KHHI Aitihasik Khukuri
Sept 12, 2021 15:40:10 GMT
Post by pgandy on Sept 12, 2021 15:40:10 GMT
This is made as a follow up to a post I made in sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/65492/soon-khhi-aitihasik-kukri thread and involves rambling more than a review, which is not intended to be. It is intended to enlighten forum members of what to expect from KHHI’s Aitihasik. For a history of this particular knife refer to the above.
Now my impression and feeling towards the knife. Technically it is not mine but belongs to KHHI although I’ve become attached to it and think of it as mine, within limits. You will find more detailed information about the KHHI Aitihasik Khukuri at www.thekhukurihouse.com/aitihasik-gorkhali-sainik . In short it’s modelled after the 1st Nepali knife documented. I ended up with this khukuri by mistake, not something that I find a blessing, it’s actually worrisome. I like it but as I am responsible for another’s property I find it worrisome. And I might add for an indefinite length of time makes it worse.
My statistics and KHHI’s in parenthesis. A variation can be expected as these are handmade, but I’d say this is close.
OAL/in 18
Blade length/in 13⅛ (13)
PoB/in 4½
Blade Thickness/mm 8-4 (8)
Blade width/mm 60
Weight/g 660 (625)
Grip cir/cm 11
Grip length/in 4½ (4½)
HRC (55-57)
My impression is very favourable. The weight distribution approximates my 13” antique, which I considered my best handling khukuri. There’s a definite difference in the feel of the grip. The antique is smaller. I have a preference towards KHHI Aitihasik as it fills my hand better and is more eye pleasing. This also reinforces my feeling of preferring stick tangs over full tangs. The tang in this case is a full stick running the length of the grip and is peened to a peen block but there is no butt plate.
It was difficult to draw requiring effort and both hands at first but is acclimatizing some; also the fact that I’ve been drawing and returning has also helped. It still requires effort but has smoothed out. It would have been more difficult to pass on a strange knife for 100 USD that was so hard to get out of and in a scabbard.
I like this khukuri and enjoy dry handling it but don’t like having the responsibility of being caretaker. Upon opening the box I found it had already begun to rust. One side is shown in the photo below, before and after rust removal. It’s now stained but not pitted, I caught it in time. The other side had a series of pin point spots following the line of the secondary bevel. All of which I removed with no trace. There was also a small burr at the tip that I stoned out with no trace.
I’ve only dry handled it as it’s not mine and Saroj Tamang, director of KHHI, has asked me to sell it on his behalf. I feel badly about the transaction even though the error lays with his shipping depart. Not only has he tentatively lost the knife but has reimbursed my import fees. He seems like a square shooter and certainly is a pleasure to deal with, and I’m not happy to see this happen. Shipping out of country was cost prohibitive so he asked me to sell it locally, and I have little hopes of finding a buyer. I can’t see a Latino buying this for $100 when he can buy a machete, something that he grew up with for <$10, my last one was <$5, and a machete is better suited for the conditions here. I started to make him an offer but felt that he might take it the wrong way thinking that I was an opportunist. That and rather than having two just about alike I’d rather put that money towards something different. But I do like this khukuri.
With this one I received an informative pamphlet, something not received before. It includes subjects from fighting to maintenance. There’s a subject on repairing a loose peen, which got me to thinking. I prefer a stick tang to a full tang. The stick seems more lively while the full tang, or panawal, is heavier and stronger generally speaking. However, wood tends to shrink with age. I have repaired peened swords that have acted up. I suspect panawals (full tangs) are affected less by shrinkage as the scales are riveted on. I prefer oil finish and suspect/hopeful that if I keep the wood oiled I will reduce if not eliminate shrinking. I also oil horn and leather. I oil wood to prevent splitting and hadn’t thought about the loosening issue.
Below are some photos. Some have captions while others are self-explanatory.
The craftsman's personal data KHHI's stamp Kumar Rasaiy's mark
Rust After rust removal
Paper cutting sharp
Now my impression and feeling towards the knife. Technically it is not mine but belongs to KHHI although I’ve become attached to it and think of it as mine, within limits. You will find more detailed information about the KHHI Aitihasik Khukuri at www.thekhukurihouse.com/aitihasik-gorkhali-sainik . In short it’s modelled after the 1st Nepali knife documented. I ended up with this khukuri by mistake, not something that I find a blessing, it’s actually worrisome. I like it but as I am responsible for another’s property I find it worrisome. And I might add for an indefinite length of time makes it worse.
My statistics and KHHI’s in parenthesis. A variation can be expected as these are handmade, but I’d say this is close.
OAL/in 18
Blade length/in 13⅛ (13)
PoB/in 4½
Blade Thickness/mm 8-4 (8)
Blade width/mm 60
Weight/g 660 (625)
Grip cir/cm 11
Grip length/in 4½ (4½)
HRC (55-57)
My impression is very favourable. The weight distribution approximates my 13” antique, which I considered my best handling khukuri. There’s a definite difference in the feel of the grip. The antique is smaller. I have a preference towards KHHI Aitihasik as it fills my hand better and is more eye pleasing. This also reinforces my feeling of preferring stick tangs over full tangs. The tang in this case is a full stick running the length of the grip and is peened to a peen block but there is no butt plate.
It was difficult to draw requiring effort and both hands at first but is acclimatizing some; also the fact that I’ve been drawing and returning has also helped. It still requires effort but has smoothed out. It would have been more difficult to pass on a strange knife for 100 USD that was so hard to get out of and in a scabbard.
I like this khukuri and enjoy dry handling it but don’t like having the responsibility of being caretaker. Upon opening the box I found it had already begun to rust. One side is shown in the photo below, before and after rust removal. It’s now stained but not pitted, I caught it in time. The other side had a series of pin point spots following the line of the secondary bevel. All of which I removed with no trace. There was also a small burr at the tip that I stoned out with no trace.
I’ve only dry handled it as it’s not mine and Saroj Tamang, director of KHHI, has asked me to sell it on his behalf. I feel badly about the transaction even though the error lays with his shipping depart. Not only has he tentatively lost the knife but has reimbursed my import fees. He seems like a square shooter and certainly is a pleasure to deal with, and I’m not happy to see this happen. Shipping out of country was cost prohibitive so he asked me to sell it locally, and I have little hopes of finding a buyer. I can’t see a Latino buying this for $100 when he can buy a machete, something that he grew up with for <$10, my last one was <$5, and a machete is better suited for the conditions here. I started to make him an offer but felt that he might take it the wrong way thinking that I was an opportunist. That and rather than having two just about alike I’d rather put that money towards something different. But I do like this khukuri.
With this one I received an informative pamphlet, something not received before. It includes subjects from fighting to maintenance. There’s a subject on repairing a loose peen, which got me to thinking. I prefer a stick tang to a full tang. The stick seems more lively while the full tang, or panawal, is heavier and stronger generally speaking. However, wood tends to shrink with age. I have repaired peened swords that have acted up. I suspect panawals (full tangs) are affected less by shrinkage as the scales are riveted on. I prefer oil finish and suspect/hopeful that if I keep the wood oiled I will reduce if not eliminate shrinking. I also oil horn and leather. I oil wood to prevent splitting and hadn’t thought about the loosening issue.
Below are some photos. Some have captions while others are self-explanatory.
The craftsman's personal data KHHI's stamp Kumar Rasaiy's mark
Rust After rust removal
Paper cutting sharp