HI Everest Katana opinion

E

evolvingape

Joined
Oct 6, 2002
Messages
17
Hi everyone,

Have been reading here for years but never posted before.

I have an Everest Katana with initials L.B. which I believe to be made by Bura Kami. I have read that he is not well, I hope he recovers soon, I pray for this. He is a Master Craftsmen and a good honourable man from what I know of him.

I bought my Katana back in 2004 I think and I have a few questions about it.

The reason I bought this Katana is part of my "Best Bang for the Buck" collection. I have never had much money so try and spend it wisely.

My collection includes an HI Everest Katana...

My katana is 24.5" blade 10" handle. Have not weighed it accurately but about 1kg I think. Wooden handle with centre bulge and peened over end. Has battle bulge at tip, 5/16" spine and razor edge full length. It always rattled a little just before the guard but I plan to finally fix this soon with a little water thin epoxy resin poured in. This was the only fault with the piece as received and so I was extremely happy. I am not even sure I could buy one of these anymore since they tried to ban them in this country. But I was chatting to this guy:

http://www.raven-armoury.co.uk/

at a recent arms fair in London and it seems he got the law changed via the home office when they tried to ban swords a year or two ago. It would have put him out of business and so an exception was made for hand made swords so you can still buy them from him. I think the ban just applies to cheap imports mass manufactured. I am checking on this because I want to expand my HI collection in the future. But not willing to break the law to do so.

I have never test cut with my HI but will have my own garden soon so room to play :) I live in UK and due to the corruption at the highest level and Evil running the show we have laws that prohibit katana wielding in public! Looking forward to setting up some tests in my new martial arts garden space :):):)

Also as I will be moving away from all the rampant thieves that make hard working honest peoples lives a misery and I will be able to finally after 6 years have my BBFT$ collection on show in my games room :)

I was wondering, were the peened over tangs by L.B. rat tail or full ?

I guess they are probably full but I am not sure after seeing two styles, the pinned and the peened appearing on HI everest models. This has placed doubt in my mind as to which I have. Obviously mine is not pinned which suggests welded rod peened over, hope not though :( I am sure both would be safe considering the HI heritage and the ethos of "workingtools" but I am trying to get rid of the doubt, as it not going to be easy to take it apart and have a look without destroying it. Which I am not willing to do! I love it too much!!

By the way I am so pleased with my version "made for me, found me by fate". Its balance is excellent!

I am 5'8" and the 24.5" blade hangs about 2-3 inches off floor at relaxed by side hold. Perfect for me. Swings wonderfull, regains control quickly, very lively in the hand. Handle is perfect for two or one handed use. Little heavy for one hand for me but bigger people no problem.

Scabbard is excellent, folded wood with leather cover and stitched. Real good quality. Top few stitches have been cut by frequent drawing practice in traditional blade up Samurai carry style. Would definately be better with a sacrificial cooper insert to protect the stitches last inch or so.

Overall I am very happy with this blade. I am into my katanas as a dedicated SHTF tool and would not hesitate to bet my life on it if required after reading the reviews. This version is more a Wakizashi/Katana cross at 24.5" blade but still too long for in house/restricted space use.

I am still trying to decide on the final piece for the collection a good fighting knife/machete for combination with the tomahawk. Cold Steel may get the shout with the recon tanto ;) at about $100 in carbon steel :) but the spear point machete is in with a shout at $30 but the sheath is poor :(

I am a little puzzled by the comments I have read here regarding edge on edge contact. I always believed the edge was left sharp for the cut, and blocks were made with the thicker spine or flats. Am I wrong in this ? I understand the theory behind what people are saying to a dulled blade, but it just seems to me that blocks with the already thick dulled parts makes sense, and the sharpened full length blade is perfect for a fast withdraw cut if your blade gets trapped. A dulled blade would achieve no more than friction burns in this scenario. My blade is so lively in the hand that I can easily reverse the edge to block if needed with the spine.

If anyone can tell me what kind of tang I have that would be great, it is the only question I have regarding this very fine blade. If anyone wants pictures I will post some :)

Best wishes to all...

Evolvingape :)
 
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First off, may I welcome you to the forum. You will find all of us pretty helpful here and most of us friendly on a good day. Personally, I have a few bad days and this is something I am working on. Besides the initials, does your Katana have a "half moon" on it below the initials? L.B. are indeed Bura's initials but I thought I would ask to get a sort of clincher on things. :)

I have never handled any of the Katanas nor the wagisakis (as they as called here) (did I get that right?) but I do have a few HI Swords of my own. I can tell you that even the peen or hidden tangs will hold up like they were built for war. The pinned or full or Chiruwa as they are called here, are really not any better IMO. As far as Himalayan Imports goes, a blade is a blade and there is no need to worry whether or not it is a Chiruwa or not. They will all last a lifetime as long as you don't try to cut down a metal light pole or something else equally stupid with it. :)

By all means! We thrive on pictures here. We love pictures! I post tons of them myself and wish more of us would do the same. Sometimes I even take new ones rather than just post the same old ones because I like pictures so much. :D I thank my friend who seemingly has unlimited hosting and who has allowed me free access to this service so that when I put one up, it can stay there for as long as I live, or until he fails to pay the bill I suppose. ;)

There are some nicer machetes from South America, Tratamotia and Bellotto make the best IMO but I am not sure of the availability there and to speak too much about those here would cause us to be moved to the Cantina. This is the forum for all things HI, if you have other things you want us to help with, and often we all do, then the Cantina is the place to post those sorts of things.

