- Joined
- Dec 28, 2003
- Messages
- 4,793
Warning! This is going to be one of my patented long ones...
Going to take this post and the next.
_____________________
A couple of weeks ago Yangdu dropped me a line and told me to expect a copy of the newest HI model in the mail, and I finally pried the package loose from the PO yesterday. (3 days after it arrived...!)
I pulled the wraps off the handle and beheld a piece of exposed chandan that was the single nicest piece of wood I think I have seen from HI. It must have been the same stuff Steve spoke about on the Patang. It was Chandan with beautiful lines and swirls in it, and it was attached to an... Uddha sword! It was the sword I got on the deals about a week ago. I had thought I was looking at the wood on the new model, but that was not to be. Still, I was thrilled to get it on the sword.
The second package was of normal khukuri length but far wider that I expected. There was a note with it (along with a nice postcard!) from Bura that said "Chandan D-handle khukuri scabbard split; Sending Satisal instead."
I was disapppointed a bit at first after seeing that other Chandan and imagining that the same batch might have been used for this (one of you guys is in for a treat!), but then I got a look at this amazing satisal. Really nice stuff and very rich looking.
To the knife: it is a D-handle khukuri that has the same blade shape as the ultimate fighter essentially, but is attached to a great handle. Like the Patang Steve Ferguson reported on, it is an adaptation of an older HI model that is featured in the "Special Runs" section of the HI website. Scroll about halfway down to see the old version of this. Specs aren't given but I imagine it was much heavier then:
http://www.himalayan-imports.com/one-time-knives.html
This model is a joy to hold and better balanced than just about anything I have, which I guess is to be expected considering the handle. Here are the specs: 15.75" long, weighing 31.4 oz., or 1.99 oz. / inch. It is an exact .40 (10 mm.) at the spine for about half the blade length, and then sweeps down to a sharpened clip point. The handle is 5.25" long and the blade an even 10.5". The edge is very sharp and when I say the clip point is sharpened I mean it! Not like the UBE or Movie Models at all. Very potent fighter here.
The blade is 1.44" wide at the cho, and goes to a max of 1.95" from the top of the clip point to the belly in just one spot, and then goes to 1.92" at it's widest point at the belly of the knife.
The knife balances exactly at the cho. The handle is supported by twin brass bolsters that are scrolled with engraving very nicely. Note the difference between the old model in this regard. The karda and chakmak are standard and done in the same dark wood. The scabbard fit is excellent. Watch the clip point going into the scabbard a bit, but not nearly as much as the Movie Model.
The brass work is excellent, and as I said the Satisal is something else. One note: there was a dark line through the TDC of the handle, right through some nice grain. It looks exactly as it someone had taken a black sharpie and drawn on the handle in a layout line. I took some 600 grit sandpaper and worked on it for an hour last night. The line faded in one spot but then got darker in some others. I finally took a good look at it through a 30X loupe and am convinced now that it is just some odd grain in the wood. It blends perfectly with some existing black grain lines in the wood, and under magnification you can see the edges of the line are blurred into the surrounding grain, not straight. 600 grit is sharper than you think, and the line was not diminishing. I can tell you it drove me nuts for a while until I looked at it more closely. It's an interesting anomaly in the wood that adds some character to the handle. I finished the handle off with some 3200 and 6000 grit mesh, and it looks better than ever.
A second note is that if I had to name this wood at a quick glance I would have said hill walnut because of the grain, but it has that golden tinge that only satisal can have.
The knife handles like a part of your hand. Swipes and reverse cuts are easy with this knife, as your hand is totally supported. The next time I'm sent on a deck clearing mission by my Captain I'll be well prepared! :thumbup:
I know some folks are going to comment about the 90 degree brass hooks sticking up, but they have zero interference with using the knife. It is actually very difficult for them to get in the way no matter how you hold it.
I took a bunch of pics but narrowed it down to these 8. I may have overdone it, but wanted you to see the spine and butt, etc. Pic #4 shows the spine and also has a nice clear shot of the handle grain. The first two are my wife holding it as I wanted a side view. She was ready to use it on me after seeing the Uddha (Another @#$% knife!?!), but I said she should go buy herself some new shoes as the new ones she got last week are looking a bit faded, so she is temporarily mollified...
I am really psyched at all the great new and old/new models coming out of HI these days. The 18" BDC, the big pen, the Ultimate Fighter, the Patang, talk now of a long-desired 18" Balance, and now this, the D-Handled Khukuri!
