Firsst Khukuri - Recomendations

joe90

joe90

Joined
Aug 17, 2001
Messages
346
Hi Guys,

Having found a huge Kukri in the loft the other day I think I may like to get me a smaller 'official' version.

What would you all recommend as a first buy?
... What did you all get at the start and would you change that decision now.

As an example, the first decent folder I bought was a BM AFCK. I still use it today (some 5 years later) Unfortuately they don't make them anymore.

Thanks

Joe
 
thats a common question... hmmmmm :cool:
what purpose are you looking for it to serve? general camp knife, chopper, brush clearer or self defense?

my recommendations would be a 15-17" chiruwa ang khola, baby ganga ram specials, pen knife, british army services & wwII :)

for brush clearers and self defense i would recommend a 18-21" gelbu special, chitlangi or sirupati :D

gotta go work now lol :thumbup:
 
I'm thinking (initially) of a fairly traditional field use one for utilitarian stuff - nothing in the "sword" category! ;)

.... found one of those in the loft the other day ... 28" :eek:

pity I can't post the image here, but you can see it on the tora board in a thread I posted there (hope this is allowed ?)

http://www.toraforums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1347&PN=1

I'd like to get a fairly traditional one I think. :o

Joe
 
not sure if that is allowed so let me help you out...
beautiful beautiful piece with a very unique cho... i wouldnt use it :D :thumbup:



for regular use i would go for the 16" chiruwa ang khola or baby ganga ram special
if you are looking for something a bit lighter i would go for a british army serice or wwII
you will not be disappointed with one of the above ;)

im sure others will chime in with their suggestions... sit tight :)
 
I would recommend one of the "BAS" (British Army Service) models, a WWII, or a "Villager" model. I don't have a Pen knife yet, but it would be a good choice also.

One of my first khuks was a one of those models in a 15-16" blade. Light enough to carry around, heavy duty enough to chop or baton. Relatively inexpensive in the $70-$100 range.

Good luck!

Andy
 
I started in the reverse order, my first khukuri was a bilton followed by a 12" AK then the 20" Siru. I like my 12" AK it's good for the "nature" walks through the desert not much of a chopper but it does what it needs to do without pulling on the old waistline. Kinda like having a little sharp prybar with you
 
The BAS is one of my favorites too, but then again I've got a lot that are 'favorites'. Get one that suits your purpose. What is your intended use of the knife?
 
To illustrate, here's a tale of two khuks. I've a 16 1/2" WWII, and an 18" AK.

The lighter WWII chops very well for its size, because its blade design puts a surprising amount of weight forward. It's much more manouverable, and chops better than my old Estwing hatchet. It's been my main tool for gathering and splitting light bits of wood for the fire for a couple of years - wonderful for splitting kindling, and chopping green wood up to about 6" in diameter. Were it pointier, it would be pretty good as a weapon too - though a lighter khuk like a siru would be better yet.

OTOH, the AK is a much heavier knife, and easily out-chops the WWII. Hits with much more authority, sailing through most branches of 1 1\2" or less without even slowing. I used it yesterday to chop and then split some pieces from an 8" diameter seasoned red oak limb, and split some quartered chunks of maple (about 8" across the back) for the fireplace. Single hits, and the clear maple jumped apart as from an ax.

The heavier knife tires me out much more quickly, and would be awkward and heavy to wear on my belt during a hike ... but would be great to carry in a daypack, or have at a campsite. The lighter knife is better for carrying round, for light to moderate chopping (e.g. cutting up 1-3" branches from tree pruning), and probably for self defence.

You really need both. Really.
 
My initial approach was to wait for the DOTD thread to show up, take a quick (make that very quick) survey of the offerings, decide which one "called" to me and send an email on it (hopefully fast enough to get it). Fairly unscientific, but I have been happy with the results. You can't go wrong no matter where you start. More than likely, you will not be satisfied with just one khukuri. Good luck. (My first khukuri was a Kobra.)

Eric
 
Thanks for the help guys.

I'm definately a newbie in this department, and I knew I'd left the "what's the usage gonna be?" open to question.

TBH at this point I'm not sure.

There's certainly no way that I'd be walking around with a 28" one that's for sure - I'd probably end up with my trousers around my ankles after a short distance's stroll. :o

It'd probably spend more time in quiet contemplation than anything else (like my 30 year old Puma hunters pal) or, like my Rat3, come out on the odd occassions when there is wood to clear or firewood to chop up. Perhaps some light camping chores, but I'm not so much into camping now as I used to be .. mainly day outings.

I like the idea of owning one from a 'collectors' viewpoint, like my EDC folders. Lots of them, but only a few in circulation at any one time. Hence the inclination to get one that is actually still issued to the BAS.

Joe
 
Since you mentioned BAS issue, the HI BAS model is still a good all-around choice. as the gurkhas may have to deal with noisy neighbors intent on putting holes in them, they tend to favour the pointier & lighter sirupati's for private purchase, but the BAS is a bit better gen'l purpose tool.

p.s - for the heavier khuk's a baldric is a good idea, a nice wide luggage strap with doggy lead spring clips on the ends makes a good one, takes the weight off the belt and xfers it to the shoulder. here is a pic of my 20" kobra with it's luggage strap baldric, a carabiner from the local cotswold outdoor store thru the superfrog allows me to clip on easily.

dha.jpg
 
Welcome Joe. The BAS sounds like what you're wanting. That khukuri you've got is a beauty. What are its specs, if you don't mind my asking?

Bob
 
Hi Bob,

Not sure if this is what you mean, but its a start:

Using http://www.himalayan-imports.com/faq/Construction.html as a reference...

A. Belly = 2.75"
B. Blade Drop = 21.5"
C. Drop = 5.3125"
D. Overall Length = 28" (!!)
E. Handle Length = 6.25"
F. Width at Ricasso = 1.25"
G. Width at Belly = 0.25" - 0.3125"
W. Weight = (sorry .. no scales but its fairly heavy)

Some other observations:
- Blade is definately concave and looks forged rather than machined.
- The belly of the blade still slices through paper.
- The Blade has a couple of cracks just behind the sharpened edge about 2" - 3" from the point.
- There appears to be what I can only describe as vice marks on the spine, just above the fuller (which also looks forged, as it is fairly uneven along its length.)

Wish I knew something of its history. Moved into a new (old) house, and whilst cleaning the loft came across this in an old steel luggage case, which had "Lt. B Crosby" on the side. I figure he was the husband of the lady who owned the house prior to us. She died over xmas/new year period of 05/06 and I guess he died some time ago as well. I believe their son lives in the US though, so perhaps he could shed some light on it if I could get his email address.

joe
 
joe90 said:
...The Blade has a couple of cracks just behind the sharpened edge about 2" - 3" from the point...
Click to expand...

if the cracks are parallel to the edge and set back from the edge out of the sharpening zone they may just be forging lines (a forging mistook) and likely do not go all the way thru and can be ignored if small, tho they may be aesthetically irritating. if they are perpendicular to and extend to the cutting edge, and especially if visible on both sides, they may become failure points (as in flying tip frags).
 
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