Again, welcome and looking forward to the pictures.
 
None of the tangs on any HIs are welded or anything, and either type is definitely strong enough for normal use, like Warty said. A narrow tang is actually pretty typical for most Western swords.

http://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/CAS-Hanwei-Tinker-Longsword.html

Like that repro of a European longsword has a pretty authentic tang, other than the threading and hex nut.

The main problem with a modern full tang is the handles can vibrate a lot more, sometimes. The bolster on my Bura Tibetan sword rings like a bell if your cut is even a little bit off.
 
I have a bura made EK from the same era. It's an incredible sword. I've done some minor cutting and chopping with it, but it's held true.

As Warty has said, the tangs are super beefy. It's not really a rat tail tang, it's more of a kangaroo or crocodile shaped tang that tapers to the peen.

I would harbor a guess that abusive wood chopping would rattle the handle loose or a deliberate blow to the side of the blade (say hitting it full force sideways against a tree) would flex it out of true. However, I would be very, very surprised if the tang ever actually failed.
 
Good to hear from you evolvingape. It sure seems that you have an Everest Katana made by Bura. The crescent moon that warty mentioned would be certainly ice the identification. The EKs were made in an overall length of 35" due to concerns with customs not allowing in anything over 36". Bill Martino wanted to make sure that there were no problems and asked the kamis to stay at 35". HI does make a Wajaski in a variety of lengths...I've seen 26"-36". The EK was made to be a working blade not just a wall hanger, so the hidden and peened tang was made to be strong enough to last at least a couple of lifetimes in normal use.

Now that you are a member of Blade Forums you can use the Search to look up the EK and learn more about it and how others felt about this HI product. A Search in the HI Archives will show you the progression of the development of the Everest Katana by the kamis.

Regarding the rattle around the guard, you may be able to put some Super Glue in there to fix the problem. The kamis use a homemade "glue" they call laha to affix the handles to the tang and may have done the same with the guard. It is a dark/black looking substance and it may have dried out or just come loose from the guard. It was found that cyanoacrylate (Super Glue) would re-liquify the laha and allow it to re-harden. Many times this has resolved matters of looseness.

If you are looking for another knife/machet to round out your group, HI has many blades that may fit your bill. Look through the Stickies at the top of the Forum and on the HI websites to get an idea of the variety of blades that are made. If you have any questions about an HI model, the Search will allow you to find previous postings and reviews of the model in question. And do not hesitate to post a question here on the Forum. There is a great group of people here that are always willing to share their knowledge and help others.

Glad to have you with us.

Rick
 
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Hi Everyone :)

Thanks for all the replies they have been a most informative read!

I have 8 pictures all ready for you to drool over! No idea how to post them though. Can anyone explain it to me ? Does not seem to be an option to add JPEG here.

My Everest does have the two crescent moons under LB intials as well as two fancy symbols above that I have no idea what they mean.

Anyways I will tell you all more about it when I know how to put the pictures up for you. Will be more exciting when you can see what I am going on about!

I have followed the FAQ instructions and clicked on "Post Reply" but I do not have the button labelled "Manage Attachments" below the message box. Any ideas anyone ??

It says at the bottom of the page that I MAY NOT post attachments so I guess that solves the mystery. Any ideas how I get the pics up for you all ?

The instructions I was using are at this link:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/faq.php?s=&do=search&q=pictures&match=all&titlesonly=0

Evolvingape :)
 
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use a hosting service and post them within the body of the message. Just push the little button that looks like the sun shining over a mountainscape and put the URL of the picture into the pop up. Lather, rinse, repeat until all are posted. :)
 
Hi everyone,

Finally had the time to sort the pics out for you:

This is the Katana with its clothes on,

P1010493.jpg


This is the Katana in its birthday suit,

P1010494.jpg


This is the battle bulge,

P1010495.jpg


This is the beautifull engraving on the front of the guard,

P1010502.jpg


Another pic of the dragons cos they are so beautifull!,

P1010507.jpg


This is the peened over end,

P1010510.jpg


Heres a blade length pic showing inches as I know all you guys love to measure the inches!,

P1010514.jpg


And a pic of the handle length,

P1010515.jpg


So whatdya all think ? Did I get a good one ?

It measures about 35 1/2" overall so right on the limit. If you count the brass bit just ahead of the guard the blade length is 25 1/2" with 24 1/2" razor sharp!

Not sure if you can see from the pictures but it is an almost straight blade. The last 12" to 14" from the tip there is the slightest of upward curves. I actually prefer a a straighter blade to a heavily curved blade so this is perfect. Thankyou Bura you did an awesome job!

Thanks for the tip on the super glue I will try that as it does have the dark red kami glue dried up.

Is the dragon engraving a standard feature ? Cos I love it and sure is pretty!

