Update:
Used the 21 a bit yesterday, just for a little chopping. Wanted to try some snap cuts. Found this piece of dry tree down, and decided to use it.
Moment of impact. Easily took this piece off in one swing:
This is what I was saying last time, that I didn't quite understand. You can see the deep bite it took in this photo:
Yet this time (not sequential) it hit hard, without much penetration:
Then again it would sink so deep I had a hell of a time getting it out:
A pile for the wood burner:
This is hitting a piece of seasoned black walnut with a solid hit. (No snap cut) It sank in to about the grind line:
This is using a snap cut. Went in a bit deeper. I know not a definitive test, but I was getting these results quite consistently:
By the way, this is what a Becker looks like when you use it, haha:
Just liked this shot:
For the hell of it. BK4, BK5, BK9, and BK21:
A few things I noticed. Again, sometimes I would get great penetration, and another time I wouldn't. Sometimes it was a different part of the tree, so perhaps some places are harder than others. However, there were many times I would hit the piece very close to a good penetrating hit, and it would barely sink in.
Also, when it hit the log on occasion, the knife would twist in my hand. Like I said, this is my first kukri style blade, so maybe I'm just not used to it, but it would do that sometimes.
Lastly, this thing wore me out, haha. It's a heavy blade to swing, and tiring after awhile. I used my 4, and 9 afterwards, and they felt so light in my hand. It was kind of like putting the weight on a baseball bat, and swinging it a few times, then taking it off, making the bat feel lighter.
I mainly use my knives for wood processing, and the 4 and 9 are much more usable, imho. Although the 4 and 9 are weight forward as well, they are more light and nimble in the hand, and don't wear me out nearly as fast. This was never intended to be a comparison to the 4 and 9, as they are different blade styles, weights, etc, but I couldn't help but to think these things while using the 21.
While I do think this is a very cool, and bad ass looking blade, I have to say, it's just not for me.