Input needed on Khukuri choice

I have a CS trail master bowie. Compared to HI stuff it just plain sucks for chopping purposes. And I thought it chopped well until I got my 15" AK. Nuff sed.

Get an HI 15" AK and feel the joy of a tool that really works.

That's my 2p.

Phil
 
I have a CS LTC kukri that I'm selling, and 9 HI khukuris that I'm not. :)
Cold Steel makes some fine products- I have their Black Bear Classic and Laredo Bowie, and like them a lot. But for the money, I find their kukris lacking.
The BAS, the WWII, the M43 or the Chiruwa Ang Khola (16.5" total, full tang) would all suit your purposes. The AK is a super chopper but may be too thick for light machete work. The M43 is a good balance between chopper, weapon & slicer, IMO.
 
best all around khuk is a WWII 16.5

i highly recomend you get that knife. I held one b4 i gave it to my freind as a gift and i never wanted to let it go.

I own a AK Chirruwa and i liked the WWII 16.5 a lot more.. i also chopped with them both... the AK chopped better.. but its just too heavy to realistically be comfortable at the hip.

Im 5'10 and 170 pounds.. and work out a lot... so when i say the AK models are heavier.. trust me...

the 15 AK might be light nuff to carry... personally if you are stuck with the 15 AK or BAS id pick the AK bcs its the more "traditional" blade.

but i seriously think you should reconsider to get a 16.5 WWII by Bura with horn handle
 
Alright, I'll make a fool out of myself and tell you the truth about the difference between CS and HI.

The CS is like it's been untouched by human hands. Maybe it's been laser or water cut, drop forged. It's mass produced with every one the same as the next. Sterile.

The HI is made by kamis who may have families doing smithing back 10 generations. It may be made from a coil spring or a leaf spring hammered by hand into a billet. As he pounds it into shape, something of his heart and soul goes into it. He doesn't understand ergonomics if you talk to him, but has 20 or 30 years experience making khuks, and knows how to make one that feels right. Somehow his sweat and blood become part of the knife. Each of the HI khuks is marked with that kami's mark and/or initials.

A knife marked with a crescent moon and initials "L.B." means it was made by Lal Bahadur Bishwakarma, the maker of the former King of Nepal's Banspati ( willow leaf )Khukuri that sat on the throne in the King's absence when the king was out of town or the country. He is also the HI Shop foreman.

When one of his knives makes it over here and you pick it up and hold it in your hand, you may feel something you could never feel with a production line piece of cutlery. Somehow it seems the khukuri picks the purchaser. That it was meant to be yours, somehow. That there's some spirit or soul within the knife. That there's a preternatural bond between the two of you. If you listen it may tell you it's name.

Ah, forget it. It's all a bunch of hokey malarkey, except, why did so many folks give their knives and swords and flintlocks names?
 
I'm old enough to have seen a lot of knives from a lot of places. Don't even remember the names of all the knives or the manufacturer. Let's face a fact though a factory made knife in the US is not a hand made knife nor the quality of hand made.

I have both WWII's and the 16.5" has a balance that is fantastic for a 11.5" blade.

My first was a 15" AK by Bura and, my hands were shaking pretty good when I took it from the triangle box. The pictures in the HI site were most inadequate in comparison. The handle of that AK is in front of me to the right of my monitor right now and it has been there for quite some time. It is nice and clean and shiny too. I have a BAS by Kesar that is a beauty and is even easier to carry than all but four of my knives.

I can't for the life of me usderstand how any one could be unhappy with HI khuks. They have done more work for me already than any other knives I have ever had. I'll take some nice smooth Buffalo Horn any day to that Kraton that will pull the skin right off the hand.:) :)
 
I can't comment on the AK vs BAS, since I am a new disciple of the HI church:) , but I can put in my two cents on the BAS itself and stand up for it since it looks like the AK guys are out in force!

Simply put, I can't find one thing to dislike about the BAS. I've only had it a couple of weeks but in comparison to my three non-HI khukris, it is head and shoulders above anything else I've handled or used. Everyone tells me I need to buy an AK or a WW2 (and I will since now I'm hooked), but I have a hard time conceiving something more practical than the BAS.

I will put it this way. You definitely won't go wrong with the BAS, but I'm pretty sure you won't go wrong with an AK either. Flip a coin and you will be just as happy.

Wow, that really wasn't particularly helpful afterall.


:footinmou

Cecil
 
My Kumar BAS was my go to khuk for a long time. Then I got my Bura 18" AK which was a bit on the light side. Even though it is heavier, it somehow feels lighter in my hand. It is now my got to khuk. They are all different, you find the special ones... or they find you.
 
I'd like to thank everyone for the info you've shared in this thread, it has been extremely helpful and informative.
 
You realize, of course, that they haven't been helping you at all.

What they've really been doing is fantasizing over which khuk they'll get themselves next.

Kind of like teenage boys drooling over the centerfold in this month's Playboy!

Hey, if we helped at all, you're more than welcome. No problem, we have to pass the time til Uncle gets back and puts up some blems or UBDOTD's (Uncle Bill's Deal Of The Day).
 
Originally posted by Rusty

Kind of like teenage boys drooling over the centerfold in this month's Playboy!
Click to expand...

Can you blame them? Have you seen this month's centerfold? :eek: ;)
 
No I haven't.

After 22 years of marriage come nest month and a couple days, my wife is still my favorite toy to play with.
 
Originally posted by BruiseLeee
AK bowie?
Click to expand...

1784 model Dui Chiarra Chainpuri Hanshee in real Wootz with gold inlay and engraving in Devengari with pigeon blood rubies from Madagascar set in ivory and 24K Gold with a Rhino Horn Scabbard!!!!:p ;) :D
Wrought Iron fittings of course.:p :eek: :cool: ;) :D

However there is some controversy that the scabbard is made from a Unicorn Horn instead of Rhino.:rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by Rusty
After 22 years of marriage come nest month and a couple days, my wife is still my favorite toy to play with.
Click to expand...

:eek: Holy Cow!! Is there anywhere I can still find one like her?? :eek:
 
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