Khukuri, Hawk, or 12" Machete

Triquetra

Triquetra

Joined
Mar 7, 2002
Messages
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Which of these would be the most versitile if it was the only blade you had? I have more experience with the Khuks and am referring more to the 12" (oal) and 15" (oal) ones offered at HI. I know it probably would make a difference if you were in the jungle as opposed to the mountains in the Ozarks but I was just wanting general opionions, pros, and cons. I am planning on getting both a machete (12") and a tomahawk to add to my Khukuri collection.
 
I vote for the machete, probably because I have never seriously used the other 2, whole lot of people swear by the khuks. Chris
 
Bolos003.jpg

Of the ones you mentioned I'd go with the Khukuri. I've used the bolo in the pic around the world and its what I'm most comfortable with. The khukuri is close in mass and weight, chops with the same authority and will serve as a digging tool, ( I've used the bolo to dig snow caves and cut snow blocks) I like tomahawks but they don't have the same versatility as a big heavy knife.
 
bikermikearchery - love the top knife if your pic! :thumbup:
 
Of those mentioned, I'd go with a kukri.
Of those not mentioned, a hatchet would be a serious contender if there wasn't much soft vegetation to go through.

A 'Hawk is too much weapon, not enough tool to drag around all the time, and a 12" machete. . .sorry, I just don't get the super short machete idea. plus machetes just don't chop as well as kukris or hatchets.
 
I'd agree that the khuk would be the best overall blade if it's all you had. I'd really consider a good hatchet/hand axe however if your woods rotation currently lacks one. Something like a Fiskars, Wetterling or GB would be very worthwhile.

[Bikermike- hate to throw a thread off track, but how do you like your KaBar bowie? I've looked at them and was thinking of getting one somewhere down the line...]
 
I own and use all three.

I'd vote for the khukri unless the tomahawk in question has a hammer poll. The ability to hammer gives it one additional use a khukri or machete doesn't have.
 
Depends on where you are. The further north the harder the wood...mostly. If you look at aboriginal peoples big knives rule further south, axes rule further north.

;)

I love my Golok but a re profiled Norlunds hatchet or axe is usually never far away.
 
SpookyPistolero said:
[Bikermike- hate to throw a thread off track, but how do you like your KaBar bowie? I've looked at them and was thinking of getting one somewhere down the line...]
Click to expand...

Ka-bar heavy bowie :thumbup: very tough, Not long enough for what I use a big knife for but a bargain. Top Bolo My constant companion for nearly 30 years.
 
For me its any style of axe, wether it be a 'Hawk, hatchet or ~20" axe. If I could only have one it would be one of those, I am most comfortable with an axe.
 
Good point Riddle... gotta consider what you might be cutting...or doing.

I have a short khukuri-shaped machete which is good for certain jobs. My golok is heavier and is better suited to heavier timber and digging. My small tomahawk has a hammer face and it is great when I need to drive nails when trapping, plus it chops a lot better than I might have anticipated. But if there is a serious need to chop hard wood of any thickness, I'd go for an axe or maybe a hatchet with an extra-long handle.

I reckon, broadly speaking, machetes for small vines and thin saplings....goloks for heavier vines and thicker branches.... axes for serious chopping or if your life depends on having a fire. To me a tomahawk is a more specialised tool that might be used in a number of places along the cutting 'spectrum'....no good for clearing a path compared to the long blades however.

I've had no experience with real khukuris.....but from what I have used, assuming you will always have a small knife with you as well....my golok is probably the most versatile tool. But it is not a decent substitute for a good-quality axe.

But other people will have different, equally valid views on the subject. Some folks (Pict and friends?) may have the knack of making a machete do things that might be difficult for me to achieve because of my lack of knowledge and practice.
 
Not sure the difference between a hatchet/hand ax and a tomahawk other than the way the handle attach? Why is a Hawk more of a weapon?

Isn't a Golok a thick bladed 12 inch machete or rounded tipped Bowie?

I have a HI Kurkri and a C.S bent machete thing. Both chop better than same sized 'straight blades of similar width and weight. A true kurkri will give a Hawk/hatchet a run for its money when it comes to real chopping and work better on the trail.

Just got a 12 in. machete. Seems a compromise in most things. To light to be a real chopper, to big to be a real camp knife but capable of doing both if necessary. Light enough to be carried all the time fairly well. Longer it would be a better brush clearing tool, less useful for GP work. For $20 I'm not worried about pushing it's limits. (How broke could it get unless you pry with it and bend it?)

