- Joined
- Aug 14, 2010
- Messages
- 22
So, I've got a couple HI's and a couple of KHHI's. The KHHI's just got here after a 2-3 week wait.
My tests will include a Ganga Ram/Bonecutter and Sirupate by HI, and a Chitlangi and Service No. 1 by the Khukuri house. I omitted the Sarco from the test. It is just..Garbage.
Sorry about the crappy picture. I intend to take better ones and include some cut tests in tomorrow's daylight. I currently don't have the Ganga Ram, as I let a friend borrow it. I fear I may not get it back.
First impressions:
Both brands had a very beautiful finish. All mirror shine with everything nicely fitted. All except for the Ganga Ram came paper-cutting sharp. Both the KH Chitlangi and the HI Sirupate did have some slight issues. The end butt of the Sirupate will rotate a bit from the pommel, leaving a sharp edge, and the Chitlangi pommel came damaged. It looks like shipping damage. Can probably remedy both with a bit of epoxy, but damn.
The Chitlangi had very beautiful engraving and inlay work. Actually better quality than the Sirupate. KH engraved my name in both free of charge. On the HI and KH, the engraving of western characters isn't very well done. The Nepalese characters on the HI are beautiful though.
The Feel
The Sirupate has a wonderful feel to the handle. It feels well balanced. Lively, but with a sense of heft. The Chitlangi has this as well, but it seems a bit lighter, at the cost of the handle being a little thinner and less comfortable. It may be better after I fix it. This is rather a moot point though. Both have a wonderful lively feel to them. The Ganga Ram and Service No. 1 don't feel as lively in my hand. They feel more like tools, wheras the former feel more like weapons. If I needed a weapon, I'd probably go with the Chitlangi because of the fullers and slightly quicker handling, plus the looser draw from the scabbard prevents hang-ups. The Service issue and Ganga Ram have decent handles, but nowhere as comfortable as the other two.
The Sirupate is the best mixture between weapon and tool. The Ganga Ram is all workhorse. Thick spine, full tang, not a pretty glossy finish. The Chitlangi has the thinnest spine, and seems like a good defensive tool that will still do working tasks, but I'd feel bad because it's so pretty. The Service No. 1 is a pretty good compromise between the Sirupate and Ganga Ram. The Ganga Ram is probably going to get snagged by my friend, which helps me slightly in deciding which I want to carry and which I want to keep around the ranch. Im thinking the Service No. 1 is going to end up in my car trunk survival kit, the Chitlangi next to my bed, and the Sirupate on my belt, with those two rotating duties depending on how I see fit. I do like my name being engraved in the blades of the KH, but the quality of it isn't that great, as I mentioned before.
The Sheath
I've heard some questionable things about the KH sheath's being sub-par. I dunno though. The Chitlangi sheath is slightly better done than the HI Sirupate, but slightly looser fit. The Sirupate has the perfect amount of squeeze, and is well-constructed. The Service Issue has the best Sheath of the entire lot, actually. The belt loop is very meatily attached, the fit is perfect, and the Karda/Chakmak are nice and snug. Also, the brass point isn't as sharp on it. Which leads me to the next section.
Karda and Chakmak
The Sirupate and Chitlangi have the nicest K&C. The HI Chakmak is nicer I think. The ones that came with the Service Issue and Ganga Ram are so-so. Kind of flimsy by comparison, shorter handles, not as pretty of materials. This isn't entirely important to me. The Karda for all came razor-sharp.
The Service
I have no complaints about either company. Yangdu was polite and prompt, and I had my blades the next day. KH had no problem with me revising my order at the last minute. However the shipping is slow, and my handle got chipped. Baw. Pricewise, I might have been just as well off buying a blem Chitlangi from HI.
In Closing
The craftsmanship is excellent on all. As noted, they both have some pros and cons. The KH did have a slightly lower price, with a small dip in quality. The price difference was minimal. After shipping the Chitlangi was about $80, the Service issue about $60, The Sirupate about $100, and the Ganga Ram about $90. I'd say they are both fantastic, beautiful, astute works of art. However, with the few bucks extra you pitch to HI, you get a slightly better fit and finish, and the guarantee of an undamaged and promptly delivered product.
