- Joined
- Dec 19, 2000
- Messages
- 186
Today I had to clear out a bunch of fallen tree limbs from the backyard, including several major sized pieces -- 5 inches in diameter. Mostly pine, a little maple.
This was my first chance to actually USE any of my khukuris, and what a revelation it was.
I haven't done much woodchopping since my boy scout days, and that was a looong time ago. But I have used full-sized axes and hatchets in the past, and more recently I used my biggest Bowie knife for clearing out a couple of bushes.
Nothing prepared me for the speed and effectiveness of the khuk. I brought out all three: the BAS, the 20-in. sirupati, and the 20-in. chitlangi (all made by Bura, incidentally). Most branches up to 1.5-in. in diameter took one swing. On smaller branches, I sometimes couldn't even feel anything as the blade lopped it off.
My wife was skeptical at first, having brought out a saw, but she was equally impressed by how easily the khuks did their work.
I learned a lot about how to use them in the process. Hit too far forward on the blade and it did produce a lot of torque. Once it twisted the knife out of my hand entirely ... but it didn't hit anything.
Of the three blades, my favorite was the chitlangi. Its handle is smaller than the sirupati's, thus it's a better fit for my small hands. and I do like that big pommel, both for the way it looks and the way it handles (pun intended). This was also the first time I've had the chitlangi and the sirupati side by side, and they're remarkably similar in many respects. Weight (in the hand, but not measured) is quite close. The chitlangi has a slightly wider blade, the sirupati a bigger handle made out of a gorgeous piece of wood -- no burl, but great looking nonetheless. If I didn't have the chitlangi, I would have been most impressed with the sirupati, but that chitlangi -- Wow! What a great blade.
The 15-in. BAS got very little use -- it honestly seemed like a toy after using the other two. And the thought of a 7-in. Bowie knife, by comparison, is absolutely laughable.
All in all, I spent a little less than an hour. Wore gloves, no heat in the hand anywhere.
Now I have to go and clean all the pitch off the three khuks -- may take me longer than the chopping did!
This was my first chance to actually USE any of my khukuris, and what a revelation it was.
I haven't done much woodchopping since my boy scout days, and that was a looong time ago. But I have used full-sized axes and hatchets in the past, and more recently I used my biggest Bowie knife for clearing out a couple of bushes.
Nothing prepared me for the speed and effectiveness of the khuk. I brought out all three: the BAS, the 20-in. sirupati, and the 20-in. chitlangi (all made by Bura, incidentally). Most branches up to 1.5-in. in diameter took one swing. On smaller branches, I sometimes couldn't even feel anything as the blade lopped it off.
My wife was skeptical at first, having brought out a saw, but she was equally impressed by how easily the khuks did their work.
I learned a lot about how to use them in the process. Hit too far forward on the blade and it did produce a lot of torque. Once it twisted the knife out of my hand entirely ... but it didn't hit anything.
Of the three blades, my favorite was the chitlangi. Its handle is smaller than the sirupati's, thus it's a better fit for my small hands. and I do like that big pommel, both for the way it looks and the way it handles (pun intended). This was also the first time I've had the chitlangi and the sirupati side by side, and they're remarkably similar in many respects. Weight (in the hand, but not measured) is quite close. The chitlangi has a slightly wider blade, the sirupati a bigger handle made out of a gorgeous piece of wood -- no burl, but great looking nonetheless. If I didn't have the chitlangi, I would have been most impressed with the sirupati, but that chitlangi -- Wow! What a great blade.
The 15-in. BAS got very little use -- it honestly seemed like a toy after using the other two. And the thought of a 7-in. Bowie knife, by comparison, is absolutely laughable.
All in all, I spent a little less than an hour. Wore gloves, no heat in the hand anywhere.
Now I have to go and clean all the pitch off the three khuks -- may take me longer than the chopping did!
