jdk1
Gold Member
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2010
- Messages
- 2,040
Sorry in advance for the book. Most people won't read this anyway
, but hopefully it will help answer your question.
You have to be sure and differentiate between modern khukuri vs. khukuri machete. Two totally different knives. BTW, Khuk machetes can be fantastic, depending on what you need. My old CS LTC is the bomb for all sorts of stuff, but is no longer made and was "high-end" at the time using Carbon V. The khukuri machetes excel at light brush and wispy vegetation, which makes sense as they are really just machetes, but with some of the benefits of the khukuri shape (some may argue about any benefits from the shape, but I feel there are some FOR ME) My LTC also bites deeper in hardwood chopping than any other khukuri I've tried, but is more likely to get stuck. For removing smaller limbs or saplings, it's a light saber.
Use and desire dictate what's "best" every time. In my experience, the modern khukuri like the CS Gurkha and Ontario Spec Plus are geared toward general use. This can be anything from defense to brush clearing, camp use, and reasonable chopping. I've had excellent results from the CS Gurkha and my son recently received the Ontario version for his birthday. I'm very impressed with the Ontario. The steel seems great and fit and finish is much more than I expected for a $50 (shipped) khuk. The handle on the CS may be better, but both seem to be great khuks. The CS sheath is superior, as it's one of the best big blade factory sheaths I've ever seen, but the Ontario is totally usable in every way. They both appear to be basically based on WWI-WWII era khukuri, at least in shape, length, and weight. This makles them well suited to the above mentioned general use. They are full flat ground, which makes a great slicer, but can cause some sticking in heavy wood chopping, but I assume it's just easier to make these blade FFG than try to machine a hollow grind. Either way, they are outstanding, tough, pretty maintenance free, as both in my house have a tough black blade coating. The Ontarios are cheap enough right off the net, and the CS Gurkhas can be picked up new occasionally for $130-150, but appear on the exchange for $100 often enough to keep a close eye on that forum if you're looking for one. They don't last long at that price
Traditional khukuri, like HI and Tora, can cover the spectrum from light weight general use khuks to heavy weight wood choppers. The advantage of traditionals is forging, if done right, can do great things to balance and weight, while making the blade less likely to stick during heavy chopping due to the absense of a flat surface contacting the wood. I've learned that I don't need to chop anything larger than arm-size for the most part, so the sticking in wood of the FFG versions isn't an issue for me YMMV. Another benefit of the traditional is that a well-designed and executed handle in wood or horn can be incredible. The ergos can be just fantastic and a real benefit in use. But, it's not hard to get a handle sized wrong for you, as the guy making it has no idea who he's making it for and hand sizes vary greatly. Luckily if it's wood, alteration can be easy and fun. If it's too small, there's not much you can do really. Notice, the two benefits have had the qualifyer "done right" added. Traditional khuks are hand made, and aren't always done right. The same model can vary in size and weight pretty significantly and handles can be very different depending on the kami. This qualifier goes for the blade as well. In my experience, I've received several khukuri which were just too soft. Some were acceptable, some had edges which would fold like aluminum. Heat treating with a tea kettle is not like using ovens or specialized gear. The benefit of this HT method is a differential hardening which can make a super-strong blade, which is soft to absorb impact, but also has a hard edge. Also, handles and sheaths coming from Nepal can dry out and split and crack. As well, sometimes the sheaths just suck and don't fit well. This is where customer service comes in and is very important with these khuks. Do your research and see who is treating their customers right And ALWAYS thoroughly test any traditional khukuri when it arrives. HI's Uncle Bill advised a good testing regimen for all of his khuks and I believe it's still in the HI forum stickies.
I have and use both. I enjoy using traditional khukuri because of the history and nice feeling I get during use. As a khukuri fan, that is important to me and many others have and will say the same. It's like hunting with black powder, it can make a difference. They're often not hardened as much as I like, especially towards the tip, but this is by design and it's a personal preference, not a flaw of the design. I like the consistency of the modern design, especially when a company has a long history (and good reputation) with the product/steel, such as CS with Carbon V or SK-5. I also like the low maintenance aspect of every part of the knife. Plus, the design of these modern versions is well suited to my uses. That being said, there's something special about the traditionals which keeps me coming back. The history and warmth, of the handle and such. But, you have to maintain them or the handles will crack and the laha at the bolster and butt plate can crumble. So, if heading into the unknown, I'm grabbing my CS Gurkha, but if working around the yard, I often grab a traditional in the 19-22 oz. range. This is what works for me. I advise anyone interested in khuks to do their research and try both modern and traditional. See what works and you may just like both. Good luck.