Stay tuned..More to come.
My tests will include a Ganga Ram/Bonecutter and Sirupate by HI, and a Chitlangi and Service No. 1 by the Khukuri house. I omitted the Sarco from the test. It is just..Garbage.
Sorry about the crappy picture. I intend to take better ones and include some cut tests in tomorrow's daylight. I currently don't have the Ganga Ram, as I let a friend borrow it. I fear I may not get it back.
First impressions:
Both brands had a very beautiful finish. All mirror shine with everything nicely fitted. All except for the Ganga Ram came paper-cutting sharp. Both the KH Chitlangi and the HI Sirupate did have some slight issues. The end butt of the Sirupate will rotate a bit from the pommel, leaving a sharp edge, and the Chitlangi pommel came damaged. It looks like shipping damage. Can probably remedy both with a bit of epoxy, but damn.
The Chitlangi had very beautiful engraving and inlay work. Actually better quality than the Sirupate. KH engraved my name in both free of charge. On the HI and KH, the engraving of western characters isn't very well done. The Nepalese characters on the HI are beautiful though.
The Feel
The Sirupate has a wonderful feel to the handle. It feels well balanced. Lively, but with a sense of heft. The Chitlangi has this as well, but it seems a bit lighter, at the cost of the handle being a little thinner and less comfortable. It may be better after I fix it. This is rather a moot point though. Both have a wonderful lively feel to them. The Ganga Ram and Service No. 1 don't feel as lively in my hand. They feel more like tools, wheras the former feel more like weapons. If I needed a weapon, I'd probably go with the Chitlangi because of the fullers and slightly quicker handling, plus the looser draw from the scabbard prevents hang-ups. The Service issue and Ganga Ram have decent handles, but nowhere as comfortable as the other two.
The Sirupate is the best mixture between weapon and tool. The Ganga Ram is all workhorse. Thick spine, full tang, not a pretty glossy finish. The Chitlangi has the thinnest spine, and seems like a good defensive tool that will still do working tasks, but I'd feel bad because it's so pretty. The Service No. 1 is a pretty good compromise between the Sirupate and Ganga Ram. The Ganga Ram is probably going to get snagged by my friend, which helps me slightly in deciding which I want to carry and which I want to keep around the ranch. Im thinking the Service No. 1 is going to end up in my car trunk survival kit, the Chitlangi next to my bed, and the Sirupate on my belt, with those two rotating duties depending on how I see fit. I do like my name being engraved in the blades of the KH, but the quality of it isn't that great, as I mentioned before.
The Sheath
I've heard some questionable things about the KH sheath's being sub-par. I dunno though. The Chitlangi sheath is slightly better done than the HI Sirupate, but slightly looser fit. The Sirupate has the perfect amount of squeeze, and is well-constructed. The Service Issue has the best Sheath of the entire lot, actually. The belt loop is very meatily attached, the fit is perfect, and the Karda/Chakmak are nice and snug. Also, the brass point isn't as sharp on it. Which leads me to the next section.
Karda and Chakmak
The Sirupate and Chitlangi have the nicest K&C. The HI Chakmak is nicer I think. The ones that came with the Service Issue and Ganga Ram are so-so. Kind of flimsy by comparison, shorter handles, not as pretty of materials. This isn't entirely important to me. The Karda for all came razor-sharp.
The Service
I have no complaints about either company. Yangdu was polite and prompt, and I had my blades the next day. KH had no problem with me revising my order at the last minute. However the shipping is slow, and my handle got chipped. Baw. Pricewise, I might have been just as well off buying a blem Chitlangi from HI.
In Closing
The craftsmanship is excellent on all. As noted, they both have some pros and cons. The KH did have a slightly lower price, with a small dip in quality. The price difference was minimal. After shipping the Chitlangi was about $80, the Service issue about $60, The Sirupate about $100, and the Ganga Ram about $90. I'd say they are both fantastic, beautiful, astute works of art. However, with the few bucks extra you pitch to HI, you get a slightly better fit and finish, and the guarantee of an undamaged and promptly delivered product.
Stay tuned..More to come.
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