Cool vid! The specific notch is called a "cho."
I think it's kind of cool, but while I know I'm not the first to think of this, couldn't someone make one shaped like the bottle opener on my Swiss Army Knife?
The better option for a kukri/machete steel would be 80crv2 or 1075 or 5160 (or 3v if you want to spend a lot more)
dirc, everything you're saying makes total sense to me. I wish I understood the steels more. I do have a pretty good knowledge of noble metals and stones. One of the analogies I often posit is toughness vs. hardness. I piece of boot leather is so tough you can beat it with a hammer and not hurt it, but you can scratch it with your fingernail. Glass is very hard. You can't scratch it with a screwdriver, but drop it and it shatters.
I really appreciate the input. It does make it very challenging to find a knife that fits all the criteria. Size is good, but metal isn't, metal is great, but handle is bad.
Two Kukris I got from Kailash Blades are rock solid. I can share some pics here if you want.
I would love to see some pics if you have the time to post them. I'll check out that link as well. Thank you.
IMHO, in terms of steel used, that Marcaida Kukri is overpriced. $330 for D2 steel is just a stretch. For that price, I’d expect 3V steel at minimum.
Sadly, from what you guys have taught me, I'm inclined to agree. I'm afraid too many big names have gotten involved and there are only so many ways you can cut the pie. If it were made out of 5160 I think it actually might be a good fit for what he primarily does as I was about to address with Steve.
Would he appreciate another knife!
How long as he used his "trusted" go-to bushwhacker!
Getting the right balanced and correct handle proportioned khukuri could be a factor that makes for a viable option to carry and replace the stalwart tool!
Personally I'd get to know what criteria for a replacement
Steve, I can't thank you enough for your perspective on that. He stopped by last night to return my trailer. The little boy next door immediately saw him, donned his mother issued mask and ran out to show my buddy that he'd been practicing. Rick had been teaching him out to throw a hand-ax and gave him an old roofing ax to use for practicing.
I started thinking about it more after reading your post. The knife he carries is broken, bent, chipped and doesn't hold an edge well. He has remarked about it a lot. I do feel like he would really appreciate a nice one, but the more I think about it the more I'm now understanding why many of them are wrong. While some of those large ones are awesome, they're not something you would easily carry around regularly. Also, as was pointed out earlier, while the HIs are traditional, those sheaths really aren't practical. The CS is really nice, but even that is perhaps a bit large. It's so hard to tell online. I was very disappointed to learn that the CS is made in China. I'm sure it's a great knife, but I remember what crap our medic scissors where that came from there as opposed to the ones made in W. Germany.
He still teaches hand to hand and edged weapons to LEOs and so much of what he likes about a knife comes back to things like their usefulness as a fighting knife. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen him draw and throw at something just because he enjoys it. So yes, balance, size, weight, ease of carry. In many ways the Marcadia knife checks the boxes, but price and substandard steel make it questionable.
The sheaths on the Kailash seem solid. The Scrouge is freaking beautiful. I'd love to have it on the mantle, but as was pointed out above the handle may not be a good fit pardon the pun and it's likely too big for an easy carry. The Regent that was suggested is also very nice, but based on Steve's observations it too may be a bit large. It's so hard to saw without holding one. I wish we had a good knife shop nearby. We did years ago, but the internet changed a lot of that.
Perhaps I need to special order the knife on Doug's site, without anyone's name on it, made in 5160, with one of those Kydex sheaths from Kailash.
BTW, thanks for all the great input. Just typing out my responses really helps put things into prespective.
