Review Of Tora WWll

[munk]

There was some question about the quality of Tora blades raised in Bladeforums.com, Himalayan Imports forum. A poster had a blade he recieved from auction that was not satisfactory. (I've no interest in going back into that.) But I did have an interest in fiinding out just what Tora Blades were and were not. Kohei wrote to me and asked if I would like to test a Tora Blade. Tora would provide the test subject and I paid shipping. I asked Simon to pick the style he felt would suit me best.

It might be nice for the color of this story to tell you that I'm a hardrock miner in the hills of Montana, I ride a Burro, and drink whiskey for breakfast. But I'm just a guy who worked his butt off in the Big City, and was finally able to move to rural Montana for a better life for himself and family. I do cut wood for heat. Probably a couple cords every year. A lot of trees are actually felled by Khukuris- I enjoy this immensely. The parted out trunks are then hauled home in Beater Truck, and bucked into stove peices by chainsaw.

I was nervous about Tora's blades- they are thinner than those from HI, more like the blades made in the past.
The WWll came in the mail. Approximately 19.5" in length, a little over a quarter of an inch thick at the spine, over 1.5" wide behind the cho, and 2.5" wide across the broadest portion of the blade. It weighs 26oz. The edge is a true convex one. A beautifull blade, with a sweeping graceful curve, and the metal to wood fit is excellent. The grain in the handles of the smaller instruments and the khuk are interesting and have character. I think they call that, "fancy'.
There are some very faint depressions or uneveness about the blade's flat- left over from the forging. I don't know if this is characteristic of thinner blades- as HI usually does not show as much of this. This is not unattractive- we like evidence of hand work- but is mentioned to stick to the subject of this thread, which is an evaluation. The finish of the metal is bright and satin like- not the mirror finish of HI. I like it very much, but this is a matter of personal taste.

Initially I cut into several logs of various diameter I had in my yard for this event. The WWll did fine, and some of my concern was removed. I next cut through a 5 to 6" diameter half green Ponderosa pine log. This took approximately 5 minutes. (I am having back problems these days, and it is of less importance how strong I am than it is that the test be the same for each blade.) The 2.5 pound, 20" long HI Villager took about 3 minutes to cut through the log. When I repeated the test, the WWll and the Villager both cut through the log in 3 minutes, which surprised me. This WWll swings fast and hard. The Villager swings hard and lands heavy, requiring less strokes but more effort in each one.

I also used a 19", 25oz HI Chitlangi for comparison. Though I did not time it, it cut much like the WWll, but was slightly less effective, I surmise because of the blade profile, which does not place as much weight near the end of the blade.

The final test is one I use on all HI Khukuris. This time it was with three different conditions of Ponderosa Pine- half green log, dry log, and a dry log with lots of resins. If you're not familiar with this tree, you should know old sappy wood can be as hard as a brick. I've had khuks boumce off many times. The test is simple- swing as hard as you can and strike wood. Blades break when they're not right. The edge either chips away in segments if it is too hard and not supported correctly, or it bends- rolls being too soft.

The Tora WWll passed these tests. There was no deformation of any kind. The edge was still sharp after all of these exercises- the way a good khuk should be if made right. The blade has another talent worth mentioning- when striking hard it sometimes 'rings'. It's really neat. I'd like to figure out which note the khuk is closest to.

How about an "All KhukurI Band"?

Guys and Gals- I'm happy with ths khukuri. It chops well. The next time someone is swinging one through the air- remember this- the blade is real, not a toy, not a tourist. It is very fine. If this is what Tora is making, they are in business for good.


munk

[Colin KC]

Munk, it's as fine a review as I've seen on BB, mentioning the historic questioning of their quality was succinct & impartial, as was the actual testing.

Observations were spot on for this type of review & you carried with it the aplomb of "real journalism"

Tora should be proud, as should you.

Well done & thanks

[Colin KC]

But I'm STILL gonna move it to "Testing & reviews":p

[munk]

Thanks, Colin, for your kind words.
This report was actually truncated. I'd taken pictures of each blade's initial cut. (unfortunately after all my effort the computer failed to recognize the camera. I wanted to get the report out. Perhaps later I might be able to post pictures) Only the Villager stuck. The other two lacked momentum. I use the Villager for knocking off limbs of a fallen tree. A single strike often works. That is not something this WWll could do, but then, neither could the 25oz Chitlangi. In the actual edges of the blades there was not very much difference. HI did not quite have a convex edge, but the amount of metal and angle was very similar to the Tora. In a blade as slender as the Tora, I would want nothing but a durable convex edge.