I like a hawk/hatchet and think many under estimate there usefulness. A 3 inch blade is a 3 inch blade even if it has a stick sticking out of the side. A traditional 'Hawk" handle can be tapped out for more convenient use of the blade as a knife if for what ever reason you lost all the rest.

In the woods with only one my choices would be Kurkri, Hawk then short Machete. There are a lot of vines here and would be what was cut most if I ended up of trail. But thats just me and an opinion.
 
I would pick a 91/2 inch (or longer, thats just what I got) Bowie over a 12 Inch machete but that was not one of the choices. Maybe I should look in to a Golok?
 
I like machetes and used them a lot when I was younger. Personally, I think a 12 inch machete is the most versatile of the three tools you mentioned. Are you talking about all around use? I know I'd rather clean a fish or dress rabbit with a 12 inch machete than with either of the other two tools mentioned. But go to Nepal and you'll find those folks using a kukri. Go to Brazil and those folks will use a machete. Go to Canada and many folks there might lean toward a hatchet of some kind. Go figure.
 
I have a 12" Tramontina that I use for clearing shooting lanes and things like that during hunting season. It doesn't weigh anything so it can stay in my backpack at all times and I never notice it. There are certainly better options for clearing large amounts of brush or chopping through thick wood, but for what I use it for it works like a charm. I have also used it for quartering game and it works for that also, although I have an assortment of other knives that I usually use for game preparation chores.
 
Here's a picture of what I call a "golok"...it is the long blunt-ended blade in the middle. I got this from a woman who reckons her husband used it while serving in Vietnam.
HandyBlades.jpg
 
GUN SNOB said:
Not sure the difference between a hatchet/hand ax and a tomahawk other than the way the handle attach? Why is a Hawk more of a weapon?
Click to expand...


First of all, let's understand that this is an opinion question, and that's what I'm giving, my opinion, not absolute fact, and others may well disagree.

The bit profile and handle profile of a 'hawk is geared more toward it being a good weapon, not quite so much a tool. Note i didn't say it can't be used as a tool.

A hatchet's bit profile and usually handle profile make it more suitable as a tool than a weapon.

It's like comparing a Bowie to a drop-point. "An X inch knife is an X inch knife, isn't it?" Well, no. Can they both do the same things? Yes. Can they do all things equally well? No, not really.

It's a matter of priorities in the fashioning of the tool.

Tomahawk - weapon/tool
Hatchet - tool/weapon

Again, opinion. YMMV
 
Just FYI

From Wikipedia:
"Golok is the name given to a range of large knives and short swords originating from Southeast Asia, most notably from Myanmar (Burma).

Sizes and weights vary, as does blade shape. They tend to be heavier and shorter than Machetes, often being used for bush and branch cutting. Having either a primary grind or an edgewise taper, the Golok is less likely to jam in green wood than the flat sided machete. Goloks are traditionally made with a springy carbon-steel blade of a softer temper than that of other large knives. This makes them easier to dress and sharpen in the field, although it also requires more frequent attention."

Coote's pic is a representative example of a Golok.

Basically, a Golok is to Burma what the Kukri is to Nepal.

As for general use, it was mentioned that the 12" machete is easier to use as a large knife than is a golok or kukri. I keep taking it for granted that I always look to Himalayan Imports or ToraToraTora's kukris. They come with the chakma (sharpening/striking steel) and Karda (small knife) -- not all Tora models have these -- as part of the "system". So while a kukri would not be my first choice in cleaning fish and such, that's what the Karda is for. I guess I shouldn't take it for granted as the cheaper kukris (made in India) and the bent machetes don't have this.

As for chopping, the larger kukris can't be matched by anything but a full-size axe. So, IMO, if you have soft vegetation AND wood to chop/hack through the kukri comes out on top. If it's mostly wood, especially hardwoods, then a hatchet is the way to go.
 
Just thought I would add these pics. This is a modification that I did on my Khuks that allows me to choke up a bit and get a little more of the "knife" usage but I still have the chopping ability. For me this adds a lot to the overall versatility.

DSC03267.jpg

DSC03268.jpg
 
Bark River is getting ready to make another run of their excellent Goloks. This time they will have bolted rather than pinned handles. Find a dealer and get on the preorder list.

You won't be sorry!!

:thumbup:
 
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