Any love out there for the Kabar Combat Kukri???

T

T.M.A.

Joined
Jan 3, 2021
Messages
188
Okay, so during this past year I became obsessed kukris and one tool options and I bought a bunch. Blades acquired within the last several months include:

Large Generic Kukri (12 in, 22.4 oz)
Kershaw camp 10 (10 in, 18.3 oz)
Kabar combat kukri (8.5 in, 13.95 oz)
Becker BK 10 (5.5 in, 12.4 oz)
Kabar Warthog (6.5 in, 16.8 oz)
Becker BK 16 (4.375 in, 6.4 oz)
Cold Steel Special Forces shovel
Condor Hudson Bay (8.5 in, 17.6 oz, *coming in the mail this week)
CRKT "Kuk" (10 in, 14.4 oz, *coming in the mail this week )
3 or 4 Mora's and Marttiini's

To make a long story short, I realized some things about blade weight (particularly) and shape, and I have to say -The Kabar Combat Kukri at 8.5 in. and juuust shy of 14 oz is such a beautifully functional and well designed blade. I took it out into the woods last weekend and, firstly, it chops like a BEAST. This knife can do A LOT if you have descent technique. Can't imagine what it would do with a good convex. Also, contrary to a traditional kukri, the blade goes pretty much down to the handle. The bolster is a little large for my taste and I would rather the blade went all the way to the top of the handle (I say that as someone who is essentially opposed to finger choils), but it is significantly better than a traditional kukri, which the first two inches of blade are essentially useless on. That is my one beef with traditional kukris -The gap in the first section of the blade and the lack of a finger guard.

Now, for me, if we're talking about a "one tool option", the blade must be 10in long and 18+ oz (between 18-22. Anything heavier and the tool can become a bit "un-wieldy", in my opinion). If I were thrown into a survival situation or a competition or whatever, I would reach for my camp 10 without hesitation. And, honestly, I struggle a little bit with the fact that I would use anything else for anything because that tool to me really is the essence of a one tool option, and I think it would be a good exercise to only use that for a while, BUT, the Combat Kukri is just soo well balanced and "handleable" -A total pleasure to use. I don't know how much they thought about it in the R and D phase, but they really landed on a beautifully functional blade. ONLY thing against it it that it doesn't have a lanyard hole! Sheath is fine for me. I actually like it a lot!

So, I'll say that after some time with the Combat Kukri, I am a little curious how a blade with a liiitle more weight and blade length would function -Which is why I'm so stoked to get my CRKT "kuk" in the mail!

Thanks for reading!

Take care!

-T
 
+1 on the Camp 10. I just started playing with mine and it is awesome. Gideon's Tactical does a good review of it on YouTube if you're interested and he absolutley loved it as well.

For the CKRT Kuk, you'll find the weights's about the same and the blade is a smidge longer than the Camp 1o, but the blade (especially at the tip) is quite a bit thinner. Still a nice knife in its own right. I'm going to try a comparison between the two one of these days.

I've been interested in the Kabar Combat Kukri also but haven't picked one up yet. Might be next on myn list.
 
Dude, yes! -I designed a custom knife and basically camp up with the Camp 10. Haha!

I'm looking forward to trying the CRKT. I'm not anticipating it will have nearly the chopping power of the Camp 10, but I'm interested in how it might compare with the Combat Kukri.

Definitely recommend the Combat Kukri! The quality is evident!


-T
 
I love the Camp 10 with the uber cool not-as-tactical tan color. Great balance, with enough forward heft without being tiring to use. I don’t know if there’s a market for it, but a US-made 3V version would be great.

I don’t have experience with the Kabar kukri in particular, but I love traditional kukris. Great tools to last for a lifetime and to pass down to your kids.
 
I’ve always kept an eye on the Ka-Bar, but just have not had enough desire to push me into a buying one. It’s got a lot going for it.

I think maybe my perceived concern the stick tang with that abrupt, 45 degree transition might be stress riser. A kukri is inherently designed for chopping, and I have this hang-up that this tool could break.

It’s still a cool piece.
 
DangerZone98 said:
I love the Camp 10 with the uber cool not-as-tactical tan color. Great balance, with enough forward heft without being tiring to use. I don’t know if there’s a market for it, but a US-made 3V version would be great.

I don’t have experience with the Kabar kukri in particular, but I love traditional kukris. Great tools to last for a lifetime and to pass down to your kids.
Click to expand...

100 percent on the tan color! I got one of the gray and black ones and I just couldn't dig it. Sent it back!

If I had the dough, I would have A LOT of Kukris!

Ha!
 
MolokaiRider said:
I’ve always kept an eye on the Ka-Bar, but just have not had enough desire to push me into a buying one. It’s got a lot going for it.

I think maybe my perceived concern the stick tang with that abrupt, 45 degree transition might be stress riser. A kukri is inherently designed for chopping, and I have this hang-up that this tool could break.

It’s still a cool piece.
Click to expand...

Hmm... By 45 degree transition are you referring to where the blade begins to arc down on the back of the spine?

Yeah, I suppose any blade could break, but I definitely see what you're saying. I have only used it minimally and haven't REALLY put it through it's paces yet.
 
MolokaiRider said:
I’ve always kept an eye on the Ka-Bar, but just have not had enough desire to push me into a buying one. It’s got a lot going for it.

I think maybe my perceived concern the stick tang with that abrupt, 45 degree transition might be stress riser. A kukri is inherently designed for chopping, and I have this hang-up that this tool could break.

It’s still a cool piece.
Click to expand...

