Tested a Malla

S

swede79

Joined
Jan 30, 2001
Messages
813
Woo Hoo! Got the Malla, and I am very happy. My wife isn't, but that's a different story.:rolleyes:

Fit and finish are great, love the handle. It's a bit big for my hand, but that's better than being too small! Plus this way I have more room for practicing different grips, right Walosi? I put it in a vise (between wood, of course), and flexed to no avail. No bends, this puppy is stronger than me! I also placed a 4x4 on the ground and beat the snot out of it every way I could think of. So m
uch for tang failure... All I made was noise!

For dimensions and chopping, I compare this to my CS Ghurka Khukri, which I bought before I heard of HI. It seems upon comparison that the CS is a knife that is shaped like a Kukri, and the HI is the real deal. The HI is narrower, but retains it's thickness closer to the edge. It's balance is also much closer to the tip, which I guess is better for chopping.

Speaking of chopping, the Malla outperforms the CS by a fairly significant amount. Holding a 2x2 vertically (resting on the ground), the Malla easily bites in 3/4 of an inch when using a downward blow. This is fairly soft wood also, but it is impressive.

The only slight disappointment was the sharpness. Neither the Khukuri nor the karda where what I would call very sharp. I am almost able to draw the karda across skin (with no pressure) without cutting. This is easily rectified, and only a minor complaint. I am re-reading the sharpening FAQ to see if I'm not being too hard on the knife. It's quite possible that I'm applying the wrong standards based on what I know about smaller knives and razors.

Now my only dilemma is that the Malla is for fun, and I was going to use the CS for camping, but seeing how the Malla chops, I want the AK Chiruwa.

Heh heh heh... I am VERY happy with my purchase! Gotta go play!:D :D
 
Hi Swede, Thanks for the report! You should be able to get a razor sharp edge on her. I keep most of my khuks shaving sharp! Let me know if you need any pointers on sharpening and I'd be glad to help out!:)
 
Isn´t that a great feeling?
Take your wife out for a very nice evening, that relaxes the situation a bit and prepares her for the coming weeks....sais mine ;)
 
Here's where we begin to get into divergence of opinions (healthy ones, no argument, whether we agree or not). I keep my thinner blades close to but not at shaving sharp. Since the Khukuri acts as both axe and knife in its' native environment, the edge should be as close as possible to meeting broad requirements. That said, each style meets those requirements differently. The broad blades utilize weight and power, and lean more to use on heavy woods, as an axe, at that end of the spectrum. The thinner, narrower blades are from areas where grass, cornstalks and vines are the predominant targets, and lean more to the knife end. Some, like the Malla, appear to be one type but have a heavier blade, and utilize more of each style than others. This is why I keep the shiver factor confined to the GS and Chitlangi, and have a more utilitarian edge on the others.
 
How do you all sharpen your khuks? Do you use leather strops or sharpening stones? I can never get a shaving sharp edge on a knife using a stone :( Is it just my technique or should I go out and buy a leather strop.

ryan
 
Dewingrm, What knid of stone do you use? I use spyderco ceramics And they work great! I also ued DMT stones. After I get a shaving sharp edge I use a cardboard wheel mounted on a grinder motor with a little jewlers rouge on it. That polishes the edge to scary sharp!! I some times use a strop. Go to Treeline.com they have some great sharpening equipment!
 
Keep those different opinions coming, I'm taking notes!

One thing I forgot about, the fit into the scabbard/sheath is incredibly tight. I have to use a LOT of force to withdraw the knife. Is it possible that the edge is rubbing on the leather?

Again, this is NOT a complaint. With an exposed handle and no snaps/straps to retain the blade, I'm sure that it has to be a tight fit. I'm trying to learn from this baby, I hope she's a good teacher!

Sven, I thought you were sick. Get back into bed, and quit playing on the Internet! :p :D
 
Ryan -

I use a hand stone for the utility edges, going from a coarse, agressive stone to a fine arkansas (a "black" arkansas, a marbled grey "medium" arkansas, and a fine white). I use upward strokes, against the edge and toward the spine, as though I was shaving the stone on the edge. First, though, I check the factory edge for a "wire" (a folded very fine edge, bent over in the last direction in which it was honed) and steel that back until it is even. The stoning will remove this, and create a new edge. I always check after I've gone the length of the blade to see if I've created a new wire, and steel it if necessary. This takes about an hour, to an hour and a half, through all three stones. Then, if it is to be a "scary" edge, Istrop it on an 1 1/2" leather strip tacked along the edge of an 18" piece of 2X4, using red rouge as the abrasive on the strop.

