HI Saber

I suppose it is necessary to ask the members who are established regulars, which kind of review would be most appreciated.

There is the straight on, empirical data review with performance outlines and detailed descriptions of craftsmanship and critique. I have had some experience with this. This path is difficult because comparing an artifact of this nature and origin has little or no comparable values in this age of machine perfection.

Apples to oranges as it were.

On the other hand, and this is the dangerous part, if the path of "feeling, intuition and the metaphysical" is chosen we stumble into the realm of "witchcraft, mumbo jumbo and good or bad juju", that cannot be measured with rule and logic. Again I have some experience with this as well.

My brethren in the knife making world tend to fall on the side of the empirical, while there are those who also root themselves in the "unexplainable, immeasurable mystic void".

SO good friends, decide which you prefer. I shall begin with one, and finish with the other.

Mind you though, I do still dream of oneday returning to knifemaking as a full time busuness. Therefore, I can and will be held accountable to the World for any claims made in reviews of this type. In point of fact, it is easy to be labeled a "New Age Goof" and therefore lose business as a result of any claims or statements that are not verifiable.

This is the only place I feel such discussion is not only appropriate, but welcome.

Be well,

Shane
 
Both.

Read some of the other reviews. They generally involve testing the blade how it was supposed to be used, and a few tests outside what it's supposed to do. For instance, I test my kukris on medium-large size softwoods and hardwoods, some small branches. Do some limbing, felling, splitting. Then I take them out of their comfort zone into cutting stalky, and then light vegetation.

I tested my knives by chopping with them just to see how they do, toughness tests.

I don't cut metal or concrete with them as I don't forsee a survival sitation or woodsbumming session involving such and it'd be a waste. Plus, I don't think anyone cares if it will chop concrete.

Then I move onto how it feels. All that subjective stuff. Does it feel "alive" in your hand (i.e. well balanced)? For instance the Chitlangi bowie I bought chops as well as my big Ang Kholas, but the AKs feel lively in hand, the bowie feels like bar stock on a handle. It's not a bad blade, and it's how I expected it to feel the way it is balanced. It works just as well, but I get tired real fast with the Chit Bowie, whereas I can go quite a while with my favorite 20" CAK, even though it's only 1/2 pound lighter.

Subjective things like that are just as welcome.

Also give the bad aspects. I often rate them poorly on their factory edge which they seem to buff off when they polish the blades. If there's something you genuinely don't like, just say so.
 
I will be away from work, hence away from a computer. I wll return on Wednesday to post some thoughts and impressions.

The sword lies in the display Miss Yangdu sent.

It seems we are both impatient.

I regret none of my knifemaking equipment is properly installed in my new shop. It will be difficult to put a truly scary edge on this blade without it.

I will make due as best I can.

Honestly, cutting wood will not be a proper test.

Back soon.

Shane
 
shane justice said:
I suppose it is necessary to ask the members who are established regulars, which kind of review would be most appreciated.

There is the straight on, empirical data review with performance outlines and detailed descriptions of craftsmanship and critique.

On the other hand, and this is the dangerous part, if the path of "feeling, intuition and the metaphysical" is chosen we stumble into the realm of "witchcraft, mumbo jumbo and good or bad juju", that cannot be measured with rule and logic.

SO good friends, decide which you prefer. I shall begin with one, and finish with the other.

Be well,

Shane
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Good to see you again Shane!!!!:thumbup: :cool: :D I sure enough have missed you posting here! :(

In reference to what you wrote above I'm gonna say ---- Do as you wish and what you're comfortable with.:thumbup: I can understand some people letting past metaphysical conversations cloud and restrict their judgment to the point of not doing business with a person or an establishment seeing as how I'm always wary of any business displaying a little fish emblem or biblical reference.;)
 
shane justice said:
There is a joy in the priviledge of purchainsg a blade from Himilayan Imports. It comes from helping to support people a world away who are in danger of losing their world. To recieve such a wonderful token in return for that support almost seems wrong. I am left with the feeling that I can never pay enough.

Shane
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Your comments echo my thoughts exactly!

Purchasing a HI blade sure is truly a "win-win" ! ;)
 
shane justice said:
I regret none of my knifemaking equipment is properly installed in my new shop. It will be difficult to put a truly scary edge on this blade without it.
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Not necessarily. I've found HI blades to be very easy to sharpen. Some take longer to do so if they come really dull, but they take and hold a scary edge. I sharpened all of mine with nothing more than coarse and fine diamond hone, and every one cann shave hair (except my Tarwar, where I put more of a convex "sword edge" on it. I.E. not razor sharp, so it'll hold up to, umm, battle, a little better :eek: ).
 
Yvsa,

I am humbled that you remember me, even more so to be welcomed back to the Himalayan Imports world. I do miss the folks here.

Cpl. Punishment,

I can and have put a serviceable edge on this blade. It came sharp out of the box, except for the 6 inches closest to the tip, which had no ability to cut whatsoever.

Using my Burr King with a high grit belt it is easy to "even out" the edge.

It almost is "building" the edge, rather than sharpening it.

It also makes future sharpening more easy, because the bevel is uniform without any high/low spots. Sometimes these are hard to see/understand when looking at short blades. Looking at longer blades they stand out. I have learned to find them by sliding a 2" X 6" fine carborundum stone along the edge at the approximatel angle of the secondary bevel. Did that make sense?

With that wide 2" stone you will pull fine marks on the high spots and none on the "trenches".

It has been a long time since I have written anything like this so if it sounds odd, I apologize.

I will type some more in a while.

Shane
 
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