Khukuris- Any Thoughts?

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Wolfeye

Joined
Apr 26, 2015
Messages
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Hey, everyone. I figure I've made a point that I think well of khukuris in other posts. I wanted to know what other people's opinions are. It can be in any way, but I was thinking about bushcraft uses for the most part. I've heard numerous times that it's actually IDEAL.

I think the natural retention that it has is great, because if you trip or take a slide it'll probably still be there. Also that it has a more scythe-like quality to it, so it could be good for clearing thick brush (like where it would be a pain in the ass to use a regular straight-bladed machete). Any blade can be made solid, but I think those two things might somewhat put it a little bit ahead of a regular machete.

On the other hand: The straight machete is easier to get in & out of the sheath (take it out, use it, put it back, repeating as needed), it gives a few extra inches for splitting & for chopping at whatever brush you're clearing (then again, that depends on the size of the blades), and it's a bit easier to use for general knife tasks. It seems to be somewhat easier to start using the straight machete without any practice than with the khukuri, but neither one seems to be all that hard. Just swing the khukuri from a little closer than you would with a straight-blade & that seems to be it.
 
Check out Himalayan Imports. Great khukuries, great service. They are a member here on Bladeforums. There is plenty of good information on khukuries, no hype.
 
Think more axe, less machete. Khuks tend to be thicker and heavier than machetes. I can imagine using my 16.5"'WW2 from Himalayan Imports to clear brush all day as it weighs a ton. But it will split wood, take down trees and limb very well.
 
Wolfeye said:
Hey, everyone. I figure I've made a point that I think well of khukuris in other posts. I wanted to know what other people's opinions are. It can be in any way, but I was thinking about bushcraft uses for the most part. I've heard numerous times that it's actually IDEAL.

I think the natural retention that it has is great, because if you trip or take a slide it'll probably still be there. Also that it has a more scythe-like quality to it, so it could be good for clearing thick brush (like where it would be a pain in the ass to use a regular straight-bladed machete). Any blade can be made solid, but I think those two things might somewhat put it a little bit ahead of a regular machete.

On the other hand: The straight machete is easier to get in & out of the sheath (take it out, use it, put it back, repeating as needed), it gives a few extra inches for splitting & for chopping at whatever brush you're clearing (then again, that depends on the size of the blades), and it's a bit easier to use for general knife tasks. It seems to be somewhat easier to start using the straight machete without any practice than with the khukuri, but neither one seems to be all that hard. Just swing the khukuri from a little closer than you would with a straight-blade & that seems to be it.
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You have to decide if its for you or not.
Some people love them, I couldn't warm up to it. I'd rather sport a Junglas over a khukuri of similar length
 
I got a no name khuk and it chops and hacks through everything I throw at it, keeping overgrowth from taking my rural homestead and acres of riding trails and turning it back into thick woods. My experience is not so much who makes the tool but who is behind it and how often I put it to work.
 
The kukri design concept is excellent for everything from bush craft to combat
... the only problem is the high volume of imports with questionable quality control...
Posted a thread here a while back (that i meant to continue with but let fall off) Rockwell Revealed ... one of the first blades iI got my hands in was a GK Kukri... it was in an annealed state at the.ricasso (no doubt because of.the soldering which ALWAYS does that) and a 34rc further up the blade as near the edge as I could test.... have tested a few more from unknown makers since.then and always had similar results. .... one of these days when I have time I want to chisel.the handles off one and do a proper heat treat in my thermostatically controlled forge to determine if the problem.is the steel or their methods.
 
but I was thinking about bushcraft uses for the most part
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So what kind of "bushcraft" are you doing? ......... are you camping? or are you in the wild by yourself and needing to make snares, traps, tinder, kindling, shelter, fire, ect.....????

If yes, a kukri is not what i'd use at all as it gets in the way a lot. A scandi grind knife is more ideal.

If you just want to chop a bunch of wood, a kukri or machete is fine, but bushcraft you will have a hard time with .
 
More input on this later when I'm not dead tired, but I'll start by stating unequivocally that kukris in no way function like scythes. Their only similarity is that they both curve forward and cut stuff, but the method by which they do so is entirely different.
 
I agree with 42, different method and dynamics than a scythe, but obviously they work.

I don't feel that there is anything inherently better about a khuk than any other blade of equivalent mass, edge geometry, steel, handle etc. I do like that for certain types of chopping, the sweet spot is a bit farther from the hand, delivering more energy to the cut, but the same could be said of a cutlass or parang. The area nearest the handle provides a good area for delicate work, provided the rest of the blade is not too large. But you can do the same with a machete, or other large knife. I would suspect that the ergonomics of the chopping are easier on the wrist, since you get a more natural angle, and that might be very key to its success. I don't know how big a difference that makes, having no experience chopping with large knives (machetes to me are a different technique and use-case)

I had at one point a ka-bar khuk, and traded it, really regretted that for a while. It was a great large knife and did a lot of hard work. But I don't have anything I can compare it directly to, as the only similar tool I had at the time was a rather poor hatchet, and so the khuk was far superior in pretty much every way.

I would suspect that the range between a great and bad khuk is much much farther than a great and bad machete, or large chopper. It would be really easy to screw up that angle on a khuk, and I'm sure that there are a lot out there that are not as efficient as they could be. Where as, if Tram can roll out very functional machetes at the price they do, as a standard, I think you have to work to screw up a machete (although since stainless ones can be found, I guess its possible!)

At the end of the day, as a design I think they work really well for some, not so well for others, and I know I prefer a khuk over quite a few other knife designs.
 
