Short review of...

15 inch 21 ounce villager BAS by Sher. Horn handle. Field sharp. Great camping Knife. $90 YBB. This was a DOTD purchase.

I took this knife out to our new property this past weekend hoping I'd find a use for it, and I did.

The property needs some cleanup as the previous owner was an elderly couple who could start and finish projects, but evidently couldn't clean up when done.

There was a fair amount of scrap lumber piled up around the house. I salvaged what I could, and resolved to burn the rest.

I don't like to burn on the ground as that tends to leave ugly burnt dead spots, so I found an old 55 gallon barrel and made it into a burn barrel. This also catches the odd nail or staple that might be overseen.

I burned all day. One problem with burn barrels is that they are sometimes too short for the wood needing to be burned, so the wood needed to be chopped to size. Enter the 15 inch 21 ounce villager BAS by Sher.

I don't know how much wood I chopped up, but there was quite a bit, all of it seasoned and dry. The largest was 4X4 in size, most of it was cracked and split 2X4 and 1X4.

The Cher knife made kindling of all of it. I took a few pics, but they didn't come out very well so I'll spare you. The bottom line is, this mid-sized khuk did the job without strain. It bit deeply and made the chips fly.

I did manage to miss a nail in one of the pieces, the knife did not, however. When I was done, there was a small notch in the blade, very small. The sweet spot of the knife was dulled, but still sharp enough to chop with.

When I got home I first tried the chakma to smooth out the notch, but it didn't do the job, so I got out my steel and carbide sharpener. This combo removed the notch, so I took a ceramic rod to the blade and sharpened it up as good as new.

Bottom line is that I am very happy with the quality and utility of this knife. It was comfortable, durable, and up to the job. The horn handle is handsome, the scabbard is well made and fitted. The small knife was sharp when I got it and took a very keen, shaving sharp edge. I used it to cut up a length of old fiberglass rope, about 1/4" diameter, no challenge at all.

Thank you, Yangdu and HI for a fine product!

:thumbup: :thumbup:

Andy

 

Thanks, guys, I appreciate it. I have been bitten pretty hard by the HI bug... I've had to re-arrange my gun safe to make room for all the new knives!

Andy

 

It is a nice knife. A heavier khuk might have chopped a little better, but would have been harder to control when cutting this springy wood, and might have been more prone to cause injury. I think it was perfect for the job.

I should mention that some of this old wood was oak, not just pine or the like. Hard, hard stuff!!

Andy

 

Andy

 

These knives, I am learning, have a great advantage over hatchets, IMO. They have a much larger cutting area, and are more forgiving of a poorly aimed blow. There is no haft to bang up, either!

But you'se guys already know all this stuff....

Andy