Chiruwa Question

M

Madmanamus

Joined
Dec 21, 2003
Messages
177
Hiya folks,

I have a question that hopefully anyone with Chiruwa Ang Khola experience can help me with.

In the review linked at the bottom of this, the reviewer mentions the full, flat tang being very rough on the hand/arm when chopping olive trees (which I assume is a very dense wood).

What I'd like to know is if the Chiruwa's tang/handle is really that much more punishing on the user than a standard rat tail tang. I sure like the extra durability the Chiruwa seems to posess, but not at the expense of at least moderate comfort.

http://outdoors-magazine.com/s_article.php?id_article=72

Thanks for reading, and any opinions shared.

Take care.
 
Some people are more sensitive to vibrations. I myself don't mind the vibrations much.

One problem associated with chiruwa knives is shrinkage of the handle slabs. Sometimes the slabs dry out leaving poor metal to horn/wood fit. When that happens you have to file or sand the metal down flush and obviously that is not as easy as sanding horn or wood.

No need to be worried about the durability of the regular handles. Khukuris are already overbuilt knives, and a properly made one should be impossible to break. Fifteen minutes of testing when you first receive the knife should reveal any hidden problems. If you ever do have a problem Yangdu will make it good. So relax, just pick the one you like, and enjoy.
 
I have done lots of chopping with my Chiruwa Ang Khola and I have had no problems with excessive shock to the hands. I actually get more shock from my 20" Chitlangi with the rat tail tang. I like the idea of a full width tang but the rat tail's are plenty durable though. Both are nearly indestructable.
 
i have really only worked the Chiruwa once, but didn't experience any of the shock/reverb i expected. my arm just got tired and sore from swinging the thing. maybe there was some vibration, but not enough for me to notice. i am but a novice so take it for what it's worth.
 
The main difference I see is in the balance. It makes it feel different. Not better or worse in my opinion, just different. I have taken a few handles off standard HI khukris, and believe me, there's a lot of steel in there. "Rat tail" doesn't describe it very well. I don't worry about breaking 'em.
Check out some of these test-drive videos:
http://www.wordzz.com/Dave/
 
My main complaint with the Chiruwa AK's is not the shock thing, which is noticable IMHO. Its the scale shrinkage thing. I've had to grind away parts of the tang of the knife to match areas where the shrinkage was bad. When this shrinkage happens it leaves a sharpish edge of steel that bites into my hand badly. This is especially problematic if the shrinkage is near the ring. With the rat tailed tang khuks the shrinkage is not detectable usually. You may have to apply some superglue to the buttcapp to tighten it up some, but its never an off to the grinder situation. And they are tough as hell too, so the toughness factor of the CAK has diminished for me.
 
I can't get the article to come up right now, but was the guy talking about vibrations/shock to the hand during chopping? If so, that is not necessarily an issue of full vs. hidden tang.

Bri in Chi was on the right track. It's most likely an issue with the dynamic balance and rotational centers. The "sweet spot" is determined by these qualities, and on my dui chirra the sweet spot was very focused and narrow. Chopping anywhere outside of this region could transfer a huge amount of hand numbing shock in short order.

I've been talking about it forever, but I'm finally almost done modifying my khuk to correct this. Now I should be able to chop in a much wider range without shock, and improving the handling qualities vastly at the same time. I plan to share the details when I finally get time to finish it; hopefully next week.
 
aproy1101 said:
My main complaint with the Chiruwa AK's is not the shock thing, which is noticable IMHO. Its the scale shrinkage thing. I've had to grind away parts of the tang of the knife to match areas where the shrinkage was bad. When this shrinkage happens it leaves a sharpish edge of steel that bites into my hand badly. This is especially problematic if the shrinkage is near the ring. With the rat tailed tang khuks the shrinkage is not detectable usually. You may have to apply some superglue to the buttcapp to tighten it up some, but its never an off to the grinder situation. And they are tough as hell too, so the toughness factor of the CAK has diminished for me.
Click to expand...


if he wasnt useing gloves, i could see that being a problem for him. on my chiruwa's, there was always at least one spot where the tang didnt line up with the skales that was painful on a bare hand (sharp edge jarring on skin on impact).

but i was always able to fix it with superglue (rounds anything sharp nicely, and seals the seperation crack).

i have filed down the sharp points of the ring as well when they have a sharp edge on it. the same angle on wood is much less painfull then on steel when its vibrating on your hand.
 
My chiruwa AK transmitted a LOT less shock to my hand than a standard tang did. The chiruwa actually is my favorite chopper for comfort (mine is however a finger groove model, not a normal khukuri handle shape). I think the fit of handle to hand is more important than the handle's construction, within reason.
 
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