When I pulled it out of storage I noticed the customs note was still taped on the original box and I got it in Oct 2002. Bit earlier than I thought.

Coincidentially I also joined this forum in Oct 2002 so I am guessing as soon as it arrived I joined up and went searching for info on it. Probably did not find so much all those years ago.

I cannot wait to finally be able to swing it properly in my new garden, been at least two decades since I practiced any katana kata so should be fun :)

Cost $200 plus postage from usa to uk and customs charges. If memory serves me correctly cost about £240 total delivered!

Hehe :):):)
 
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That is a beautiful katana you have there evolvingape. Bura did a fine job indeed.

IIRC, a Forum member sent a 19th Cen. katana that he had to BirGorkha for the kamis to use as a template. Even with this in the shop, I believe it took a few tries before they got it right. That slight curve toward the end of the blade and the battle bulge may have been part of the refining process. The kamis probably saw the decorated guard on the original blade and did the dragon carving as their interpretation of what they saw. Whether it is on them all, I couldn't say. Going to the HI Archive and entering "katana" in the Search box will bring up much of this information if you are interested.

Once you've moved you may be able to take it out and trim some trees or shrubberies. A fine working blade, indeed.
 
Hi all,

I have just measured the blade and it is 5/16" thick all the way down to the battle bulge.

The balance point is 5 1/2" in front of the guard.

I have been searching through the threads and this is an interesting review of the EK

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157303&highlight=ek+everest+katana&page=2

Post #22 is a repost from another forum by Sing and describes a sword very similar to mine and does mention the twin dragons on the guard.

Interestingly his blade is 3/16" thick which is quite a difference. Considering how lively mine is in the hand his must have been lightning quick!

I can testify to what he says about being carefull on the draw. I have cut the top inch of cord on my sheath. I have only ever done it slowly though, I am not silly enough to practice at full speed. I like my fingers and thumbs just where they are!

Yes I am looking forward to the gardening ;) There are plenty of trees in the garden already and I am planning to plant a few more that produce fruit... so... I am sure I will be able to find one that is due to go to tree heaven :)
 
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evolvingape hi
ive had no problem importing any of hi's products into the uk
so you should be fine as all hi's products are hand made in the
traditionell manner and the bulge on your katana that type of blade is called by most folkes a snakes head katana hope the info is of some use to you
regards mick
 
Thanks mick that is interesting info. I have never heard the term snakes head katana before but I like it!

I replied to a thread last night saying that it is not illegal in the uk:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=698036

post #18

After posting my initial query I went and did some checking to confirm what I suspected and detailed it in that thread.

Anyone know if you can still get the Uddha ? That is exactly the kind of piece I am looking for to finish the BBFT$ collection. Would make a great combo with the tomahawk native american style!

Shorter straighter blades is what I wanna see from HI. The katana is fantastic but hard to carry comfortably and probably its only drawback.

I have an idea for a shoulder sling for it so that it will hang down the side of the body like under a highlander trenchcoat, there can be only one. when I get my new workshop set up I am gonna have a go at prototyping one.

It is just too long for horizontal belt mounting or back carry so this seems like an interesting option to try.

What do you all think ?
 
IMO a baldric type of carry turns carrying any large blade from a pain in the posterior to an easy thing.

As for the Uddha, I think they are still made, although I'm not sure.
I don't know if any new ones with the real nice carved handles are being made, though.

Never thought of pairing it with a 'hawk.
Now you have me wanting one again.
 
I have been thinking about what you said Stickfred concerning the curved blade.

Now I have taken a pic of it against the ruler I noticed something that struck me differently than before.

It looks like the blade actually bends forwards and then back in the curve. This is interesting to me because Bura has managed to make a very slightly curved blade that has an overall straight profile with the tip in alignment with the handle.

Sure is unique never seen one quite like that before!

Being a fan of the straight blade and a fan of the slightly curved blade I have to say I am chuffed to have both in the same blade :)
 
Yes I see where your coming from with the Baldric option and I agree it would make carrying it easy but hard to get at quickly.

My idea revolved around a full shoulder and belt harness that would carry everything.

The hawk carried in a builders hammer ring holder on the belt on the right side.

The sword weight supported by the shoulder harness and the solid sheath fixed to the belt on a cam.

This would mean you could have the sword vertical for walking and at the press of a button rotate it forward with your left hand for a quick draw with the right.

As a bonus you have a secondary sheath on the outside of the sword sheath to hold the Uddha.

So you have the option of going ranged with the two handed katana and the other option of going hawk/Uddha two handed.

Does that help show you what I mean ?
 
hi evolvingape
a baldrick carry may not be as daft as it sounds works for my broad swords katana's and my kuks i have a back scabard only works with my long swords tho i.e. claymores and such


:thumbup:
 
Thanks for the pic looks great!

That has definitely got me to thinking a baldrick may be the best option. It is certainly simpler than my idea and I would not have to spend ages on R&D.

Hmmm :)

That baldrick is really nice looks great quality, may i ask where you got it ? I can see my Bura looking real good in something like that!

The back scabbard would not work for me as I am quite small. My arms are not long enough to draw a katana in that way :(
 
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