Machax and Ka-bar's combat kukri-brothers in arms??

brewcitymike

brewcitymike

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Aug 26, 2011
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So I was checking out the machax at One Stop knife shop and listed right under it was the new for 2012 Ka-Bar Combat kukri which has an 8.5" blade and the typical Ka-bar style handle but I think looks a little bit better than the machax, though neither one is Ms. America;) So tell me what you think...same steel, similar blade geometry, similar size and most important(to me), similar in cost, so which looks better, do you think the Ka-bar is just an attempt to copy the ever popular BK4 or is it just a updated version of their kukri machete? If anybody actually owns one please chime in with a review, and if you happen to own a machax as well-you MUST do a comparison test;) Just curious of what your BK&T fiends might think of it. I personally like it but I think my next buy and first kukri will be the regular ka-bar kukri machete or I might just go for the very new and awesome Condor Lochnessmuk parang type chopper-if you aren't familiar check it out.
ka-1280.jpg ka-bk4.jpg
 
I love the look of it but am not sold till I see the tang. My Ka-Bar next gen is starting to bend from what little chopping I do. Though it's 440 and not Cro-Van. Tooj knows what he's doing so it'll probably stand up.

Love the BK4 though.
 
I'm waaaaaay too biased to tell you what I think of the ka-bar combat klo. Being a devoted HI customer for as long as I have been will do that to you. Machax is it's own beast, not a klo. Also, I beleive Webster's has updated the definition of the Machax to simply read: Machax=Awesome, now get out of the house and chop something.
 
I highly doubt it's an attempt to copy; Paul Tsujimoto is a very experienced and celebrated designer in his own right and [a] has no need to copy, and works very closely with Becker.

Nobody owns one yet because KA-BAR hasn't released 'em. I'm not a fan of the KB combat kuk but I want one of the older kuks.
 
i have the new machax coming. we'll see. i can compare to my best old one.

toooj's new khuk? haven't seen one, nobody has sent me one yet, so i can't say, but i will own one somehow :>
 
I'd be interested to see a side by side review too and see both in use on heavy chopping and the small finer work as well
 
I've got quite a bit of experience chopping with a kuk (CS Gurkha in SK5), and unless my eyes deceive me, the Machax's lines follow that of a kuk moreso than the new Ka-Bar kuk. It looks like a more severe curvature on the Machax. I believe the physics involved with what Ethan describes as a "snap cut" in recent videos I've seen, gets the most chopping power from that curvature, as long as the person wielding it knows how to utilize the "sweet spot" to its maximum potential, that is.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, my Gurkha Kukri is the best chopper I've ever used. However, if the scenario gave me a choice, I'd take my BK9 with me instead of the kuk, because a survival knife is needed for much more than just chopping. I am hoping the Machax will be the perfect compromise, because the Gurkha is also by far the heaviest knife I own. I can see being able to do fine work with the Machax, where I know from experience that it is much more difficult with the Gurkha. But I can also see the Machax being a comparable chopper to the Gurkha.

While I don't have, and have never even seen, the Ka-Bar kuk being asked about here, it looks similar in its lines to my Kershaw Outcast, only with a little blade-forward curvature that the Outcast doesn't have. The more extreme curvature of the Machax, IMO, will out-do the Ka-Bar's fat belly in a chopping competition, even though the width of the blade is considerably less.

So in short, my best-guess is that the Machax will prove to be a better chopper, as well as a better all-around camp/survival knife. 'Course, upon just reviewing the OP, the question wasn't about performance, but about looks. No way to accurately predict what is aesthetically appealing to one person over what is to another. I, personally, like the Machax's looks better, but that's only because I can see more potential for more usefulness out of it.

Blues
 
I've got a the regular KaBar Kukri, and it is a good chopper. However, I really can't imagine it performing as well in a shorter length. The regular is 17 in overall, the combat is 13, and the machax is 14. Those couple inches to matter when chopping, and you really notice them when using it as a machete. I don't know anything about how effective the combat kukri would be as a weapon, but as a chopper/machete, I don't think it'll get you very far.
 
The new Combat Kukri looks like it has liberally borrowed the grind of the machax, especially when you compare it to the old kukri.
 
I like the weight on the Machax. Isn't it just a tad over a pound? Pretty good deal for a chopper.

Recently, I debated adding a chopper to my outdoors blade arsenal. Due to the joy of customization, I sided with a CS trail hawk. However, when funds permit I see myself going for either a Kabar kukri, cutlass machete, BK Machax, or BK9. I feel like the BK9 would be the weakest chopper in that group, but it sure looks sweet. I'll see how the hawk works out.

I like to keep it light!
 
I know i'm in the minority, but the machaxe doesn't seem all that interesting to me

what i'd like to see is a REAL kukri from becker or Kbar.. something like the reinhardts old :P
 
I actually got to handle the Combat Kukri from Ka-Bar. Toooj brought it with him to the WNY knife Gathering. It was specifically made & meant for the troops, to be able to carry on the chest on a mollie vest, is what he told me. Said the final version would be tweaked & we saw no sheath either. It seemed/was small-ish. But if it was to be carried as he said, then it was a perfect size. It will be its own animal & is probably meant to be.
 
I have to agree that the smaller size will probably leave some wanting in the area of chopping power and for me the regular Ka-bar kuk is better looking and would end up being the better choice. The machax is still one weird motor scooter in my book but with a rep like it got I wouldn't pick a fight:D
 
Yeah, that reminds me that he said somewhere that the combat kuk was for combat and was requested by some military somewhere, and it wasn't necessarily made for chopping tree branches.
 
I've had the kabar combat kukri for over 4 months now and all I can start out with is that this is an amzaing knife. I regularly use this monster of a knife for chopping limbs and other destructive tasks, I have put it through its paces and I am baffled by the great quality and chopping power of this small kukri. I've heard a lot of people complaining about the sheath not being kydex so my response is that just because something dosent exactly fit your guidlines dosent mean it still isn't a great sheath, personally I love the thing cause of its pocket I can easily put a zippo, sharpener, snare wire, and a small survival tin filled with fishing and medical supplies, not to mention the extra sheath for a smaller knife where I keep an ah-1 arrowhead. Those of you who want this knife but don't want to commit to the price or have your doubts, by all means by this knife.
 
and just to emphasize, they're both KaBars.

and toooj has a bit of blood into each

one of them is a bit older in concept, and refined

the other is pretty damn cool too :)

i won't say which :>

personally, i lean towards my 20 yo machax that has an edge i like, and the geometry i'm used to
 
can someone answer me a question please, been hung on hi kukris for a few years and the machaxe is growing on me,what about wood or micarta scales for the bk4,been using the search,but havnt found what i am looking for.is it the same handle as a bk9,sorry if this is a hijack.
 
bargs said:
can someone answer me a question please, been hung on hi kukris for a
few years and the machaxe is growing on me,what about wood or micarta scales for the bk4,been using the search,but havnt found what i am looking for.is it the same handle as a bk9,sorry if this is a hijack.
Click to expand...

Yes, it uses the same handle. You can also use the KaBar/Becker micarta handles and there are many people on the forum that make wooden handles.
 
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thank you kindly,really thinking seriously on a bk4 this time.instead of a kukri.need to dig a little deeper on the handles i guess.
 
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