Suggestion for Yangdu - A Well Intended Rant

Thanks for bring up the safety issue point, Bill... pays to remind ourselves to keep a check on our common sense and watch our routines for potential hazards. Thus making adjustments to prevent or avoid accidents. A loss toe is loss toe, replacements part are not available!!!
 
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Hi From Godzone
A little common sense from down under - adopt the same mindset with an unknown sheathed Khukuri on the counter top as you would an unknown fully loaded cocked single action Army Colt with a hair trigger - approach either of them with an equal amount of caution and you shouldn't get into too much trouble!
Nigel from Godzone
 
Willieboy said:
You're right YVSA. In hindsight, I probably failed to excercise proper caution. I have been handling knives for many, many years. I just grabbed the knife and sheath off the counter without giving it a second thought. I have never had such an ill fitting sheath and never expected the knife to go airborne. Well, I'm leaving this topic now. I am glad I have all my toes and I hope my thoughts have helped someone. As I said at the outset, I meant no harm to anyone.
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Willieboy, I took your post in the spirit that I believe you intended. I think that your post was meant to help HI and Yangdu. And I think most of us who have handled a lot of HI products would say that the kerambit and seax sheaths are the least desireable of the bunch. Most of us here love Yangdu, and HI and are quick to defend her, so don't feel put off by the reaction.

In our litigious society, if someone gets hurt by an HI product, a lawyer could really hurt HI. None of us want that. So it's good to bring up issues like this.

I suspect most of us could agree on two points.
1. The sheath could be better.
2. Your handling of the knife was not the safest, due to the obvious lack of any restraining device.

I've been handling khukuris for several years now and recently made a rookie mistake. At the Baltimore Antique Arms show, I walked by a table and saw several old HI pieces. Some that I'd never seen. Intrigued, I stopped and talked to the gentleman, Jay Tinker, who was an early HI dealer. I picked up a khukuri, and wrapped my fingers around the sharp side of the scabbard, and withdrew the knife. DUH. :o Jay cautioned me to never do that. I knew better, but in the excitement of seeing HI pieces from the old days, I just forgot. It was like I had never picked one up before. Man did I feel stupid.

So thank you for your post. Hopefully we all learned something.

Steve
 
I agree, Steve. I'd really like to see a new sheath made for both. The limitation is their leather - drum dyed only. No veggie-tanned stuff like we're used to seeing with sheaths stateside.
 
I like loose khukuri sheaths. In the woods I can take the blade out and put it back in while on the trail without using 2 hands.

However on the other sheaths I agree. I had an AK bowie that the edge would actually come out thru the side of the sheath. If you were holding the side it could potentially cut you.
 
I don't like the talk of a lawsuit. :( Like the McDonalds coffee, almost anything is or can be dangerous under certain circumstances. You can take a No.2 pencil and ram it in someone's eye; does that make pencils dangerous weapons? :confused: Someone almost dropped a kbit on their foot- you can drop a cinder block on your foot too (and when someone attacks my logic, I'll sic the McDonalds lawyer on them- and win).

Like the Russian guy said about the poor safety mechanism on the Mosin-Nagant rifle, "Is gun. Is not safe."

The sheaths are not very good on the kbits, but I'll tell you who makes an absoultely great kydex sheath is our own Dan Koster. I have one of his and it is top notch, and using that sheath brings a lot more usability out of the blade.


Mike
 
Ad Astra said:
I don't like the talk of a lawsuit. :( Like the McDonalds coffee, almost anything is or can be dangerous under certain circumstances. You can take a No.2 pencil and ram it in someone's eye; does that make pencils dangerous weapons? :confused: Someone almost dropped a kbit on their foot- you can drop a cinder block on your foot too (and when someone attacks my logic, I'll sic the McDonalds lawyer on them- and win).

Mike
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Okay, so I said I was butting out and I'm back. So sue me.

