Rai kami balance Knife, a late review

D

Dino in Reno

Joined
Jul 16, 2005
Messages
298
Get one. Oh, you want more?

Yes, it’s carved. I like it, it adds an extra bit of soul to the knife.
The blade finish is a villager type, but does not hide any flaws. The grip is carved, and is shaped different than any other khukuri I have, a long rounded triangle in cross-section with the broad side “down” at the finger side. The grip was a bit rough and I must admit to using a bit of 250 grit paper to remove some small imperfections, but I left all the carving as it was. I do use a damp cloth after sanding, to both raise the grain and to have a bit more moisture when I seal it with the oil. I then oiled the grip.

I like to use Birchwood-Casey “Tru-Oil” on my wood grips and stocks. It’s a blend of polymerized linseed oil with other natural (and maybe unnatural too) oils. It seals and fills the grain, and is easy to blend in for minor repairs. Depending on the final steps it can be high gloss or a more matt finish.
Either the wood or the finish used in making the knife caused the Tru-Oil to take much longer to dry than usual. Sunlight seemed to help it kick-off and harden.I went for a high gloss to match the original sheen.
My scale is busted so I used a fish scale to get a weight of 25-26 oz.

In the chop test I hacked a seasoned and dry 3” piece of blackthorn. As you may know that is one tough wood. I did not sharpen the blade and went to town with about eight cuts. Clean cuts, and NO bends, folds, chips or dullness on the blade after this test. Not even marking after I wiped it down!
I thought the grip shape might be an issue, but it was not. No tendency to twist or turn in the had at all. As the name says, the balance is different, a bit towards the tip, but also “deeper” in the belly. I reminded me a bit of my boomerang in that way. The wonderful tiger (I think) head is a useful hand stop but does not get in the way in use.

Note the markings on the blade are reversed side to side from my others :-)

This is both a “collector” and a user!
http://postimg.org/gallery/324qs85gu/
 
Nice review and really cool knife! 25-26 oz is pretty light for that size of knife.
That knife deserves a pic up front;)
ballance_group.jpg
 
Great review, thank you
 
I received a Rai kami balance knife last week. It was a most gracious gift from Auntie that showed up with a KLUVK I ordered. I cant stress enough how wonderful HI and Auntie are. The balance knife was really nice with a carved head. I will post pictures once I take them. The head had a pierced nose and lip, I am not sure who the person is or what it signifies. This one was super handy and balances perfectly. It has a great look to it and the cho alone is a work of art.

I think anyone how doesn't have one should definitely buy one. I know Auntie has more in stock... just call. I know the price was around $100 or so. The handle fit my hand perfectly, it is very comfortable to swing and handles like a dream. I was expecting the handle to less than perfect due to the carved handle but it felt like a million bucks! The fullers had a nice design. It really looks nice in the collection.

Anyone who doesn't own a Rai kami piece really needs to give Auntie call and pick one up.
 
After hearing of comfort, thanks to all....i WOULD need foreknowledge of what was carved, though....some things may be quite cool there but not compatible with where i am today......the tiger or whatever is fantastic....thanks to both for great overview....
 
The carved handles on these are fantastic! I wonder if we'll see some of these with "normal" khukuri handles in the future? I love the design of them.
 
Dobe_1 said:
Why is it called a balance knife?
Click to expand...

I believe that "balance knife" is not a specific model. It is a term sometimes used for a knife whose balance point is midway between the point and the pommel, and which has no regular model name. Similarly, "dui chirra" could be any blade with two fullers that does not have a traditional HI model name. If a design becomes a long term staple of HI it might eventually get a regular name. HI has brought on several new kamis recently and they tend to bring their own designs or styles with them, so we see lots of blades here in the forum that have no regular names yet.

Some model names are traditional, such as Ang Khola and Chitlangi, where the name might refer to the blade shape or fullers, or it might refer to the village or region where the design originated.

Some models are named after the designer, who might be a kami (the Kumar Kobra, for example) or a customer (the YCS, named after the late forumite YVSA). The KLVUK (Keshar Lal Villager Utility Knife) combines two naming principles: The maker is Keshar Lal, and "villager utility knife" is a good description of this blade. This is a fairly recent offering of HI but it has become so popular that it is already a staple of the company.

I hope I got all this right. If not, I'm sure someone will be along to correct me.
 
I was impressed with how well it did on the blackthorn. That's the stuff shillelaghs and British army officers sticks are made from.
I had a fear it would be more pretty than useful, I'm glad that fear was in error. It is a good tool that is also pretty. :-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top