questions on my new Villager and my new AK

C

cognitivefun

Joined
Oct 24, 2004
Messages
1,032
Hi! (short for Himalayan Imports -- it's what everyone is saying) I got my

17" WWII Kumar Villager

and my 16.5" Kumar Chiruwa AK

First of all, I am in awe of these masterpieces. Thank you, Kumar, thank you Bill and Yangdu, thank you everyone here and there.

Second, I have a few questions:

1. How can I tell a Chiruwa from a non-Chiruwa?

2. What are the characteristics of a Villager? I have looked through archives and the HI site but am still puzzled.

3. How can I tell the difference between the two short of measuring?
 
I'm a relative newbie to HI, but can't help but chime in.

- you can tell a chiruwa by the pins running through the handle as they are full tang. The non has a stick tang and a handle that fully encloses the tang.

- Villagers have a brushed finish and steel (or steel like) fittings, rather then being polished with brass fittings.

- The difference between a WWII and AK is the shape of the blade. If you look around the HI website you can find detailed information on the differences. For easy ID, I would say the AK have more of a spear shaped point without as much belly along the front of the blade. Also the AK have some steel scalloped out of the blade on each side, near the top. Again more info on the HI site, I am probably not using the right terminology.

Hope this helps.
 
Snoppy is pretty much spot on. I think you'll enjoy them both. The WWII has been an all around favorite of mine for years. Kumar does excellent work especially his handles:) Now you need to get a khuk with a hidden tang to compare those two to:) They are every bit as strong, but since the end of the tang is peened over the bottom instead of being full tang, the shock is absorbed a bit better. Ask Yvsa about which he likes better;) Congrats on you purchases. I'm sure you'll be very happy with them:) My first khuk was a 15.5" Kumar villager. After 15 or more knuks its still a standard in execution that i hold my others to. Best bang for the buck by far:)


Jake
 
A villager has a lesser blade polish and handle polish and the fittings tend to be in "white metal" (which seems to be nickle silver) rather than brass. On some villagers the bolster is .................... Well, that's a long story. Say it's better in some opinions.
 
quick answers
more detail available

chiruwa is one term (can't recall the other offhand)
indicating the tang
is exposed the full length of the grip..........
ie - slab handle
these have peened pins to hold the slabs onto the tang

a distinction -- village vs Villager

A 'village' model is made outside Birgorkha by village kami
& 'inspected/passed' by Birgorkha staff

'HI Villager' models are made by Birgorkha kamis
in response to many requests for ..................

HI Villager models are not 'finished' 100%
call it 95%
many people prefer this
also -typically- has
white metal fittings
& no habaki bolster
& less 'cho creep'
the kamis seem to take a few more libertys
in their model interpretations when making Villagers


HI AK has fuller near the spine above belly region
HI WWII usually has sharper 'bend' in the spine


~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<>call me 'Dean' :)-FYI-FWIW-IIRC-JMO-M2C-YMMV-TIA-YW-GL-HH-HBD-IBSCUTWS-tWotBGUaDUaDUaD
<> Tips <> Baha'i Prayers Links --A--T--H--D
 
The other was a "17 inch 23 OZ. village WWII by Kumar" so would this be made outside the factory?

They are both flawless and wonderful knives. The handles are perfect. The difference I see is the Chiruwa does indeed have pins in the handle. They are BTW perfectly sunk flush, incredible workmanship.
 
Bill once said he wouldn't guarentee the steel used in the villagers is the same as regular HI khuks.



munk
 
Villager.

I don't know that it matters much-the steel. That is, I'm thinking Mercedes truck springs are probably hard to find and they use what they can find.



munk
 
the steel is about the same as my kumar ak, the WWII is tempered a bit
better though. Very nicely done , I like it!
 
Also...

The WW2 has no fuller. Flat part of the blade and the bevel. Sometimes some kamis sort of have a slight depression in the side of the blade though. There have been a few pointy WW2s on occasion.

The Ak has three distinct parts on the side of the blade. Fuller groove like thing, flat part of the blade and the bevel.
 
brantoken said:
the WWII is tempered a bit
better though.
Click to expand...

How can you tell?

BruiseLeee said:
The WW2 has no fuller. Flat part of the blade and the bevel. Sometimes some kamis sort of have a slight depression in the side of the blade though. There have been a few pointy WW2s on occasion.

The Ak has three distinct parts on the side of the blade. Fuller groove like thing, flat part of the blade and the bevel.
Click to expand...

Yes, thanks, now I can see that, it is quite clear when you pointed it out!
 
cognitivefun said:
The other was a "17 inch 23 OZ. village WWII by Kumar" so would this be made outside the factory?
Click to expand...

Kumar is one of the HI kamis, meaning this one was made at BirGhorka. In this case villager means it has a satin finish rather than mirror polish, and handle also not polished.
 
Unless Uncle Bill has changed his policy, he said he would warranty my villager for life. I think he won't warranty the village models handles that have been crafted by other kami's that might not go all the way through. I think the blade is still covered, but the handle is not i.e. "blades last a lifetime. handle do not" philosophy of most kamis outside Birgorka. The actually villager models are every bit as tough and well made as the regular HI modles. They just have handles that are kinda rough and a blade that is not magic stone mirror polished. IIRC, the sybols near the spine on a villager model stand for "B.G." as in BirGorka, thus up to HI standards in strength and quality (although not finish). My Kumar villager remains one of the most solid feeling to the hand.
Like i said. I could be completely full of poop on this and Uncle Bill may have changed his policy on the villagers. It would be best to ask him for sure.

Jake
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top