Got my M-43

U

Uberanium

Joined
Sep 12, 2018
Messages
30
I've had it since Monday now, but only got the chance to use it this morning. I might put up some pictures later, but first I have to say how great this blade feels in hand. This is my first khukuri, so I don't have a great baseline yet, but it's very comfortable, and at only 25-26 oz, it's not a super heavy beast. I spent about an hour this morning after work, chopping some overgrowth in my yard. It was mainly soft wood (not sure what exactly) and varied from 1 inch in diameter to up to 3. Overall I was very satisfied with its performance, control, and beauty and honestly it wasn't too far off from any hatchet I've ever used, performance wise.

I love the grain on this handle. It's simple, but classy, and it feels very good in hand. perfect for my hand size. I did maybe chop a little close to the ground and hit a large pebble with the tip of the blade..:eek::oops:

Overall I'm pretty satisfied with the knife, but I do have one concern.

I knew to expect some rolling and edge misalignment, but what's shown seems a bit much? Except for the small chip at the tip, I only ever hit wood with it, and most of it was pretty mild stuff. 1-3 hit chops. I was under the assumption that where the dents are (although not in the sweet spot) are still in the hardened area of the blade? Is it a technique thing, or is the heat treat maybe on a more specific area of the blade than I thought? I'll do some work with the chakmak and some light sharpening and post the results.

*Edit 10/3*. Yangdu has been supremely willing to work with me and is sending me a replacement. Some of the best customer service around. I'm new-ish here and didn't know it would be so hassle free to fix, and even though I didn't know if it was an issue on my end or not, my apologies if posting about an issue before emailing was rude.
 
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Still trying to figure out photos. If you don't see any, check back later and they'll be up.

*edit* Figured it out, but I'll have to post them in the comments.







 
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I'm still figuring khukris out too, but I only did that big ding near the tip when I hit a cinder block - was taking a vine off the house at an angle and hit the block on the ground. the corner I hit exploded off, but the khuk looked pretty good still (this was an old IMA khukri).

At the end of the day, they're tools. like a hoe or an axe, they're going to get banged up. Personally I'd chakma or butcher block it and carry on.
 
Mdinana said:
I'm still figuring khukris out too, but I only did that big ding near the tip when I hit a cinder block - was taking a vine off the house at an angle and hit the block on the ground. the corner I hit exploded off, but the khuk looked pretty good still (this was an old IMA khukri).

At the end of the day, they're tools. like a hoe or an axe, they're going to get banged up. Personally I'd chakma or butcher block it and carry on.
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I agree. Like I've said before, I don't hang stuff on the wall. If i buy it, it's so I can use it. I was just surprised by what that wood did to a part of the blade I thought was hard. I guess now I know where the heat treat is lol.
 
By my experience....and I’m going back to the early 1980’s, it’s usually a heat treat issue and/or an edge profile issue if you didn’t ding it against a rock. I’ve watched edges roll because the convex edge wasn’t quit right.
Just my short experience opinion.
I’ve only been on HI for almost 2 yrs but have had numerous experience with blade smiths since the early 1980’s.
BTW, that’s a beautiful knife!!
 
George Azar said:
By my experience....and I’m going back to the early 1980’s, it’s usually a heat treat issue and/or an edge profile issue if you didn’t ding it against a rock. I’ve watched edges roll because the convex edge wasn’t quit right.
Just my short experience opinion.
I’ve only been on HI for almost 2 yrs but have had numerous experience with blade smiths since the early 1980’s.
BTW, that’s a beautiful knife!!
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Yeah, I love how satisal wood looks. It's dark enough that it is subtle and sleek, but light enough that you can still see some grain. The proportions on the M-43 are also eye pleasing imo. One of my favorite looking production models lol. I am afraid that it could be a heat treat issue though. I know HI is good quality, and good quality control, but sometimes things slip through. Idk, I'm going to fix it up real pretty in the next couple of days and try again next to my AK that should be getting here in the next day or two. I'll probably post about that one too.
 
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Uberanium said:
Yeah, I love how satisal wood looks. It's dark enough that it is subtle and sleek, but light enough that you can still see some grain. The proportions on the M-43 are also eye pleasing imo. One of my favorite looking production models lol. I am afraid that it could be a heat treat issue though. I know HI is good quality, and good quality control, but sometimes things slip through. Idk, I'm going to fix it up real pretty in the next couple of days and try again next to my AK that should be getting here in the next day or two. I'll probably post about that one too.
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I would message Ms Yangdu and tell her what happened and ask her opinion what should be done?
Or call her. She’s a very sweet lady!
 
Like the others have said, contact auntie, and rest assured, she'll make it right, as needed.

Realign it with the chakma, and after it is straightened out, run the chakma over it. The blade will "grab the chakma" where is it is soft, the heat treated area will allow the chakma to glide right over it.

I do this with every new blade, before using it, so that you can tell where the heat treat is exactly on the blade edge.
 
I've used my recently purchased AK Bowie on all types of wood and even dismembered a few old plastic chairs that were still too solid to just slam against the concrete( they bounced from a 2 story building...) I am ecstatic about how well the edge held up. I can't even tell it's been used. As I understood the kuks have that sweet spot but the knives and swords are entirely edge quenched but I may have misunderstood. However, that's why I went with the bowie for brush and branch clearing.
 
Definitely let Yangdu know. You can then try to steel the edge and sharpen it to see if there's hardened steel underneath. Sometimes the aggressive polishing ruins the the heat treat near the surface. As far as where it's hardened, a vinegar patina will show you. I've even seen where isolated water drops hit the blade during the tea kettle hardening after forcing a patina on the blade
 
If you hit a cinder block, then that's what happens. I have a few of my HI Kukuris that have that same little notch. Chopping a little to low, and hitting a brick will do that. It's still a beautiful blade. I love the m-43s.
 
Fist of all sorry to hear the blade chip.
My best suggestion is sharpen those chips out and try chopping with it again.
If the blade fails again then let me know and I will send replacement.
I will do my best to take care our great customer!
 
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