15' or 18' ang khola ?

pimpnugget

pimpnugget

Joined
Mar 10, 2008
Messages
886
hey guys i hope i haven't been makeing a hastle aroung here but i need help
choosing between the 15' ak and the 18' ak the things i will use the kukri for are
#1 heavy chooping
#2 spliting
#3 cuttind rope
#4 light ligging
#5 light prying
etc so which is a better choice for a overall oods knife the 15' ak or 18' ak thanks
 
Last edited:
I'd go with the hidden tang AK, and I'd go with the 15" model.

The 18" is a great knife, but more of a dedicated chopper, and of course it's heavier. If you mean to car camp, it would be OK but if you are carrying the knife, I'd definitely go with the shorter blade.

Andy
 
Andrew Colglazier said:
I'd go with the hidden tang AK, and I'd go with the 15" model.

The 18" is a great knife, but more of a dedicated chopper, and of course it's heavier. If you mean to car camp, it would be OK but if you are carrying the knife, I'd definitely go with the shorter blade.

Andy
Click to expand...

Andy has great advice...:thumbup: :cool: :D One of the things that makes a big difference in the size of khukuri you should choose IMHO is, 'How big a fellow are you?'
If you're a good sized or extra strong fellow then you could go for the larger khuk with little or no problems...
However if you're of average size and strength then go for the smaller khuk...:thumbup:




:D
 
Not sure of exact sizes here, but I imagine the 15 incher has a 9-10 inch blade, and the 18 incher has a 12-13 inch blade. If I'm wrong, someone will chime in and correct me probably.
 
I'd go with the 18" or the Chiruwa ang khola. I use an M-43 myself which is also in the 18 inch range. The weight isn't that much more and the increase in cutting performance is worth it. Don't worry about the prying being a problem the ang kholas will handle it with no problems at all. The chiruwa's are even stouter.
 
thanks guys i think iam going with the 18in ang khola and guys which is a better handle
wood or horn?
 
pimpnugget said:
thanks guys i think iam going with the 18in ang khola and guys which is a better handle
wood or horn?
Click to expand...

IMNSHO wood is the superior choice hands down!!!:thumbup: :D
The reason being is that due to the changes in humidity, elevation, climate and what not both will have a tendency to shrink some although again IMHO wood shrinks a helluva lot less, it's also easier to modify if necessary.

It's also no secret that I Am Not a fan of the chiruwa handles!!! :grumpy: :p ;) IMHO as well as others they transfer more shock to your hand when doing heavy chopping and the heavier the chop the heavier the damned shock...:grumpy:

But the biggest and main reason I totally dislike chiruwa handles is that when, not if, the handle material shrinks the tang has to be filed or ground down to fit the handle material once again. :rolleyes:

And in spite of everything to the contrary the chiruwa tangs really aren't any stronger than the standard tangs as what they make up for in width is taken away by the thickness. But Uncle Bill's old guarantee of, "If you break one we'll send you two to replace it!" seems to give the impression that they're stronger when, again, IMHO they're not... :rolleyes: :p :D




.
 
+1 on the 18" Ang Khola, since you did say heavy chopping and splitting. I'd also go with a Chiruwa style handle. The scales are easier to replace, should you have to, and it does balance a little better with more eight in the handle.

I think handle really comes down to preference, I prefer wood, others, horn. Properly cared for, wood may be able to go longer without cracking if you have a lot of variation in humidity.
 
pimpnugget said:
thanks guys but can someone tell me how long the blades are on the 15'ak and 18'ak ?
Click to expand...

I just measured the blade on my 20" AK... 14" from tip to handle. I believe the 18" AK has a 12" blade.

Hey... maybe take a gander at the 18" BDC on the 4/10 DOTD..... looks like a 12" blade like I figure the 18" AK to be. Heck, you might even consider getting the DOTD BDC instead... thats a great deal on a fantastic khuk:

4-10-09%20003.jpg
 
pimpnugget said:
thanks guys but can someone tell me how long the blades are on the 15'ak and 18'ak ?
Click to expand...

Handlews get shorter as the OAL gets shorter, and they vary by the kami who made them.

Generally, I'd expect a 15" AK to have 11" of blade.
An 18" AK would have around 13.5" of blade.
 
Girth of the handles also tends to be less on the shorter blades, at least on the two 15 inch examples I have seen, compared to longer 17 and 20 inch blades.

I would hazard a guess that horn handles would be smaller in their girth than their wooden counterparts for any given blade length?
 
From what I've read, horn handles tend to become brittle in cold weather.

I'd go whole hog and go for a 20" Ang Khola. When I first discovered H.I., I sent Ms Yangdu an email asking what was the best power chopper they carried. She suggested a 20" AK. I bought one and it is still my #1 heavy work khukuri nearly five years later.

But... I'm 6'5". A large sized khukuri is what I like. In fact I find an overall length of 20" - 23" is just about right.
 
+1 to the above.
If you're willing to look at something bigger than 18", I wholeheartedly endorse a 20" CAK.

It was my first kukri, and still my favorite.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top