M43

Cpl Punishment

Cpl Punishment

Joined
Jan 28, 2006
Messages
7,035
OK, as we all know, I sharked an M43 on one of the DOTDs a while back. I received it with usual Yangdu time-warp speed, but it wasn't until yesterday that I could swing it or chop without real pain in my hands.

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It's a nice looking piece, with good figure on the scales. Very shiny. Usably sharp, in fact, I did my cutting tests without having to sharpen it. It has an interesting, dual-pein tang (don't know if this is the usual for an M43)

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A quick evaluation made me pretty happy. It chopped well, much better than my 18" WWII, which is the only kukri I have that size to compare it to. It's quick to establish the proper "whip" motion to the chop, probably because of the curve and weight-forward design.

It doesn't chop as well as my 20"CAKs do, but that's probably due to a few reasons:
1.) I haven't sharpened it
2.) The CAKs are 2" longer, and significantly heavier
3.) I haven't gotten much practice perfecting the way to swing the M43, unlike my extensive use of the Ang Khola

It also didn't slice light vegetation too well (although it managed), but again that's purely a matter of proper sharpening and edge geometry.

Overall, I very much like the feel, and IMO, it chops "heavier" than it's actual weight. Weight-wise, I think I could stand to have this on my belt without requiring a bladric, although it would be best with one.

The big surprise, though, came with the Karda. The Karda is surprisingly nice, has a good grind and is pretty sharp out of the box.

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I'm definitely going to have to give this one a lot more use to wring it out and give a more extensive review.
 
Good review Corp!

Wait till you get the snap down eith that pup! My M-43 outperforms axes.

Once you get a proper edge onit it will perform far better on the light stuff. On light stuff sppeed of the cut also matters more than the weight behind the edge.

Now ya just need to get out and practice uasing it as a drawknife etc to really get the hang of it. My M-43 is my constant companion in the hills. PraCTICALY DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT.
 
Nice review, good to see you are getting out of your usual mold and trying something different.
 
Great review and picture, thank you
 
Thanks for the review & photos. My M43 came similar condition to yours, usably sharp but not super-sharp. I've only used it a little bit and while great for heavy chopping, lighter stuff usually bends or breaks instead of being sliced off. I'll definitely have to give it a proper sharpening. Mine has two rivets on the handle instead of three like yours, but it also came with a longer handle than usually seen.

Re: those two pins on the pommel butt-plate, that's what you usually see on the old, original military-issue MKII and M43 khukuris as well.
 
Update:

OK, touched up the edge a bit, and it does indeed cut the grass as well as anything. I'm still amazed that I can get my Ang Kholas (and now M43) sharp enough to easily cut grass, since most (non-kukri people) seem to think they are just funny shaped clubs as far as slicing goes. I don't go for razor sharp on these, they most decidedly won't remove hair, yet I have them to the point they'll cut grass, but yet not roll the edge on hardwood. I suppose at some point I'll get used to it.

I do want to make a point of saying -- since I usually bemoan the (lack of) sharpness from HI blades -- that the touch up I did was running a ceramic rod along the edge to remove any rough spots or small dings/rolls. THAT'S IT!! No hour with the puck or anything of the like. So whoever's doing the sharpening these days is doing a much better job. Unless you are trying to do something it's really not designed to do (like cut grass), it came perfectly usable.
 
Nice review and pictures.
Would you consider dried bamboo for cutting test? Dried bamboos usually is lighter but tougher than wood. Blades that could not deliver enough cutting power at the sweet spot usually just push it away instead of cutting through it.
 
I just received my M-43 today (18" 35oz by Vim). This knife is nothing short of magnificent! Also, the edge was quite sharp right out of the box - it needs no improvement.
 
paua said:
Nice review and pictures.
Would you consider dried bamboo for cutting test? Dried bamboos usually is lighter but tougher than wood. Blades that could not deliver enough cutting power at the sweet spot usually just push it away instead of cutting through it.
Click to expand...

If I could find some I would. In fact, I've been thinking of specifically planting some (I hear squirrels love it and there's been a dearth of squirrels around for some time).

I have no doubt that a properly sharpened kukri will go through bamboo.

I've noticed that the angle of attack of the kukri edge on the object being cut has a big impact on whether or not it will cut cleanly or bounce off.
 
On hard wood, a 30 degree angle between blade and the length of what I'm cutting results in a very clean, deep cut. probably best for bamboo as well. The softer the material, the sloppier you can be and get away with it.
 
I convexed the edge on mine and it is really amazingly sharp, and the edge holds up through an amazing amount of work especialy if one makes proper use of the chakma.
 
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