Some time ago I ordered a BAS for my friend's birthday gift and once I saw it, I said to Aunt Yangdu how great the blade was and how it would be a perfect companion for the M43 I ordered for myself earlier. The M43 is a great chopper and an "in camp" tool but a bit too large for carrying around while hiking. The next day I was in for a pleasant surprise of a lifetime when Yangdu told me that she would like to send a nice BAS to me as a gift! At first I couldn't quite believe it but after I made sure, I was completely blown away by her kindness and generosity. I can't remember the last time such an unexpected surprise gift came my way and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Especially after I learned it was made by the Royal Kami himself.
Well, the blade found its way to Croatia and as you can see from the pictures, it is too good to be true. I can only judge based on these three khuks I saw in real life but of those, this BAS is by far the best made one. It has absolutely no flaws on the handle and it is the only one I saw that has absolutely perfect bolster and pommel fittings. No marks or dents whatsoever. The handle is beautifully done and the grooves are almost like machine made. Blade itself is something else. I am not saying in any way that I was dissatisfied with any other blades but after I gave all of them a good polish, you can see a few scratches here and there as well as minor imperfections. Here there is no such thing. Even at high polish, you can't see any tooling marks and the blade is absolutely perfect! It is not too thick and perfectly balanced to have just a slight forward draw. Not like it is about to fall to its nose but like it is gently pulling forward. Very comfortable in hand. In all, the khukuri is standard 15" and weighs about 22 ounces. Scabbard is standard with the usual karda and chakma. All in all, better than I could imagine. Ever since I first got the M43, I began to think if the blade is simply too beautiful to be actually used and figured I would have to order another just to have one to admire and one to chop with. Well, through her great kindness, Aunt Yangdu solved that one as the Bura BAS will probably be left for display and won't be used to do any heavy work. Especially now that Bura's illness has sadly taken a turn for the worse. It will be something to treasure!
Thanks again Auntie Yangdu and here are the pics...
Well, the blade found its way to Croatia and as you can see from the pictures, it is too good to be true. I can only judge based on these three khuks I saw in real life but of those, this BAS is by far the best made one. It has absolutely no flaws on the handle and it is the only one I saw that has absolutely perfect bolster and pommel fittings. No marks or dents whatsoever. The handle is beautifully done and the grooves are almost like machine made. Blade itself is something else. I am not saying in any way that I was dissatisfied with any other blades but after I gave all of them a good polish, you can see a few scratches here and there as well as minor imperfections. Here there is no such thing. Even at high polish, you can't see any tooling marks and the blade is absolutely perfect! It is not too thick and perfectly balanced to have just a slight forward draw. Not like it is about to fall to its nose but like it is gently pulling forward. Very comfortable in hand. In all, the khukuri is standard 15" and weighs about 22 ounces. Scabbard is standard with the usual karda and chakma. All in all, better than I could imagine. Ever since I first got the M43, I began to think if the blade is simply too beautiful to be actually used and figured I would have to order another just to have one to admire and one to chop with. Well, through her great kindness, Aunt Yangdu solved that one as the Bura BAS will probably be left for display and won't be used to do any heavy work. Especially now that Bura's illness has sadly taken a turn for the worse. It will be something to treasure!
Thanks again Auntie Yangdu and here are the pics...
