- Joined
- May 9, 2002
- Messages
- 12,261
Truthfully, I don't get to handle HI stuff like I used to. After 20 years of collecting and gifting away khuks and knives to friends and family, I usually have to be wowed to be bowled over by something new. I have to say, this new knife made by Kumar has instantly won me over.
This bowie is something I haven't seen come out of HI in a long time, and as someone who has been "shaking hands" with Kumar's work for over 20 years (my first HI product was an HI villager made by him back in 2002), the man has only gotten more skillful and masterful with his hammer. The blade is polished to perfection without a hammer mark to be seen. The spine is squared off from the brass guard to the start of the saw. The clip is unsharpened and not even a swedge, but it is finished well and rounded.
The Replica Bowie with JKM and a medium Stockman for comparison
The Replica Bowie comes in around 10oz in weight and sports an overall length of 12.25" if you count the brass keeper. It sports a 6.5" blade from the tip to the guard and is right at 1/8" thick at the spine. The balance is perfect. Kumar knows how to use brass to make a blade feel lively in the hand. The extended brass keeper balances the whole knife in the very center of the choil. The saw area is right at 2.5" long. It's not cut to be a "true" saw, but I have no doubt that it couldn't carve a notch in a branch if one needed it to. The finger grooves are wide enough to fit a variety of hands. Sometimes they feel like they force a handshape, but with there only being 3 wide grooves, one can really find a comfortable purchase at multiple angles.
The knife has an overall feel of something one would take into the woods if they were honest with themselves about what they might need over packing a gigantic chopper. My days of lugging around a huge knife are behind me
If I can't get by with something smaller, I'm in the wrong spot
The Bowie is actually thinner in stock than the JKM-1, but a tad thicker than my ring knife.
One might think that the guard extending on both sides would hinder it as a utility blade since you can't ramp your thumb on the spine, but really the generous choil allows you to clear the guard and still get your thumb on the spine for controlled cuts.
Comfy in hand in multiple holds and very balanced.
In short, I'm really impressed with this knife. It's got the subtle finesse of a craftsman that has clearly been pounding steel for decades. It's elegant yet tough. Functional yet pleasing to the eye. Capable yet balanced. It's masterful My hats off to Kumar.
This bowie is something I haven't seen come out of HI in a long time, and as someone who has been "shaking hands" with Kumar's work for over 20 years (my first HI product was an HI villager made by him back in 2002), the man has only gotten more skillful and masterful with his hammer. The blade is polished to perfection without a hammer mark to be seen. The spine is squared off from the brass guard to the start of the saw. The clip is unsharpened and not even a swedge, but it is finished well and rounded.
The Replica Bowie with JKM and a medium Stockman for comparison
The Replica Bowie comes in around 10oz in weight and sports an overall length of 12.25" if you count the brass keeper. It sports a 6.5" blade from the tip to the guard and is right at 1/8" thick at the spine. The balance is perfect. Kumar knows how to use brass to make a blade feel lively in the hand. The extended brass keeper balances the whole knife in the very center of the choil. The saw area is right at 2.5" long. It's not cut to be a "true" saw, but I have no doubt that it couldn't carve a notch in a branch if one needed it to. The finger grooves are wide enough to fit a variety of hands. Sometimes they feel like they force a handshape, but with there only being 3 wide grooves, one can really find a comfortable purchase at multiple angles.
The knife has an overall feel of something one would take into the woods if they were honest with themselves about what they might need over packing a gigantic chopper. My days of lugging around a huge knife are behind me
If I can't get by with something smaller, I'm in the wrong spot
The Bowie is actually thinner in stock than the JKM-1, but a tad thicker than my ring knife.
One might think that the guard extending on both sides would hinder it as a utility blade since you can't ramp your thumb on the spine, but really the generous choil allows you to clear the guard and still get your thumb on the spine for controlled cuts.
Comfy in hand in multiple holds and very balanced.
In short, I'm really impressed with this knife. It's got the subtle finesse of a craftsman that has clearly been pounding steel for decades. It's elegant yet tough. Functional yet pleasing to the eye. Capable yet balanced. It's masterful
My hats off to Kumar.