Use the tip of your thumbnail, running it from the direction of the spine, 90° across the edge, to feel for a wire. Do this on each side, every inch, for the length of the blade. If you have a wire, the edge of your thumbnail will stop against it,and a little more feeling will find the length of it. OH YES..do this slowly and carefully, or buy stock in band-aids :eek:
 
I've got a Lansky knife sharpener that came with three sets of stones. My khukuris seem to be a tad to big for it. Has anyone used a Lansky sharpener to sharpen their khuk. I might have to go out and buy some more stones :( Maybe a leather strop too. Thanks all for the info ;)

Ryan
 
Hey swede,
the problem is that beeing sick is tooooo boring, so what should I do, Internet is the perfect solution and this forum is much better than the **** that they show on TV.
 
You can try doing what I do - spend your time reading emails with a German-English dictionary in front of you! :D :D :D

In case the rest of you are wonder just what we are talking about, Sven has graciously offered to help me with my German, so we are emailing each other in his native tongue, and I am remembering how stupid I really am....:eek: :D

Kind of makes you appreciate everyone who took the time to learn English as a second language! Ok - back to the Malla!
 
I´m spending my time reading posts with an English to German dictionary in front of me looking for words like pople that no dic has ever heard of...
 
...if you are going to do this seriously, you must acquire the proper reference materials...."Pople" can be found on page 375 of the 23rd Edition of "Webster's Minnysoota Colloquial Words and Phrases, Movie Star Divorces and Wal Mart Specials" - you can find it in the wire rack at most super market check-out stations :rolleyes:
 
Many thanks for report from the field, Swede, and also thanks for doing the tang test. So far only two failures this year. Maybe some of the kamis are listening to my rants.

And thanks all for good help and input.
 
Swede,
Now you are hooked! Suggestion, if you are going to do a lot of woodsy stuff, send your sheath to Sandi ,have her make a custom canvas sheath for it! You won't regret it, I just recieved my 4th one ,this was for my M43!I love it! Going to chop with my 43 this weekend!
jim :D
 
:D :D :D
Walosi, thanks for the update I only had the Webster´s agricultural expressions in south east LA and great places to go skiing in Texas at hand and I guess not even with the latest editions...sorry, they are hard to get over here :rolleyes:
 
Swede79

How does the weight of your Malla compare with the CS? Is edge retention similar?

Ryan,

When the khukuri the time between steeling gets to short or the khukuri becomes difficult to keep sharp I use a stone to sharpen it. I usually use the Spyderco fine hones (white) free hand to sharpen my khukuri's. Clamp the khukuri down and move the hone. If it is really dull I use a pocket diamond hone the same way. The Lansky hones also work great free hand for a khukuri. For reprofiling the edge on a khukuri the course (red) hone from the Lansky kit is hard to beat.

The lansky guide is almost useless for the khukuri. When the guide is clamped on the blade it is too far from the shapened edge. The angles are all much lower than what is indicated on the guide. Even the maximum angle (30?) setting is too small (probably less than 20). You would get an edge that is great for cutting soft materials and shaving but not one that is durable for chopping.

The strop works well also. It does give a tougher edge that is more resistant to rolling, denting and chipping. The perforamce difference between stone and strop sharping is most noticable with soft steel blades. I currently have AlO abrasive but it is quite slow. I tried sand paper but I found the pores clog up too fast. Water helps a lot but then things get messy.

Will
 
Will,

The weight question is interesting. The Malla FEELS a whole lot heavier, but when you close your eyes and pick them both up, it's only slightly heavier. Again, with the balance point further forward, it sure wants to swing and cut! :D :D

The CS is fairly easy to resharpen, and the CarbonV holds a good edge, I have several CS knives in CarbonV, and love 'em. I can't comment on the Malla, as I haven't yet had a chance to really work it, just playing in my garage. From the HI website info, I have no doubt that it will at least equal or exceed the CS blade. I also am a big fan of steeling, and love to get blades razor sharp. The funny part is that I'm not sure what role the CS will play in my collection. I NEED a camping knife (AK), have my Malla for playing, NEED a WWII for, well, let me think about that. But I know I NEED it! ;) No, I don't have HIKV, these are perfectly logical choices...

I am going to sharpen the Malla tomorrow night and at first I will keep the same edge that it came with. Since it's not a huge heavy chopper, I might re-bevel it down, but can't really say until I test it. After all, this one is for practicing, and will probably only cut flesh...mine! :eek:

I love this Malla, but I want to cut down some trees....

Uncle,

I want a couple more, but give me a couple of days. I forgot to tell her about the last one, and she wasn't amused.... I'll be sending a check pretty soon, I should just send you a bunch of money and draw against it when I get weak! ;) Don't worry, I won't do that, I know you have better things to do than be a banker.

Now, if you all will excuse me, I have to go sweep a bunch of wood chips off my garage floor! :D :D
 
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