Kukri assessment

P

Protke!

Joined
Oct 21, 2008
Messages
4
First of all, I have little knowledge in knives and edge weapons, and I have already posted this in the General Discussion forum and got some quite useful info, but they told me to try posting it here, where the experts lay :)

A few days ago I got a Kukri as a present from a friend. For my untrained eyes, it seems pretty much authentic, but I would like an expert opinion on how good it actually is (eg. is it a "standard fake", a "tourist piece" or would the handle break into pieces if I try to hit something harder with it and stuff like that), and maybe an assessment on how much is it worth.


Thanx in advance.
 
Welcome:)

The fit and finish on your khuk are a little on the rough side. The bolster isn't soldered very well, the butt plate has brass that is rolled over the edge, etc. However,these a bad khukuri do not make:D Sometimes you can find a real jewel in the rough. Also, someone went to the trouble to put in some pretty good inlays:thumbup:

My guess...I don't know:o I would guess that this is some form of tourist knife. Typically, to my knowledge, real knives of the Gurkha's are not labeled "Gurkha Army". Of course, most of the khuks issued to the Gurkhas are contracted out of India these days, IIRC.
Beyond its crude finish, I don't know what level of quality knife you have there. I'm going to guess, and it is just a guess, that it is probably of better quality than the typical Indian stamped version with the rough uneven slabs on the tang and the heat treat that is marginal at best. I'm also going to go out on a limb here and say that it might be better than the "Lion's head" models that you see. Those are all flash, no performance, typically.

If you want to hang it on the wall and think fondly of your friend, by all means that is a fantastic piece for that:) Any khuk given in friendship is a fine khuk indeed:thumbup: If you want to find out if the knife will actually perform, test it out. Take a standard diamond file and run it lightly down the edge. If it bites in some places and skips (or bites less) towards the belly, then you might have a knife that has been heat treated for use:)

Take it out and CAREFULLY test it on some wood. Since we don't know this khuk from Adam, make sure to wear some protective clothing like long sleeves, gloves, and eyewear. This knife could cut like a lightsaber or shear off at the tang. Just chop into some sturdy wood with even, medium strength strokes. If it passes that, then try giving the blade a twist as you chop to see if the edge stands up to such "poor technique". If it passes that, then give it a few good wacks on the flats against a tree or log. BE CAREFUL! If the blade breaks free, it could go off at a wild tangent.

Hopefully, Spiral or someone with more knowledge on these kinds of khuks will be along shortly:)

Once again, welcome to the Cantina!:D
 
Sorry Protke Its a fake, as in it was never Gorkha or Gorkha issue so the markings are just an attempt to earn the Yankee dollar by deception.

That said It may be a perfectly well made & reliable kukri, The commonly seen Co. 1917 .37 marked Fakes while clumsy are reliable temperd kukri great for splitting firewood.

Test it out folowling the advice froom Steely & see if its sound or not. It has very low collecter value, just user value if its tempered & with a relible tang.

Spiral
 
Wow. I didn't expect that thorough explanation/instructions. It is very much appreciated, and I will test it out as soon as I get some free time. As for the collector value, I wasn't really interested in selling it since it's a gift, I was just curious :)
As for the user value, will try it out, and in the worst case scenario it goes hangin' on the wall :p

Once again, thank you all for the very warm welcome ;)
 
As you have been told, the most important quality of this knife -- or any knife -- cannot be seen. How well the steel has been hardened and then tempered can only be experienced. This is also true of the other important qualities, such as the balance and how well it holds together in performing work. So you can tell us how good it is. We can only comment on appearances and liklihoods.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top