urrghhhhhhh im coming down with Khuk fever.....again....

G

glamdrig2000

Joined
Aug 31, 2010
Messages
40
Hello people, its been a very long time since I last posted here. Anyhow, a couple years ago I bought the HI M-43 and the bilton. These blades are without a doubt of the finest quality. The little bilton is surprisingly useful because it can travel places where my m-43 might make people run away. The size and shape of the bilton is ideal for everyday small tasks and I have even used it in hacking out walking sticks for when im hiking. Now if ever i am in need of heavy anti-tree ordinance, I break out the M-43. This knife makes very fast work out of whatever i throw at it and it bites into wood like a beaver possessed.
This blade is BEEFY, i mean i have been searching around on this forum for other M-43s' of my blades weight and I have not found one yet. It is a beautiful beast from kami bhakta weighing in at 39oz without the sheath! If i ever need to cut my way INTO a vehicle, hack down a door, or pillage a village this is my tool of choice. For other tasks, I think that this might be a little overkill. so now comes my dilema, I am wanting to get a BAS to handle the tasks between my bilton and my M-43.
Do you guys have any preferences as far as kami are concerned for this blade design, and if possible do you have any pics of your BAS blades with the weights? I am of Asian descent so my hand is perhaps more suited to a handle slightly thinner than the M-43. Is the BAS a good choice for this? any info would be most illuminating and appreciated, thanks ! :D

P.s. Please pardon me as I lie down because I feel the Khuk fever getting worse.......
 
I can't help you as I don't have a BAS but I'm relatively certain there is no cure for khuk fever. I know I have it myself and all I can do is try to keep myself comfortable and try not to mortgage the house for more blades. I started off nice enough but then i guess the fever struck and my friends seem to think I'm possessed. Maybe so.
Bought 4 here in less than a year and with each one I think I'm done but alas I know it's only temporary.

I think its the DOTD think, there's cryptic subliminal messages implanted in the thread and I'm powerless.

I wish you good luck, when you start ordering 3 at a time perhaps it's time for an intervention but doubt that would do much good either.
 
the only cure to khukuri fever is to post lots of pictures of your khukuris

actually this makes it much worse, but Ill be waiting for the pictures anyway
 
I absolutely LOVE my BAS. It just feels nimble, compared to my others, and it is the one I pick for most chores. I think you'll find the handle will be comfy, even for smaller hands (mine are pretty medium-sized, for a redneck caucasian! lol). I really don't think you'll regret getting one, but it will likely lead to even more!
 
Thats good to hear sash, im glad you like your BAS. Do you have any pics or know the kami that made it? So far, im thinking that Rajkumars works look very promising. Anyhow, since both of my other blades are horn handled, I think i might go for a wood this time. By any chance,do you know which wood resists shrinkage the best? neem? satisaal? I read in other threads(kinda old threads) that satisaal shrinks more than neem. Perhaps this was just an isolated case, I hope so because man that satisaal sure does look beautiful.
 
I really like the BAS for smaller kuk tasks,camping,etc. Mine is a horn handled,villager fit and finish by Bhakta.Grind lines and symmetry are flawless.As for wood preference,I have a number of HI blades in satisal and neem.Several of the satisal handled knives exhibit shrinkage which necessitated grinding the tang on the chiruwa handled blades to bring down raised areas that could cause "hot spots".None of my neem handled kuks have shrunk-not even a little,so neem would be my top choice.I would not hesitate to purchase a BAS made by any of the HI Kamis-they are all extraordinarily competent smiths,but my personal choice would be Bhakta or Lachhu. Good luck.
 
I think a lot depends on where you live. Someplaces wood shrinks no matter what kind it is.

I have one WWII with I believe Satisal and it hasn't shrunk a bit. It lived part of it's early life in Yuma Arizona too, home of drying out wood.

I don't know anything about Neem, I suspect most of the native woods over there in Nepal are very similar. Just a guess. I'm still a know nothing new guy with a Khuk addiction. I'll be doing wood on all my future Khuks I'm pretty sure.
 
You cannot go wrong with Rajkumars's work. I have a few of his blades and they are the best ones I own. As for horn vs wod that is always a personal pref but I prefer wood. The one or two that I have in horn I find are too slippery compared to the wood handled ones

Btw if you are looking to have it as a true user you might want to consider on of the villager knives like the LVK or KLUVK
 