I don't foresee myself using this tool for a lot of chopping/ major abuse. However, I am interested in SUPER durable tools and am hoping to find more kukris of similar specs to test those as well!
 
T.M.A. said:
Hmm... By 45 degree transition are you referring to where the blade begins to arc down on the back of the spine?

Yeah, I suppose any blade could break, but I definitely see what you're saying. I have only used it minimally and haven't REALLY put it through it's paces yet.
Click to expand...

This part here, where the tang is necked down.

7987744A-AB1D-4FEB-9BD8-51C976BB4D92.jpeg
 
removing material always weakens something...

the only possible exception is if you detect a crack forming, and its shallow ... but even then you'd be better off doing a spot weld
(imho)
 
dirc said:
removing material always weakens something...

the only possible exception is if you detect a crack forming, and its shallow ... but even then you'd be better off doing a spot weld
(imho)
Click to expand...

Great advice -Thank you!

-T
 
MolokaiRider said:
This part here, where the tang is necked down.

View attachment 1532494
Click to expand...

Okay, so I don't know a darn thing about metalurgy or blademaking or whatever, but it seems to me that this is a common design, right?? I feel like I've seen a lot of kukri blades that come to that right angle at that point and some of those blades have been around forever, no...?
 
T.M.A. said:
Okay, so I don't know a darn thing about metalurgy or blademaking or whatever, but it seems to me that this is a common design, right?? I feel like I've seen a lot of kukri blades that come to that right angle at that point and some of those blades have been around forever, no...?
Click to expand...

Yes, it’s fairly common, and probably not a big issue.

Possibly a better way would be to have the transition from the blade to the tang be curved rather than a right angle. I don’t think it’s a huge problem, but worth noting.

Most of the blades I’ve broken break at this point. Water gets in which allows corrosion. Eventually, over time, the corrosion combined with the abrupt angle causes failure.

Again, probably not going to happen for the average user, but for a knife that’s going to see a lot of chopping this could cause failure.
 
MolokaiRider said:
Yes, it’s fairly common, and probably not a big issue.

Possibly a better way would be to have the transition from the blade to the tang be curved rather than a right angle. I don’t think it’s a huge problem, but worth noting.

Most of the blades I’ve broken break at this point. Water gets in which allows corrosion. Eventually, over time, the corrosion combined with the abrupt angle causes failure.

Again, probably not going to happen for the average user, but for a knife that’s going to see a lot of chopping this could cause failure.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing -regarding the curved transition.

Very logical concern about the water working it's way in, as well. Great point. What could I put in there to keep the water out? Some type of epoxy or something? Maybe even crazy glue? Something that would be shock resistant/ absorbent I would imagine...
 
T.M.A. said:
I was thinking the same thing -regarding the curved transition.

Very logical concern about the water working it's way in, as well. Great point. What could I put in there to keep the water out? Some type of epoxy or something? Maybe even crazy glue? Something that would be shock resistant/ absorbent I would imagine...
Click to expand...

I suppose a two-part epoxy would work well. There are a few people on the forum that have done this with good results.

You would want to really make sure no moisture is in there before applying it and sealing it up.

I want to reiterate that this is probably a rare occurrence. It would likely take a long time for a break to occur after lots of use and outdoor exposure.
 
MolokaiRider said:
I suppose a two-part epoxy would work well. There are a few people on the forum that have done this with good results.

You would want to really make sure no moisture is in there before applying it and sealing it up.

I want to reiterate that this is probably a rare occurrence. It would likely take a long time for a break to occur after lots of use and outdoor exposure.
Click to expand...

I gotcha! Thank you for the insight!

Gonna use it, I guess, and see what happens. If I'm feeling like the area could get compromised I'll consider throwing some tw-part epoxy down there.

Thanks, again!


-T
 
Well... Got my Condor Hudson Bay knife and my CRKT "Kuk" in the mail today, and I gotta say: I have even more of an appreciation for my Kabar knives after spending some time with these blades. Something about the steel that Kabar uses -and maybe their handle material. They just feel... Solid. Different... I really want to get some Esee's, so I can't speak to their quality yet, but I think Kabar might make the most quality knife out of any of the "stock" manufacturers. Just, really nice stuff... HOWEVER, I can definitely see some of the concerns about some of the seemingly narrow Kabar tangs. The Warthog has a VERY large blade and what seems like a small tang comparatively. And the Combat Kukri could also stand to have a bit of a fuller tang, in my opinion (and there's also that 45 degree angle where the blade meets the tang), but time will tell -Really like both of those blades, though.

Kabar knives I currently own:

BK10
BK16
Heavy Duty Warthog (2nd edition)
Combat Kukri

The Condor steel seems really cool. I can't wait to give it a good beating. Being a chef, though, I gotta say that the Hudson Bay knife seems more like a kitchen knife than anything. I did some research before purchasing it and knew about it's history as basically a butcher knife, but it came to reality once I instinctually pinch gripped it. Ha! I'm sure it would do well in the woods, too, but I definitely think there are better tools for that arena.

The CRKT is VERY forward heavy -A little too much so if you ask me. Definitely feel like a chopping MACHINE, but I would've preferred it to be an inch or so shorter -I'm discovering that I really like kukris in the 8.5 -9.5 in. range; Mellow, easy to control, well balanced kukris that lend themselves equally to chopping as they do to smaller, carving tasks. Really hoping to get some from @Kailash Blades in that size range soon!

Will update appropriately...

Cheers!

-T
 
I have this spartan blades which is also made by kabar, very similar in size and shape and it has a full tang. I like it.20240218_090941.jpg
 
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