Looking for very tough knife!

It depends on your own arms strengthen, if it is too heavy. Without training you will cut yourself. You want the toughest or you want to longest. Do you know what you need is wasting people time asking those questions.
 
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pk977 said:
It depends on your own arms strengthen, if it is too heavy. Without training you will cut yourself. You want the toughest or you want to longest. Do you know what you need is wasting people time asking those questions.
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pk977:

There's no need to be unpleasant. Smodtactical's questions are legitimate, not "stupid" as you remarked earlier in this thread, and obviously other people who responded did not feel it was a waste of their time.

Since smodtactical did not know what a DOTD is, he must be relatively new to this forum. I'd rather new people did not get insulted for asking questions that might seem stupid to an experienced old-timer like you with your 25 total number of Bladeforums posts.
 
davidf99 said:
pk977:

There's no need to be unpleasant. Smodtactical's questions are legitimate, not "stupid" as you remarked earlier in this thread, and obviously other people who responded did not feel it was a waste of their time.

Since smodtactical did not know what a DOTD is, he must be relatively new to this forum. I'd rather new people did not get insulted for asking questions that might seem stupid to an experienced old-timer like you with your 25 total number of Bladeforums posts.
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Thank you very much for your support David. It is greatly appreciated! Its people like you that make this community flourish!

I talked to Yangdu and she said she could do a wooden scabbard. She also recommended an 18" Chiruwa ang khola. So I think I might go for it.
 
I personally think the 18" CAK would be perfect for you and hope you can post some pictures of the wooden scabbard. I've never seen one that they made and would love to see it.

Auntie knows her stuff and she won't be happy till she knows your happy and that makes me happy too. She's a class act.
 
I think 20" would probably have a thicker spine; however, the tradoff, may be a too much weight, and that would equate to exhaustion setting in quicker while chopping. Exhaustion and swinging a 20" CAK isn't a really good combination. A 18" CAK would be a beast in itself.

I have a 18" Bonecutter, and that is one serious chopper, and the weight makes chopping a workout for me. I am 5' 10", 200lbs, in good shape, and a martial artist. I would be really cautious swinging a 20" anything, much less a CAK, I wouldn't want to be losing any parts of my lower extremities...lol.
 
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I wouldn't go over 18", and don't make thickness too much of an ironclad requirement. Breaking a 3/8" piece of differential hardened 5160 will take some doing. When I do test blades in 5160 they're 1/4" thick, and I have to put a 3' breaker bar on 'em to do it. Breaking a 3/8" khuk would be bloody challenging.
 
Hey guys I definitely appreciate what your saying about 20 inch being too big and leading to exhaustion. But I'm really looking for the strongest boldest knife possible. I know I won't be doing cutting marathons with something thats 4 lbs, but I'd prefer something like that. Something that is 1/2 inch thick+.

And ya I have a bk9 that is 3/8 or less thick and its tough as nails. But I'm still looking for something thicker, stronger and heavier.
 
smodtactical said:
Hey guys I definitely appreciate what your saying about 20 inch being too big and leading to exhaustion. But I'm really looking for the strongest boldest knife possible. I know I won't be doing cutting marathons with something thats 4 lbs, but I'd prefer something like that. Something that is 1/2 inch thick+.

And ya I have a bk9 that is 3/8 or less thick and its tough as nails. But I'm still looking for something thicker, stronger and heavier.
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I say if that is what you are looking for, then a custom 20" would probably be the way to go. It won't be a beast, it'll be a monster, and I would love to see some pics, when you get it. One word to describe, would probably be "awesome".
 
To me it's not so much exhaustion as the big ones are slow...khuks are great tools but to me they always say "interpersonal crisis management"...and 3 lbs is my upper limit even for swords (and I've been swinging swords, and 6lb straight peen hammers, and comically heavy kettlebells for a couple three decades at this point.)
That being said, go to town with the big khuks if they make you happy-just have a lighter one as well...
18" CAK is a good choice.
 
smodtactical said:
Hey guys I definitely appreciate what your saying about 20 inch being too big and leading to exhaustion. But I'm really looking for the strongest boldest knife possible. I know I won't be doing cutting marathons with something thats 4 lbs, but I'd prefer something like that. Something that is 1/2 inch thick+.....
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Make sure that you emphasize in your email to Yangdu that you want a khukuri with a spine at least 1/2" thick. A 20" AK or CAK is more likely to be that thick, but sometimes even the bigger blades come in at 7/16" or even 3/8".

