Noesantara Knife Review

A Review of the Noesantara Knives

As soon as the box of knives arrived from Indonesia I began anxiously looking through them and making some general observations based on the criteria Noesantara wanted to achieve. There were two types of badik, a pisau raut, a kerambit and a golok. The knives were very neatly fitted into precise cutouts in the styrofoam packing. Noviar advised me to, abuse" the Golok as I saw fit. My first impression of the knives was very positive and so was Gwynne’s, and she said she is hard to impress!

The woodwork on all the knives is excellent quality. The way the 2 parts of the sheaths are fit together is perfect and the finish is excellent. The first thing that I noticed was the smooth satin finish on the wooden parts. This is important since that is the first thing the customer will see too.
The woodcarving is artistic and well executed. Having carved dirk handles and rifle stocks in very hard wood I appreciate the traditional workmanship.

The blade grinds are nice and even (symmetrical) from one side of the blade to the other. In some pieces they need some more blending and that is one of the things that the folks at Noesantara plan to correct. The thickness of the blades is generally in good proportion to the overall size of the blade.

The packaging was very good as already mentioned and nothing was damaged in shipping.
All of the handles are large enough for my hands and fit me quite well. Even the tiny Pisau Raut knife can be used successfully for self defense and is easy to conceal. With a kydex sheath it could be easily hidden and is also a legal size to carry in most states.

The larger Badik is truly the masterpiece of the group. Absolutely a beautiful fighting knife. Out of all the knives it also has the best heft or feel in my hands. This is due to the thicker blade and the taper of the blade toward the point. A Superb knife, the man who made it can be very proud of his work. The way the sheath is contoured to match the blade grinds is very attractive. This is an example of where it would be good to have two sheaths. One traditional one, which shows the beauty of the wood, knife, and workmanship, and a kydex or leather one to be used for daily carry. (Noesantara is exploring both sheath options.) I was also impressed with the copper wire inlays in the sheath, which added to the overall subtle elegance of the weapon. I can guarantee you that this beautiful knife will never leave my collection.
The Kerambit, knife and sheath, are extremely graceful and the color of the wood and the finish is great! This is a really great little knife. The Golok handle fits my hand (and gwynne’s smaller hand) well and provides a very secure grip. I think that this is one of the styles of traditional handles that will work without any changes other than maybe to flatten it just a little to make it less visible or bulky if worn under a coat. This knife has good balance and the blade style is very good for fighting, camping, and hunting.

There are very few meaningful negatives that I found. For example the small scratches here and there in the blades. I would say that these knives are far above average, compared to many I have seen from the Pacific rim area. Will the knives cut? Check out gwynne's cut using the Golok. The top half of the pool noodle still in mid-air. It takes a good sharp knife to cleanly slice these somewhat gummy foam tubes. I know that the Badik will cut at least as good as the Golok, because it is even sharper.

The only drawback to buying a knife from Noesantara is having to wait a couple weeks for it to arrive. I assure you the wait is worthwhile if you want to enjoy a unique edged experience. The weapons are combat quality and the seller's integrity is unquestionable. I am looking forward to their future projects with great enthusiasm. Please contact me if you have further questions or want to know more about Noesantara.