Yo Mama: I was thinking of general bushcraft tasks with an eye for clearing brush. The main idea is that I'd have something that would work well as a general knife as well as something I could clear brush with.

I love that it would be good to fight with, if I had a need. That hooking ability can be a real life-saver in some cases (ex: moving a gun barrel) & the ability to foward-stab strongly is another good quality). It's extremely devastating on a swing, too (good physically & psychologically) Another thing is that if they have supporters, it'd be great to be able to move on from the first guy quickly after doing something incapacitating.

The fighting applications aren't exactly why I'd be carrying it, but it REALLY puts it over the top if I can (fairly easily) do bushcraft & brush-clearing with it. If you need that, you probably REALLY need it & you obviously can't conjure one at will. The Gurkhas use it all the time for everything, but I'm wondering if maybe that's why it works out for them.

Speaking of all this, anyone know where you can get a good sheath for a Tramontina machete? I know you can make a pretty good sheath from PVC pipe just by flattening it & leaving a little on the end to bend into a large clip, but I'm wondering about something leather. If I remember correctly, it comes without the sheath & I don't particularly feel like spending somewhere around $50 for one of those Bidor parangs. You now they're somewhere around $12 over in Asia? Shipping a long distance, plus (I'm sure) a good deal of import/export taxes.
 
Wolfeye that makes more sense now. Unfortunately though I think you're going to find it one knife won't do it all. Either it'll be big enough to clear brush but get in the way of smaller tasks or be too small to have any way to clear.

What about a combo of a kukri and a very small fixed blade? Even a good multi tool give you enough knife to work with
 
I wouldn't pick a kukri to clear brush, honestly, most of them just have too much mass. For chopping they're great, but I would look at something machete-like for brush as I find a thin, whippy blade works much better.
 
Wolfeye said:
The Gurkhas use it all the time for everything, but I'm wondering if maybe that's why it works out for them.
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I don't know much about the Gurkhas, but I'm guessing they use it all the time for everything because that's the knife they have with them. Also, I note that some khukuris come with accessories such as a much smaller knife, a burnishing tool used to sharpen, and even a tinder kit for fire making. I have no idea if that's what's issued to the Gurkhas. So to me, the big blade for chopping, small blade for fine work makes a lot of sense. I usually carry a BK9 or even a small axe plus a Buck 102 or an ESEE #3 depending on what my plans are.
 
Kukris come in all shapes and sizes but the biggest thing that makes them such effective choppers is the forward balance and the distance the edge sits forward of the grip axis during the swing, much like the bit of an axe. This dynamic can be achieved in a lot of different ways, and the kukri is just one of them. The forward curve can cause some clearance issues under certain circumstances, but this is mostly noticed when trying to cut against an anvil surface like a chopping block. I generally prefer thinner kukris than tend to be en vogue these days. Their relatively short length and heftiness predisposes them to cutting thicker woody targets rather than lithe branches or woody-stemmed weeds, let alone lush vegetation. If you mostly plan on encountering woody targets it's a great choice, but the low tip velocity you get out of them needs to be considered if you need it for any vegetation-slashing work. As in all things, there are advantages and disadvantages to every design consideration.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Kukris come in all shapes and sizes but the biggest thing that makes them such effective choppers is the forward balance and the distance the edge sits forward of the grip axis during the swing, much like the bit of an axe. This dynamic can be achieved in a lot of different ways, and the kukri is just one of them. The forward curve can cause some clearance issues under certain circumstances, but this is mostly noticed when trying to cut against an anvil surface like a chopping block. I generally prefer thinner kukris than tend to be en vogue these days. Their relatively short length and heftiness predisposes them to cutting thicker woody targets rather than lithe branches or woody-stemmed weeds, let alone lush vegetation. If you mostly plan on encountering woody targets it's a great choice, but the low tip velocity you get out of them needs to be considered if you need it for any vegetation-slashing work. As in all things, there are advantages and disadvantages to every design consideration.
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I'm not sure if I should be pleased that you agree with me, or annoyed that you sounded so darn much smarter saying it. ;)
 
The CS Gurkha is a very versatile khukuri. It chops very well and also slashes light vegetation due to the FFG. The weight and balance are superb. It won't beat a machete at clearing light brush and vines, but it's a nice middle ground blade.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
I'm not sure if I should be pleased that you agree with me, or annoyed that you sounded so darn much smarter saying it. ;)
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Hahaha--a lot of it comes down to the mechanism by which a particular target is best cut. Woody targets are cut through impulse (energy over time) and setting the blade forward of the axis of the grip increases that impulse. With light targets (including both woody-stemmed plants and lush vegetation) they're best cut at high velocity so that the force is imparted to the target before inertia is overcome and the target just slips off the blade. Long blades have higher tip velocity, and lighter ones are easier to accelerate rapidly.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Hahaha--a lot of it comes down to the mechanism by which a particular target is best cut. Woody targets are cut through impulse (energy over time) and setting the blade forward of the axis of the grip increases that impulse. With light targets (including both woody-stemmed plants and lush vegetation) they're best cut at high velocity so that the force is imparted to the target before inertia is overcome and the target just slips off the blade. Long blades have higher tip velocity, and lighter ones are easier to accelerate rapidly.
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I hear you. The physics behind knives has really taken over as one of the major things that interests me in the hobby as I know more about it. My thoughts on blade geometry and cutting efficiency have changed drastically over the past two or so years.
 
I have a khukri but consider it a wood chopper only. Due to it's heft, it tires me quickly. I think a hatchet is a more efficient chopper. Actually, I much prefer a saw.

As for clearing brush, I use a very thin bladed Condor machete. Very lightweight and fast.
 
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