around the house.
 
I'll have to go along with what Tohatchi's saying. I have a Bura 20" and have dispatched a couple of snakes with it but, I didn't feel comfortable trying to use it like an axe. The 18" knife that I had most of my Sirupati experience with was a KNN blade and Uncle Bill can tell you about those. I never run into a job that I asked that blade to do that it didn't walk right through it. Don't get me wrong, I never tried to make it do the kind of job that I can with my two heaviest blades and, I didn't make all my cuts with one swipe either. The knife was one hell of a worker that I could and would stake my life on. I never did figure out exactly why but, it always seemed to me that it worked like a bigger knife. It has been a while but, if I remember right it was about 23 or 24 ozs, of knife. It was my favorite while I had it.:)
 
Uncle Bill could do a better job of telling you about the KNN Kami's but, the way I understand the story. These three kami's are from the villlages and always have to return to the farms to work to feed their families. While they are working at Birgorkha? they make some outstanding knives and they use the same mark. that 18" Sirupati was the only KNN that I had. I used it mostly on green linbs and small trees that I wanted to get rid of. There was a two day period that I worked that blade all day in dried wood that had died in the yard at different times. I never had to sharpen that knife after I touched it up when I first got it. After the dry wood I went back to the green stuff for while and it got sharper. Any one want to tell me how they made a knife that would do that? It sure happened. That blade was getting dangerous.:)
 
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