Well, my first, and favorite (made by the Master Kami -- formerly Royal Kami -- Bura), is my 20" CAK, named Ereshkigal:
She's one brutal lady. I've got big hands, and she's a handful. I've done some fighting practice with her (look up my thread "Kukri kata" in the Cantina), and while she's not one you'd swing around for hours, she'll either kill or remove whatever she contacts in one hit. She's a very interesting dichotomy. Her brutal size and weight make her a great wood chopper and splitter, but I've gotten her nice and sharp and she can cut through light vegetation with a flick of the wrist, or just raising her to shoulder height and letting her fall, guiding the blade through what I want to cut. As one forumite put it: "It's one big, curved scalpel".
I do indeed carry her in a custom bladric, and I do recommend this type of sheath for any of the larger kukri:
I also
had an M43, which I sold:
The M43 is probably the best all-rounder. Not the best chopper, not the best fighter, but does each quite well, just not optimized for either task, which makes it a great place to start. It's pointier than the WWII, and the increased forward drop of the blade helps it punch above its weight. But there also, it's not one you'll swing in battle for hours. I'd suggest either an M43 or a 16.5" Chiruwa Ang Khola as your first, when they become available again (Yangdu may have some blades still in stock, you might want to call her or email her, tell her how you're built and what you want to do, she can give a good recommendation and tell you if one is in stock).
Remember kukri are measured in overall length, not blade length. For instance the 20" CAK above has about 15" of blade.
For a purely fighting kukri design, you might consider the Tamang (bottom in pic):
They are light, handy, a guy who's into Eskrima that I know loves them. They also make great machetes.
One other warning. You will often hear the term "the one". There really is a "The One" for each person out there. You will know it when you grab the handle, pull it from its sheath and it feels like it was always in your hand. Another of the same size of the same model will not feel the same as "The One". Some find it quickly (my 20" CAK was my first, and also my The One), some take years, some haven't found it yet. It may not be the one that you thought it would be. That's why when you ask which model is best for a given task, you'll get a dozen models listed, because each person found their The One, and it isn't the same as the next guy's.
Regardless, you will buy more.
Don't forget the HI knives and swords as well!!
:thumbup:
