Khukri or Parang ?

i've been wanting one of these for a while

parang.jpg



My vote goes to the parang :D
 
I'll take a traditional Kukhuri anytime.
There is a big difference between a commercial kukhri and a traditional kukhri.
Commercial kukhris are not much different from commercial machetes - thin and fairly flimsy.
This is my smallest traditional Kukhuri.
Hand made in Nepal from differentially hardened 5160 steel.
It's a 12" long and 3/16" thick Himilayan Imports prybar.
It's called a "CAK" - Chiruwa (full tang) Ang Kola (fuller on top edge of blade).
5498232099_613b1281c1_z.jpg

My biggest kukhuri is 19.5" long and weighs 2.5 lbs.

pete
 
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It would depend on where I am at. If I will be in heavily-wooded areas, then a khuk would make more sense. If I'm in a mixed-area of woods, cane/bamboo and brush then the parang would make more sense.

Both blades evolved to perform under their relative conditions.
 
For outdoor work, I'd go with the parang myself. I've played with a couple of khukuris (americanized and traditional) and they didn't feel right to me.

For a weapon, khukuri all the way. Gurkha's have proven it works.
 
Khukuri hands down , i have the K-bar and a grail cho-less 18 inch WWII matched to the handle from a M-43 . It chops and slices all day and still begs for more.
 
I like both blades & I have had a CS Khuk Machete & I still have a Trad. Khuk from Khukurihouse in nepal. If it was between these two blades as my only knife in a last ditch type thing then Khuk hands down ! The Khuk (with a little practice) can do anything the Parang can do + the Khuk is an Awsome selfdefense weapon !
My vote = Khukuri !
 
CWL said:
It would depend on where I am at. If I will be in heavily-wooded areas, then a khuk would make more sense. If I'm in a mixed-area of woods, cane/bamboo and brush then the parang would make more sense.

Both blades evolved to perform under their relative conditions.
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Interestingly, the kukri is adapted to the same conditions as the parang, although it is more effective in harder woods than the parang. It just once again proves that there's more than one way to skin a cat.
 
The khukuri tends to "dive" or angle downward when striking at horizontal angles. Therefore i think the parang is slightly better for all-around use.
 
I think that's a user-specific problem.

Bottom line is, everyone is different and some tools work better for one person than for another. The only way to be sure is to try.
 
bladerique said:
The khukuri tends to "dive" or angle downward when striking at horizontal angles. Therefore i think the parang is slightly better for all-around use.
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Cpl Punishment said:
I think that's a user-specific problem.


Bottom line is, everyone is different and some tools work better for one person than for another. The only way to be sure is to try.
Click to expand...



Also, efficient use of a Kukri tends to be more technique driven then many of the more intuitive chopping/slashing tools,

...it's a finesse tool that does not respond well to a ham fist-ed user, in fact it can be quite dangerous in un-trained hands.



Many of the lighter/straighter chopping/slashing tools are easy to use and can be used aggressively,

...with the Kukri, the weight and balance of the tool (that can vary widely between different Kukri styles) dictates how the tool is used;

...mostly you let the Kukri dictate how it's used.




Big Mike
 
Cpl Punishment said:
I think that's a user-specific problem.

Bottom line is, everyone is different and some tools work better for one person than for another. The only way to be sure is to try.
Click to expand...

I believe his point is that with a khukuri you can't chop "in a line". With my Golok I can make a chopping cut to a horizontal surface and have a fairly straight line from my elbow through my wrist.

Depending on the angle and belly of a Khukuri, that same arm position can have you chopping right behind the tip. Hence the impression of "diving". For many tasks you simply adjust the angle of your wrist, the position you're cutting from, or the object being cut.

Imagine that you "had" to cut through a 2" x 12", laid flat on waist high saw horses, with a Teardrop Siru. It would be very difficult to avoid "diving".

My long-winded point being that it's only a user problem if you fail to adjust yourself to the way a khukuri wants to be used; but I think the "diving" nature of a Khuk is what makes it such an effective tool.
 
On lighter vegetation, I use a light grip. When one sticks out a finger to find the balance point of a kuk one must be careful not to cut one's finger, as the blade wants to point down, or "dive". Come to think of it, no one reading this should do that with their khukuri.

Since most uses of a kuk are striking downward, this "problem" rarely come into play. And yes, I do agree a khukuri takes some getting used to as it is a finesse tool.
 
Wonderful topic Pitdog! Great thread idea
 
Duzzy said:
I believe his point is that with a khukuri you can't chop "in a line".
Click to expand...

I really did know what he meant, and I really do think it's a user specific problem. Your last bit:
Duzzy said:
My long-winded point being that it's only a user problem if you fail to adjust yourself to the way a khukuri wants to be used; but I think the "diving" nature of a Khuk is what makes it such an effective tool.
Click to expand...
How can that be anything BUT a user problem? It can be done just fine with a kukri, if one does like you say and adjust yourself to the way a khukuri wants to be used.

Big Mike shows understanding when he said:

Big Mike said:
Also, efficient use of a Kukri tends to be more technique driven then many of the more intuitive chopping/slashing tools,

...it's a finesse tool that does not respond well to a ham fist-ed user, in fact it can be quite dangerous in un-trained hands.


<snip>

...with the Kukri, the weight and balance of the tool (that can vary widely between different Kukri styles) dictates how the tool is used;

...mostly you let the Kukri dictate how it's used.
Click to expand...

A kukri can be quite dangerous to someone who thinks they will just flail away with it. You really must get a feel for it (each one IS different), and how it wants to be used. If someone is not willing to learn to use a kukri the way it wants to be used, then kukri aren't for them. Seriously. I'm not being snobby about it, careless use of a kukri will result in getting bit -- they don't suffer fools -- and getting bit can mean grievous injury or flat out loss of whatever it hits. The reward for putting in the effort to learn to use them is you get one of the most, if not the most, versatile and useful woods/primitive living tools there is.




However, as I think I said earlier, you can learn to do just about anything with a parang that you can do with a kukri, but you'll never be able to outchop one, given the same length of tool. It's up to the individual which ois right for them, and both tools have centuries, possibly millenia, behind them to prove that they work. I can't call either a bad choice in general.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
I really did know what he meant, and I really do think it's a user specific problem. Your last bit:

How can that be anything BUT a user problem? It can be done just fine with a kukri, if one does like you say and adjust yourself to the way a khukuri wants to be used.

Big Mike shows understanding when he said:



A kukri can be quite dangerous to someone who thinks they will just flail away with it. You really must get a feel for it (each one IS different), and how it wants to be used. If someone is not willing to learn to use a kukri the way it wants to be used, then kukri aren't for them. Seriously. I'm not being snobby about it, careless use of a kukri will result in getting bit -- they don't suffer fools -- and getting bit can mean grievous injury or flat out loss of whatever it hits. The reward for putting in the effort to learn to use them is you get one of the most, if not the most, versatile and useful woods/primitive living tools there is.




However, as I think I said earlier, you can learn to do just about anything with a parang that you can do with a kukri, but you'll never be able to outchop one, given the same length of tool. It's up to the individual which ois right for them, and both tools have centuries, possibly millenia, behind them to prove that they work. I can't call either a bad choice in general.
Click to expand...

It's more of a design feature than a "problem". When swinging ~horizontally, It wants to dive a bit. It physics.
 
Hey Pit,

Why specifically a Khukuri and a Parang?

I don't have any experience with a Parang, but I've owned:

(2) 15" Ang Kholas (traded for Chiruwa Ang Kholas)
(1) 15" British Army Service (gifted away)
(3) 16.5" Chiruwa Ang Kholas
(1) 18" Amar Singh Thapa Khukuri (one of early non-Chiruwa models)
(1) 18" Gelbu Sotang
(1) 18" Bonecutter

The names are all HI specific, and I have by no means been exposed to any great variety of Khukuris, but most of them were pretty "heavy hitters". And to be honest, I'm starting to shy away from the heavy choppers. They're a lot of fun, but I feel that they have a much more limited "practical" usefulness. If you want to swing a three pound Khuk, swing a three pound Khuk. Just know that you don't "need" to (I'm sure you know that already, but just in case...).
 
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