- Joined
- May 12, 2003
- Messages
- 1,606
That's right! I finally got my first triangular box! I thought DHL would never get here!
I was actually late for work, but I had to open it...you guys understand. Wendy and I sat on the couch and opened it together. It was like Christmas.
Somebody said it would be interesting to hear the first impressions of a knife maker. Bear in mind that my whole life I have been taught to be hyper-critical and severaly analytical when it comes to doing specs like this.
OK, so here are my first impressions of a Chiruwa AK with wood handle...
This is a wonderfully robust knife...my overall first impression went something like HOLY SH@T! or words to that effect.
This is the first Khukuri I have ever handled and was not what I expected. The weight and balance were distibuted so that the blade rolls into the sweet spot when lying in the palm of the hand.
The handle fit precisely the way I mentioned in the thread I started about the Khukuri handle...not that I am that smart...it just seemed to make sense. What did surpise me was the way it responded when the blade was swung. A tight, strong grip as in a "Bowie" style chop yeilded no success. However a relaxed grip which allowed the forearm to move easily in a "lopping" motion was not only much more comfortable but aids in the rolling motion of the chop. (Dan already warned me about this.Thanks Pen!) Evidenced by a rope cut this moring on some manila I had in the shop.
The fit and finsih was well beyond what I expected. The lines all flowed beautifully. You can see that in a picture. What you cannot see are the subtle hints that tell you this blade was handmade in the true sense of the word. Yoshindo Yoshihara said that it is easy to make a perfect blade. But that it was the slight imperfections that gave character and life to a blade. Maybe that is why I like looking at this Khukuri so much. The evidence of forging is clear in the finish of the blade. Normally I would see this as a flaw, but I am content to know that this blade came from a man who knew his business.Thank you Kumar. All of the precisely straight lines of the modern knife styles are somewhat sterile. I love the organic nature of this knife! It sings with a real flavor.
Out of the box the blade was not sharp. This did not bother me as I have purchaased some very fine knives that did not even have a bevel to sharpen. I used a triangle file to test the hardness of the blade. You guys were right about that too....A few minutes this morning in the shop...on the stones and a bit of 30m Micron belt and the edge was shaving...and cutting rope. Now it's a bit scary.
The wood is beautiful...and a bit of Olive Oil really brought out the grain. Yes Olive Oil...it works great.
One thing though...Wendy and I are both southpaw... the sheath is great but we will have to build a left handed version. It will be a great project.
All in all, after owning some of the "World's Finest' knives...I would rate this as my favorite. There is no field chore I cannot perform with this knife.
This blade has taught me a great deal about making knives....and it has given me lots of inspiration.
Thank you Bill and Kami Sherpa...and everybody at BirGorhka. Well done. I am proud to be a part of the HI Owner's Group.
Shane
P.S. We are waiting for three more Toblerone boxes as I write this!
I was actually late for work, but I had to open it...you guys understand. Wendy and I sat on the couch and opened it together. It was like Christmas.
Somebody said it would be interesting to hear the first impressions of a knife maker. Bear in mind that my whole life I have been taught to be hyper-critical and severaly analytical when it comes to doing specs like this.
OK, so here are my first impressions of a Chiruwa AK with wood handle...
This is a wonderfully robust knife...my overall first impression went something like HOLY SH@T! or words to that effect.
This is the first Khukuri I have ever handled and was not what I expected. The weight and balance were distibuted so that the blade rolls into the sweet spot when lying in the palm of the hand.
The handle fit precisely the way I mentioned in the thread I started about the Khukuri handle...not that I am that smart...it just seemed to make sense. What did surpise me was the way it responded when the blade was swung. A tight, strong grip as in a "Bowie" style chop yeilded no success. However a relaxed grip which allowed the forearm to move easily in a "lopping" motion was not only much more comfortable but aids in the rolling motion of the chop. (Dan already warned me about this.Thanks Pen!) Evidenced by a rope cut this moring on some manila I had in the shop.
The fit and finsih was well beyond what I expected. The lines all flowed beautifully. You can see that in a picture. What you cannot see are the subtle hints that tell you this blade was handmade in the true sense of the word. Yoshindo Yoshihara said that it is easy to make a perfect blade. But that it was the slight imperfections that gave character and life to a blade. Maybe that is why I like looking at this Khukuri so much. The evidence of forging is clear in the finish of the blade. Normally I would see this as a flaw, but I am content to know that this blade came from a man who knew his business.Thank you Kumar. All of the precisely straight lines of the modern knife styles are somewhat sterile. I love the organic nature of this knife! It sings with a real flavor.
Out of the box the blade was not sharp. This did not bother me as I have purchaased some very fine knives that did not even have a bevel to sharpen. I used a triangle file to test the hardness of the blade. You guys were right about that too....A few minutes this morning in the shop...on the stones and a bit of 30m Micron belt and the edge was shaving...and cutting rope. Now it's a bit scary.
The wood is beautiful...and a bit of Olive Oil really brought out the grain. Yes Olive Oil...it works great.
One thing though...Wendy and I are both southpaw... the sheath is great but we will have to build a left handed version. It will be a great project.
All in all, after owning some of the "World's Finest' knives...I would rate this as my favorite. There is no field chore I cannot perform with this knife.
This blade has taught me a great deal about making knives....and it has given me lots of inspiration.
Thank you Bill and Kami Sherpa...and everybody at BirGorhka. Well done. I am proud to be a part of the HI Owner's Group.
Shane
P.S. We are waiting for three more Toblerone boxes as I write this!
