Second villager in my collection. Most certainly this is a user blade. I mean, will be a user for me. No safe queen status for this brute. I've already described what a villager kukri is in 12" AK review, so won't repeat it here. In general, the reason I got this one was that I was looking for something more substantial than 12" AK for heavy duty works. Considering the potential jobs I wanted something that I could bang all I could and not worry about spoiled mirror finish. Hence the choice of the villager Ganga Ram Special, GRS in short. if you wander what does its name mean, then according to Himalayan Imports this kukri was inspired by old kami Ganga Ram Bishwakarma, so it was named after him. My specimen was made by Bura though.
General
- 18" GRS comes in standard kukri setup - Kukri itself, sheath, karda and chakma. Visual inspection revealed no apparent problems with neither tool even though I got it from the blem box. GRS was lucky one, the gap between the butt cap and the handle was virtually nonexistent. The edges of the buttcap were protruding over the handle slightly so I had to round them using the dremel tool, all in all 3 minutes of work.Karda was sharp, with nice convex edge. Kukri itself was pretty sharp but not enough to shave through free hanging paper, let alone shaving. However initial sharpness is never that important to me, it'll be gone soon anyway :)
Blade
- 18" inch long, gently curved blade features convex edge and looks impressive as any other kukri :) GRS has its own distinct shape. I don't know how to describe that geometry. It's a kukri, but not as sharply curved as same long 18" Ang Khola, although it's similar to it with weight, thickness and feel. Tip heavy balance is what I mean. For comparison Sirupati and Chitlangi even though they're 2-3 inches longer feel lighter and are much more quicker blades, however for heavy duty chopping GRS is more preferable, in terms of sheer chopping power.Handle
- Usual wooden Bir Gorkha handle. Nothing fancy, and nothing extra comfy either. It's nothing more than you should expect for simple tool made for rough work. Well, I figure wood can take a lot more beating than the horn. Grip security is better too. Apparently if exposed to elements wood will be damaged sooner than the horn, but I am not planning on leaving GRS outside for few weeks anyway, so the wooden handle will do fine.
Specifications:
- Blade - 330.20mm(13")
- Thickness - 6.35mm
- OAL - 457.20mm(18")
- Steel - 5160 steel at 58-60HRC
- Handle - Wood
- Acquired - 04/2005 Price - 60.00$
Last updated - 05/19/19