just out of curiosity...

Josh Muller

Josh Muller

Joined
Jun 22, 2003
Messages
3,049
this is a question to those who have gotten HI blades over the years...

a few years back i got a decent set of HI khukuries (2003-2004), and i recently renewed my collection... one of the the things i've noticed with the new blades i have, almost across the board the ring on the handle is lower then i remember them being. low as in where i normally hold the handle puts the ring on my ring finger, instead of between my middle and ring finger. most of my old blades where sher and amtrak models...

anyone else noticed this?
 
Yes, we now broach the newly discovered topic of 'ring drift'.
I have thought some of the rings lower on the handle. Hasn't been a problem yet but I could see it becoming one.
Course, you can take a ring down if it offend thee.
I geuss removal of the ring might constitute a type of circumcism. Ah, no reason to go there....

munk
 
munk said:
Yes, we now broach the newly discovered topic of 'ring drift'.
I have thought some of the rings lower on the handle. Hasn't been a problem yet but I could see it becoming one.
Course, you can take a ring down if it offend thee.
I geuss removal of the ring might constitute a type of circumcism. Ah, no reason to go there....

munk
Click to expand...


sort of. though you are taking the ring down because its a problem, not the second you get it, wether its ever going to b a problem or not, so in a lot of ways, its a hell of a lot better then r.i.c. plus its actually yours, not someone elses. and your not taking down fully half of the handle surface. and you can replace handle if you find you dislike *sometimes to the point of constant physical discomfort* the way it is once the ring has been taken off.

... just one of those things that makes me hate the humanity on a whole....



i have found on the models i have that it can be enough that the handle is actually feels dangerous... i have a 20" siru that has a low ring, and the second part is considerably thinner then the top so that it feels like your holding the handle by 3 fingers instead of 4. its not just that the ring isnt in the spot that i'd prefer it, its also that the handle diameter changes at a more akward location then if the ring were higher. if i had a smaller hand it wouldnt be a problem, but when its low my pinky is around the bell instead of the normal round handle area.

once i get to a place where i start using them, i'll shave the rind down on the ones that are bad enough... though it is like that on 4 or 5 of them...
 
I'm with you Seth, I only change a handle if I absolutely cannot adapt to what it's trying to tell me or what can be done in gripping. I've only sanded down two rings in my collection.




munk
 
i have a 20" siru that has a low ring, and the second part is considerably thinner then the top so that it feels like your holding the handle by 3 fingers instead of 4.

It is meant to be handle by three fingers.this allows the blade to be twirled forward. backward and from forehand to backhand.
The thumb, forefinger and middle finger do all the controlling of the point.
 
that knife weighs around a pound and a half, getting close to 2 pounds. i have found that the knife is considerably more dangerous to use then my other 20" siru wich has a fuller handle, allowing the pinky and the entire hand to fully grip the handle.

i simply cant have a khukuri in my collection that has any chance of torqueing, slipping forward, turning or coming out of my grip in any way. they are to heavy for that to be an option.


if i had a stronger grip in my forward fingers, that my not be the case, but i need as secure of a grip as is possible, and a 3 finger grip for me isnt secure at all.

when i work with heavier khukuries (like the 30" ang khola, the 25" ganga ram, or anything above 20") i put a death grip on the handle, the kind you use when your trying to break loose a pipe thats sealed shut. if i use a loose grip, i find myself letting the blade do things it really shouldnt be allowed to do.

possible just my poor technique, but for me a blade built like that on a 20" khukuri isnt okay. for a 15" or 12 it would be better, but i'd still probably want to slim down the forward section to make it more even.
 
I find the larger khuks, as a whole, less likely to "glance" on you than some of my lighter ones. My 18" GRS is the most stable I have ever used, and the 30" siru, although I haven't the heart to hit anything substatial with it yet, is surprisingly well balanced. The problem with the big ones is, I suppose, if they do "bounce" on you, you have a real problem on your hands. So, to an extent I agree with Seth, but I have found the big khuks less likely to bounce if you use good form and preparation when chopping, and just kinda let your hand go along for the ride, guiding it more than forcing it.

Haven't run into any yet that the rings gave me trouble on.
 
