silenthunterstudios
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ddean said:Who now uses his HI khuks
(see above)
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Do you think he'll trade me his HI kukris for the LTC?
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Khukuri help
- Thread starter knifelover4ever
- Start date
Do you think he'll trade me his HI kukris for the LTC?
silenthunterstudios
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Howard Wallace said:
I shoulda phrased that the first one of many
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Snag one of the HI deals of the day from the Cantina (also known as the Himalayan Imports forum) and you'll be in khukuri bliss. The only thing better than the knives is the service and rifraff, I mean forumites you'll meet there. 
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I had the HIs first and in a fit of trading fever picked up the LTC. The LTC had good fit and finish, felt okay in the hand but I kept grabbing the HIs for tha big stuff and my Tramontina for the light stuff. It suffered from being the middle child so I adopted it out (enjoying the PSK and USMC, by the way) I wouldn't mind trying one of the Toras or KH just to compare. Thanks for the links.
Frank
(enjoying the PSK and USMC, by the way) I wouldn't mind trying one of the Toras or KH just to compare. Thanks for the links. Frank
Tora have their kukri made in Napal, The best guy to ask about them is Simon(who runs tora).
The reason why I prefer them is mostly a matter of weight and thickness. I'm a small gent and just found the HI kuks I've played with too big for me to use for a long period of time. The older ones were thinner and for me the origonal MKII kukri feels nicer then any other. Tora ones just seem to be the closest to this.
I'd still like to do a proper review of the tora and HI MKII kukri to the origonal one. I wonder if the skills once had have been lost or improvenst in the knowledge of steels will have made the newer ones better
The reason why I prefer them is mostly a matter of weight and thickness. I'm a small gent and just found the HI kuks I've played with too big for me to use for a long period of time. The older ones were thinner and for me the origonal MKII kukri feels nicer then any other. Tora ones just seem to be the closest to this.
I'd still like to do a proper review of the tora and HI MKII kukri to the origonal one. I wonder if the skills once had have been lost or improvenst in the knowledge of steels will have made the newer ones better
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Not too long ago, I picked up the "Assam Rifles" model khuk from Atlanta Cutlery. It's about $30. I was interested in trying out one of those "other" khuks. Last Friday we were spending the morning clearing brush and fallen trees along the fenceline; one of the gents with me had a pair of Ontario machetes (the "US" stamped issue ones, don't know how they differ from what's normally sold) and the other guy had a 20" ang khola from HI. Since we were well covered, I figured that I could bring the new khuk out for a test run.
What I liked:
- Inexpensive.
- Overall nice scabbard. (Loose fit though.)
- Lots of shiny brass. (I'm a sailor. I like brass.)
- Decent balance, very easy to swing.
What I did not like:
- Chape was sharper than some of my spears.
- No chakma, just two kardas.
- Khuk and kardas were totally unsharpened. (Easy enough to fix.)
- Not differentially hardened - khuk's blade has a spring temper.
- Handle was on the small side but still useable.
- Transmitted a lot of vibration for a hidden tang. A lot.
- Lion's head butt cap was just gaudy.
- Frogs look weak, do not fit a pistol belt properly. (Big deal for us.)
The folks that know me know how I treat my tools. I gave this one a beating. The buttcap came loose but with the peened over tang, a few blows from a hammer on the butt fixed that. It loses its edge quickly on hard wood due to the low blade hardness and without a chakma you'll need a stone of some sort to keep it sharp. (The kardas seem to be even softer than the blade - I tried using the backs of them as chakmas with limited success.) The vibration can be tiresome when you're bucking trees. No other problems, though.
Verdict? An excellent "starter" khuk. I have the CS khuk machete, it is not a khukuri - not even close. (It is not even a particularly good machete...too short.) If you want to take this style of knife for a test drive, I recommend the Assam. If you like it, the higher priced manufacturers will only give you more of a good thing. If you don't, sell it or keep it around as a loaner. Either way it is worth the money.
But the best? Another vote for HI. Never met a khuk from them (or a sword, for that matter) that I didn't like. Their kamis can certainly hammer some steel.
The Assam will not be doing any more serious chores for me. I'm glad that I bought it and I will continue to take care of it, but from now on it's a loaner. My other ones are better.
Interesting bunch of folks over in the Himalayan Imports forum too, let me tell you. Some real characters over there...
What I liked:
- Inexpensive.
- Overall nice scabbard. (Loose fit though.)
- Lots of shiny brass. (I'm a sailor. I like brass.)
- Decent balance, very easy to swing.
What I did not like:
- Chape was sharper than some of my spears.
- No chakma, just two kardas.
- Khuk and kardas were totally unsharpened. (Easy enough to fix.)
- Not differentially hardened - khuk's blade has a spring temper.
- Handle was on the small side but still useable.
- Transmitted a lot of vibration for a hidden tang. A lot.
- Lion's head butt cap was just gaudy.
- Frogs look weak, do not fit a pistol belt properly. (Big deal for us.)
The folks that know me know how I treat my tools. I gave this one a beating. The buttcap came loose but with the peened over tang, a few blows from a hammer on the butt fixed that. It loses its edge quickly on hard wood due to the low blade hardness and without a chakma you'll need a stone of some sort to keep it sharp. (The kardas seem to be even softer than the blade - I tried using the backs of them as chakmas with limited success.) The vibration can be tiresome when you're bucking trees. No other problems, though.
Verdict? An excellent "starter" khuk. I have the CS khuk machete, it is not a khukuri - not even close. (It is not even a particularly good machete...too short.) If you want to take this style of knife for a test drive, I recommend the Assam. If you like it, the higher priced manufacturers will only give you more of a good thing. If you don't, sell it or keep it around as a loaner. Either way it is worth the money.
But the best? Another vote for HI. Never met a khuk from them (or a sword, for that matter) that I didn't like. Their kamis can certainly hammer some steel.
The Assam will not be doing any more serious chores for me. I'm glad that I bought it and I will continue to take care of it, but from now on it's a loaner. My other ones are better.
Interesting bunch of folks over in the Himalayan Imports forum too, let me tell you. Some real characters over there...
Cliff Stamp
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As far as I know, the HI come in various dimensions, even for a specific model you can get a range of sizes, Bill always used to for example get "martial" versions for those that liked them lighter and quicker in the hand. You might want to post up the weights and balance points of a few of your Tora's and then check and see how the various HI khukuris compare. I am sure a few of the guys on the forum will throw up some spec's.Andy_L said:
-Cliff