Awful lot to choose from

D

DReicht

Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
101
I'm looking to pick up a Khukri from HI for around 100 dollars. This is gonna be a heavy camp knife for wood chopping, bones, all around heavy outdoor use. I want a smaller one, 15 inches probably *Its pretty funny a 15 inch blade is considered small :) *. I was considering the Ang Khola because of the 3/4 inch, is that a good idea? Or should I look at the 16 1/2 WWII? Or what?

Thanks for the help.
 
All around camp knife. 15".

I suggest 16.5 WWII, BAS, or possibly a Pen Knife.

A lot of people here rave about the Pen Knife as an excellent general purpose field knife. I don't yet own a Pen, so my current personal general purpose field knife is a 16.5" WWII by Sher.
 
Welcome:)!

Please keep in mind that HI sells their blades by over all length. A 15" Ang Khola will have a blade length of 9-10". Really, for an all around user, you can't go wrong with any of HI's 15-17" khuks. The Ang Khola (both 15" and Chiruwa), the 16.5" WWII, the BAS, or even the M43 are all good khuks for general use. Personally, I like the 15" AK. It's HI's #1 seller, and I can see why. Heavy enough to chop through just about anything, but small enough to pack around without weighing you down. Keep you eyes open for Yangdu's Deal of the Day here on the forum. Usually she sells special or slightly blemished items at a huge discount. You could get pretty much any one of the 15-17" models for close to what you are looking to spend.

Once again, Welcome to the Cantina:)

Jake
 
DReicht said:
I'm looking to pick up a Khukri from HI for around 100 dollars. This is gonna be a heavy camp knife for wood chopping, bones, all around heavy outdoor use. I want a smaller one, 15 inches probably *Its pretty funny a 15 inch blade is considered small :) *. I was considering the Ang Khola because of the 3/4 inch, is that a good idea? Or should I look at the 16 1/2 WWII? Or what?

Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

Ang Kholas these days are not 3/4". The large ones may be 1/2" but the smaller ones would be less than 1/2". At least that is my take on it, not having surveyed all Ang Kholas :)

Eric.
 
excuse me I meant 3/8 sorry.
I think I'm gonna go for the AK via the DotD or HI.

Thanks a ton :)
 
3/8" Yes,

I think it's funny that 3/4" was not out of the question in my mind. Just hadn't seen any that wide. Don't know if any have ever been that big.

Eric.
 
Define how much work you want done and go from there. Any 10" diameter trees?
From your description, 16.5" WWll, 16.5" Chiruwa AK, or even a 17" Ganga Ram would work. How far you going to carrry this, or will it be a truck rider?


munk
 
15" Ak, 15" Pen Knife, 16" Baby Ganga Ram Special, 16.5" WWII, 16.5" Chiruwa AK would all be great choices for heavy use while still keeping within a reasonable carry rig. They can all be had within your price range if you can catch a DOTD, but you may want to email Yangdu to see if she has any of these in blems that you can buy.
 
My 2 cents (and I am newer here, only having 8 HI knives and all), would be a 15" Pen, 16.5" CAK or 16-17" BGRS. The Pen actually costs what you're looking for, or slightly less, but the Chiruwa AK or "Baby" Ganga Ram Special would make even better, tougher choppers for a little more. I've personally got a 15" Pen adn 18" AK (the two I have in the category you're looking for), and both are great. I guess it just depends on what you're looking for.
 
My vote is for the BGRS -- for all the talk about what a chopper the AK is, none of my AKs keep up with a Ganga Ram of similiar length and weight. The balance is also a little better, IMO. My 17" BGRS villager is the best all-around Khuk I own (thank you Bura).
 
brokenhallelujah: " My vote is for the BGRS -- for all the talk about what a chopper the AK is, none of my AKs keep up with a Ganga Ram of similiar length and weight. The balance is also a little better, IMO. My 17" BGRS villager is the best all-around Khuk I own (thank you Bura). "

Wow, that's some observation. It does not jive with my own experience, but that's why we're all different and there is a khuk for everyone. Do you have a 22" GR and a 18" 20" and 25" AK of similar weight to compare to?

