Well, I probably made one of the more unreasonable requests during Uncle Bill's half-price sale by asking for a 21" Gelbu Special. He sent me out a non-blem by Exclamation Mark Kami and I was surprised and pleased with how substantial it is. It is a little lighter than my 18" AK, but not much. In terms of balance, it is "somewhat front heavy" rather than "very nose heavy," and its longer, but not too long. Spouses comment was: "Now I think you need one that hangs ALL the way to the floor." Her enthusiasm was appreciated, but this one is quite long enough.
What I particularly like about it is the angle of bend in the blade. The area near the cho will be much easier to sharpen, which is exactly what I need for drawknifing tent poles. Also, this blade will be alot more useable for hacking off nose-level jackpine limbs than the AK due to its angle.
After reading several comments about the GS, I was a little apprehensive that it might be too light. It is frequently referred to as a "lighter" and "thinner" blade which is "lively," and recommended by Pala as the best for general purposes. Some of them may be, but this one has a very ponderous swing to it and seems equal to just about any task. Possibly Pala was referring to the 18" version as the best for military service. If not, he is a very fired up guy because the 21" is a major whacker in my opinion.
There appears to be just enough overlap in the capabilities of the AK and GS that they could serve as each other's backups in most cases without causing distress over having brought the "wrong" khuk. It is hard to call one or the other a favorite at this point. However, the little kid in me has always wanted a pirate sword and the GS is about as close to a cutlass as you can carry in the woods without observers thinking you have "issues."
Anyway, I am very pleased with this thing and just wanted to say thanks to Uncle Bill for the super deal on it.
What I particularly like about it is the angle of bend in the blade. The area near the cho will be much easier to sharpen, which is exactly what I need for drawknifing tent poles. Also, this blade will be alot more useable for hacking off nose-level jackpine limbs than the AK due to its angle.
After reading several comments about the GS, I was a little apprehensive that it might be too light. It is frequently referred to as a "lighter" and "thinner" blade which is "lively," and recommended by Pala as the best for general purposes. Some of them may be, but this one has a very ponderous swing to it and seems equal to just about any task. Possibly Pala was referring to the 18" version as the best for military service. If not, he is a very fired up guy because the 21" is a major whacker in my opinion.
There appears to be just enough overlap in the capabilities of the AK and GS that they could serve as each other's backups in most cases without causing distress over having brought the "wrong" khuk. It is hard to call one or the other a favorite at this point. However, the little kid in me has always wanted a pirate sword and the GS is about as close to a cutlass as you can carry in the woods without observers thinking you have "issues."
Anyway, I am very pleased with this thing and just wanted to say thanks to Uncle Bill for the super deal on it.
