12" AK versus 12" Leuku !!

Brendan

Brendan

Joined
Feb 13, 2002
Messages
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As a matter of interest does anybody own a 12" Ak and a Ragweed Forge 12" Leuku. If so how do they compare in terms of chopping/slicing and a general round the house/garden knife.

??

Which one would be more efficient overall.

:confused:
 
I know the AK is probably heavier and the shape leads to excelling in chopping ability over the Leuku but overall taking things like keeping it sharp, lightness, easy to carry, slicing etc.
 
As a general belt knife the puukko design seems to be the best ever. Short, flexible , easy to sharpen blades and simple hand filling handles with a braided leather loop that makes carrying them very comfortable.
I don't have a leukko, but I'd bet that it's a better all around knife than a 12" AK. The Leukko doesnt' have a Karda and Chakma, but I've never had a Karda(or is it the Chakma?) that could cut worth a damn.
How about a special run of AK's with curly birch handles and a Puukko as a companion?
 
Originally posted by Sutcliffe
How about a special run of AK's with curly birch handles and a Puukko as a companion?
Click to expand...
You got the right idea, my friend. There is such a beast in design phase right now. Full scale wood/blade/sheath being made. May take a year, but when it's done, it will be done right. Chin up.

Brendan,

I have a Leukko that I made myself (technically a Polaris - wider blade). Anyway, I prefer a straighter blade the shorter they get.

Sarge swears by his 12" Siru/Dhanku/etc. though, so can't hurt to get both and try them out.

Tell you what - try this instead:

Contact Dennis Holmbacka - http://www.brisa.fi and get parts to make your own Leukko.

Click on "English"
Then "Lauri Carbon"
Then scroll halfway to 107H.

Then get some curly birch and a ferrule/guard. Ask Dennis what he would recommend if you're not sure.

The blade comes sharpened, so you just have to put it all together - which you can do with simple hand tools, ie. a couple of files, drill, sandpaper and epoxy. That's all I used my first time making one.

He is in Finland, so maybe the shipping is cheaper..???:confused:

Still, for about 20 euro and an hour or two of elbow grease you can get a heckuva knife.




Then you'll have something to compare that 12" sirupati to.

:D

Dan
 
Brendan, the Leukko has the edge in slicing, the 12" AK in chopping, so it depends on which you'll do more of. I won't try to make up your mind for you but if light chopping's the thing I'd go with a 12" AK or Pen Knife. If more kitchen slicing & dicing, general utility chores, etc., I'd go with the Leukko, or even strongly consider a Kumar Karda (an excellent all round knife in it's own right).

Sarge
 
I'd think the little AK would have the advantage in prying, scraping, all around sticking in and wiggling.



munk
 
Brendan:

I have a Leuku similar to Ragnar's which I got at Janne Marttiini's factory in Rovaniemi in 1969. Mine has an extremely convex grind, even more so than an AK, but Ragnar's appears to be much less so. It would probably be fairly easy to slice with, but mine is terrible. Mine also won't chop anywhere near as well as an AK.

My Leuku hasn't seen much use over the years since I don't care for dangle sheaths and the handle makes little provision to keep one's hand from sliding onto the blade. However, this is definately a minority opinion because when I was a kid north of Two Harbors, MN every adult male had either a Pukko or Leukko on his belt.

I like my 12" AK better than the Leuku, but they are both good. By way of similarities, both seem to be made from pieces of vehicle suspension. The khuks are made from Mercedes truck springs, and the Marttiini factory had a whole junk yard full of old Volkswagons they were tearing up for raw materials when I was there.
 
Noticed the Kumar Karda is quite like a Pukko knife. Just a few steroids would make it a great Leeuko type knife. Combine that with a good AK and you'd have a great do it all combination.
 
Thanks for great help - I'll stick to the AK and use Pen's source for playing and make me own !!

:)
 
You guys just need to thin the edges out on those kardas! I have three that'll push cut paper and make your arms bald. Mind you, I can't restore that beautiful, HI finish, so they're kind of brushed-satin now. The tiny ones like you get with 15 inch models and such are, I'll admit, of limited utility(just because the handles are so small), but the larger ones that come with 18 AKs, 20-25 sirupatis and such can be turned into fine cutting tools! :)
t1mpani
 
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