Kobra Question

madbomber1998

madbomber1998

Joined
Nov 27, 2008
Messages
182
Simple question - I know it's not really what it's designed for, but how do the Kobra's do as a chopping tool - IE, for like outdoorsy, limbs and such?
 
I just received a 25" kobra last week and I can say I would have no problem chopping down limbs with it. A lot tougher that you would think!!
 
I've got one I haven't used much,but I'm thinking of putting on a convex edge and a different handle.
 
I only own a robust 25" Kobra, but I've had experience with thinner blades on tree limbs before. If you take it slow and easy, a smaller, thinner Kobra properly sharpened should work fine.
 
yea, I just got a Kobra, thinking of putting a different handle on it too.....what do you guys think for a handle? I really liked the leather one on that bumblebee one. Any other ideas?
 
I've thought about a multi-section wood handle. Something like a chunk of cocbolo,brass plate,chunk of bloodwood,brass plate,etc. It would be easy to build a curved handle that way,I'm just not sure how comfortable that would be,or how well it would take the shock of being used. You could try a "collar" of wood near the bolster where there is less flex,and the rest leather washers. Just a thought.
 
I have some brazillian bloodwood, some other exotic stuff. Dunno if I want to go the wood route or what - it has a village style wood handle on it already.
 
Kobras are not intended for wood chopping and will void the warranty. That being said I think kobras are thick enough to do some light chopping if you needed to.
 
I own a 12.5" 11 oz. Bura Snake (sarpa) khukuri which you can see here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=561390&highlight=sarpa

It is a small Kobra with a 7.5" blade and a 5" handle. I suspect it was intended to be a concealable weapon, but it is the most useful gardening tool I own.

I am slowly replanting my back yard with midwestern prairie grasses. Remember that song about "give me a home where the buffalo roam"? I want the buffalo to feel at home. My next door neighbors don't have water meters and they compete to see how much water they can waste. They've ruined everything else I've tried to plant, but the prairie grasses are indestructible. Unfortunately, there is a down side to indestructibility. Most of them have very tough, fibrous stalks, and if you can't burn them off in the fall — the Chicago fire department frowns on that — then you have to chop them down. I tried a cheap Ontario survival machete and hated it. Couldn't keep it sharp enough to cut grass, but I cut my hand. I thought of a sickle, but IMHO the one-handed sickle and double-bit axe are tools for experts only. My hawk-bill pruning knife was the right shape but way too small. The little sarpa Kobra was perfect!

The biggest plants I've tackled are 8' sunflowers with stems 3" thick. I don't like them because they draw rats, but my neighbor across the alley plants them outside his fence for decoration. When they start drooping and cars start hitting them, I chop them and bag them. The little Kobra goes through them like butter.
 
Skyler R. said:
Kobras are not intended for wood chopping and will void the warranty. That being said I think kobras are thick enough to do some light chopping if you needed to.
Click to expand...
Yes true, but it did do the job, so I figure, it can... probably just best designed for lighter work.
 
I used to have a 25" Kobra that I foolishly sold to a friend, but while I still had it we put it to work quite a bit. It was nicknamed "Agent Orange" due to its defoliant effect. It did a very good job in western WA woods, handling things up to and including small trees, but it was not designed to do the latter. It was probably a bit heavy for brush but it took care of things gracefully enough.

That was about four years ago and I'd be lying if I said that I remembered everything. It certainly was more of a weapon than a tool. I do recall that much.
 
Piso Mojado said:
I am slowly replanting my back yard with midwestern prairie grasses... but the prairie grasses are indestructible. Unfortunately, there is a down side to indestructibility. Most of them have very tough, fibrous stalks, and if you can't burn them off in the fall — the Chicago fire department frowns on that — then you have to chop them down.
Click to expand...

Many authorities are only now realising the need for fire and burning off in many diverse eco-systems which promote health and growth.

Sadly I doubt you would be able to convince your local Fire Department of the wisdom of such undertakings in an urban situation. It is good that you can rely on the Bura Snake (sarpa) khukuri instead!
 
Bonkers said:
Many authorities are only now realising the need for fire and burning off in many diverse eco-systems which promote health and growth.

Sadly I doubt you would be able to convince your local Fire Department of the wisdom of such undertakings in an urban situation. It is good that you can rely on the Bura Snake (sarpa) khukuri instead!
Click to expand...

A friend in the neighborhood planted his front yard with prairie grasses and wild flowers. He gave me the idea. He lives in a little 1880s farm house like mine, right next to a $1.5 million mac mansion. We used to speculate what his yuppie neighbors would do if he burned off his lawn. They're down to one car now, and they probably wouldn't mind a fire if the wind was blowing in their direction!

Two miles west from here, part of an old municipal TB sanatarium was saved from developers and turned back into an oak savanna. Every few years, volunteers go there in the fall and clear out the buckthorn, and then the Department of Environment does a controlled burning to rejuvenate things. Here's what it looks like the following spring.
 

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