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Broken Eye

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Apr 2, 2010
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Hey guys,

I recently got my custom order olivewood-handled 16.5" ASTK by Dil Kami that is a true beauty. I can't bear to use it. As a result, I've recently been deciding on what my next khuk will be, but am having trouble deciding.
I'm looking for something that will be for general use, campwork type stuff, not any super heavy chopping. I have a 16" tamang that is 16 oz and handled amazing, but it doesn't seem to have what I'm looking for in terms of chopping capability.
Similarly, I have a 20" siru by Vim that looks great, but is a tad too long for me at 5' 10' 160 lbs. Sadly, I don't have an exact weight for it, but it feels over 2 lbs. Feels like I'm swinging a wrench around at times.
So, I was thinking along the line of an 18" Gelbu special or chitlangi, but I don't know how well they fare in the chopping area.
Also thinking about a 16.5 cak or ak or wwII to balance the weight/chopping power ratio for hiking/camping.
Any suggestions from your experience would be helpful, thanks in advance.
 
The GS and Chit are not made for chopping and are not warranted for such use. They are more weapon than anything. Which is not to say they wont handle chopping chores, they will...but you must be very selective about what you chop and realise that depending on what broke it , you may not get a replacement.
 
You could not go wrong with any of the following.

CAK
ASTK
Ganga Ram
Bonecutter
M43

Just a matter of what you like in a blade shape, handle shape and construction, and weight. They are all ready to use hard right out of the box and are not too pretty to use. They actually beg you to go outside and chop. The only exception to that is the M43 that does come very nice and shiney and has a sort of regal appearance. But it is a real user like the rest.

Bill
Virginia
 
Broken Eye,

Glad you got your custom ASTK! My LV wood didn't work well with the Berks Special but someone lucky did score the remaining half.

I say you WANT TO use your ASTK and PLEASE. If it's meant to be sitting in the shelf you won't enjoy as much as whacking it, building some character into it, clean it and still be able to have a cold one and pondering over the artistic side of Kamis when ya done.

In fact we would all be waiting for some pictures to do justice.;)

I promise i will post and use my Berk's Special once it arrived here.:D

Jay
 
How about a pic of this so-called "olivewood-handled 16.5" ASTK by Dil Kami that is a true beauty"?


;)
 
You might like something like the 28 ounce 18" GRS shown on the bottom, it has a 3/8" thick blade. Above it is a 24 ounce Chit, above that is a Gelbu(sold), on top is a 29 ounce chiruwa BAS.
The GRS would be the best chopper in my limited collection, in my opinion. I'm 6' 200 pounds and in good shape. Others might say the BAS because of it's weight and 7/16" thick blade. It will also depend on how a knife feels in your hand. Comfort is key, not just weight. What good is a knife that you can only swing for 15 minutes?
100_0878.jpg
 
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Howdy Broken Eye

I'm gonna sound like a Broken Record:p I wholeheartedly recommend the WWII in either flavor. I too am 5'10 and around 175lbs. Personally, I favor the 18" over the 16.5" simply because you get nearly the same amount of blade (the 18" usually comes in a 1/2" longer) and a lot more handle (about an inch).

This longer grip gives you a baseball bat of sorts to choke up and down depending on your needs. Walk your hand up near the bolster and you have a nearly neutral piece of steel for finer work. Slide back on the grip and all the force of your swing is dead on at the sweet spot.

It's true that my M-43 gets a good bit of my chopping chores (of course I also have a 15" Boomerang AK that I love for that sort of thing), but if I had to choose just one khuk to take on a hike, it's my 18" WWII. It was the second khuk in my collection and still gets a workout from time to time:thumbup:
 
Thanks for the info guys. I'll see about getting some pictures of the ASTK up when I have time/can find a decent camera. I have an Organic chemistry test later today else I'd get on that.

Karda, I understand why you post and appreciate the reminder about the warranty. The way I see it, if I do something to a blade and something happens, it's totally my fault, and I'll accept responsibility for that act.

Steely_Gunz, might I ask how much your WWII weighs? Hope your little girl is doing well btw.

Also, while I do want to use my ASTK, I'm having a hell of a time putting an edge on anything I get that is not villager finished, ASTK included. I've tried the mouse and sandpaper from 400 to 2000 grit with a loaded strop and nothing. Only thing I can think of is I'm not keeping the angle true when I try to sharpen them. Tried last night for an hour with my new R7 and couldn't put an edge on it to save my life. Can do it easily with my villager tamang though.
Anyone got another cheap method that's effective?
 
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Broken Eye said:
Steely_Gunz, might I ask how much your WWII weighs? Hope your little girl is doing well btw.
Click to expand...

Well, it's been YEARS since I weighed it, but I would guess about 2lbs? It feels a lot lighter when you choke up on the handle to balance it out. It's a typical 18" with a 3/8" thick blade.

And thanks for the kind thoughts for my lil' Evey. She's doing great. Growing like a weed, strong as an ox, and more and more ornery like her daddy every day;)
 
WWII vs BAS?

My question would be, what does the extra weight, length, thickness and size of the WWII give you over the "correctly" sized 500-550 gram BAS? Does it cut better? Chop better? Slice and dice better? Especially in the hiking/light-use role? Even in a light/medium chopping role I doubt the WWII does that much better than the BAS.

I would rather carry my Bonecutter than my WWII. At least you can justify it because you have a very definate jump-up in capability with the Bonecutter and actually not as much of a weight difference as you would think.

For the hiking/light-use role its not even close, for me its the BAS hands down!

Bill
Virginia
 
kevhen said:
You might like something like the 28 ounce 18" GRS shown on the bottom, it has a 3/8" thick blade...

...on top is a 29 ounce chiruwa BAS.

The GRS would be the best chopper in my limited collection, in my opinion...

...Comfort is key, not just weight. What good is a knife that you can only swing for 15 minutes?
100_0878.jpg
Click to expand...

I'm struck by how the top knife in the photo weighs more than the bottom knife, even though the bottom knife (Ganga Ram) is longer.

And the lighter Ganga Ram looks like it has a better grip for big hands.

Nice bevel, not too blunt.

I have a similar 18 inch GRS that weighs a the same 28 oz and I like it a lot.
 
I agree that the 18" chitlangi and gelbu are a good utility size. I have both in villagers and plan to use them. To me the villagers seem to be the best choice for users. I just can't bring myself to use the polished models yet. Just seems like a shame to ruin such a nice polish job. On the flip side it's also a shame to have such a capable knife and not use it. The 18" chit or gelbu seems like it would handle lite chopping with ease and just about perfect for heavy brush clearing up to 1" branches. I have a large brushpile that I will attack in the spring and one of these will be my weapon of choice.
 
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Steve, I agree it is interesting that the BAS at the top of the photo weighs more than the GRS even though it is shorter, but the combination of the BAS being fulltang and having a thicker blade that carries it's thickness well towards the tip does it. I have a large hand and the GRS feels better with the larger handle so I'll be letting go of the BAS. I must say the BAS really does take a bite out of trees with it's weight. I just wish it had a handle for a big hand rather than an average hand. I don't hold onto knives I can't use. That was the problem with the Gelbu, it was made for an average hand.
 
For those who wanted to see the 16.5" olivewood ASTK, heres a link to the pics. Some are before I sanded and put a few coats of tung oil on it. My R7 is also in the early pics.

HPIM1471-1.jpg


HPIM1472-1.jpg


HPIM1505-1.jpg


HPIM1506-1.jpg


HPIM1508-1.jpg
 
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