H&B Shawnee, Himalayan Imports khukuri, or 10" blade

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Fuori

Joined
Oct 13, 2014
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My budget for new spring toys will only allow me to buy one. I never leave home without a folding saw, SAK, and an ESEE 4 or Mora. Which would work the best with them?
 
out of those a tomahawk will require the most skill/practice to process firewood (safety is a big one too) but it'll be more satisfying i think...kinda like some use a firesteel and feathersticks only to light the camp fire and some only use a bic lighter and fatwood...depends what you're in the mood for :)
 
If it were me, I'd go with the HI. kuk. Just because they seem to be hawk like with the sweet spot being where it is.
 
I'm kind of surprised there weren't any votes for a 10", but it seems pretty evenly split between the Shawnee and the Himalayan. Choices are never easy on here...
 
One more vote for the HI kukri. I'm about to buy another one myself, got a 21" Gelbu Special, now looking for something smaller to put in my pack for hiking and camping and such.
 
Let me ask this, what should I be asking to help me make this this decision?
 
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Of the classic trio you have your folder and small fixed blade - What role will the tree-beater/hatchet/axe/tomahawk fill?
 
Rtak is a pretty good deal. I've got one that I've been using around the property. Well made w a good sheath. Something to look at as well. Also have its little brother the Rat7. Another great knife
 
Halfneck said:
Of the classic trio you have your folder and small fixed blade - What role will the tree-beater/hatchet/axe/tomahawk fill?
Click to expand...

That's a really good question. I was so focused on having the green light to buy a new toy I drove right pass the obvious.

khukuri- of my three choices this is the one I probably know the least about in terms of what it would fill in any "bushcraft" collection. I often read posts on here from people who love them, but past being a cool new toy I don't know unless I was leaving my tree-beater/hatchet/axe/tomahawk home or using it for self defense.
 
So something to think about. In Haiti I watched people use a machete for literally everything including kitchen work. In parts of N. India and Nepal (watched this in Darjeeling) the Kuhkri is the one bushcraft tool the native people may use for everything from making a fire, to making a semi-permanent shelter to cooking and even self defense.

I'm not saying that is the most efficient method but it's interesting to take a tool like a kuhkri or machete and use it for a time for everything you would do with a trio and find just what it's limits are and what it excels at. You'll also often find you can do more than you imagined or expected of yourself. If you have experience with your other choices the kuhkri may be a very fulfilling experiment.
 
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