Mike, please understand, I would never file a suit over something like this. I am merely trying to point out that I think Yangdu and HI have exposure that may be avoidable. Ridiculous suits are filed every day in this country and even winning them costs time and money. The McDonalds lawyers don't work for free.

I hope we can get a grip and take a deep breath here. I'm not attacking Yangdu or HI. I didn't think I was attacking anyone. I was talking about an unsafe sheath...and only one sheath, the Kerambit sheath, not all HI sheaths.
 
I will pass this message to Birgorkha shop and Kamis. Thank you for the kind suggestion, Bill
 
I think the khuk sheaths are pretty good. Fit doesn't always pass the inversion test, but that's not really necessary for belt carry. I find that the weight of the blade keeps it in place. Occasionally, an edge splits out from a sheath that's too tight, but that's addressed in the safety thread. Dialing in the sheath is part of the tinkering that comes with an HI.

Small blades are more of a mixed bag. I think Dan is right about the limitations of the leather type. My JKM sheath is OK (except for the dye which decides to bleed every once in a while). Sgin Dubh isn't so hot . Part of the problem is that these are unfamiliar patterns, so it's probably not entirely clear to the sarkis what the sheath should be like. That goes double for the kerambit, which would be hard to sheath anyway.

I think that someone who dropped a knife out of the sheath, or grabbed the sheath and cut themselves, would be negligent because they weren't exercising common care. Proving that in court would be expensive, though.
Thanks for bringing it up, Willieboy (even though my knee-jerk reaction was defensive). Improving the product is a good thing.
 
Sorry Willie- not mad at you at all, in fact you raised a good point.

Our suit-happy state of things would irratate any rational person, though.


Mike
 
Bill raised a good point.

Aunt Yangdu did a good action.

Nepal Ho!
 
I've simply spent way too much time and money on lawyers the past year and a half.
 
I love polite discourse!!!


I will say that Dans kydex sheaths are top of the line and are a compliment to anyones Hi K-bit!!

They cant get vegitanned?? bummer :(
 
Good timing on the thread and thanks to those pointing out Dan. I believe I found my HI Kurk kydex sheath maker!
 
Bladite said:
imho if you pick up an edged tool by anything but the handle, excepting maybe in a vertical position, never inverted or even horizontal, even with a keeper, you made a terrible mistake in safety.

a knife has a handle. that is where you access its power. never, ever assume any sheath is safe. ever. this is like treating guns as loaded and off safety. never, ever assume. thank you.

bladite
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The voice of reason. If you pick a knife up by its handle, the scabbard comes with it. If you pick up a knife by its scabbard, the knife may not.
 
Maybe just a second page on the included safety instructions stating;

'NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD A KNIFE BE PICKED UP BY THE SHEATH. THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS AND LEAD TO INJURY.'

And add it to the safety sticky.(for public consumption)

For warned is for armed in court. Anyone ever see the 'Don't blow dry your hair in the bathtub' picture on a hair dryer?

Nobody wants bad to happen to HI or Yangdu, this includes any lost sleep over mindless Bull Hockey. Unfortunately it is a part of business, or the danger of it.

Good point Bill and thank you for watching out for the company and its people.
 
GUN SNOB said:
NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD A KNIFE BE PICKED UP BY THE SHEATH.
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Please correct me if I'm wrong!

Normally people will pick unsheathed knife by the handle .. and people will pick sheathed knife by the sheath .. it is just natural to do that!

I guessed it is the same unwritten procedure applied to either Keris or Katana or Scimitar or Bowie.
 
Thus why I changed it slightly when I added it to the safety thread:

A new addition:

'NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD A KNIFE BE PICKED UP BY THE SHEATH ALONE. THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS AND LEAD TO INJURY.'
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I figure once you SAFELY pick it up the first time, it is your judgment alone to decide if it's safe to pick up by the sheath itself, by its handle, or a combination of both.

ps: As a general rule, knives are *not* safe and by handling them in any way you assume full responsibility for the results.
 
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