Introduction/advice on CAK

Awe man! Bummer. Id do one of two things depending on how well you are with repairs or even feel like messin with it. 1. Contact Aunti Y and tell her what happened and she might replace it or give you discount or whatever makes you happy. Making you happy is primary in her book. and 2. If you end up deciding to keep the knife for whatever reason then your lucky you still have the chip. Luckily its an easy repair and can be repaired to last a lifetime. Dont let anyone talk you into supergluing it back. Use wood glue or epoxy. I find wood glue works best on wood for some reason:) If the but cap is bent then straighten it up first then glue the piece back on and clamp it till it cures and then touch it up with sandpaper. I wont get into details cause i might be wastin my breath if you prefer sending it back. Keep us updated. Id fix it for nothin btw if get a wild hair. Lets see what happens first.
 
Awe man! Bummer. Id do one of two things depending on how well you are with repairs or even feel like messin with it. 1. Contact Aunti Y and tell her what happened and she might replace it or give you discount or whatever makes you happy. Making you happy is primary in her book. and 2. If you end up deciding to keep the knife for whatever reason then your lucky you still have the chip. Luckily its an easy repair and can be repaired to last a lifetime. Dont let anyone talk you into supergluing it back. Use wood glue or epoxy. I find wood glue works best on wood for some reason:) If the but cap is bent then straighten it up first then glue the piece back on and clamp it till it cures and then touch it up with sandpaper. I wont get into details cause i might be wastin my breath if you prefer sending it back. Keep us updated. Id fix it for nothin btw if get a wild hair. Lets see what happens first.
I contacted Auntie and she said her sister packed it and should have been in larger box with more wrap. It was also shipped with a CAK, which added to the pressure against the box. She told me to keep it and she'd send another. Wow! She's an amazing woman so I'm gonna work on the epoxy fix as I have 1 or 2 more to fix as well. Thanks for the advice.
I do love the feel of the knife!
 
Well Sir! See! I went an tole ya before! Yangdu will always take care of ya brother! No matter what er i wouldnt be here talkin them up. Call me "fanboy"... whatever the heck that means... but you got the point now eh? Post some pics when you get it!
 
Thanks for asking Mr Azar, my knife appears to have cleared customs in New Delhi yesterday but FedEx could not send it onwards to my city (Pune) owing to 'delay beyond our control', whatever that means. As you might probably imagine, the last 19 days (don't ask) have been agony.

More as and when!
 
Gentlemen, the CAK is here at last. And blessings from that computer shack in Reno are raining down big time...

A word about the CAK:

To an admittedly uninitiated feller like me this one, in a word, seems flawless. Not a scratch. Or a ding. Or a dent. Razor straight edge. Purna's work just shines through. And through. God bless him wherever he might be. Thanks Purna.

Packaging was fantastic. I guess Auntie packed it really well. It traveled via FedEx (International Priority) thru Reno, Clearwater Florida, Memphis, Paris, New Delhi and now Pune, India where it will make its happy home. As I said, not a scratch. (Best efforts of FedEx notwithstanding!)

It is reassuringly weighty at 31.747 ounces.

I wish I could attach photos but I have a free account here and cannot seem to figure out how to attach said photos.

It is reasonably sharp and the edge will be remedied soon.

The mirror finish is great. I am hypnotized. I am now finishing off this little update so I can go back to holding it in my hand and observing it for a closer look...I am looking for a flaw and cannot seem to find one.

All told I am one happy customer. Thanks to Auntie and Himalayan Imports for providing me with the blade of my dreams!

P.S. Considering I paid a mail forwarding service to receive it from Reno and then ship it via FedEx to my India address, and New Delhi Customs fleeced me big time too, I ended up paying over twice as much (all told) as the original price for a CAK! Now that's commitment and I dare say, love (for want of a better word) for Himalayan Imports.
 
Last edited:
Amko, I'm very happy for you! The CAK was my very first blade from HI! I've been addicted ever since that first delivery! I'm happy you got the knife of your dreams and "no flaws" as my Purna CAKS are flawless as well. Post photos when you get a chance please! Enjoy as I still enjoy the fell of my very first CAK!
 
Amko:

Congratulations. What a shame that you were unable to get the knife shipped direct from the next door neighbor of Nepal. I wonder if some political dispute between the two countries (or some second-level government agencies on both sides) might be responsible for this problem.