Thanks so much to Yangdu and HI for the chance to give a report on this outstanding model! :thumbup:
Best Regards,
Norm
Going to take this post and the next._____________________
A couple of weeks ago Yangdu dropped me a line and told me to expect a copy of the newest HI model in the mail, and I finally pried the package loose from the PO yesterday. (3 days after it arrived...!)
I pulled the wraps off the handle and beheld a piece of exposed chandan that was the single nicest piece of wood I think I have seen from HI. It must have been the same stuff Steve spoke about on the Patang. It was Chandan with beautiful lines and swirls in it, and it was attached to an... Uddha sword! It was the sword I got on the deals about a week ago. I had thought I was looking at the wood on the new model, but that was not to be. Still, I was thrilled to get it on the sword.
The second package was of normal khukuri length but far wider that I expected. There was a note with it (along with a nice postcard!) from Bura that said "Chandan D-handle khukuri scabbard split; Sending Satisal instead."
I was disapppointed a bit at first after seeing that other Chandan and imagining that the same batch might have been used for this (one of you guys is in for a treat!), but then I got a look at this amazing satisal. Really nice stuff and very rich looking.
To the knife: it is a D-handle khukuri that has the same blade shape as the ultimate fighter essentially, but is attached to a great handle. Like the Patang Steve Ferguson reported on, it is an adaptation of an older HI model that is featured in the "Special Runs" section of the HI website. Scroll about halfway down to see the old version of this. Specs aren't given but I imagine it was much heavier then:
http://www.himalayan-imports.com/one-time-knives.html
This model is a joy to hold and better balanced than just about anything I have, which I guess is to be expected considering the handle. Here are the specs: 15.75" long, weighing 31.4 oz., or 1.99 oz. / inch. It is an exact .40 (10 mm.) at the spine for about half the blade length, and then sweeps down to a sharpened clip point. The handle is 5.25" long and the blade an even 10.5". The edge is very sharp and when I say the clip point is sharpened I mean it! Not like the UBE or Movie Models at all. Very potent fighter here.
The blade is 1.44" wide at the cho, and goes to a max of 1.95" from the top of the clip point to the belly in just one spot, and then goes to 1.92" at it's widest point at the belly of the knife.
The knife balances exactly at the cho. The handle is supported by twin brass bolsters that are scrolled with engraving very nicely. Note the difference between the old model in this regard. The karda and chakmak are standard and done in the same dark wood. The scabbard fit is excellent. Watch the clip point going into the scabbard a bit, but not nearly as much as the Movie Model.
The brass work is excellent, and as I said the Satisal is something else. One note: there was a dark line through the TDC of the handle, right through some nice grain. It looks exactly as it someone had taken a black sharpie and drawn on the handle in a layout line. I took some 600 grit sandpaper and worked on it for an hour last night. The line faded in one spot but then got darker in some others. I finally took a good look at it through a 30X loupe and am convinced now that it is just some odd grain in the wood. It blends perfectly with some existing black grain lines in the wood, and under magnification you can see the edges of the line are blurred into the surrounding grain, not straight. 600 grit is sharper than you think, and the line was not diminishing. I can tell you it drove me nuts for a while until I looked at it more closely. It's an interesting anomaly in the wood that adds some character to the handle. I finished the handle off with some 3200 and 6000 grit mesh, and it looks better than ever.
A second note is that if I had to name this wood at a quick glance I would have said hill walnut because of the grain, but it has that golden tinge that only satisal can have.
The knife handles like a part of your hand. Swipes and reverse cuts are easy with this knife, as your hand is totally supported. The next time I'm sent on a deck clearing mission by my Captain I'll be well prepared! :thumbup:
I know some folks are going to comment about the 90 degree brass hooks sticking up, but they have zero interference with using the knife. It is actually very difficult for them to get in the way no matter how you hold it.
I took a bunch of pics but narrowed it down to these 8. I may have overdone it, but wanted you to see the spine and butt, etc. Pic #4 shows the spine and also has a nice clear shot of the handle grain. The first two are my wife holding it as I wanted a side view. She was ready to use it on me after seeing the Uddha (Another @#$% knife!?!), but I said she should go buy herself some new shoes as the new ones she got last week are looking a bit faded, so she is temporarily mollified...
I am really psyched at all the great new and old/new models coming out of HI these days. The 18" BDC, the big pen, the Ultimate Fighter, the Patang, talk now of a long-desired 18" Balance, and now this, the D-Handled Khukuri!
Thanks so much to Yangdu and HI for the chance to give a report on this outstanding model! :thumbup:
Best Regards,
Norm
