- Joined
- May 9, 2002
- Messages
- 12,259
The cheerful post carrier dropped off the beloved triangle box today. We explained pleasantries and she commented on my angelic (at the time...as it was short lived) daughter who is spending the morning with me at work so Mommy can get some stuff around the house.
After Evey finished her bottle I was finally able to tear into the box and see what treasures were within. Once the newspaper cocoon gave it up (fie on you packing tape!
), I was surprised to see not one but TWO HI goodies!
The first one I unwrapped was the Farmer Knife. Wow, this thing is impressive! If you go back through the archives, you'll find that I am a huge fan of the AK bowie. I absolutely loved the design, the heft, and the utility the knife brought to the table. However, a few years back my dad was needing a camping knife for his RV, and I wanted him to have the very best I had. The AKB now lives under the driver's seat.
That said, the FK blows the AKB out of the water. Not only does it bring a significant amount of utility to the design, but the knife practically dances in the air. It's sort of like if you took an AKB, a Cherokee Rose, a scimitar, sprinkled in a meat cleaver and muddled them together. Though I haven't tested it, at the sweet spot the FK should bite disproportionately deeply into wood. The edge came thin and sharp. Actually, sharp enough that as I was wiping the grease off of it, it shaved the first layer of skin from my thumb pad
Some specs on the knife: It's a whopping 16.5" in total length with 10.5" of that being a 3/8" thick blade. It was built for work. I will say that the ONE place you want to be careful with this beast is the tip. If one were to bury the tip into hard wood at a weird angle, it may bend of break it. However, to me this is a non-issue. This is a chopping/slashing blade. The tip is rather an ornament than a crucial part of the whole.
On thing to note on this knife is how versatile it is regarding grip. If one wished to haul off and smash his way through a 4" log, just slip your grip back and let it fly (safely of course). If one were in need of carving fuzzy sticks or something to roast marshmallows, just choke up. The balance point becomes surprisingly neutral and very controllable to a pinpoint degree.
Everybody involved with one: Great job! It's nearly fall, so that means the annual trip to my stepdad's cabin for clean up. The Farmer knife is going to get the nod for this job. It is a fantastic knife providing both a means of completing chores or defending one's self.
Here are a few crummy pics!
Quite a shapely knife
Here's a pic of a choked up grip. The weight of the blade really disappears with the weight of the heavy butt of the grip
The second knife, I was not expecting. It was an Himalayan Survival Knife.
I did a short write up on a prototype of this knife a few months back. Yangdu was kind enough to send me one to test out since I provided the CS knife it was based on.
While the original was a success, I did find a few flaws with it that I discussed with Yangdu. Most notably, if the blade was over flexed by the stress of say using it as a spear head it would take a permanent blend. toward the tip. It wasn't a huge issue as I was able to easily bend it back to true.
However, it appears the kamis improved on the design. The new one is nearly identical to the prototype coming in at 12.25" OAL. The kamis seem to have thickened the spine up the TINIEST bit and extended the thickness closer to the tip. They also have gotten better at rounding the grip to a more regular circle. Another plus, the sheathes have gotten A LOT better. The fit and finish both the Farmer Knife and new Himalayan Survival Knife sheathes is the best I have seen coming out of the shop in a good while.
I haven't put it through the paces yet, but a few flex tests seem to show a little less spring to the blade, but probably not enough rigidity to cause any breakage. Very well done!
The newer HSK has the darker wrap to it. From afar, they look VERY similar, but you can really feel the extra steel in the newer version. I'm not sure if it's simply the slightly thicker spine or if the process they used has resulted in a thicker grain to the steel. It feels great though.
As always, a big thanks to Yangdu, the kamis, and all the forumites that keep coming up with these fresh designs. 8+ years and I'm STILL trying to complete my HI collection
After Evey finished her bottle I was finally able to tear into the box and see what treasures were within. Once the newspaper cocoon gave it up (fie on you packing tape!
), I was surprised to see not one but TWO HI goodies!The first one I unwrapped was the Farmer Knife. Wow, this thing is impressive! If you go back through the archives, you'll find that I am a huge fan of the AK bowie. I absolutely loved the design, the heft, and the utility the knife brought to the table. However, a few years back my dad was needing a camping knife for his RV, and I wanted him to have the very best I had. The AKB now lives under the driver's seat.
That said, the FK blows the AKB out of the water. Not only does it bring a significant amount of utility to the design, but the knife practically dances in the air. It's sort of like if you took an AKB, a Cherokee Rose, a scimitar, sprinkled in a meat cleaver and muddled them together. Though I haven't tested it, at the sweet spot the FK should bite disproportionately deeply into wood. The edge came thin and sharp. Actually, sharp enough that as I was wiping the grease off of it, it shaved the first layer of skin from my thumb pad
Some specs on the knife: It's a whopping 16.5" in total length with 10.5" of that being a 3/8" thick blade. It was built for work. I will say that the ONE place you want to be careful with this beast is the tip. If one were to bury the tip into hard wood at a weird angle, it may bend of break it. However, to me this is a non-issue. This is a chopping/slashing blade. The tip is rather an ornament than a crucial part of the whole.
On thing to note on this knife is how versatile it is regarding grip. If one wished to haul off and smash his way through a 4" log, just slip your grip back and let it fly (safely of course). If one were in need of carving fuzzy sticks or something to roast marshmallows, just choke up. The balance point becomes surprisingly neutral and very controllable to a pinpoint degree.
Everybody involved with one: Great job! It's nearly fall, so that means the annual trip to my stepdad's cabin for clean up. The Farmer knife is going to get the nod for this job. It is a fantastic knife providing both a means of completing chores or defending one's self.
Here are a few crummy pics!
Quite a shapely knife
Here's a pic of a choked up grip. The weight of the blade really disappears with the weight of the heavy butt of the grip
The second knife, I was not expecting. It was an Himalayan Survival Knife.
I did a short write up on a prototype of this knife a few months back. Yangdu was kind enough to send me one to test out since I provided the CS knife it was based on.
While the original was a success, I did find a few flaws with it that I discussed with Yangdu. Most notably, if the blade was over flexed by the stress of say using it as a spear head it would take a permanent blend. toward the tip. It wasn't a huge issue as I was able to easily bend it back to true.
However, it appears the kamis improved on the design. The new one is nearly identical to the prototype coming in at 12.25" OAL. The kamis seem to have thickened the spine up the TINIEST bit and extended the thickness closer to the tip. They also have gotten better at rounding the grip to a more regular circle. Another plus, the sheathes have gotten A LOT better. The fit and finish both the Farmer Knife and new Himalayan Survival Knife sheathes is the best I have seen coming out of the shop in a good while.
I haven't put it through the paces yet, but a few flex tests seem to show a little less spring to the blade, but probably not enough rigidity to cause any breakage. Very well done!
The newer HSK has the darker wrap to it. From afar, they look VERY similar, but you can really feel the extra steel in the newer version. I'm not sure if it's simply the slightly thicker spine or if the process they used has resulted in a thicker grain to the steel. It feels great though.
As always, a big thanks to Yangdu, the kamis, and all the forumites that keep coming up with these fresh designs. 8+ years and I'm STILL trying to complete my HI collection