Here are some links about ways to sharpen your CAK. The most important thing is to keep the convex edge geometry; do not try to put on a micro-bevel, as that will worsen the chopping ability of the blade even if you do it perfectly. Perhaps the second most important thing is that less is best. Take off as little steel as possible, and keep testing the edge before you continue on. The CAK is a heavy chopper and should have a lot of "meat" behind the edge. It does not need to be razor sharp unless you plan on using it as a razor. :)

Here are the links. There are probably many more posts about sharpening khukuris, which you can find using the Bladeforums search feature and specifying the Himalayan Imports forum.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/147613-Probably-the-best-sharpening-post-ever-made

http://www.himalayan-imports.com/Sharp.htm

http://www.bladeforums.com/threads/wip-a-kukris-working-edges.720287/

http://www.bladeforums.com/threads/simple-way-to-put-a-convex-edge-on-a-cak.686410/
 
Last edited:
Thanks Mr Azar! Thanks stwm!

David, thanks so much for the sharpening related links...I will be mindful of your "less is best" philosophy. Will keep you posted.
 
Question: I know the CAK makes a great chopper. But are there any documented instances of it being deployed in a tactical role? I appreciate a 16.5" CAK around 30 oz. may be too heavy for that specific role. Would anyone care to comment?
 
Last edited:
If you have the CAK in hand and I don't have a gun, you win in all categories.

It's a force to be reckoned with in many applications. Play with it some, you'll get it.

If you want a little lighter/faster look for a Foxy Folly or one of the lighter models or just a lighter CAK although they generally run hefty. That's what they do......
 
Question: I know the CAK makes a great chopper. But are there any documented instances of it being deployed in a tactical role? I appreciate a 16.5" around 30 oz. may be too heavy for that specific role. Would anyone care to comment?

There are many instances of khukuris being used in that role, but I assume you are asking specifically about the CAK model.

Instances of a CAK being used for self-defense would probably be anecdotal, like fishing stories. I doubt that something like this would be documented in any place that one could easily find. If by "deployed in a tactical role" you mean issued to military units for use in combat, it's unlikely. The characteristics that make a CAK (or any of the Ang Khola family) a great chopper are not what you'd want in a combat knife. Military khukuris tend to be significantly lighter (for a given length), with a thinner blade, a different edge geometry, and without the "back hollow" fuller that gives the AK its name. Here's a picture of a good specimen that I got at auction. It was brought back to the U.S. from the Pacific Theater by a WWII veteran. The overall length is 18" and the weight is about 24 oz.

WWII-18-PacificTheater-EbayWWoz-01.JPG WWII-18-PacificTheater-EbayWWoz-03.JPG

The second picture shows that this knife was made in 1944 by Qeyoom Bros, which was a company in India known for making such weapons. The quality is remarkable, especially considering that they were made by hand in fairly large numbers. This khukuri feels very comfortable -- and deadly -- in the hand.
 
Last edited:
Mr Bawanna: thanks for sharing. Yep, the more I handle it, it seems like it could play a tactical role but that's not it's intended one...

David, thanks also: I learnt much from your very informative post and thank you for the photos and the history. It is fascinating to know about the khukuri from 1944.

I do have a WW2 Replica from another Khukuri house in Nepal...which is smaller, lighter and without the 'ang' (back) and that may be a better tactical choice.
 
Last edited:
Amko, I've got a thin M43 made by Kumar that could play that role easily and then some. Also, I go back to the BAS as its been one proven. Also, I love the Kumar Kobra, Chitlangi, Chainpuri and Sirupati as much quicker weapons!
You know, I guess we are all on that quest for the "Holy Grail" of knives.
I have a pocket knife with me today. So today the pocket knife is my "tactical weapon"!
We pray we never need them but only for our enjoyment but the truth is, so depend on the as a tactical weapon.
My conclusion, go to the experienced that use them for that!
I'm kind of a dreamer praying the dream doesn't become my nightmare!
Blessings to you Amko
George

P.S. I've got a 15" Reti that is super fast. Might be a tacticool weapon!
 
Last edited:
You never cease to amaze Mr Azar! Your collection blows me out of the water!

Coincidentally I carried a folder today as well...a Cold Steel Voyager XL Clip Point, which is my EDC.
 
Back
Top