- Joined
- Dec 28, 2003
- Messages
- 4,791
I was lucky enough to snag this knife a short while back as a "leftover" sale on the DOTD. This was one model I wasn't quite sure about, despite Nasty's positive comments on it. (Nasty got the very first R-1, which is identical to this one as far as I know, and then there was a second that was a bit lighter I believe, without the brass pommel. There may be more than these 3 that I have missed.)
Yangdu and I did the deal, and I have to say I am really pleased with it. This one is by Kami Dil, who is very capable, and is 15.25" long with a weight of 30.1 oz. The blade measures 9.5" and the handle a generous 5.75". This is one of the most comfortable HI handles I have ever held. As you can see in the pictures, there is a great swell and curve to it that fills your hand nicely without being too large, and makes using the knife a pleasure. There is some nice white feathering in the horn on the top right side.
The spine is an exact 10 mm. at the bolster, or .40". This drops to .385" about mid-blade, and reaches a min of .355" near the tip, for almost zero distal taper, which is how the knife is designed. The working edge is good, but not razor sharp (which I will address tomorrow!)
The sheath is a nicely done black leather. The one on mine is that smooth very supple leather as found on the Salyan scabbards, for those of you who have those. The loops are well fitted and snug the blade down into the sheath groove, and are complete with official HI Great State of Oklahoma snaps.
The frog is fastened to the sheath body with rivets, that are fastened through the sheath and held in place with heavy staples that are pounded flush with the leather. Makes for a very slim design, and the entire sheath weighs just 3.8 oz.
In using it I really love the combination of easy handling, great handle, compact size and real power. It balances very nicely, and I was surprised at how agile it was. The blade is really highly polished and finished.
This knife would shine at lopping off branches or hooking heavy brush, etc. It is "non-traditional" in the sense that it doesn't look like the normal kukri offerings from HI, but don't let that hold you back if you have a chance to snag one.
About the only slight negative I would point out on this is that the exposed handle tang was not given the same high polish that the blade has, so looks somewhat bleak in comparison. There are a few tool marks, etc., on that portion of the tang, which I will be polishing out. If the blade were a satin finish this would be less noticeable, but it's there. Not a big deal and easily fixed with a little elbow grease.
Here are a few pics: (Sorry for the reflected pattern in the pic; that is an overhead trellis.)
Right side and sheath:
Left side:
Good shot of the spine:
Side shot buried in wood:
And as hard as I could into the 6X6:
These last two were really impressive to me. This thing just hits like a truck, all out of proportion to its compact size. Also, note that the wide flat spine makes it perfect for batonning through material if necessary. All in all a great addition to my HI collection.
Thanks Yangdu for another cool design, and for getting this to me in record time. :thumbup:
Norm
Yangdu and I did the deal, and I have to say I am really pleased with it. This one is by Kami Dil, who is very capable, and is 15.25" long with a weight of 30.1 oz. The blade measures 9.5" and the handle a generous 5.75". This is one of the most comfortable HI handles I have ever held. As you can see in the pictures, there is a great swell and curve to it that fills your hand nicely without being too large, and makes using the knife a pleasure. There is some nice white feathering in the horn on the top right side.
The spine is an exact 10 mm. at the bolster, or .40". This drops to .385" about mid-blade, and reaches a min of .355" near the tip, for almost zero distal taper, which is how the knife is designed. The working edge is good, but not razor sharp (which I will address tomorrow!)
The sheath is a nicely done black leather. The one on mine is that smooth very supple leather as found on the Salyan scabbards, for those of you who have those. The loops are well fitted and snug the blade down into the sheath groove, and are complete with official HI Great State of Oklahoma snaps.
The frog is fastened to the sheath body with rivets, that are fastened through the sheath and held in place with heavy staples that are pounded flush with the leather. Makes for a very slim design, and the entire sheath weighs just 3.8 oz.In using it I really love the combination of easy handling, great handle, compact size and real power. It balances very nicely, and I was surprised at how agile it was. The blade is really highly polished and finished.
This knife would shine at lopping off branches or hooking heavy brush, etc. It is "non-traditional" in the sense that it doesn't look like the normal kukri offerings from HI, but don't let that hold you back if you have a chance to snag one.
About the only slight negative I would point out on this is that the exposed handle tang was not given the same high polish that the blade has, so looks somewhat bleak in comparison. There are a few tool marks, etc., on that portion of the tang, which I will be polishing out. If the blade were a satin finish this would be less noticeable, but it's there. Not a big deal and easily fixed with a little elbow grease.
Here are a few pics: (Sorry for the reflected pattern in the pic; that is an overhead trellis.)
Right side and sheath:
Left side:
Good shot of the spine:
Side shot buried in wood:
And as hard as I could into the 6X6:
These last two were really impressive to me. This thing just hits like a truck, all out of proportion to its compact size. Also, note that the wide flat spine makes it perfect for batonning through material if necessary. All in all a great addition to my HI collection.
Thanks Yangdu for another cool design, and for getting this to me in record time. :thumbup:
Norm
