on "thick buttcaps"

Is the steel buttcap on that PK thicker or about the same thickness of the brass buttcap of a standard PK. That has been my one and only gripe about my PK. The brass hollowish buttcap is kind of loose and flemsy even after a few good whacks to try to peen it out. That villager looks pretty much like my ideal camping tool. My God, how i love steel fittings (not white metal):)

Jake
 
Steely_Gunz said:
Is the steel buttcap on that PK thicker or about the same thickness of the brass buttcap of a standard PK. That has been my one and only gripe about my PK. The brass hollowish buttcap is kind of loose and flemsy even after a few good whacks to try to peen it out. That villager looks pretty much like my ideal camping tool. My God, how i love steel fittings (not white metal):)

Jake
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I'm with Jake. Villagers are HI's best kept secret. If an alchemist could turn all my brass fitted khuks to steel-fitted, I'd pay him well.

Jake, I'll have to compare the buttcaps later. One thing I didn't like about my brass PK is that the K&C are vestigal, they're so small. Like T-Rex's arms, why? This made-to-use-hard steel PK has a decent, real-sized K&C, same as a big khuk, and with a beautiful flame-like grain across both. Must photograph; sorry, busy with wrecked house, broken plumbing, scorpions, etc.


Ad Astra
 
Ad Astra said:
Must photograph; sorry, busy with wrecked house, broken plumbing, scorpions, etc.
Ad Astra
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Excuses, excuses;) However, i'm willing to put money the steel being a bit thicker and tougher as well as better fitting than the brass. My first khuk was a Kumar made 15" villager with real steel fittings. It was such a nice change to get some real steel fittings on the YCS and the kerambit.

Jake
 
I like the scrolled buttcaps better because when the handle shrinks you don't see it as much, but the flat buttcap is much more in line with the whole aspect of HI khukuris as users and functional tools.

My favorite khukuri doesn't even have a butt cap. Just a small diamond shaped steel keeper with the tang peened down on it. :thumbup:
 
As far as "historical" kukris go, the vast majority of village knives had no buttplate, and were partial tang. The flat buttplate that UB implemented was basically from the military knives, which were (like HI's) full tang. There are, however, "historical" examples of full and/or fancy buttplates.
 
I think that the white metal on the villager Pen Knife but cap is just that, white metal. The magnet tells the tale, or tail in this case.

It is still a nice knife. It chops better than a 12" AK (close in weight), but not as well as a BAS - and it is much lighter than the BAS that I have.
 
I'd love to see more buttcaps like those of the villager Pen Knife.


I'd also love to see a 14 or 15" Pen Knife ....

You just never know what is going to show up behind the DOTD curtain..

~ B
 
I wrote that the Pen chopped better than the 12" AK, but I now doubt that. I may have just been repeating what I heard. There is no question that the shape of the Pen would be useful for lots of camp chores - and would be good in the kitchen.

I checked both knives on 1/4" fir ply, and could not see much of a difference. The two knives are about the same length, and the Pen weighs only 1/8 oz more than the 12" AK. I also tried out my 15" Amtrak Sirupati. It blew both of the smaller knives away, but weighs about 5 oz more than either of them.

Size/length and weight matter.

I was surprised that the Sirupati did almost as well as my heavier BAS.
 
I've long suspected this was true. As car buffs say; 'there is no substitute for cubic inches," and in blades, length, weight and profile count. The Pen is a modern visage of the Ganga Ram in many respects, shrunk down with the forward weight exagerated. Khuks are in a happy family of high performers. They are mostly all good. The one that feels best in your hands, the one you 'believe' in, may be the best performer.



munk
 
hollowdweller said:
My favorite khukuri doesn't even have a butt cap. Just a small diamond shaped steel keeper with the tang peened down on it. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I have a chainpuri with the keeper buttcap. I also like that style of buttcap best.
 
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