How Big is Big Enough?

A

arty

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Oct 18, 2003
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I own Khukuris that range in size from a 12" Sirupati to a 17" Sirupati and a 17" GRS. When I look at references to older Khukuris, they mostly seem to be 19-20 inches long, with 14-15" blades and short handles. Indians and Nepalese apparently liked the idea of a large blade for war or nonmilitary uses.

So - my question is - how big is big enough, and at what point will Khukuris become cumbersome and difficult to transport? I can imagine two possible uses - survival/woods/combined use or a strictly defensive use.

For real large blades, there are swords, and I would normally think of other types of devices for self defense. I know that some members of the cantina use 20" or 21" Sirupati or Chitlangi for defense, but others like smaller ones - 17-18". I would like to know your thinking, given the two purposes that many people would have for these large blades.
 
My 25" AK weighs somewhere around 5lbs. The weight is not particularly uncomfortable for belt carry, but I wouldn't want to on an extended hike while wearing it. However, the 25" AK does present some other problems for me as far as wearing it. I'm 6'4", and when I wear it on a belt, the tip digs in to my leg right around my knee. Even though I have removed the chape, it's still fairly painful. If I move at more than a slow walking pace, or if I walk on uneven ground, the sheath bangs against my leg uncomfortably as well. If I were going to carry it for extended periods, I'd rig up some kind of shoulder harness or back harness. For the most part though, I use it at home for wood splitting, so the carry issue is no big deal for me. The 25" AK would go great as a substitute for a large camp axe if you were car camping or if you had pack animals, but definitely wouldn't be my first choice if my legs were providing the motive power for my gear. In that case, I'd be quite happy with an 18" AK, 16.5" WWII, or even my trusty BAS.
--Josh
 
It all depends.

I think if you look around, you'll find several ranges in weight for several different purposes.

For instance: 16.5 Chiruwa AK, 18" WW2, 20" Sirupati. I'd bet they fall into a similar weight range, and all do light to medium chopping pretty well. Chiruwa by weight concentrated over the sweet spot, WW2 lesser blade weight but higher velocity, Sirupati by longer and higher velocity even yet.

It's kinda like picking a deer rifle, you gotta figure out where are you going to use it and what for. Out here in Nevada you can use a 270 or 25-06 for flat trajectory. Back east the Winchester and Marlin lever guns are better handling for fast shooting at close range. Up in Montana you'd want a gun in the 30-06 and up range for elk also.

I've noticed the weights of 12" khuks all over the place. I had a Sirupati that was heavier than some 12" AKs. Then again there are Graf Spee ( my 12" pocket battleship with 1/2" spine ) and Audrey ( 12 Sirupati named after the bloodsucking flower in Little Shop of Horrors ).

12 inches is one category ( light ), 14/15 inchers another ( 15" AK kicked up to next category )( heavy lightweight ), 16/17 inchers ( all around do everything ), 18/19" ( medium heavyweights ), and 20+" ( the big boys ).

I'm loath to try to make a flat statement on anything about khuks because just when you've got it nailed down, up pops an exception. Time for my medication.
 
Well, as always size is subjective, dependent on the individual. The 25" AK that digs into Josh's knee would stick me in the ankle. :rolleyes: Don't get me wrong, I do love the big blades, but I wouldn't carry one on a hike. My current favorite for 'all puspose' duty is a 16.5" WWII. I could use that knife for everything from gutting a deer to splitting logs if I had to. And it carries comfortably on my belt. My current biggest blade is a 25" kobra, and it is a monster! It's great for brush clearing and scaring the neighbors, but not really practical for much else. It is an EXCELLENT brush clearer however, and quite intimidating if the need arises. :cool: Still, it wouldn't be my first choice for self defense. That honor would go to my 18" kobra or a malla (love those mallas). The 25" kobra would end a fight with one blow, but if that first one misses then it's way too long and heavy to bring back on target. The 18" kobra still has plenty of muscle and far greater maneuverability.