In using the Tora I asked myself some questions: metal was and is expensive. How much of the traditional sizing of the khukuri is due to preferred design, and how much was economy? Would the Nepal people want thicker spines if they could afford it? Is the HI design an improvement?

I've told people that for me, the best utility in a blade occurs somewhere between 25 and 30 oz; below that the khukuris don't cut as well- markedly so in my experience, and above that it becomes harder to carry after several miles, and doesn't add a lot to the chopping ability until you get into much heavier weights, like another half pound. This is dependent upon length too. A longer blade can be somewhat lighter- that is, towards 25 oz, as it has a mechanical advantage. The Chiruwa Ang Khola is highly regarded by HI forumites because it chops as well as an 18" standard AK. Though usually around 16", it often weighs closer to two piounds and like the Tora WWll has much of that near the end of the blade.

I would not think the Tora the best choice for industrial logging, though I think the partial deforestation of Nepal was accomplished using just such a blade.
Just think- we are speaking of a blade over 1/4 inch thick as being 'light'. In any other backyard it would be King.

As a final note, and I'm repeating what I posted at HI forum, I took my UBE (a kind of Sirupati) and whacked away at the same logs used in the test. It stuck deep! It pulled out easily, however, and would be a good wood tool. It weighs in the same range as the others, and is about 19" in length.
These blades almost have to be evaluated as individuals.

You can see why I love khukuris. The Kamis put their hearts into these, giving them a unique intrinsic value. Where else in this world are you gonig to find no two blades are alike? That is fast disapearing, friends.


munk

[The General]

Great review! Informative but balanced and easy to read.

[Danzo]

Excellent review munk!



Danzo

[sirupate]

Hello everyone,

I was very impressed with the way Munk did his review, I was a little nervous as military kukri like the WWI that Munk tested were never intended to cut medium size trees down, although I do it as an extreme test to see how well made they are from time to time.
http://www.toratoratora.co.uk/forum/...=44&PN=2&TPN=2
They are generally used for clearing bush, making basice A frames, killing animals etc.
So it was with some trepidation that it was to be tested by Munk who is used to the heavier thicker spined (but very well made) HI kukri, in the HI tradition, of cutting into very thick hard wood.
The WWI model past the test, phew!! and Munk wrote a very unbiased view on the HI forum, I would also like to thank Rusty on HI for allowing the review there as well.
Once again Munk thank you for your excellent review.

Cheers Simon

[munk]

Thank you Simon, I wanted to be fair. I didn't want to baby it and I didn't want to kill it. I believe you've stated somewhere (forget which forum) that a thin blade can cut. It does. Thinking of axes, they don't make them thin, though, durability and not wanting to waste time getting stuck seem two of the most obvious reasons. As you direct your blades towards the Martial Arts/Military/Survival areas it is great to know this blade style can work extremely hard if needed. I'm not interested in testing my blade to destruction, I like it too much. I think we could probably agree that many of the HI's would outlive it in such a test, as they seem to be generally thicker. The blade I have from Tora is well made and most importantly, the edge is right. If it wasn't, a 1" sapling could break it.

I will take Simon's cue and not use this blade for heavy logging- I have other tools for that.

How many other knives could take this kind of pummeling? How many could fell a tree quick enough to get the shelter built today and not next week?

My reasons for the khukuri should give some of you reconsideration of what you are carrying afield. A military survival knife weighs usually 14 and 18 oz, sometimes even a tad more. For the little extra weight of a khukuri, say 20 to 30 oz, you're getting a lot more utility. And each comes with the Karda, a small blade suited for more intricate tasks. I don't find any real carrying difference between a military blade weighing 16oz and a khuk weighing 24oz.



munk, the long winded

[sirupate]

Hello Munk,

I completely agree, that is why quite a few Forces personnel in the British Army have started to use the Kukri ref;
http://www.toratoratora.co.uk/martia...stimonials.asp
For me it is an excellent all round survival knife .

Cheers Simon