I'm b-a-a-a-c-k...

Carter Leffen

Carter Leffen

Joined
Sep 21, 2005
Messages
105
Well, I'm on the road, and for the first two weeks, my trusty laptop was on strike... Yesterday, just for the heck-of-it, I turned her on, and low and behold, Diana (Goddess of the Hunt), was back on line... I'll tell you true, I've been going through withdrawal... Family is fun, great, and very necessary, but subjects in common are extremely limited... So, I'm now able to get back to the safe and "sane(?)" world of Khukuri fans, and lovers of all things sharp, shiny, and pointy...

Mrs. Martino sent me a Gelbu Special here in Salisbury, MD, and I'm absolutely enthralled... My Chitlangi is great, and so is my Chiruwa Ang Khola, but, man-o-man, my Gelbu Special is TOPS!!! WOW!!!

Kumar made both my Chitlangi and Gelbu Special, as well as my Kumar Karda and JKM-1... All four are superb, as is my Chiruwa Ang Khola 16.5" by Raju Rasaili. However, if I have the choice for self defense, my 18" Gelbu Special is never far from me- especially when driving in Washington, D.C... There's something about that knife that defies my ability to describe... It's magick...

I got a chance to cut through a seasoned pine log of 9" diameter... Whoever said to let the Khukuri do the work, was correct... There IS a definite tempo/method to using the Khukuri that I had not experienced with any other blade... The Chiruwa Ang Khola 16.5" Khukuri is a beautiful "brute." Strong, deep bellied, and heavy as hell after a while of cutting...

When I tried to power my way through the log, I only experienced shock, frustration, and fatigue... Using shorter, slower strokes, the belly of the blade cut more deeply, surely, and with much less effort... Another great aspect of letting the blade do the work, was in having greater control...

I don't think I want to cut down any trees with my CAK, but if I had to, it would do the job... As to my Chitlangi and Gelbu Special, they're too light to go playing "happy woodsman." They might be able to survive, but I'm not sure I could...

I'm more convinced than ever, of the value of Himalayan Imports products... The CAK will be first to be lashed to my backpack when I get home... As an all around "tool," the CAK is like a large Swiss Army Knife... From building a lean-to, digging a slit trench, or cutting veggies for the evening stew, the CAK can do it all...

So far, it's been a good trip. My Brother is responding to treatment for myeloplastic displasia. If things progress positively, we hope he'll soon be out of the woods, and on his way to recovery...

Take care of yourselves, and it's great to be able to visit once again...

Thanks,

Carter
 
What lengths are your Chitlangi and Gelbu???

And how does the Chitlangi compare to the Gelbu ???

I want to get one of the two for myself and I really like the fullers on the Chitlangi.
 
I have a WWII by another company that gets abused (well used really), It sharpens up well after bashing branches and does a suprising job at slicing veggies!!! Rings of thin onion, cuccumber, green pepper fall away from the blade. So far all I have done with tomatoes though is put them through a kind of sadistic trauma...slightly more effective than using a 5 lb sledge :)

Big fan of H.I choppers!
 
Welcome back Carter! Glad to hear your brother is doing better!:thumbup: :D
 
Wow I really like your collection. A fairly new virus victim too. I don't feel so bad now. I haven't bought any of the lighter/fighting knives yet, but its coming. I'm now saving for a YCS, so it may be a while. Youre a gold member, post us some pics!

Andy
 
Kumar's best stuff is top of the line. When he was on his mark I personally thought he was the logical heir to Bura. Bill and Yangdu said no, Sher. But Kumar really does a job.



munk
 
I'd like to see more from Sher. I seem to see, in the DOTD, during my obviously short time here, most of the blades are Bura and Kumar. Why is this? Have the other Kamis slowed down, or am I missing something?

Andy
 
aproy1101 said:
I seem to see, in the DOTD, during my obviously short time here, most of the blades are Bura and Kumar.

Why is this?

Have the other Kamis slowed down, or am I missing something?

Andy
Click to expand...

Andy it's really quite simple. Both Bura and Kumar need the extra money that high productivity brings in.:D

Bura needs it too keep his many wives happy, I'm not sure if anyone really knows just how many wives Bura has but it's several, I'm thinking five but not for sure.:eek:

And Kumar is a woman chaser and needs the money to support his addiction to the fairer sex.:thumbup:
It seems that no matter where people live in the world it costs a lot of money to support having all the women you want, or in reality can afford.:rolleyes: :p :( ;) :D
 
That all makes sense and is logical, but as a collector I'd like to get some more maker variety. Not to say I haven't been impressed with Bura and Kumar. Their work is exemplary, and their blades that I have are teriffic.I can't imagine being able to stand more than one wife either:barf: . I'm quite busy enough with only one honeydoo list!:rolleyes: Although when things get hot it'd be nice to have a second home.:(

Andy
 
ALBPM,

Hi!

Well, both Chitlangi and Gelbu Special are 18" in length, and of course, both by Kumar. Personally, I like the Gelbu Special better... Maybe it's the handle, or the perception that the GS SEEMS to be lighter... Being on the road, I've no access to a micrometer, scales, or a good magnifying glass...

Being all about perception of the blade by an individual, the Gelbu Special better fits my small hands, and seems much swifter in "forms." Transitions, slash/cut and thrust all seem perceptibly better than with the Chitlangi, though the difference may only be in my small but active imagination... Both blades are immeasurably better fighting knives than my Chiruwa Ang Khola 16.5" knife... However, the CAK is a better TOOLthan either Chitlangi or Gelbu Special...

For my purposes, the Gelbu Special is "TOPS" in the self defense realm... However, I'm going to eventually acquire a Kobra and Sirupati of the same length... We'll see what's the better blade for combat... At least for now, remembering that my "collection" is quite small, Kumar's Gelbu Special in 18" reigns supreme for me...

Hope this helps... Personally, I don't think you'd lose by having either blade... They are superb, and have relegated my two Ontario Knife Co. Bagwell Hell's Belles Bowie knives to "back-up" positions... THAT'S saying a lot...

I wish you well, and hope you enjoy whichever blade you get- it'll be a "winner" no matter how you slice it...


Take care, stay safe, and have fun...

Carter
 
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