I've got one and they're absolutely superb. Very highly recommended.
Not long ago I took mine on two weeks of backcountry bushwacking (miles from the nearest trail, let alone a rode) and it performed flawlessly. Using it around the house to clear small trees and large bushes is a piece of cake.
They're extremely robust -- about 3/8" thick at the spine where it joins the handle. It's about 15" or 16" long (total).
The horn scales fit my (somewhat large) hands very comfortably and my teenage son, with smaller hands, finds it comfortable too.
The balance is nearly perfect for a big blade like this -- slightly front loaded, but that's what you want in a kuk.
Oh, for some reason people always wonder about this but never post about it: my McCurdy custom weighs 1.6 pounds (measured on a fishing scale). Not bad for such a thick blade.
The steel takes a nice edge -- I don't know for sure, but it sharpens up like my blades that are about 59 Rockwell. Sharpening them can be learning experience the first time or two, but I've had very good results with wet/dry and a sanding block as well as DMT diamond sharpeners.
They swing nicely and predictably and cut like a demon. Just remember that it's a long blade and can really mess you up if it glances off something and you're swinging wrong. Careful!
Also they work wonderfully as a drawknife in the field -- on my bushwacking trip I used it to rough out a juniper bow and it was a delight. (FYI, this is true of all kuks, but strangely people seldom talk about them as drawknives...)
The McCurdy custom doesn't come with the karda and chakmak (the small knives) but that doesn't bother me because I find them excess noise anyway. I prefer to carry a nice puukko with the McCurdy anyway.
The sheath OK, but nothing super fancy. The leather is heavier/nicer than some of my others from Nepal. I wish it had a laced tightener on it like some do, but I'm going to add one (with a fire steel holder to boot.)
John McCurdy is totally a class act to deal with -- the guy is solid as a rock. Ships fast. Good communication. (And no, I don't know him personally, I'm just a customer who respects what he's done with these blades.)
I've got a half dozen good kuks and this is by FAR my favorite. I think it's a classic in the making, seriously. He's really spent some time on thinking through a perfect update to the traditional kuk.
The stock kind of dribbles in to him -- in fact I'm waiting for him to get some more in so I can buy one for my son for his birthday.
You won't be sorry if you pick one up.
Is that enough of a rave for you ;-)