Update!!! At last! after a long painful wait (with plenty of pleading with the wife for good measure,) I was able to purchase my new blade! After much debate weighing the pros/cons of each model, I did indeed feel that the BAS was the blade that truly spoke to me. Initially, I wanted a neem wood handle but I found that the wood was difficult to acquire and she had none in stock at the time. Oh well, the next day I asked for a different wood and by some cool twist of fate, she had just recieved a new shipment with a BAS from rajkumar in satisal w/brass fittings. Needless to say, I pounced upon the offer like a cheetah on a gazelle. In the span of literally 2 days (what sorcery do you use Auntie to make it so fast???) I recieved it. This blade is indeed everything that I wanted in a khukuri and then some. It comes in at a nice 23oz and is 15 inches overall length with a military style belt loop. As I mentioned in my earlier post, my other blade is a massive 39oz m43. When I held the BAS for the first time, I really had to retrain myself because my muscles were so used to the heft of the M-43. The BAS is a totally different animal. Both blades are exceptional, but I think that the BAS may get more use because its reduced weight and more compact size will allow it to be both more portable and less fear inducing to the general public when im out on the trails. The handle on the BAS feels amazing and I swear it feels like it was made just for my hand. When being held, the blade is very nimble and it feels almost like it is alive. I have not tested this blade out in the field yet on wood, but I am confident from what i see so far that it will live up to expectations. As far as blade appearances are concerned, the blade is Amazing. Outstanding blade geometry, Clean lines and a very beautiful sword of Shiva engraved on the sides. Rajkumar is certainly a master of his craft. To those that are undecided like I was on who to fashion their blade, you will not be dissappointed with his work.
 
Wow, you must have had to do some extraordinary pleading and pondering for the last 4 months.
I'm surprised your head didn't explode. :D ;)

Just as when you buy quality, you only cry once, it is beneficial to always ponder/research your purchase thoroughly before plunking down the cash. I always live by purchasing the one that calls to me the most. It has not led me wrong yet.

Good to see you again, glamdrig!
 
heheheh yes Karda, you are absolutely correct, the pleading was difficult but i was sure to throw in my subtle persuasive suggestions when the moment was right. EX: (opening a cardboard box,) "gee honey wouldnt this be easier to open if I had a nice 15 inch 23oz HI BAS khukuri?." or EX: (prepping dinner,) "you know love, splitting those turnips would be easier with a 15 inch 23oz BAS khukuri from HI. Yes, my techniques were subtle but somehow, she got the clue lolz.
 
sash said:
I absolutely LOVE my BAS. It just feels nimble, compared to my others, and it is the one I pick for most chores. I think you'll find the handle will be comfy, even for smaller hands (mine are pretty medium-sized, for a redneck caucasian! lol). I really don't think you'll regret getting one, but it will likely lead to even more!
Click to expand...
+1
For "most chores" it is the best all rounder.
Below: Service Number 1 being used by an Indian Gorkha regiment. Photo by Bongo
BSI in the jungle.jpg
 
Bawanna said:
I think a lot depends on where you live. Someplaces wood shrinks no matter what kind it is.

I have one WWII with I believe Satisal and it hasn't shrunk a bit. It lived part of it's early life in Yuma Arizona too, home of drying out wood.
Click to expand...

I live in Florida and I have found my biggest problems with wood drying out come when something has been stored for a while outside or in my garage (super high humidity most of the time), and I move it inside into the air conditioning where the humidity is much lower.
 
Greetings,

I think I am catching the khukuri fever pretty dang quick. As of now I don't have a khukuri and never had one before. Then I just started lurking here yesterday. Decided to register. Then saw Auntie's blems sale for 7/26. After a couple email exchange with Auntie, today I take an 18" Chitlange and a 15" Ang Khola. Auntie said she will ship them out on Monday. Since I am only a couple states over, I think I will see them before the end of this week.

Catching this type of fever is not something new to me. I caught an Enfield infection about 15 yrs ago, then there was a serious case of Mauser-noma, followed by Garanditis, then Mosin fever, etc. These diseases have one thing in common: there is no cure. Only treatment. I can see that the Khukuri fever is very similar to all these diseases. The good thing is a khukuri takes a lot less space to store than any of the treatments I had to take to manage all those diseases I contracted previously. :)
 
thing about this fever though, all your other fevers followed the work of man and machine, the khukri's are the work of men with hammers and hot steel , much less machine in the soul of the blade, almost all person. When you get your khukri hold it to the light so you can see the hammer blows that made your knife, and that every dime of money you spend on these wonderful things, really and truly helps a load of people who really need it. There is no better feeling than buying from HI and enjoying these knives ( from someone who had all the same fevers and then some )-- I have too many and ive not been displeased once.(knives)
 
Gehazi, you are absolutely right. These hand made khukuris will stand out among other martial items I have collected over the years because each of these khukuris carry the personal touch from the kamis that forged them. I have a buddy whose birthday is coming up. I was going to buy him a Ka-Bar KLO as a birthday present. But after learning and reading more about the HI Khukuris ... no way ... it will be one of the HI Khukuris for him. I think he will be thrilled.
 
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