- Joined
- May 9, 2002
- Messages
- 12,674
The title of this thread is mostly tongue in cheek. Everyone knows that knife fights are dirty, dirty business where few "winners" are crowned and "elegance" is probably one of the last terms you would think about describing such bloody affairs.
That said, if there were ever a knife that raises the bar of the fighting knife to a higher level it would be HI's new model called the Bhaspati. I've unboxed a lot of HI products over the years. While the rush of unboxing a khuk never goes away, it takes a special energy to make my hands tremble these days. My hands were actually shaking as I tore away the paper. I had no idea what it would look like under there as Yangdu sent me this model sight unseen (I always trust her judgement, as she has never sent me something I DIDN'T love
) At any rate, something about just hefting the knife through the week old Reno paper wrapping elevated my pulse. By all rights, it's "just" a 15.5" khuk. I've handled many of them over the years, but this one is special. To be honest, I've never handled one quite like it...ever.
The Bhaspati appears to come in a few different flavors regarding overall length, handle style, and grip material as well as weighing from "pretty light" to "viper strike". My particular specimen was crafted my new-ish kami Rajkumar. Anyone that has handled his work know that this kami is an artisan of the first degree. While other kamis' work may or may not speak to you more, there is no denying from a technical point that Rajkumar is one of the best finishers in HI's staff. My Manakamana Special made by him is one of the nicest khuks I have ever handled. I will go so far as to say that this Bhaspati rivals it
Here are a few specs:
15 1/4" overall in length
10.25" of that being blade.
5" from the butt plate to the top of the bolster
16 (maybe a bit less)oz
1/4" at the thickest part of the spine
Balance point is 7" from the butt plate (about an inch ahead of the cho)
Belly at its widest point is only 1 1/2"
One noticeable feature is that it's a pretty straight khuk yet lacks the traditional ring that some people take issue with. Instead, grip retention is maintained by a series of hashes carved into the horn. It actually works really well.
This is a light, thin, fast, and deadly knife. It doesn't so much as cut through the air as parts it with a controlled sonic boom. It doesn't just point naturally, it seems to will itself where it KNOWS it needs to go. It strikes me as a blade that if drawn in a dire emergency, it would spring to the cause and defend its wielder to the end. Our late moderator and forum elder Rusty used to tell tales of Audrey, his 12" Sirupati. He swore that there where times she would leap into his hands without him realizing it. Audrey, I should point out, was named after Audrey II the blood-thirsty man eating plant from Little Shop of Horrors. The Bhaspati is not RAZOR sharp yet, but I can tell it's right there. 10 minutes with a strop and this blade will be scaring the hair off my arms.
This little Bhaspati seems to be a living, breathing blade. I don't know else how to explain it. I have no idea what kind of spirit was hammered into the steel, but this little blade it oozes soul. I have a feeling it's going to get a lot of carry time in my shoulder rig. It's got this really lively/protective vibe going on. It would be sad living at home in my khuk truck. This knife has got to breathe
Here's a quick pick I took of the Bhas along with the MS and my 14+" Siru.
The Siru is on the left, then the Bhas, finally the MS. My Siru used to be the king of my light fighters, but the Bhaspati just blows it out of the water in terms of speed and balance, and that's saying something as this Siru was made by Sgt. Khadka; a soldier who knows his fighting knives.
I want to thank Yangdu for the fantastic product, and I have to give a huge shout out to Rajkumar. He's an artist and extremely gifted with steel craft. I can't wait to pack this beauty around more.
That said, if there were ever a knife that raises the bar of the fighting knife to a higher level it would be HI's new model called the Bhaspati. I've unboxed a lot of HI products over the years. While the rush of unboxing a khuk never goes away, it takes a special energy to make my hands tremble these days. My hands were actually shaking as I tore away the paper. I had no idea what it would look like under there as Yangdu sent me this model sight unseen (I always trust her judgement, as she has never sent me something I DIDN'T love
) At any rate, something about just hefting the knife through the week old Reno paper wrapping elevated my pulse. By all rights, it's "just" a 15.5" khuk. I've handled many of them over the years, but this one is special. To be honest, I've never handled one quite like it...ever.The Bhaspati appears to come in a few different flavors regarding overall length, handle style, and grip material as well as weighing from "pretty light" to "viper strike". My particular specimen was crafted my new-ish kami Rajkumar. Anyone that has handled his work know that this kami is an artisan of the first degree. While other kamis' work may or may not speak to you more, there is no denying from a technical point that Rajkumar is one of the best finishers in HI's staff. My Manakamana Special made by him is one of the nicest khuks I have ever handled. I will go so far as to say that this Bhaspati rivals it
Here are a few specs:
15 1/4" overall in length
10.25" of that being blade.
5" from the butt plate to the top of the bolster
16 (maybe a bit less)oz
1/4" at the thickest part of the spine
Balance point is 7" from the butt plate (about an inch ahead of the cho)
Belly at its widest point is only 1 1/2"
One noticeable feature is that it's a pretty straight khuk yet lacks the traditional ring that some people take issue with. Instead, grip retention is maintained by a series of hashes carved into the horn. It actually works really well.
This is a light, thin, fast, and deadly knife. It doesn't so much as cut through the air as parts it with a controlled sonic boom. It doesn't just point naturally, it seems to will itself where it KNOWS it needs to go. It strikes me as a blade that if drawn in a dire emergency, it would spring to the cause and defend its wielder to the end. Our late moderator and forum elder Rusty used to tell tales of Audrey, his 12" Sirupati. He swore that there where times she would leap into his hands without him realizing it. Audrey, I should point out, was named after Audrey II the blood-thirsty man eating plant from Little Shop of Horrors. The Bhaspati is not RAZOR sharp yet, but I can tell it's right there. 10 minutes with a strop and this blade will be scaring the hair off my arms.
This little Bhaspati seems to be a living, breathing blade. I don't know else how to explain it. I have no idea what kind of spirit was hammered into the steel, but this little blade it oozes soul. I have a feeling it's going to get a lot of carry time in my shoulder rig. It's got this really lively/protective vibe going on. It would be sad living at home in my khuk truck. This knife has got to breathe
Here's a quick pick I took of the Bhas along with the MS and my 14+" Siru.
The Siru is on the left, then the Bhas, finally the MS. My Siru used to be the king of my light fighters, but the Bhaspati just blows it out of the water in terms of speed and balance, and that's saying something as this Siru was made by Sgt. Khadka; a soldier who knows his fighting knives.
I want to thank Yangdu for the fantastic product, and I have to give a huge shout out to Rajkumar. He's an artist and extremely gifted with steel craft. I can't wait to pack this beauty around more.
, i hope i can write such nice lines, when my tin chirra arrives!
