Just A Thought

D1omedes

D1omedes

Joined
May 3, 2009
Messages
1,125
Has RAT Cutlery ever considered making a kukri machete?

I've heard many good things about the kukri design and have always been interested in picking one up. My only concern is that the blade be full tang and have an excellent heat treat. With Rowen, I believe that RC could make a great kukri. Your thoughts?
 
I have yet to see slab handles on a kuhkri, I think it could work, 1095 should hold up to chopping quite well. If possible temper it a point or 2 lower.
 
who know if they will or will not make one ,me I dont care for them ,I had two different styles from CS and Becker and moved them along..not a big fan of, just my 2cents.
 
texastonydobbs said:
who know if they will or will not make one ,me I dont care for them ,I had two different styles from CS and Becker and moved them along..not a big fan of, just my 2cents.
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Could you elaborate? I'm relatively new to knives and would like to know the pro's and con's of a kukri blade vs. a traditional knife (ie. RC 6).

Thanks. :)
 
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I like kukris but some times i think thats the child in me..... there hard to resharpen , there normaly pretty heavy ... and the impact spot of maximum force takes a lot to get used to ... there handy field blades and i have a couple nepal ones made with slab handles .... check out the noss tests , i was going to pick up a 22inch CS one not long ago...

I would say watch one of the knife tests , and pick up a CS one... and give it a shot yourself....

there is no doubt in RC and rowan making a good kukri .... but they do have a lot of other stuff on there plate... and planned....

I have a couple of the nepal ones and frankly i still pick up my dog father LE if i wanna go out choppin or a golok or a cheap tram machette .... and for what i can do to em... and the price i can get dozens.... and not feel bad of i crack it or tear up the edge....(except the df , spendy but built like a tank)
 
D1omedes said:
Could you elaborate? I'm relatively new to knives and would like to know the pro's and con's of a kukri blade vs. a traditional knife (ie. RC 6).

Thanks. :)
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Benefits of a kukri style blade-blade end heavy which aids in chopping. The kukri is a recurve taken to the extreme, which gives the blade about 30% more edge length than typical designs. This makes it extremely efficient when it comes to slicing through green vegetation so for bushwacking in wet places it does a dynamite job. It was originally used by Nepalese mountain farmers for tending crops and general utility, but were also used as extremely effective weapons. So effective in fact that a ragtag army of nepalese farmers drove out a well supplied, fully outfitted and armed British occupation in the late 1800's using Kukri blades.
 
Sounds like a idea to me! I think RAT would have some interesting twists on the idea..maybe help vs the zombies ...haha
 
The pros and cons of a kukri are many and long debated amonst folks in the knife world. I am absolutely no expert on kukri style blades or most blades period. But for the everyday work we have done in the tropics it is really hard to beat a $4 machete and the kukri is usually much heavier than machetes. More weight , faster fatique. Most kukris are much thicker, not as efficient at cutting but they make up for that by having the weight to chop through work. But then why wouldn't you get an axe if heavy chopping is the task? I have also seen a lot of chores that would seem to be very awkward to acomplish for a kukri like hollowing, climbing a tree or reaching out a long ways to cut thin, light vegetation .

You will find about as many folks that like kukris as those who don't. I am just one of those that doesn't and that is why I said we probably won't make one. Jeff and I usually agree on a project or it doesn't move forward. I won't speak for him here but I wouldn't be surprised if his opinion isn't too much different than mine on the kukri.:) Mike
 
Thanks very much for the sage input, Mr. Perrin.

I've always been curious as to the kukri, mainly due to his unique shape, design and its history. I'm glad you discussed the weight issue because I always thought that a kukri was lighter than a machete because of its short length.

So is the much-anticipated RC-10 supposed to be RAT's machete?
 
I would likely get one, but I really don't feel that RAT should make one. I like the simple style of the RAT blades. As of right now, all are easy to sharpen, and are simple. In my opinion, a khukuri is a complicated design.
 
Shit no one has evcer called me a sage before:) If anyone has a curiosity about these Nepalese knives go buy a cheap one and use it a while. Get em sharp enough and they will plow through stuff. That is why the Gurkas in India used them a lot to hack limbs off in battle:)

But think about something here....you guys that are better at physics than I am. If you look at the swing arc of the arm holding a knife of any kind it would seem to be logical that the more arc you can have then the greater the force you will have upon impact of the cutting edge to the material to be cut. To a point it is only a relative issue where the cutting edge starts and stops relative to where the arm starts and stops -- you will have the same arc for the cutting edge where ever the arm starts and stops. UNTIL you move the cutting edge forward enough so that the arm cannot start far enough back (it is too uncomfortable) to compensate for the forward position of the cutting edge. THEN the total arc is lessened because it is just too awkward or uncomfortable to hold your arm that far back over your shoulder. GRANTED I am overstating it a little here to make the point about moving the cutting edge too far forward in relation to the handle but this point has a lot to do with why there has been much discussion over many years about the kukri and it's effectiveness compared to other cutting tools. In using even a cheap machete we learned a long time ago that to increase the cutting effectiveness of this long knife you hold the handle in a pinch grip (between thumb and fore finger) letting the handle actually travel in a small arc in the hand as the machete is swung over the shoulder and towards the material to be cut. This actually increases the total arc the cutting egde travels increasing the force when it hits the material. But it in effect also puts the cutting edge BEHIND the hand-- not forward of the hand like a kukri.
 
I like to see a regular thin machete in 1095 but with micarta handles and a kydex sheath, most of the price would be the kydex sheath and if it bought in bulk I think the machete could be affordable.
 
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