Weekend Hiking Special

Yangdu

Yangdu

Himalayan Imports Owner ~ himimp@aol.com
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Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
9,176
Beautifully done 25 inch 38 Kobra by Kumar. Bamboo root handle. Nice leather sheath. Great value at $299.

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18 inch 27 ounce lite weight M-43 by Kumar. Red satisal wood handle. Real workhorse at $199. *SOLD*

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13 7/8'' 16 ounce Seax by Kumar. Satisal wood handle. Fine knife for your collection at $118. *SOLD*

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Here I am holding the workhorse
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Email to himimp@aol.com to get any or all
 
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Great knives. I’ve got several 25” Kobras and I love them but if you don’t own one of these lite weight M43’s you don’t know what you’re missing! Mine are the same weight and made by Kumar also!
You won’t regret it!!
 
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The kobra and that M43 are gorgeous, but I've been eyeing a seax for a long time and these dimensions (and price) are very intriguing!
 
Yangdu said:
18 inch 27 ounce lite weight M-43 by Kumar. Red satisal wood handle. Real workhorse at $199. *SOLD*

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This M-43 arrived today. First, let me say that I'm very happy with it. The red satisal handle looks good and feels great in the hand. The blade by Kumar is well done. I can see faint hammer marks on both sides, and I like that better than the more perfect blades that look like they could have been made by a machine. The bolster and buttcap are steel. This knife is a real workhorse, as Yangdu noted. It was listed as 18", but it's closer to 18.5" in overall length.

I do have to add that the weight is nowhere near the posted 27 oz. I knew that as soon as I picked it up. On my postal scale it weighs in at 35.4 oz. That's a hefty knife even by HI standards, not a lite-weight M-43. It's a heavy chopper for sure. That doesn't bother me because I wasn't going to make it a user anyway.
 
Amko said:
Those lightweight M43s? Unicorns.
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I agree. I have an 18.5" M-43 that weighs 28 oz, and that's the lightest one I've seen at 18".

You can get lighter weights in shorter lengths. I have a 15" M-43 that's 24 oz. For most people that would be easier to handle, and it's strong enough for heavy chopping.

To get a real lightweight M-43, I think you have to look for a vintage blade from WWII. I've seen a number of those at around 17" overall length and about 24 oz.

The HI kamis could certainly make blades in that length/weight configuration, but for some reason they just don't. At least as far as I know.
 
davidf99 said:
That doesn't bother me because I wasn't going to make it a user anyway.
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I'm curious: will you be displaying it?
Up until the BAS came, the M43 was my go-to blade, but at 31 oz. it's sadly not seen much action. I'm expecting a Pach Chirra that is claimed at 19 oz. Remains to be seen if that claim is accurate.
 
Amko said:
I'm curious: will you be displaying it? Up until the BAS came, the M43 was my go-to blade, but at 31 oz. it's sadly not seen much action. I'm expecting a Pach Chirra that is claimed at 19 oz. Remains to be seen if that claim is accurate.
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I don't display my knives, like on a wall or in a display stand, but I do like to show some of them to friends and family from time to time, as well as enjoy them myself.

When a collection gets beyond a dozen knives or so, you can't (or don't need to) use all of them for actual work, so it becomes like collecting stamps, or art, or cars. I can't afford to collect anything really expensive, and I like the esthetics of knives as well as their functionality.

Suppose, for example, that you end up with a modest collection of fighting knives. How many of those would you actually use for their intended purpose? The answer is probably none, unless you live in a really dangerous neighborhood and don't like guns. Even then, if you had, say, a dozen fighting knives probably two or three of them would be your go-to blades in a life-or-death situation. That doesn't mean you can't appreciate the others for their esthetic value or capabilities.

About your expected 19 oz Pach Chirra: My experience with HI is that only about one knife in twenty differs in weight from what Yangdu posts, and usually not by much. When there is a discrepancy in length or weight, almost always the knife is bigger/heavier than what she posts. That's kind of a breath of fresh air compared with the vast majority of commercial sellers who tend to exaggerate their offerings.
 
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With a little over a dozen HI khukuris/ non-HI folders now, and stored usually out of the scabbards, I'm running out of shelf space, since I never really planned to collect anything expensive, as you say. From stamps, to CDs, to cowboy boots, to black leather jackets, and now khukuris, I've collected my share of stuff. Thanks for sharing, David.
 
David I’m sorry to hear that one was so heavy. I wonder if she sent you the wrong blade. She mailed a blade to me and realized it was the wrong knife the next day. Then sent me another knife and asked me to refuse that pkg. I wonder if you emailed her about it and brought it to her attention. I do have 2 Kumars that weigh in at 27 oz. I’ll try to post later today.
 
davidf99 said:
I don't display my knives, like on a wall or in a display stand, but I do like to show some of them to friends and family from time to time, as well as enjoy them myself.

When a collection gets beyond a dozen knives or so, you can't (or don't need to) use all of them for actual work, so it becomes like collecting stamps, or art, or cars. I can't afford to collect anything really expensive, and I like the esthetics of knives as well as their functionality.

Suppose, for example, that you end up with a modest collection of fighting knives. How many of those would you actually use for their intended purpose? The answer is probably none, unless you live in a really dangerous neighborhood and don't like guns. Even then, if you had, say, a dozen fighting knives probably two or three of them would be your go-to blades in a life-or-death situation. That doesn't mean you can't appreciate the others for their esthetic value or capabilities.

About your expected 19 oz Pach Chirra: My experience with HI is that only about one knife in twenty differs in weight from what Yangdu posts, and usually not by much. When there is a discrepancy in length or weight, almost always the knife is bigger/heavier than what she posts. That's kind of a breath of fresh air compared with the vast majority of commercial sellers who tend to exaggerate their offerings.
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David, I collect fighters too. I do use them, as I have found that some fighters make pretty good field knives. And since I have a little Kali training, it feels good to have a personal blade.
I've used a 6" Randall #1 for years as a backpacking/hunting blade. I've used it to pry fat pine even light chopping. I've also field dressed, skinned, and butchered several whitetail with it.
I have a 6" #4 fighter that has a great upsweep to the blade, should make for a great skinner.
 
George Azar said:
David I’m sorry to hear that one was so heavy. I wonder if she sent you the wrong blade. She mailed a blade to me and realized it was the wrong knife the next day. Then sent me another knife and asked me to refuse that pkg. I wonder if you emailed her about it and brought it to her attention. I do have 2 Kumars that weigh in at 27 oz. I’ll try to post later today.
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It's the same knife pictured in Yangdu's posting. M-43s tend to look alike since it's one of the more standardized HI models. However, I can recognize this one in the photo by the contours and color of the handle, the way the Sword of Shiva gets shallow just before the bolster, and the shape of the cho and the way the edge angles back at the front of the cho.

I wouldn't want to return it because of the weight. I have a lighter weight 15" M-43 and a 15" Bonecutter, either one of which I would go to first for chopping.
 
Like I said earlier, I wanted to share photos I just took of these 2 M43’s1C4AB607-8B4E-4B32-81BF-A3EB776D91AF.jpeg The top one is the longest and heaviest at 27.50oz 18 3/4”
Bottom is 27.10oz 18 1/2”4688390E-84AA-427D-A2E4-D67A951A4BF3.jpeg 5EF200F8-3AD2-432F-8EED-E6E9DD47541E.jpeg 45F68A43-8960-4484-A054-40002723B330.jpeg 192F062C-3C68-4B84-9DB3-EA2008C28C14.jpeg CE58C00A-F297-4F91-A282-ADC916A39F0E.jpeg This is the longer of my 2 lite weights approx 18 3/4”
 
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