Hey guys! My first post on the HI forum. I'm seriously looking at the Ang Khola Khukuris. Perhaps a 15" and 20". I was wondering the pros and cons of horn vs wood handles. Is one more desirable than the other, be it durability, tactile preference, appearance or even just popularity. If I purchase these I'd most likely keep them indefinately, but resale value is still important as well. So if one handle is more preferred over the other, I'd like to know. Thanks!
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Horn vs wood?
- Thread starter stealle
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- 4,855
They are both good and durable handle materials. You will find people who prefer one over the other, but both materials have stood the test of time. I have both and like both.
Go with what looks good to you.
Go with what looks good to you.
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- Aug 28, 2010
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Welcome to the HI Forum. Here's another thread addressing a similar question:
CAK-Horn-or-Wood-Handle?
CAK-Horn-or-Wood-Handle?
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2011
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- 120
Once you get a can of tung oil you'll want to experiment with different wood handled khuks. I've so far coated a neem, satisal and dhar wood handles.
I have a few horn handled ones as well. One of them was a blem that I repaired using epoxy then sanded the excess epoxy down. I then applied a finer grit sandpaper to the rest
of the horn handle to add grip and give it a more rugged grey look. While another I kept it's original shine because the blade was polished as well so it all matched.
So wood vs horn? I have fun with both and both seem like they would retain their beauty, functionality and therefore resale value. I haven't had mine for too long but the ones I use
in the yard constantly are holding up extremely well and I suspect they will continue to.
Bottom line. They both are good imo and unless you have extreme climate issues ie. too dry or too humid... that might be your final criteria for deciding which to go with.
I have a few horn handled ones as well. One of them was a blem that I repaired using epoxy then sanded the excess epoxy down. I then applied a finer grit sandpaper to the rest
of the horn handle to add grip and give it a more rugged grey look. While another I kept it's original shine because the blade was polished as well so it all matched.
So wood vs horn? I have fun with both and both seem like they would retain their beauty, functionality and therefore resale value. I haven't had mine for too long but the ones I use
in the yard constantly are holding up extremely well and I suspect they will continue to.
Bottom line. They both are good imo and unless you have extreme climate issues ie. too dry or too humid... that might be your final criteria for deciding which to go with.
kamagong
Gold Member
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- Jan 13, 2001
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- 10,937
I recently pulled out some khukuris from storage. I thought I had packaged them well, but apparently I didn't tape the box as tightly as I could've. Then again, maybe I didn't do as good a job of inspecting them before I put them away. When I took out the knives to inspect them, I was pleased to find that there was no rust on any of them. I was very disappointed to find beetle damage on the horn handled knives however. All of the horn handled knives were affected. Sometimes the khukuri handle was damaged, sometimes I got lucky and the bugs only got to the karda or chakma. From here on out it's only wood handled khukuris for me.
Something to think about.
- Christian
Something to think about.
- Christian
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2006
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- 994
Wood for me. I've never liked horn as a material, well before I began buying from HI. I don't like the way it feels in my hand, particularly if it gets wet. With all the beautiful wooden grips & handles offered by Yangdu over the years, my preferences in this regard have become quite ingrained... 
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2010
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I prefer wood over horn because the latter would shrink much at this punishing humidity here.
if i do use horn i will usually sand it down for better grip.
if i do use horn i will usually sand it down for better grip.
I'm with abaniko. I generally find wood to simply be the superior material but that is really largely subjective. I personally think wood looks nicer, I'll go ahead and lead with that bias. I also personally feel like wood holds "better" in the hand. I've never had much love for horn as a handle material in general.