After missing more hasiyas then I care to count from DOTD I attempted to get one direct from Yangdu, however at the time she didn't have any in stock. So in part of my quest I posted an ad in the Looking to Buy section of the classifieds, yet again no luck. A few weeks later Jimmy (Jai)extended an offer for a hasiya, but sadly at the time I didn't have the cash. Once I saw one offered in the DOTD 12/18 I thought I was in luck, however I was beat to it once again. I decided to email Yangdu directly again, and low and behold she had one in stock. She even had one in horn, which was exactly what I was looking for. The delivery took a little longer then normal, but considering that it was during holiday season a little delay is to be expected. Once I tore into the box and unwrapped my little treasure (a 16" knife is kind of little...) I was in love. After a few swings in the air I knew that my time looking for one of these beauties was time well spent. Anyway..enough of my life story, on with the review!
Blade - The blade on the hasiya is very interesting and varies greatly from other offerings from HI with only the R-1 Stick Knife being the real exception. A hasiya is a sickle plain and simple, however the great folks at HI have made just a plain sickle a true work of art that is a wonder to behold. The flat of the blade is well shaped with no visible hammer or grind marks, it includes a simi fuller running down the majority of it's length. The shallow fuller is well done and very even and crisp (it's similar to a gelbu type fuller, but more shallow). The sword of shiva is among the best I have ever seen, with even marks that do not stray as well as they all appear to be the same depth. The edge is by far the sharpest I have ever seen on any HI product, you can literally shave with it. The grind on the edge is mostly a flat grind, however for the last two inches of the tip it becomes a very healthy convex. The blade also contains a bit of taper in it; the thickness of the spine at the bolster is 7mm and gradually narrows to 6mm until around 2 1/2" away from the tip it narrows to 5mm.
Handle - The handle, like the blade, is also interesting and quite different then other offerings from HI. Rather then a some what oval shape, the hasiya's handle is perfectly round. The round handle, while sounding as though it may cause poor blade alignment, is really a pretty good idea for what the hasiya was intended to do. While an oval handle may get in the way when holding the blade horizontal for cutting vegetation, round handle doesn't. The handle is very nice, it contains no rough areas or potential hot spots, it is very smooth horn with a little touch of white. The carvings on the handle as very well done with only a few minor spots that wander. The pommel and bolster are also both well done with no sharp edges and clean solder joints. The handle also has a small decoration that hangs from the pommel, while it is very well done, I find the noise it makes to be somewhat annoying, so it may be removed.
Cutting - To start with for cutting with the hasiya I chose a patch that was around 10 feet by 8 feet of overgrown wild grass that was around 3 feet tall. The hasiya made quick work of the grass and I was done in no time. The hasiya was a proverbial lightsaber to the grass, each swipe yielded a healthily supply of the grass. The patch of grass was cleared in about 20 mins and once that was cleared I moved onto two bushes that had been getting in the way. The bushes was a bit more of a challenge for the hasiya, with branches up to 1/2" thick, however yet again this provided no problem for the hasiya. The hasiya would go though several of these branches in one swipe leaving a nicely cleaved branch. Both of the bushes where cleared in about 10 mins.
The hasiya has been on my must have list for quite some time now, and while I was never victorious until recently in obtaining one, I feel that it was well deserving of the wait. After handling the hasiya has become one of my favorites of the HI line up, and for light vegetation work it tops my list. Now that I have a hasiya in horn, I am now lusting over one in wood.
Thanks Yangdu for the outstanding service and another terrific knife.
Here are the stats to the knife.
Blade - 10 3/4"
Handle - 5 3/8"
Point of Balance - 3 1/4" away from bolster
Weight - 20 1/4 oz
Kami - Sher
Blade - The blade on the hasiya is very interesting and varies greatly from other offerings from HI with only the R-1 Stick Knife being the real exception. A hasiya is a sickle plain and simple, however the great folks at HI have made just a plain sickle a true work of art that is a wonder to behold. The flat of the blade is well shaped with no visible hammer or grind marks, it includes a simi fuller running down the majority of it's length. The shallow fuller is well done and very even and crisp (it's similar to a gelbu type fuller, but more shallow). The sword of shiva is among the best I have ever seen, with even marks that do not stray as well as they all appear to be the same depth. The edge is by far the sharpest I have ever seen on any HI product, you can literally shave with it. The grind on the edge is mostly a flat grind, however for the last two inches of the tip it becomes a very healthy convex. The blade also contains a bit of taper in it; the thickness of the spine at the bolster is 7mm and gradually narrows to 6mm until around 2 1/2" away from the tip it narrows to 5mm.
Handle - The handle, like the blade, is also interesting and quite different then other offerings from HI. Rather then a some what oval shape, the hasiya's handle is perfectly round. The round handle, while sounding as though it may cause poor blade alignment, is really a pretty good idea for what the hasiya was intended to do. While an oval handle may get in the way when holding the blade horizontal for cutting vegetation, round handle doesn't. The handle is very nice, it contains no rough areas or potential hot spots, it is very smooth horn with a little touch of white. The carvings on the handle as very well done with only a few minor spots that wander. The pommel and bolster are also both well done with no sharp edges and clean solder joints. The handle also has a small decoration that hangs from the pommel, while it is very well done, I find the noise it makes to be somewhat annoying, so it may be removed.
Cutting - To start with for cutting with the hasiya I chose a patch that was around 10 feet by 8 feet of overgrown wild grass that was around 3 feet tall. The hasiya made quick work of the grass and I was done in no time. The hasiya was a proverbial lightsaber to the grass, each swipe yielded a healthily supply of the grass. The patch of grass was cleared in about 20 mins and once that was cleared I moved onto two bushes that had been getting in the way. The bushes was a bit more of a challenge for the hasiya, with branches up to 1/2" thick, however yet again this provided no problem for the hasiya. The hasiya would go though several of these branches in one swipe leaving a nicely cleaved branch. Both of the bushes where cleared in about 10 mins.
The hasiya has been on my must have list for quite some time now, and while I was never victorious until recently in obtaining one, I feel that it was well deserving of the wait. After handling the hasiya has become one of my favorites of the HI line up, and for light vegetation work it tops my list. Now that I have a hasiya in horn, I am now lusting over one in wood.
Thanks Yangdu for the outstanding service and another terrific knife.
Here are the stats to the knife.
Blade - 10 3/4"
Handle - 5 3/8"
Point of Balance - 3 1/4" away from bolster
Weight - 20 1/4 oz
Kami - Sher
:thumbup: 
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