First Khukuri(s) and a proper introduction

raghorn

raghorn

Joined
Feb 23, 2002
Messages
3,674
Forgive me for not having made a proper introduction yet. My first real khuk purchase and subsequent compulsion to immediately purchase more occurred during a very busy week. I became interested in the khukuri after picking up a $10 knockoff at a yard sale. While researching the blade, I found the FAQ, forum and HI site and spent a month contemplating my future. Last week I took the plunge and ordered a 16.5" Chiruwa AK.

This knife was made by Sanu and is ALL BUSINESS. Overall fit and finish very good, blade excellent with sharply pronounced angles on the spine. Blade had a slight "left hand turn" along the edge, corrected easily enough with a 30-minute session with the chakma (and good basic burnishing training for me as well). Horn handle has some lines in it, very slight gap along edge.

Karda & chakma are fine, "belly" of karda needed a little honing to make uniformly sharp with the rest of the blade.

Scabbard and frog excellent.

As soon as the snow melts I will use this blade to clear the annual backlog of black locust saplings invading the backyard hillside. My Estwing camp hatchet is hereby retired.
 
Two days later I ordered an 18" GS. Don't ask why, you already know why. And then Uncle Bill, through the generosity of Pala, decided to make me an offer I couldn't refuse. Suddenly another GS, 21", was GTI.

The first GS arrived Wednesday. It's by Bura and is a work of art. Beautiful, long wood handle, perfectly fitted to bolster and buttcap. Buttcap is completely smooth, not a line or ripple anywhere. Wood tone is a lighter, reddish shade.
Every line engraved in the handle and blade is perfectly straight and uniform in width. There was great attention to detail in the manufacture of this khukuri.

The blade is symmetrical from every perspective. The top of the spine is rounded smoothly with a satin finish. I don't have a proper scale for this sort of thing, but I'd guess overall weight to be 24-28 ounces. Blade width is about 5/16 to 3/8. This blade veritably dances in the hand, feels very natural.

Karda and chakma are long (4" blade plus 2.5" handle). I LOVE THIS. Karda has a great edge and would probably make an excellent caping knife. I will investigate this further next hunting season.

Frog and scabbard are excellent. This piece is an amazing example of quality. The only flaw I could find anywhere on the knife is a fine, hairline crack running the length of the bolster at the 12 o'clock position. I can live with this.

I'll cover the 21" in a later post. Duty calls.
 
Glad to hear the cantina is still attracting new members. Welcome.

Hard to believe all the bullhooey until you actually feel them in your hand, isn't it? Then it feels like there's an invisible firewire connection alive between the palm of your hand and the handle. The khukuri becomes a part of you, an extension that feels so right you don't want to put it down.

Every now and then if you are lucky, you get to feel you've experienced the thrill of Arthur Pendragon holding Excalibur for the first time.
 
Nice one! Rusty, you have described my feelings exactly...

...invisible firewire connection... :D :D :D

Andrew Limsk

Originally posted by Rusty
Glad to hear the cantina is still attracting new members. Welcome.

Hard to believe all the bullhooey until you actually feel them in your hand, isn't it? Then it feels like there's an invisible firewire connection alive between the palm of your hand and the handle. The khukuri becomes a part of you, an extension that feels so right you don't want to put it down.

Every now and then if you are lucky, you get to feel you've experienced the thrill of Arthur Pendragon holding Excalibur for the first time.
Click to expand...
 
Welcome, Raghorn.

I saw your response to my 18" v. 21" GS post. How do your two compare. Mine don't even have the same blade angle. I like the 18" lots, though.

S.
 
Many thanks for good detailed reports from the field.

I think what looks like a hairline crack on the bolster is actually the solder seam.
 
Spence, my 21" GS is very close to the 18". Angles are the same, they look just like brothers. I erroneously stated on your thread that it was a Kesar, it was actually made by KNN. The biggest difference between the two is blade thickness. The longer blade is about 1/4" thick at the spine, and the entire knife is noticeably lighter than the 18". It's darn near weightless, pick it up and it flies.

Overall fit and finish are very good to excellent, blade is exactly as Uncle Bill described in the PGA thread.

Uncle Bill is right about the solder joint on the bolster. Unfortunately on both knives it has seperated about 1mm at the handle end and tapers back together at the far end of the bolster on the 18", and only extends about halfway down the bolster of the 21". If it looks like a problem I'll apply some JB Weld. These knives will not be doing heavy chopping (the AK's job) so I don't see this as a problem.

Rusty and red, regarding your comments: as soon as I was able to put down that first AK long enough to remember I still owned a computer or anythine else for that matter, I sent Uncle Bill an email confirming that all the "bullhooey" I'd read on this forum about the khukuris was true.
 
Originally posted by raghorn
Spence, my 21" GS is very close to the 18". Angles are the same, they look just like brothers. I erroneously stated on your thread that it was a Kesar, it was actually made by KNN. The biggest difference between the two is blade thickness. The longer blade is about 1/4" thick at the spine, and the entire knife is noticeably lighter than the 18". It's darn near weightless, pick it up and it flies.
Click to expand...

Raghorn:

I compared my 18"er against the 21"er. The blade angles are NOT the same. However, interestingly enough, the 18" GS nests against my 20" Kobra pretty closely. So, I think I have a hybrid.

I find it interesting that your 21" is lighter than your 18". Enjoy it. I like the weight of my Kobra, but prefer the lines of the GS. Sounds like you've got the best of both worlds.

S.
 
Sounds like your 21" is closer to mine than the 18".

My 18" is everything I asked for and then some. It met my expectations for size, weight and balance and then went on to greatly exceed them in fit and finish. When I received it I regarded it as the perfect fighting knife.

Then the 21" arrived and caught me completely off guard. The craftsmanship does not quite measure up to the Bura knife, but Uncle Bill nailed it when he described this blade as lightning fast. I intend to train with this blade as much as possible and hope I can someday live up to its potential. Don't know if I ever will in this lifetime, but it's a worthy goal to reach for.

Meanwhile my 14 year-old son is starting to pressure me for HIS first khuk...:eek:
 
Welcome Raghorn!:)

Meanwhile my 14 year-old son is starting to pressure me for HIS first khuk...
Click to expand...

I'd recommend a 12" Sirupati or AK. If he slips up he most likely won't lose an entire finger/hand(at least with the Sirupati 12")and the small size will allow him to get comfortable with the forward weighted, curved blade style somewhat safely. Got to say I'm jealous that you have a son who is interested in your khuks:) I've got a 2 year old daughter and she's a little young yet, but I haven't given up hope that she will get share her daddy's passion for curvy knives:D
 
I remember Grandpa Bill teaching me how to use and how NOT to use knives and the lessons have stayed with me for more than 60 years. Start them young and teach them right.
 
If only the lawmakers who make some of the dumba$$ laws were as clear thinking.... some of their reasonings truly defy belief...

Andrew Limsk

Originally posted by Bill Martino
I remember Grandpa Bill teaching me how to use and how NOT to use knives and the lessons have stayed with me for more than 60 years. Start them young and teach them right.
Click to expand...
 
maybe it was the 8 years of "village family training" courtesy of washington...I wont touch that anymore...

how do I know who made my first 18 in ak??:confused:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top