I've had to remove the ring on two. I've avoided it on one and just reduced its heighth. I like the ring a lot. Its like the dots on your F and J keys on your keyboard. Helps to index the position of the knife in your hand without having to check. I was chopping with my CAK once and my hand slipped up the handle and onto the blade. I felt this happen as the ring slid down my palm. I simply guided the knife to the ground without gripping the blade. Wasn't even cut. Had this been on one of mine with no ring who knows what would have happened. Maybe I still would have noticed. Maybe I would have cinched down on that blade and screwed myself real good.
 
Seth, I have also noticed several over the past few months that have gotten lower on the handle. They still fit OK, but are not quite as comfortable for my larger hand than the older models. Haven't changed any of them as yet though.
 
for visual example -

here are 2 photos from my old set of khukuri's

dsc01895small.jpg

in this photo you see (on the far left is a 44" gelbu special style blade from khukuri house) from left to right a 30" ang khola, a 30" siru, a 25" chiruwa ang khola, an 18" ang khola, and then a karda and a busse shba.

on all of them the ring is close to centered, and even on the the one that kinda looks like it has a ring thats low, the 25" ang khola had a big handle, and the space below the ring more then accomodated 2 fingers before the swell at the bottom -

khukuries-26-5-angkhola-handle.jpg


khukuries-next-to-busse-basic-9.jpg


in that photo you see a 20" siru, an 18" ang khola, a 15" siru, a busse b9, and a 12" ang khola.

the 20" siru was one of my favorites of all time, the 18" ang khola is the one blade i kept from the old set (though i should have kept the 30" ang khola). the 15" siru does seem to have a lower ring then the other 2, but the bell doesnt start to curve until fairly low. so while less comfortable then the 20" siru, being smaller and having its bell shape, it wasnt so bad.

i never actually used the 12" ang khola... i got them to see if i had use for smaller khukuri's, and i found that the b9 kinda filled the gap between normal user knives and the heavier khukuries...


now the new collection -




img_0982.jpg


from left to right

18" chiruwa ycs w/carved handle
18" ricent ang khola
20" chitlangi
17" sher atitude model
not exactly sure on the last one... pretty sure thats my 20" ang khola.

the ycs has an excellent handle, the 18" ang khola is just fine, and has a slightly oval shape instead of completely round. plenty comfortable. the bell shape starts higher then the rounded pommelled models (chitlangi etc), so the swelling makes the pinky are of the grip a little uncomfortable, but its still very usable.

the chitlangi is too low... its nice that the bell bottom curve starts lower, but even so my fingers are being pushed upward if i try to place the ring between my middle finger and ring finger. if i put the ring in between my ring finger and my pinky, my grip is a little to high, and i dont like the feeling of the ring being in that hand placement, it seems like the swivel action of the handle is concentrated near the pinky area, and anything rough there is more uncomfortable then if its in the center of the grip.

the 17" sher attitude is worse in style then the chitlangi in that the curve of the bell bottom starts higher. but is a smaller blade and handle in general, so its not all that uncomfortable. its just notisably low

and then the 20" siru. it may look like the ring is fairly centered, but the curve of the bottom swell starts higher on the standard handles (Siru/ang khola/ww2), so you notice the pinky area of the grip swelling even though your hand is technically a little higher then on the chitlangi.


honestly these are little things, as i can always lower the ring down to flat, its just that on some of the thinner handles, you only have so much to work with. i have enough wood and wood working skills that i could make a completely new handle as well, but thats one of those last ditch things unless you just want to do it to be doing it (or want a different material).

again, these are little things and wouldnt necessarily stop me from buy a specific model, but i do like the rings that are centered considerably more then those that are lower on the handle.
 
I've noticed a few handles that the ring was further down, but it doesn't bother my grip except on ones where the handle below the ring is significantly thinner than the handle above.

I'm in the process of moving all of them to another room, so I'll be touching all of them. If there's a pattern, I'll post something. Note this may take a while, because getting to touch all of them doesn't do anything to speed up the process.
 
I've noticed the ring being put lower on my newer models as well. I did some chopping with my new Chitlangi a few weeks back and it put a few blisters on my hands. I removed the ring on my 22" GRS a few months ago, a bit inadvertently (I was trying to sand the thickness of the handle down). I kind of regret removing the ring but lately I've been wearing gardening gloves when chopping so I still have a good grip on it without getting blisters.

Bob
 
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