My beliefs are scandelous; I think the people who swear by M43's cut better with them, ditto GR's and AK's and even Samshers.
The curve of a M43 adds something to the cutting technique, and many are more successful with them. The GR may have more weight forward, which can change the chopping stroke at some velocities with some arms.
I don't think there is any best. When I want a wider chop, I like the big AK's for felling trees. There are circumstances where either my 17" BGR or teh 22" GR are chosen. My 20" Villager AK does most the work by the fireplace and is a toss up for delimbing a fallen tree to the 17" BGR. (The AK is rather light, the BGR heavy for size)

Raghorn used to say his Chiruwa AK would outcut the 18" AK. I never thought either or.

Baseball players reach for different weights and lengths of bats. There is no best. Our own physical bodies, and the task at hand, add too many variables.

You know, for weight forward designs, the half tangs may be most efficient of all. MY 18" Hanuman AK chops like a demon, and I think delivers even less impact to the hand than a full tang.

And come to think of it...handle width...Oh Lord, this subject is truly impossible!

munk
 
Pardon my khukrian ignorance, but what do you guys do with a 17" khukri other than chop? what do you mean by "all around?" I can see a 12" Pen or BDC maybe cutting food or rope or dressing game since they're a little more inline and lighter, but having never handled one of either that's just a guess. I imagined these would be examples of "all around." I'd reach for my folder or the karda for these tasks but of course this could all just be more material for munk's theory, which seems plausible.
 
By all around, we generally mean "all around tasks you'd do with a big blade". You aren't going to use a 15" AK to butter your toast;) The giant ones chop like no tomorrow, but are clumsy to pack and tire you out when you use them for anything smaller than 3" in diameter. The little ones will do finer work and split smaller stuff, but if you have ever taken a 12" siru to a 4" limb, then you will wish that you had a 15" AK for the same job:)

the 15-17" khuks are compromises. they are large enough to tackle most big chores where you would like to have a larger khuk, but are small enough and nimble to handle finer work where a folder would be ideal. Generally, you can generate enough speed with them to make OK for taking down tall stalky grasses as well as being fast enough for self defense applications.

I find that I reach for my smaller HI knives more often than my larger. However, I have also been known to be the type to take out a housefly with a shotgun. There is something to be said when taking the 3lb mass of a 22" GRS and sinking it into a large chunk of wood. As cumbersome as it is to pack around, i feel that I could "get by" pretty easily with my big ol' GRS, and i'm not a large guy. Likewise, I could get along just fine with a plain 12" Pen Knife for most of the bigger jobs that I would think fall into the knife use range.

Jake
 
There really is a unofficial split between those forumites who prefer 15" and under, those right at 15", and those up to 18"
There aren't too many post 18" khuk lovers but they exist, and probably have spilt enough zombie inards to prove it.

I'm on record for anything about 18" in length and approx 28 ounces. Any more weight that that, even if it's only a couple, say up to 30, becomes harder for me to pack. That's just me though.

Remember the longer khuks have more leverage, but too long and you have a stick banging into something as you travel; brush, your thigh, whatever.

A truck khuk might be real different than a hiking or backpack khuk. A day hike khuk might be different than a week long backpack khuk.

At this point this season, I've felled and delimbed about a cord of wood with kukris. I burn wood for heat. My needs are different than other forumites.


munk

munk
 
munk said:
There really is a unofficial split between those forumites who prefer 15" and under, those right at 15", and those up to 18"
There aren't too many post 18" khuk lovers but they exist, and probably have spilt enough zombie inards to prove it.

I'm on record for anything about 18" in length and approx 28 ounces. Any more weight that that, even if it's only a couple, say up to 30, becomes harder for me to pack. That's just me though.

Remember the longer khuks have more leverage, but too long and you have a stick banging into something as you travel; brush, your thigh, whatever.

A truck khuk might be real different than a hiking or backpack khuk. A day hike khuk might be different than a week long backpack khuk.

At this point this season, I've felled and delimbed about a cord of wood with kukris. I burn wood for heat. My needs are different than other forumites.


munk

munk
Click to expand...

I am for myself shall pack a 15 incher for camp. :)
 
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