Larger Chiruwa AK?

[dodgeem33]

I've got a 16" CAK and a 15.5" AK and I love them both but I would love to see about a 20" CAK. I'm a big enough guy to handle the weight and it would be more of a chopper than a brush clearer but useful none the less, does anyone else feel the same???

 

[Shann]

Once in a while you'll see one of these brutes come through on a DOTD. I've never handled one. I like the 18-21 inch khuks best of all, so I probably would like a chiruwa AK a little longer.

 

[xinel]

I used to think like you dodgeem33 untill I bought an 18inch CAK and I'm built like a brick shithouse.

 

[Skyler R.]

My 18" CAK is more then enough for all of my wood clearing jobs. That being said a 20" or larger would be fun to pick up.

Contact Yangdu, she could get you one.

 

[dodgeem33]

So maybe 18 is enough, I'll keep my eyes on the dotd, perhaps that perfect 18 with the white metal will come up. Thanks!

 

[Jaiofspam]

i think there was a 20" cak made available a month ago?
i remember auntie yangdus brother holding it in a pic iirc

 

[Dave Rishar]

The weight adds up deceptively quickly.

Speaking as a fairly large individual, 18" and ~2.5 lbs. is the practical upper limit for most khuks in general and the AK in particular; a few inches longer is fine, but the weight is pretty much nonnegotiable. Beyond this and the khukuri will become tiring out of proportion with its effectiveness. If the job is going to require more than a few blows, I often find that a smaller and lighter khukuri will finish things more quickly than a larger one as I don't have to take breaks.

One trap that I've fallen into (and I suspect others have as well) is to pick something up, swing it around a bit, and say, "This is fine. I can handle this," only to find out thirty minutes later that chopping for half an hour brings different variables into the equation than a few test swings at a log do.

I myself have a few "superheavies," including a 25" CAK by Khadka. It is a beautiful piece, excellently balanced, and even a bit light for its size (and feels yet lighter because of that balance), but I would not want to spend a day in the field with it. JMO.