Khurkuri Machete?

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xylum

Joined
Dec 11, 2011
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So I've been browsing for awhile, enough to know that khukuris are for chopping and they are different than KLO / machetes. And, I love the look of the traditional khukuris. But I need a machete or brush axe. I spend my time in the woods of the Pacific Northwest (lots of woody brush, blackberry bramble etc.) I've use machetes (ok), swedish brush axes (kind of crappy), and lately a gerber brush axe (works great). I want to think that a khukuri would be even better, but they're always referred to as choppers, and I'm having a hard time finding info on they different styles and what they are good for. I really don't need a chopper to process wood right now.

So. Do they make a good machete like object, for clearing brush, weeds, branches on trails and vegetation in general? What styles would I want? That gerber has a nice reach at 19 inches, so I wouldn't want to replace it with something too much smaller.

What do you all think? Thanks
 
I enjoyed using CS Khuk, Tora Budhune, Himalayan Imports Sirupati and Tamang.

Though i still would go back to the wonderful creation of my country, the infamous parang.

If you aren't convinced, look around for a Kobra model from H.I. King of snakes beware.
 
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A Tamang, Parang or Cherokee Rose (large Bowie style) is what I use for bushwhacking, and HI make great versions of all. They are probably going to be slightly shorter than the Gerber, coming in at around 16-18 inches, but you could request a custom if you want.

I would recommend checking the weights though, I would prefer something with at the most 3/8 inch spine thickness. 1/4 inch is probably the best bet. Just don't go crazy on hardwoods and you should be fine. Speaking of which, I actually used my Tamang on some Australian ironbark (very hard and dry wood) on the weekend in a semi-emergency situation, and it performed quite well. No chips, which I was half-expecting to occur.
 
There are machete like offerings here.
The Annapurna mouthain bowie, the farm knife, the farmcata, the (bob white) bolo, to name a few.
 
7rip13a said:
Speaking of which, I actually used my Tamang on some Australian ironbark (very hard and dry wood) on the weekend in a semi-emergency situation, and it performed quite well. No chips, which I was half-expecting to occur.
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Agreed. Ironwood is one hardcore stuff.
 
A buddy picked up an HI Gelbu Special. At 18" and 17 oz., it handles like a dream and cuts wispy salt cedar like a light saber. I was very surprised at just how well it worked on light vegetation. It would also handle heavy work in a pinch. He found he prefers it to a machete partly because the steel and heat treat are so superior, but the ergonomics on it are outstanding as well. As has been said, watch the weights. Some HI models can vary by 1/4 to 1/2 pound for the same length making for a very different khukuri. Take care.
 
I used a 19" Chitlangi to good effect when I lived in WA. Also worked fine back in GA for cutting brush and little "trash tree" saplings.
 
I imagine the HI Kobra khukuris would substitue well for a heavy machete like a golok or parang lading.

As far as recurve machetes go, the Condor thai enep machete is quite nice.
 
Thanks for the responses everyone. It kind of sounds like the longer slimmer khukuris will make for a good machete.

What about the village models? Are those more of the users? Because this will be a user, I don't need to pay extra for bells and whistles. But something I read said the village models have tang problems, is that just locally where they can go back to the kami and have them fix it?

And, "field use" vs "general use", seems like a warranty thing, and the "field use" are tougher. But the HI website doesn't really distinguish between the two. I'm guessing I want a field use model.
 
So. Do they make a good machete like object, for clearing brush, weeds, branches on trails and vegetation in general? What styles would I want? That gerber has a nice reach at 19 inches, so I wouldn't want to replace it with something too much smaller.

What do you all think? Thanks
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I have to agree with JayGoliath's opinion about the Parang. For what you want to do with it, it is superior. The Parang was made for the jungles of SE Asia by the people there. It is like a heavy machete but the blade shape aids in it's effectiveness as a bush clearer. Check out this video.
[video=youtube;s9vq-wwLOC0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9vq-wwLOC0[/video]
I just wish I could have been able to do the Field Test.

Good Luck with whatever you chose.
 
xylum said:
What about the village models? Are those more of the users? Because this will be a user, I don't need to pay extra for bells and whistles. But something I read said the village models have tang problems, is that just locally where they can go back to the kami and have them fix it?
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You want a light blade for shrubs with a thin secondary bevel. A convex won't do much. A hollow, chisel or flat grind will do you good. That's where you get creative and grind accordingly to your application.

The tang problems only apply to partial tang. A stick tang is much stronger than what you intended. You will be surprised how thick the tang is if you re-handle it.It's by far the best measure of weight reduction yet maintaining the durability of the khuk.
Well maybe i just got tired of the rust building up on the chiruwa handle.
Villagers uses their blades everyday and to them it's a tool of trade. With proper care and maintenance i don't see how a khuk will fail in 10 years, that's 3650+ days. Himalayan Imports construction? I would add more zero behind the # of days.

On the parang, there are several grinds on the edge itself; hollow from the cho, convex on the sweet spot and possibly a bit spear towards the tip. Here parang isn't much of a stabber. Keris is.
If i remember you could also sharpen it like what Moogoogaidan/Killa_concept drawn in the sticky.
 
The Cold Steel magnum Kukri machete is good at 22", it's more of a large enep than a kukri.

I just bought a Ka-Bar Kukri, and while it's not a true kukri I like it's execution and at $40 it can't be beat. It's light years ahead of the Cold Steel kukri in fit and finish.
 
A Sirupati, Gelbu Special or Chitlangi are my recommendations for a Khukri for brush and light wood processing (thin, or green). I've had my 20" 24oz Sirupati Lisa for almost 9 years now (April 2003 Tax sale). It's cleared brush and trees from my mom's yard, campsites and plenty of trails here in Utah. Willow's, Aspens, Elms and the like tremble when She comes near. :)

Kabar makes some good Khukri like objects. The Cold Steel Khukri Machete (13" Bladed model) cuts and chops but not as well as you would think for it's size. It cuts as well as a Becker BK9 but with more reach.... I'm thinking that the edge needs to be ground thinner, this spring I hope to do that to mine and see how it works... Comfy to use though.

Right now my go to brush blades are Lisa, my customized 12" Ontario Cutlass machete with D-guard (I ground it into a clip point), my 14" Tramontina Bolo and a 12" Fiddleback Forge machete. If I was in an area with thorny brush, I'd want one of my many 18" Machetes or possibly my 24" Tramontina. But in my area, short and stout seems to work really well and is easier to carry on my hip or pack. ;)
 
The other fine Forumites have got it well covered here. The Gelbu Special, Chitlangi and a light Sirupati would all make good brush blades. The only other one that I would suggest would be the Chainpuri, though they seem to be few and far between these days.
 
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