Giant Ceremonial Kukri - Windlass
Jan 20, 2009 10:45:17 GMT
Post by genocideseth on Jan 20, 2009 10:45:17 GMT
Giant Ceremonial Kukri by Windlass
Review by: Keifer McAuley from Saskatchewan, Canada.
My mother got me this for a late Christmas Present, and man did it surprise me! I awoke one day to find this box in my room and I eagerly teared the box open to reveal this beautiful weapon! Here is a link with all the basic statistics of this blade: www.reliks.com/merchant.ihtml?pid=1859
I don't have pictures from when it was first removed from the box, but it was covered with this plastic and a thin film of packing oil I believe. I was amazed at it's size! This thing is huge! And the packing was fantastic! The scabbard and Kukri were wrapped separately in brown paper (Of course the blade itself was also wrapped in plastic) and the blade tip had this neat piece of plastic to keep the tip from puncturing the box. They were both stored in a tall box with plastic popcorn. Kudos to Reliks for doing such a great packing job, I will gladly do business with them again!
Design, Fit and Finish:
The Grip:
The handle is made from some form of a hardwood and is quite robust. I imagine it would be quite comfortable for someone with larger hands than I, as my hands are not the biggest. Over all the handle is very comfortable, despite it's size. The handle roughly measures about 8 inches long (Including the metal base the separates the blade from the handle). Here is a photo of me holding it with one hand:
It also feels quite sturdy and there is no wobbling at all with this blade! Stiff as a rock!
The Pommel:
I am quite a fan of this pommel. It is peened as you can see. ;D It feels solid and it is quite nice looking. The only thing I feel could use improvement is the it has an uneven polish, although you cannot really see in the picture. It doesn't bother me, but it may be an issue with some people.
The Blade:
The blade is very thick! it is roughly 3/8 of an inch thick at the widest point! I feel this blade can take a real beating! It has the traditional Fuller along the spine and the notches at the base. I believe the notches represent the God of War Shiva (His trident I think), but I am not really sure. They also serve another function: Apparently when an Ox's blood runs down the blade, the notches allow the blood to run off to the ground, rather than spilling all over the handle. These are not actual facts, but it is what I heard and it seems plausible to me. It is not sharpened, which is what I would have preferred anyway.
The Chopping part of the blade appears to have a concave, probably to reduce weight. I think it looks fantastic!
My only annoyance with this product is the uneven surface. If you can see it in the photos, you will notice it is a little bumpy, but what can you expect for a blade under 100$?
The tip looks like it has some puncturing power to it! i cannot wait to try it out!
The blade also seems to have a secondary bevel, as apposed to a flat grind, but it may just appear that way from the concave.
On another note, here are some photos of the spine:
The Scabbard:
The scabbard is just a basic, wood core, black leather covered scabbard. Nothing particularly special. Not horrible, but not great. Also note the lack of a suspension system that is seen on most kukri. Not that it would be a hard job to make your own though.
I am not sure why these leather straps are here, but I doubt they aid the suspension as they are just tacked on. not to mention they feel rather delicate. Here or some more pictures:
Here is one of the tack:
Here is the picture of the metal clasp the the end. It looks pretty and is kind of sharp:
And here is one of the scabbard mouth:
Testing:
Dry Handling:
I first did some dry handling and man does this thing have some serious blade presence! It is very common (And preferred) that a Kukri has a lot of blade presence to maximize the chopping potential and such, but I never imagined it feeling the way it does! it is not clumsy at all though, and I can actually get an audible "whoosh" sound with a slight whistle.
Cutting:
I tested the blade on the delivery box and despite not being sharpened, it tore through nicely!
I cannot wait to sharpen it!
Thrusting:
Although I do not have a picture, it thrusts very well! Even better than my Katana did!
Conclusions:
I personally love this blade! I have owned a Masahiro Kill Bill Bride's Katana before, and this one is a lot better! I am in love with this blade!
Historical Accuracy: 3/5? (I believe the blades were differently hardened. This one is through hardened.)
Fit and Finish: 4/5. For this price range I can't complain, but the polishing could have been better and the scabbard is a bit boring.
Handling: 3/5. It is quite heavy and such, but I personally like it. It may not be for everybody though.
Structural integrity: 4/5. i am not sure how much abuse it can take, but I have heard about people using it to cut saplings and such, so it seems quite tough. I doubt it would be in the Darksword range though.
Value for money: 5/5. For only 100$ (roughly) it is a great buy!
Overall: It scores a 4/5, but I feel it deserves a 5/5. Buy it! It is a great buy!
Oops: Can you move this to the other weapons and armor review section please? (I would personally count this as a sword though, although many may disagree) And sorry about the big photos. I am a newb and this be my first review... Ever...