It sounds like you might be ok with 18" length if the spine is really thick. If that's the case, make it clear to Yangdu and you'll have a better chance of getting what you want without a long wait.

Khukuris tend to be very front-heavy. A 4 lb kkukuri at 20" will likely feel heavier than the same weight at 18". A CAK might have a little more of the weight in the handle end, which would make the weight more manageable.

Good luck and please let us know what you end up with and how you like it.
 
Ive never seen a cak over 18", but I wouldn't be surprised if someone here has a 20" cak or chiruwa bonecutter. I'm gonna guess that such a knife would weigh nearly 4 lbs. A monster indeed.
 
One thing with a 4lb blade is if you miss whatever you're swinging at, it does not stop readily...it is not outside the realm of possibility that one might meet with some mischance, were this to occur. I think i remember seeing a 20" bonecutter on youtube that was pushing 4lbs...older one I believe.
 
I just wrestled my way out to my man cave. House is all tore apart but my CAK is 17" and it's a full 9/16" starting at the handle, a full 1/2" at the bend. It's a beast.

I suspect an 18" could easily be 1/2" or more on any given day by any given kami. Just tell auntie what ya want.
 
I actually asked her about the 20 inch AK that has a 5/8 inch thick spine as listed on their site. I saw a review of one that showed the thickness of it and it was truly awe inspiring. I'm guessing they don't make it anymore.

Just waiting for her reply.
 
I snagged an 18.5" CAK blem on a DotD. Spine is a touch over 1/2". Having a blade that big is neat but it really is at the limit of a big chopper. It can be a bit squirrely. After using it some, I'd prefer a CAK in the 16-17" range, even for heavy chopping.
 
zachariusdominus said:
I snagged an 18.5" CAK blem on a DotD. Spine is a touch over 1/2". Having a blade that big is neat but it really is at the limit of a big chopper. It can be a bit squirrely. After using it some, I'd prefer a CAK in the 16-17" range, even for heavy chopping.
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What do you mean by squirrely?
 
Somebody should post some pictures and dimensions of one of those giant chitlangi bowies. Those might be the thickest and heaviest blades that HI makes, usually 52 oz. Or more. Smod may just be smitten. I know I want one.
 
By squirrely I mean that keeping complete control of the blade during use can be a bit challenging. Even slight fatigue will have an effect in your chopping accuracy and consistency.
 
Thank you for the call out guys - I appreciate it.

Smodtactical - when you say you want a strong knife, it really comes down to defining what that means. On one hand, the HI blades are a huge chunk of 5160 alloy steel. So the base metal used is a very sound choice. Second, the blade is hand forged by craftsmen who know what they are doing. Third, it is differentially, or "zone", tempered. This means the cutting part of the khukuri is hardened to hold and edge but the spine is not. This allows the khukuri to flex and give without being so brittle. Fourth, the thickness is amazing - these aren't going to break/snap without an unbelievable amount of stress. Fifth, because of their design they are field maintainable - you could, in theory, hammer them back into shape and/or sharpen them in the field - the Nepalese people have been doing so for a very long time.

So, what you wind up with is a hand crafted blade that is handmade and unique. You aren't going to find too many out there that are tougher in terms of not failing on you. Moreover, HI is awesome about standing behind their blades and offering great customer service. There are real people and blood, sweat and tears behind these knives.

The folks are giving you some great advice. The chiruwa ang khola (CAK) is one of my favorite profiles. It is a chopper - meaning it is very heavily made and it's weight distribution favors using it for chopping things such as wood, etc. I am 46 and my wrists and elbows have a lot of problems. I used to go for the biggest heaviest knives and khukuris I could pick up - the bigger and heavier the better. The problem I have now is holding on to them. I have actually sold off all my personal khukuris bigger than 18" because of their weight due to my physical limitations.

My point is that the HI khukuris are all very well made and any will serve you well. Put some thought into how you want to use them - including how long you will have to carry them and how much weight you'd want to carry. A person using one at home to cut wood will have a different perspective than a backpacker who goes on long trips into the back country.

Hope this helps some.
 
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