HI village model by Kumar and standard villager. Pix & deal.

Bill Martino

Bill Martino

Joined
Mar 5, 1999
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Top -- a great 19 inch two pound HI village model by Kumar. He gets 10/10 on fit and hardness, about 7/10 on finish. Unfinished saatisal on all handles. Excellent execution. Karda and chakma short but thick and well done -- bulldog type. Scabbard and frog by village sarki and well done.

$110 sends it your way and this is Uncle Bill suggested buy. This one is made to do the job.

Bottom is stanard villager. 14 inches and about a pound. Rosewood handle and partial tang. Village kami has it hardened up to about 58 Rc. It'll do some work. Ugly but useable karda and chakma. Decent scabbard and riveted frog but pretty well done.

Take her away or $40.

Call or email.
 

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The Kumar villager arrived today. What a buy! Observations/comments:

The handle on this knife is BIG. Not as beefy around as a UBE, but longer. I have large hands and I like to grip a khuk such that the big handle ring nearest the butt rests between my ring & little fingers. A GS-length handle fits my hand perfectly in this grip.

When I grip this knife, there's still enough handle left over to comfortably grab the belled end of the handle with the thumb and first two fingers of my other hand. At which point the khuk says it wants to CHOP BIG STUFF INTO LITTLE STUFF RIGHT NOW!!!:D Darn near went after the dining room chair before I could get control of it again. ;)

The "H.I." mark on the blade is different than the usual. The first symbol is the same, but the second is completely different from the normal one. Maybe this is a special designation BirGhorka uses to identify its village models? Anyone have any insight into this? Kumar also added a very interesting symbol above his mark.

The unfinished wood handles are very nicely done. I have a file I've been compiling of all the various forumites' woodchuckery tips and advice. I plan to give this one some attention when I have the time.

These HI villagers are quite a deal, basically a half-priced knife that you can finish yourself with the same HI quality already built in.
 
Many thanks for good field report. It tells the story of the HI villager pretty well.

I didn't notice the HI logo but the mark above the star is "K" in Devanari.

And you're right about about finishing it up. If you have a buffing wheel I figure you can do it in an hour or two and you'll end up with a standard HI quality khukuri.
 
I'll see if I can't figure out a way to post that second letter and find out what it is.

As for finishing, the handles will definitely go on my "round tuit" list, but I do not see a buffer in the blade's future. This satiny, unpolished blade is gorgeous and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Edited for spelling.
 
So who got the standard 14 incher? I was going to put in a bid, but the previous post indicates that it is gone.
 
Been meaning to ask this...

Do the HI "Villagers" have a convex edge? IIRC, that was one of the requests made when the idea of "our" kamis making a villager was mooted.

S.
 
"Semi convex edge"

How semi?

S.

Fiancee to Spence (last night)..."you're addicted to those things, aren't you?"

Spence to fiancee..."I love anything beautiful. Like you, pretty girl..."

I've definitely taken munk's advice to heart...brown nose until I'm hitched.
 
Spence: another forumite, forgive me for forgetting who, noted that his villager was slightly "fullered," or convex. Both the HI Kumar villager and the "ugly" villager I picked up prior had this characteristic as well.

If this had been an AK I doubt I would have been able to lift it with one hand! :cool:
 
Semi enough to be able to see it with naked eye -- I think! As you know my eyes are not what they were 50 years ago.
 
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