H.I. Military Models

S

Sergio Hart

Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
8
Hi guys, I`m new to the forum and, of course, an H.I. client already.

My question is why don't I see any MKI or MKIII or other army kukries besides the M43 and BAS? Were they produced before? An MKI by H.I. should be something! Thanks!

Sergio Hart
Rio de Janeiro
 
I may not be qualified to answer that question and I am sure there are business reasons...but my neophyte point of view may offer some insight.

Old Khukuri were not nearly the thick beasts that H.I. sells today. Today people want to baton, chop, pry, and generally go nuts out in the woods with just about any big knife. "Bushcraft" I guess. Bushcraft is one of those buzzwords (like tactical) that sells. Bushcraft is the real deal up to a point, real people do it all the time (same for tactical...can you say "deployment"?).

But this has affected what big knives, and HI Khukuri are like. The old WWI style were quite a bit thinner stock than what HI is making today (most models). If you look at those old beauties you won't see much of a bevel at all. They were what we'd call full flat grind today...or something akin to it. They were made for general use by soldiers as camp tools and, in the case of the Khukuri, hand to hand weapons. Soldiers do a lot of things but in this day and age...in the 20th century too...they don't chop a lot of wood and I suppose if they did, they'd use a chainsaw or an axe. I saw some footage of soldiers in Vietnam using a chainsaw to clear a field of fire at a firebase or something.

In addition, and this could be dealt with easily enough, those old Khukuri were not very hard. They were designed to deform rather than break...thus the Chakma...a hardened, polished burnishing tool built to maintain the edge of a Khukuri in the field without removing metal.

I too would love to see an old fashioned, MK1 or MK2 (here's where my knowledge fails me miserably) or WWI style Khukuri from HI. But what'll happen is some weekend warrior (and more power to them mind you) will take it out, try to chop and oak tree in half and send it back in favor of the 1/2" thick Chirawa AK. HI's key customer base is the bushcraft, outdoors, crowd...who also like a little history, and secondarily martial arts.

That's my take on things.
 
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You pretty much got it Hoosier.

To answer your question Sergio...... H.I. may have made something similar to a Mk1 khukuri already, but it probably goes by another name than mk1. H.I. has done just about every khukuri style there is and then some, plus non traditional and non khukuri styles. Your best bet would be to look in the link library at the picture thread, the website and in the archives. Right off the top of my head, i couldnt tell you exactly what model it would be or where to find it....if it actually exists. Perhaps an older member has less CRS than myself.

As to the discussion of the whys and wherefores of what H.I. builds... we were already having that discussion here in this thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ition-and-Dream-Alive?p=11258747#post11258747
 
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Dear Karda,

Though I'm new to the forum, I have read a lot of posts, especially your posts. It's very impressive how your honesty and kindness stand out of your posts. It's amazing how forumites are such big fans. It's really an honour to be part of this forum. I also know sweet costa rica from other foruns. His videos are amazing and his posts inspiring.

I have searched for other HI pictures, but unfortunately haven't found anything similar to a MKI, MKIII or a GAK. If you still have them, please let me know.

Regards from Rio de Janeiro,

Sergio
 
Sergio Hart said:
Dear Karda,

Though I'm new to the forum, I have read a lot of posts, especially your posts. It's very impressive how your honesty and kindness stand out of your posts. It's amazing how forumites are such big fans. It's really an honour to be part of this forum. I also know sweet costa rica from other foruns. His videos are amazing and his posts inspiring.

I have searched for other HI pictures, but unfortunately haven't found anything similar to a MKI, MKIII or a GAK. If you still have them, please let me know.

Regards from Rio de Janeiro,

Sergio
Click to expand...

Thank for the kind words, Sergio.
I don't have any pics of long ago. I only have recent ones of current models and those are only of ones that i've worked on.
Unfortunately far too many pictures were lost when Aunties picture host went out of business. Someday if the stars align and i'm actually fortunate enough to visit Auntie i would like to have her purchase a large external hard drive so i can upload all her past pictures from her old computer/s onto it, for posterity.
 
I think I know what's on your mind. I would also recommend looking at the Tamang Khukuri. It's one that's missing from my collection that I wish I had snagged up. Look for one that's made by Vim with dhar wood handle (just gorgeous). When I think about a military style khukuri (lighter and faster and more built on the weapons end instead of the tools end), I think of the Tamang, the Foxy Folly, the BAS, the Katunje (Auntie Yangdu's signature blade), the Gelbu Special, the Chitlangi, the Chainpuree, and the Sirupate. In Uncle Bill's words, WWII is the perfect balance between tool and weapon, and I agree. The models I have listed, however, are more weapons than tools, and many feature thinner blade for lighter weight.

Hope this helps!
 
Thanks a lot Topgun!!

Sergio



topgun0728 said:
I think I know what's on your mind. I would also recommend looking at the Tamang Khukuri. It's one that's missing from my collection that I wish I had snagged up. Look for one that's made by Vim with dhar wood handle (just gorgeous). When I think about a military style khukuri (lighter and faster and more built on the weapons end instead of the tools end), I think of the Tamang, the Foxy Folly, the BAS, the Katunje (Auntie Yangdu's signature blade), the Gelbu Special, the Chitlangi, the Chainpuree, and the Sirupate. In Uncle Bill's words, WWII is the perfect balance between tool and weapon, and I agree. The models I have listed, however, are more weapons than tools, and many feature thinner blade for lighter weight.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
 
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