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Interesting article
- Thread starter Moonw
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2013
- Messages
- 1,730
Very interesting indeed. Whilst I agree that the khukuri is fairly superior when it comes to chopping I 100% agree with him on clearing alders etc. It's really nice to have that long handle for a low reach. I also find that a good bearded tomahawk makes dragging wood a bit easier, and makes us lazy woodsmen's lives a bit easier. I'd prefer a polled tomahawk for creating temporary shelter as well, just for the added benefit. Of course I can use the spine of a khukuri for the same thing, but something about having a moderately longer piece of steel coming back towards my head (with a slightly curved grip at that) is a tad unsettling!
Another beautiful thing, it's a lot easier to rehaft a Tomahawk than it is to replace the handle on a Khukuri, and being able to just throw a tomahawk head in your pack and make your own handle in the woods cuts down on the stuff you have dangling off you.
On the other hand, it's REALLY nice to have a khukuri once you're where you're going. Makes firewood prep so much easier and as stated in the article the machete-like function is pretty good too. In all actuality I'd probably pack the tomahawk head in my pack with a khukuri on my hip because they both serve their purposes.
Another beautiful thing, it's a lot easier to rehaft a Tomahawk than it is to replace the handle on a Khukuri, and being able to just throw a tomahawk head in your pack and make your own handle in the woods cuts down on the stuff you have dangling off you.
On the other hand, it's REALLY nice to have a khukuri once you're where you're going. Makes firewood prep so much easier and as stated in the article the machete-like function is pretty good too. In all actuality I'd probably pack the tomahawk head in my pack with a khukuri on my hip because they both serve their purposes.
I really disagree with his idea of holding the kukri with the blade pinched between your fingers in the event of getting up close in a fight. That's just asking for trouble, whether it be inflexibility and poor grip strength through poor biomechanics, or by slicing your fingers on the edge. I don't have any real backwoods experience with a kukri, but what he says there seems fine as best as I can tell, but there are much better ways of wielding a kukri in a corto mano combat situation. Supported cuts for instance, either using your supporting hand on the spine to give it some extra force, or gripped around your wrist. I've not yet warmed up to the supported wrist grip, but JW Bensinger has said good things about it.