Ideal 15" Weight?

Triquetra

Triquetra

Joined
Mar 7, 2002
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There has been a lot of discussion about light and heavy Khukuris. I was wondering what the opinions on the ideal all around weight for a 15” AK, BAS, or BGR would be. Kind of gives me an idea of what to look for or request when buying one. Mine are all about 21 oz. How many oz does it take to start making a difference in performance?
 
I've been wondering the same thing recently. The heaviest khuk I own is a 17" Foxy Folly at 24 oz, and it's fantastic, I love it, but it doesn't chop as well as I'd like. munk and some of the others who've handled many more khuks than I say the sweet spot is at 28oz. Do those 4 oz really make that much of a difference?

I'm in the market for a 15"-16" BGRS, but I wonder if I should go up to 18" and try for that sweet spot. I've been highly impressed by the chopping ability of my FF and 16.5" WWII on limbs 3" or less, but on anything larger I think a hatchet would serve me better. The other day I took on a 5" limb of dry eucalyptus, and it gave my WWII (@22oz) a beating. Took forever to chop, and dulled the edge considerably. So...are those few oz really the key to magical wood-obliterating power?

Sorry to hijack the thread, cucharadedragon. To answer your question, I'd say the ideal weight for a 15" GRS is at least 20-22 oz. But that's my completely uninformed opinion. BAS I dunno, but I imagine AK would be comparable to the GRS.

-Tycho-
 
tychoseven said:
I've been wondering the same thing recently. The heaviest khuk I own is a 17" Foxy Folly at 24 oz, and it's fantastic, I love it, but it doesn't chop as well as I'd like. -Tycho-
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In what way?
 
For a fighter I've heard it said that 1" to 1oz. is about right. For chopping? Maybe 20-22oz. I've got a 15" AK in that weight range and it's good for light-medium chopping. But the big WWII, at 18.5"/28oz., takes huge chunks out of wood. Even limbs up to 6" go pretty quick. The extra weight really does make a difference. I used to have a siru, 25"/?oz, that hit like a ton of bricks. But it wore me out far faster than the WWII and and that wasn't the kind of thing I wanted to swing around with rubbery arms (I've read the safety thread).

Frank
 
hollowdweller said:
In what way?
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My FF takes out anything under 2" diameter like it wasn't there. I took my friend and my brother up into the woods one day to hike and chop. My brother has a 17.25" WWII and I gave my 16.5" WWII to my friend. I'd wield the FF and blow through limbs in one chop when it took them 2 or 3, and hack up wood in half the time it took my companions. Maybe my technique is better, but I think a lot of it had to do with the FF. But when we got to the bigger logs, 5" and up, my lead dropped off and it took us about the same length of time to chop through a log. My experience is the FF excels at brush clearing and chopping smaller (3" or less) pieces of wood but when limbs get to be 5" or more it seems to lose steam. It's possible I haven't figured out how to chop the big stuff efficiently, so perhaps the problem will go away after a while.

-Tycho-
 
I am very interested in where this thread is going. I can learn something here. I don't really use 15" khuks, I gave my 15" AK away. I have a BAS now that at 24 ounces is fair at chopping. I had another BAS and I think it was 22 ounces. I have a 27 ounce Chiruwa Ak at 16.5" that does well.

You can't add weight to a 15 or 16" knife and make it chop like an 18" inch knife, but it can come close. I think even adding the inch length, from 15 to 16.5" (OK, an inch and a half!) really makes a difference. The reason is we are awfully close to the fat part of the Bell curve- the place where the tool shines for that basic size, length and shape.

If a human being is lifting it, swinging it, the blade can only be so big. These khukuris make tremendous use out of our abilities with the curve and weight forward design. It's just great. I love them.



munk
 
Depends on the application. I like the guideline someone mentioned of 1 oz per 1 inch for a fighter. Those'd be the Kobras and the Siraputes. More for a chopper. I have khuks for both types of applications.
 
tychoseven said:
Sorry to hijack the thread, cucharadedragon.
-Tycho-
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Don't worry about that. There's alway good, applicable info that comes out of the threads here. I like to learn everthing about Khuks and I'm sure that someone will answer my question and I'll get a little extra info to boot.
 
SilverFoxKnows said:
For chopping? Maybe 20-22oz. I've got a 15" AK in that weight range and it's good for light-medium chopping. But the big WWII, at 18.5"/28oz., takes huge chunks out of wood. Even limbs up to 6" go pretty quick. The extra weight really does make a difference.
Frank
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See, my experience has been a little different. I don't know what my WWII weighs ( I'm going to weigh it tonight) and I know it's one of the more popular blades but I don't really like it and my AK (21oz) chops better. Maybe I'm just not working on the really heavy stuff where maybe it stands out more.
Plus I was just wondering, my 15" Sirus are 15 oz, the BGR's offered lately are about 17 oz and I really want one, but I am wondering, that's only 2 oz more for a much wider blade and it makes me wonder if it's almost going to be like a machete in thickness.
 
I have BASes, AKs and BGRSes between 18-20 oz. and all of them seem too light. I'd like a 15 inch with a significantly heavier blade. My only concern is getting enough handle for the weight at 15" - some of mine are a little small even for my hands.

My 16.5 oz. 23 oz. WWII villagers are great combination fighter/choppers, but I'd like one that was heavier. I'm hoping for a magical 16.5" 33 oz. chiruwa village WWII. It seems that as soon as a khukuri length hits 17" the handle thickness has a good chance of shooting up to the point I can barely get my hand around it.
 
cucharadedragon said:
I don't know what my WWII weighs ( I'm going to weigh it tonight) and I know it's one of the more popular blades but I don't really like it and my AK (21oz) chops better. Maybe I'm just not working on the really heavy stuff where maybe it stands out more.
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The 15" AK will typically outchop a 16.5" WWII of the same weight. Apparently the design of the AK's blade is more efficient at brute chopping.

In the earlier days of HI, the 15" AK was listed as being about 1.5 lbs (24oz) and the BAS about 1.25 lbs (20 oz). I'd say that the ideal weight ultimately depends on the model, the person using it, and the tasks that the khuk is being used for. Having said that, considering that the above two models at the above weights helped make HI's reputation, I'd consider the listed weights as ideal for those models, strictly speaking for myself. I'm not sure what the typical 15" BGRS weighs.

Bob
 
My favorite khukuri, a 15" BGRS, weighs in at a svelte 18 ounces. I have no complaints about its performance; cosmetic issues aside, it's nearly perfect. Another two ounces would probably make it better without hurting its portability at all. I'd draw the line at 24 ounces, though. More than that and I notice the weight while I'm walking.

In contrast, I have a 15" Karka chiruwa something-or-other (we'll call it an AK for now) that tips the scales at 24 ounces. Believe it or not, I haven't noticed much difference in performance. Weight is not everything - there are many more variables than simple mass at work.

In shorter lengths, I find the lack of leverage and chopping area to be far more of a drawback than simple weight. A 15" khukuri is a thinking man's khukuri: there are tasks that they simply can't do, but fortunately, there's often a way to get around those tasks.
 
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