, but hopefully it will help answer your question.You have to be sure and differentiate between modern khukuri vs. khukuri machete. Two totally different knives. BTW, Khuk machetes can be fantastic, depending on what you need. My old CS LTC is the bomb for all sorts of stuff, but is no longer made and was "high-end" at the time using Carbon V. The khukuri machetes excel at light brush and wispy vegetation, which makes sense as they are really just machetes, but with some of the benefits of the khukuri shape (some may argue about any benefits from the shape, but I feel there are some FOR ME
) My LTC also bites deeper in hardwood chopping than any other khukuri I've tried, but is more likely to get stuck. For removing smaller limbs or saplings, it's a light saber.Use and desire dictate what's "best" every time. In my experience, the modern khukuri like the CS Gurkha and Ontario Spec Plus are geared toward general use. This can be anything from defense to brush clearing, camp use, and reasonable chopping. I've had excellent results from the CS Gurkha and my son recently received the Ontario version for his birthday. I'm very impressed with the Ontario. The steel seems great and fit and finish is much more than I expected for a $50 (shipped) khuk. The handle on the CS may be better, but both seem to be great khuks. The CS sheath is superior, as it's one of the best big blade factory sheaths I've ever seen, but the Ontario is totally usable in every way. They both appear to be basically based on WWI-WWII era khukuri, at least in shape, length, and weight. This makles them well suited to the above mentioned general use. They are full flat ground, which makes a great slicer, but can cause some sticking in heavy wood chopping, but I assume it's just easier to make these blade FFG than try to machine a hollow grind. Either way, they are outstanding, tough, pretty maintenance free, as both in my house have a tough black blade coating. The Ontarios are cheap enough right off the net, and the CS Gurkhas can be picked up new occasionally for $130-150, but appear on the exchange for $100 often enough to keep a close eye on that forum if you're looking for one. They don't last long at that price
Traditional khukuri, like HI and Tora, can cover the spectrum from light weight general use khuks to heavy weight wood choppers. The advantage of traditionals is forging, if done right, can do great things to balance and weight, while making the blade less likely to stick during heavy chopping due to the absense of a flat surface contacting the wood. I've learned that I don't need to chop anything larger than arm-size for the most part, so the sticking in wood of the FFG versions isn't an issue for me YMMV. Another benefit of the traditional is that a well-designed and executed handle in wood or horn can be incredible. The ergos can be just fantastic and a real benefit in use. But, it's not hard to get a handle sized wrong for you, as the guy making it has no idea who he's making it for and hand sizes vary greatly. Luckily if it's wood, alteration can be easy and fun. If it's too small, there's not much you can do really. Notice, the two benefits have had the qualifyer "done right" added. Traditional khuks are hand made, and aren't always done right. The same model can vary in size and weight pretty significantly and handles can be very different depending on the kami. This qualifier goes for the blade as well. In my experience, I've received several khukuri which were just too soft. Some were acceptable, some had edges which would fold like aluminum. Heat treating with a tea kettle is not like using ovens or specialized gear. The benefit of this HT method is a differential hardening which can make a super-strong blade, which is soft to absorb impact, but also has a hard edge. Also, handles and sheaths coming from Nepal can dry out and split and crack. As well, sometimes the sheaths just suck and don't fit well. This is where customer service comes in and is very important with these khuks. Do your research and see who is treating their customers right
And ALWAYS thoroughly test any traditional khukuri when it arrives. HI's Uncle Bill advised a good testing regimen for all of his khuks and I believe it's still in the HI forum stickies.I have and use both. I enjoy using traditional khukuri because of the history and nice feeling I get during use. As a khukuri fan, that is important to me and many others have and will say the same. It's like hunting with black powder, it can make a difference. They're often not hardened as much as I like, especially towards the tip, but this is by design and it's a personal preference, not a flaw of the design. I like the consistency of the modern design, especially when a company has a long history (and good reputation) with the product/steel, such as CS with Carbon V or SK-5. I also like the low maintenance aspect of every part of the knife. Plus, the design of these modern versions is well suited to my uses. That being said, there's something special about the traditionals which keeps me coming back. The history and warmth, of the handle and such. But, you have to maintain them or the handles will crack and the laha at the bolster and butt plate can crumble. So, if heading into the unknown, I'm grabbing my CS Gurkha, but if working around the yard, I often grab a traditional in the 19-22 oz. range. This is what works for me. I advise anyone interested in khuks to do their research and try both modern and traditional. See what works and you may just like both. Good luck.
