HI Khukuri for a female and other musings

S

sallinger87

Joined
Dec 22, 2013
Messages
21
Hey again,

First of all, not only obsessed with HI Kukris, but also this Cantina. You guys are so fun to talk to and I've been reading old threads in my spare time.

Down to brass tax. My fiance, after seeing my kukri, now wants one. We would use it as a utility knife for camping, fishing trips etc. She weighs about 135 lbs and is fairly strong being an ex-collegiate swimmer. I am thinking of buying her one. I want something that she can handle well... so not too beefy (there are too many "thats what she said" opportunities to count) and I am thinking a 15" Sirupati or british service model. Any thoughts?

-Steve
 
My first thought which took less than a second to retrieve from my mental storage area is a Pen Knife. It's just a perfect hiking, camping type knife. It's a real handy size but not petite. It's handle I would think would be perfect for a 135lb collegiate swimmer. Mine was slightly smallish for my average (sheesh, I started to say normal there for a second). so I wrapped it with para cord.

A Bashpati would be a good second choice, but I don't think as versatile as the Pen Knife.

I'm sure others smarter and wiser than I will come up with some excellent input here as well.
 
A double post, a first for me, didn't know it was possible.
 
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For some reason Bashpati came to mind as well. There's a few ladies here that really speak highly of them. KLVUK is cool too but you might want to get her a shiny one for her first Khuk since your not married yet! Once you get married you don't have to buy so many shiny things.:foot: Gawd i hope my wife dont see this:eek: Sirupati is a cool camp knife for general tasks but its on the lighter side of chopping chores. 15" Ang Kohla might be just right since she's healthy and strong and they are very beautiful. I dont have a Pen Knife but they sure are spoken highly of!
 
I was thinking a BAS would be a great choice the length to weight ratio on these are very nice,and the pen knife is a winner as well.
 
WWII Model 16.5 inch version but the British Army Service model is good too. I would stay away from thinner blades like the Sirupate, made more as weapons than camp utility blades.
 
Lots of models aren't on the main site, try a google search or searching the forums.
 
My wife loves her thin chiruwa tamang -- a model I haven't seen offered in a while. With the chiruwa tang and the very subdued forward curve to the blade, it's very neutral and fast in hand. If you haven't checked them out, the tamang is something everyone should really look into.
 
I like the BAS, that is the one I bring on camping trips, and my wife uses it all the time; however, she'll grab the Pen knife, to do any of the smaller chores (cooking, food prep, etc...). I usually bring along my Bonecutter for the heavy chopping.
 
Steve:

I gather from your earlier post that your Khukuri is a CAK. Best way to judge what's good for fiance is have her handle the CAK and estimate the proper handle size (girth) and weight based on how yours feels to her. The main issues are: hand size relative to girth of the handle, wrist and arm strength relative to weight of the knife, and what she plans to use it for.

I disagree with the comment that a Sirupati model should be dismissed out of hand. For most camping and fishing trips, a Sirupati would be more than adequate, and the weight/size might be ideal. If she's planning to chop down trees or build a log cabin with her new knife, then a Sirupati would be the wrong choice. Don't put too much emphasis on the "bigger is better" approach.

She might like the looks of a Chitlangi, which has specs similar to that of the Sirupati but is more artistically decorated. Of course there are many variations in length and weight even within a given model such as the Chitlangi or Sirupati.

One further comment on the question of models: Many Sirupatis and Chitlangis come with a spine thickness of 3/8" or thereabouts. That's thicker than almost any other type of non-Khukuri blade that you're likely to see on the Bladeforums Exchange or other sources of knives.

Unless your fiance wants you to surprise her, show her the possibilities and let her choose a model that calls to her.
 
Hey David,

Thanks for the thoughtful response. You're exactly right about letting her handle knife in order to gauge an appropriate size/weight. Also, you win the "Most Double Entendres Award" for your response.
 
Please wear gloves, I almost got bit by chip-slide-travel just a week ago. Cutting some frozen 3" branches for the grill.
 
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you have an envious family cult of knife lovers green, so to say I am envious not you guys ! its always cool when you can share your hobby with family !
 
Hmmmm.....It is a grey area to simply want to put a kukri within the hands of someone who isn't as familiar with knives yet simply for the sake of wanting to mirror our own way of the woods onto them if you will. The kukri is one of those more oddball juts out into certain attributes that with like any knife some it's draw backs. I carried a cold steel kukri which is 12 inches of blade and around 30 ounces of weight, handing it to other people the general impression is that it was simply too unwieldy of a blade to do any real work. This is contrary to my own belief within it and after carrying it as an edc/camp blade for a year and a half I proved it quite capable it a wide range of tasks and deemed it my own one tool option.

I suppose in short you should instead try her out with a belt knife first off, something that is not too expensive or heavy so she don't have to scared using it or feel like it's a chore to. Let her hand gain experience through a multitude of tasks and conditions to allow her a good general feel of what the blade is giving her and what it is indeed not. Give her tasks like preparing thatching material to allow her the wanting of a longer blade, or allow her to baton slightly thick wood to sway her into needing a thicker blade of a more solid construction in which to feel confident it won't be harmed in the task. That's how I started years back when I first got a buck 119 special, I quickly learned I wanted other things from actual bush practice time. That even being going to the park to just sit around with friends making little mock traps and fires and talking. If you really want her to feel the kukri let her use yours and with you by her side try to explain all the things you feel from it in all different tasks to help guide her along with whether or not she likes it.
 
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