Videos Added Himalayan Imports Ang Khola 12 Inch Video Destruction Test Completed

[Noss]

This test was made possible by Magnum22 here on the forum. Thanks.

Specs:

Steel: 5160 Maybe. This can vary.
OL: 12"
Blade length: about 8.5"
Handle: Horn
RC: Unknown ? should be mid 50's or above based on what I have read.

I'll just give you some brief pros an cons on the blade. It's all on video.

Pros:
Very tough blade
Decent chopper
good cutter

Cons:
Horn handle is very slick.
Horn handle is fragile.
Tang is tough but very narrow an thin and it lacks the durability an strength of the blade itself.

Overall:
The blade is very tough and strong and very ductile. Meaning it can take a serious hammer beating and not break. The main thing that bothered me during the test was the small horn handle. It is very slick and was a real problem during chopping an impact work. The blade would twist in my hand during chopping. This affected it's performance during these tasks. The tang an handle was the only real downside during toughness testing. The blade itself is very tough and strong. The 12 AK is almost all blade an very little tang. They do make some models with a full tang however. I happen to have one of these that I bought recently. I'll post some photos of it.

I didn't get to do a field test like some asked for. I'm sorry about this but I could not get away to do this.

The videos are in 7 parts.

Enjoy the videos they were made for you.

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Part 4



Part 5



Part 6



Part 7 fixed now includes the metal on metal test and side tang impact test.



Part 8



Part 9 Tubing Test



Part 10 Tubing Test

[bel_dad]

Good test Noss. I for one absolutely see the value of testing something to destruction. Aircraft, cars, many products are tested to destruction, how else would one know the limits of a thing? How else would one know something needed improvement...

I'm not sure of the relationship between hardness and brittleness from an engineers standpoint, but it seems to me, soft is better than brittle, and then there's Busey.... hard but not brittle... Must be state of the art... Building a knife that will take this extreme of use is a fine balance and must shurley incorporate a lot of distruction testing... I don't think Busey got where they are by accident...

I would offer, I am now the happy owner of several knives you have tested because I know they won't let me down when I really need them... Rough use knife, Buck Knight Hawk,(Origional numbered series) GI Tanto, S1... Looking to add a Busey and a Scrap Yard when I'm able.

Thanks for all the good work Noss, and best to you,
bd

[Gman1128]

Thanks for the great test both Noss and Magnum22, it was awesome and very informative.

I actually thought that it would do better then it did. The spine was way too soft and I think it would be better if the knife was through hardened or at least a little hardness added to the spine. Maybe its too ductile for its own good? However on the other hand maybe its a good thing because there is no way the blade will break during use.

[will york]

Great test, Noss. And thank you, Magnum!

So the claims about the toughness of HI khukuri’s isn’t just hype. Very impressive work on the concrete—the blade really chopped with authority. A little surprised that the blade showed no resilience, taking a permanent bend without any tendency to return to true.

At the same time, this is another great example of how blades built for hard use just don’t offer the complete package unless they’re comfortable and sure in the grip, with a durable handle. Ergonomics aren’t just an afterthought—a comfortable, secure grip makes all the difference in how effectively a knife can be used, especially when it’s being used hard. Takes me back to the discussion on the Busse’s—the full-tang models with canvas micarta or G10 are very strong, but the fasteners are weak by comparison. And although the Res-C handle material isn’t as strong as micarta or G10, the construction of that handle actually turns out to be tougher, more durable and comfortable than the more expensive full-tang construction.

If you put a Res-C handle on a really good khukuri blade, imagine how much more control and power you would have. Actually, Cold Steel has made some high-end khukuri’s with kraton handles, and I’ve use one for some light brush clearing—very comfortable. Kinda sorry now I got rid of it!

Thanks again, Noss. That’s some very good work—and thanks again to Magnum for the donation!

[Noss]

Your welcome men.

bel_dad: Yeah Busse is able to achieve both high hardness an toughness. I doesn't seem to be very easy to accomplish this. Most makers do one or the other.

Gman1128: They are supposed to be differently heat treated. Soft spine hard edge. Based on what I have read about 5160 this is the way it should be Heat treated for best performance. If the this HI was a good or bad example I'm not sure at this point.

will: Yeah it was tough. I was surprised also that it took the bend and keep it even after only being flex about 20 degrees it took and held the bend about 10 degrees an so on. This issue was raised with the CTD knife as well. But being ductile like that it will be very hard to break and it still functioned as a cutting an chopping tool without dulling much. I only noticed some dulling after batoning wood.

Here is the testing link on Hi's website. http://himalayan-imports.com/faq/Testing.htm
Magnum22 said this one was made by a younger kami so it may have been a bad example as for as this is concerned.

[sharpshooter996]

Thanks to Magnum22 and Noss who without this test would not be possible. And our faithful Camerman. Noss good test, you really hit on the strength and weaknesses of this blade as you always do. I would like to say im a little bummed out though. I was hoping to see more from this little bugger. To me this knife symbolizes a collector piece and not a user. It sure is pretty to look at, but after viewing this test i would not want one on my side ready for use. I was surprised how soft the steel was, and how it behaved particuraly in the vise. There was no spring to the blade at all, it simply just took the bend. For this knife ever to be a viable user, i see a very long list of improvements to be made. But for hanging on the wall it would bring a certain amount of beauty to the eye. I just hope it never gets compared to other Kukri designs. As my CS Gurkha kukri fits into another category all together. Thanks again

[Noss]

I just went out an did the file test on the blade I used a small triangular mill file I can cut into the spine very easy but not the edge. There is definitely a difference in hardness between the two.

[Noss]

sharpshooter996: I need to try one of those out. I know I will like the grip more on them.

Here are some Photos of my chiruwa AK sorry for the bad photos.

I have done some chopping with it ,mainly 2x4s It does not hold an edge very well. It is very easy to sharpen but it dulls fairly fast with some hard chopping.

[Magnum22]

just watched the seven parts, nice work noss.

where's the metal on metal test? it goes straight to the flex test from the body weight. i was surprised you bent it. not just at the set it took, but i didn't think it would budge.

i was hoping you'd wrap the handle in something, but didn't want to make any more suggestions. i also hoped to see that thing take on the metal tubing.

[Noss]

Magnum22: Crap. I uploaded the wrong file. I did the tests. I'll fix it. sorry.