And anything over 25" is just plain cool, even if it is impractical. :cool: As a young single guy I need no further justification than that. ;)
 
I think 15 to 18 is good. The 18" AK I have is really too heavy to take real far. The 17-18 ganga is lighter and about right. I think if the handle is shorter 15 16 is ok too.
 
Roadrunner said:
And anything over 25" is just plain cool, even if it is impractical. :cool: As a young single guy I need no further justification than that. ;)
Click to expand...

Works for us married guys too. :D
--Josh
 
If you ask me, you'll never hear the end of it, but I have to give my opinion right ?

If you have to choose an all-purpose fighting and survival, camp work blade, then I would recommend a 21" Chitlangi or Gelbu Special.
Why?

Well, the armies of the world all issue basically the same thing to their soldiers. (different time periods and purposes allowed...)
US Army machete - 22" (4 " handle, 18" blade)
Welsh Trench Knife - 24" (6" handle, 18" blade)
Japanese Wakizashi - 23" (5" handle, 18" blade)

I'm sure there are many others in this range.

So, something about that ratio works well as both weapon and tool as a function of efficiency and portable size.

Having said that, most soldiers carry another knife.
They usually carry a backup firearm as well.

As the Bene Gesserit say " Never depend only on theory if your life is at stake."
 
15" AK for me. I figure I won't have to cut down anything over an inch or two if I get lost in the woods or the city. I find the larger blades clumsy in my hands. Plus the added size of a 16.5" plus blade would hamper my ability to run away if there were any fighting taking place. :rolleyes:
 
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=294615&highlight=sirupati

i dont hear much of this, but the 12" siru is a good city combat blade... small enough to be managably concealable, and its very, very fast. excelent for tendon cuts... you hook it into the neck, and youve got a good 3 seconds before that guys ready/able to hit you again.

my 18" 7/16" thick ang khola is about the right size for everything i need a large khukuri to do. any larger, and it really starts to wear you down fast, any smaller and i start miss the mass of the 18" ang...

but as for how far is to far? never. there is no limit. if its to big for human hands - we can build a robot to weild it.

my two current dream blades (besides a horde of small production knives that i'll never afford/wont be able to afford in the next 8 years because theirs so many of them) are a 20" 3/4"thick ang @ 5lbs, and a 30 3/4"-1" thick ang @ 12lbs... of course, i wouldnt turn down a janawar katne if it ever came to my attention on the sale block...
 
lol
robot
oh lordy...

i can only imagine bill complaining about the kamis problems in hammering out the robot!
 
Danny, you just made me flush my nose with *soda.


(* brand name omitted to avoid confusion similar to HD's "Ganga" thread.) :p
 
What kind of cho creep could we expect on a robot?? Fullers? anyway, Khuks seem to fall into a couple catagories for me. Practical and Cool. Of course i could draw up some kind of Venn diagram to show that most overlap to some degree, but its too early in the day for that;) I find that the 12"ers are some of the handiest khuks to have around. They chop better than knives of comparable size, while keeping the weight down. Also, they tend to be less frightening to the sheeple while hiking or camping. I'd love to get the chance to go out and really truly "rough it", but anymore with my work schedule I'm limited weekend trips to the Smokey Mtns. or Brown County in northern Indiana. Personally, I can throw out the whole "what if i'm lost in the deepest darkest wilds of Africa and feral 10' tall Kodiak skilled in the art of jungle warfare is stalking me" scenarios. For my camping situation I need a nice stout little 12"er like my PK for 90% of the chores and a 15" AK or my 18" WWII in the truck "just in case". As far as self defense goes, my 20.5" 20.5 oz Kobra is all i need. When I hold it I can fully understand what a desperate man in a desperate situation would be capable of. Sorry about the long post, just caught the buzz off my coffee:)

~Jake
 
I have a 25" AK also and while I love it I would not consider really carrying anywhere that my car wouldn't go. I would and have carried my 20" villager with me for extended periods of time and it wasn't to bad. I have also carried a 21" Chit which except for the heaviest of abuse is a great general purpose chopper/self defense blade in my opinion. I also have a 21" Ganga Ram which has creeped up on me as far as my favorite wood chopper and if I had alot to just wood chopping to do I would go with it.
 
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