Awful lot to choose from

for packing purposes, etc... mmm...

while i do have a 20 inch CAK, i haven't WAILED on it, and i do know it will chop well... however, i'm not sure any khukri, of any weight/size can out perform an axe, esp for splitting and felling - know matter how much more fun the khukri might be... i bet the kamis think we're nuts for liking the larger khukris.

so, on the camping thing, a 2 lb forest axe, a 17-18 inch 28-30 ounce khukri, and a shorter stout knife (fallkniven, pen, TAK, etc) sounds lovely. the axe for chopping and splitting, the khukri for all around limbing and splitting and batoning and ... and well, you know, zombie deer. the rest is cake, eh?

as they say, one knife in the woods is no knife. two knives are one. plus an axe :>

bladite
 
Actually, a largesh khuk can outperform an axe in this regard; when you are quickly delimbing a tree, often in an unstable position on a slope or uneven terraign in the forest, the khuk is not specific in crashing and bashing. You must strike the limb with the axe with the head, a relatively small area. This puts limits on where your arm is, where the axe handle is in relation to the other limbs in the way. While delimbing with a khuk, you have leeway. You do not have to hit the sweet spot, and you have far less misses and wasted time. It's just plain easier. Cliff Stamp has noted and written upon this.
My experience says the same.


munk
 
munk said:
Actually, a largesh khuk can outperform an axe in this regard; when you are quickly delimbing a tree, often in an unstable position on a slope or uneven terraign in the forest, the khuk is not specific in crashing and bashing. You must strike the limb with the axe with the head, a relatively small area. This puts limits on where your arm is, where the axe handle is in relation to the other limbs in the way. While delimbing with a khuk, you have leeway. You do not have to hit the sweet spot, and you have far less misses and wasted time. It's just plain easier. Cliff Stamp has noted and written upon this.
My experience says the same.
munk
Click to expand...

i was pretty specific there. felling and splitting. axe wins; splitting axe (with cheeks/flares more so; SUPER splitting axe? that is such a piece of glory, that only something like an 8 lb maul (like the snow and nealley [sharp!]) is going to come near it. i'm not an axe OR a khukri master, but my $30 fiskars axe wins every time. i'm pretty fast and good with the khukri, and make nice cute, but 2 lbs of sharp metal on the end of 30 inches of handle delivers a lot of precise hamburger sized chip flying goodness.

limbing? i said that too. khukri (or similar blades) usually win. esp on awkard swings and overheads and what not. sure. on a felled tree that you can walk up to? i'm pretty precise with my axe, and anything up to 3 inches is usually a goner on one (safe) swing. 4 inches? two. sure, a khuk is absolutely great on all the smaller stuff, and isn't bad up to 3 inches or so for efficiency. yes, it'll even do the 4-5 inches, just not as fast as the axe.

i use both when dealing with trees, and sometimes stubbornly cross the line with both, just that sooner or later i let the tool dictate the ease.

bladite
 
Sounds good to me.


I have a maul for splitting. Sledge and a wedge.

I also have several blown disks, and several disapearing ones, so I must be careful. That maul tires me out more than anything.


munk
 
I'd like to hear about splitting with the baton. I don't do it. The few times I tried I didn't like it much. But I guess if you had only the khuk with you in camp, that would be the way to go, wouldn't it?

I buck the trees into stove size chunks with a CHAIN SAW. I'll sometime segment them with a khuk, as when I'm gathering long limbs/trunks to bring home and further reduce later.
I've too much wood to cut, and too many other things to do, then spend the time cutting each seperate peice of wood with a khuk. Probably makes me never able to approach the GOLDEN CIRCLE OF THE INNER KUKRI

When I've felled a tree 10" diameter and greater, I sure don't feel like doing it all over again 18" later on the same trunk!!

<<<however, i'm not sure any khukri, of any weight/size can out perform an axe, esp for splitting and felling - know matter how much more fun the khukri might be... >>>> Bladite

BTW, Bladite, I wasn't trying to pick, but when you wrote this, and then later in camp talked about felling with an axe, and delimbing with a khuk, it was not clear to me in your writing that you did this because it was best or simply your fun perrogative.

munk
 
I have to tell you, I have several HI khukhs, and if I had to choose only one to go to the ends of the earth with me, it would be my BAS that comes in at about 15 1/2 ". Incredible fit and feel, light and lively, solid as hell, incredible workmanship. I just can't say enough about it. It's what comes with me when I go camping evading the hordes in the Apocalypse! :D Good luck picking. Remember, the most important part is to find the one that's right for you. There is a khuk for you, but it is part of the fun and the journey to find just that knife. Enjoy the trip! :)

Chris
 
Yup, Baby Ganga Ram Special. It's called "baby" because the full sized ones are 18 and 22 inches.
 
kinda funny.... before i discovered HI khukuries i never would have imagined a 12-15" knife being called baby :D
 
Actually, I think the 18" one is also called Baby GRS. The 22" one is the regular GRS. Smaller ones are also called Baby.

Eric.
 
I'm a big fan of the 16.5" WWII and the BGRS. My villager BGRS takes and holds an edge like no other khukuri I own, plus it chops like a knife half again it's size. Mine was made by Bura and now I know why he's the Royal Kami.
 
Can I request a BGRS by Bura, or is it all up to chance? I have no prob paying a little extra for it either :)
 
DReicht said:
Can I request a BGRS by Bura, or is it all up to chance? I have no prob paying a little extra for it either :)
Click to expand...

You would have to email Yangdu (HimImp@aol.com) to find out if she has any in stock. Or you can place an order for one.

If I recall correctly, most BGRS are made by Bura, and quite a few are villagers. So you may want to just wait for one to pop up in a DOTD.
 
What defines a villager, is it just the simpler style? Larger, thicker, more readily used blade?
 
DReicht said:
What defines a villager, is it just the simpler style? Larger, thicker, more readily used blade?
Click to expand...

Villagers just don't have the high finish on the blades and the handles. They are left in a satin finish. Other then that there is nothing different (other then they are a little sharper because sometimes the high polish may run into the edge).
 
DReicht said:
This is gonna be a heavy camp knife for wood chopping, bones, all around heavy outdoor use.
Click to expand...

If you need to get rid of bodies, a good wood-chipper may be more efficient (see, ie., "Fargo"). ;)

fargo_woodchipper_1-ixflower.jpg


Just my two cents.

Eric
 
For actual use, I seem to have a "sweet spot" for kuks in the 16.5-19" size. An 18-ish" AK is about the upper limit, weight wise, of what I want to use.

(Though a 21" Chitlangi makes an excellent dedicated sword. Couldn't bring myself to chop with it, though.)

John
 
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