- Joined
- Feb 26, 2002
- Messages
- 618
Over the years I have owned many khukuri - both antique and new. My best balanced khukuri in hand until now from literally hundreds I had owned was a very special antique M43 from World War II (special because it appears to have been hand made for an Officer and not a mass produced version - it has the officer's name on the sheath). That perhaps has not changed but it now has a smaller partner that balances just as well and which I like more because it is lighter and therefore livelier in hand.
I have just received a new Tamang that I had ordered from HI a few months back. At first I was a little disappointed. I had wanted a Tamang that had similar specifications to the original one but with a high polish. I had two tamangs that fitted these specs that I had bought from HI a few years ago. They both had 16 inch blades in villager style and weighed in at 13 ounces and 14 ounces. I had previously written of my love of the Tamang model at http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1315895-My-Favourite-Khukuri-Model-–-long-winded! When the new beautifully finished and polished Tamang arrived it had a 16.5 inch blade and was close to 16.5 ounces in weight. Bearing in mind I had specifically asked for it to be lightweight like the original (the original was lighter than this), I was not happy with 16.5 ounces - that is until I started handling it. I then quickly realised that it felt great in my hand and was as easy to use as my lightweight and shorter original style Tamangs. I couldn't work out how this was so when it was longer, bigger, and weighed more.
That's when I discovered its secret. Whoever made this kukri did a magnificent job. It has a wonderful taper along the spine from handle to blade tip that seems to have made this kukri come alive in my hand. When I looked closely at the well balanced WWII M43, it also had a magnificent taper. It appears that blade taper has a lot to do with how a khukuri balances in the hand. A well conceived spinal taper leads to a well balanced khukuri. My two original Tamangs are great but there is next to no taper along the length of the blade spine - but if you refer back to my previous thread referenced above, they were still kukri that I loved. Now I have achieved their feel with a heavier and longer version. Now I have a new favourite. (I have taken some photos for this thread but unfortunately I am technologically challenged and didn't know how to load them here. However the Tamang at http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...3-Pix-Bagh-Bhairab-Movie-Model-and-Great-Buys appears to be identical to mine and no doubt made by the same master smith. I am a happy man.
I have just received a new Tamang that I had ordered from HI a few months back. At first I was a little disappointed. I had wanted a Tamang that had similar specifications to the original one but with a high polish. I had two tamangs that fitted these specs that I had bought from HI a few years ago. They both had 16 inch blades in villager style and weighed in at 13 ounces and 14 ounces. I had previously written of my love of the Tamang model at http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1315895-My-Favourite-Khukuri-Model-–-long-winded! When the new beautifully finished and polished Tamang arrived it had a 16.5 inch blade and was close to 16.5 ounces in weight. Bearing in mind I had specifically asked for it to be lightweight like the original (the original was lighter than this), I was not happy with 16.5 ounces - that is until I started handling it. I then quickly realised that it felt great in my hand and was as easy to use as my lightweight and shorter original style Tamangs. I couldn't work out how this was so when it was longer, bigger, and weighed more.
That's when I discovered its secret. Whoever made this kukri did a magnificent job. It has a wonderful taper along the spine from handle to blade tip that seems to have made this kukri come alive in my hand. When I looked closely at the well balanced WWII M43, it also had a magnificent taper. It appears that blade taper has a lot to do with how a khukuri balances in the hand. A well conceived spinal taper leads to a well balanced khukuri. My two original Tamangs are great but there is next to no taper along the length of the blade spine - but if you refer back to my previous thread referenced above, they were still kukri that I loved. Now I have achieved their feel with a heavier and longer version. Now I have a new favourite. (I have taken some photos for this thread but unfortunately I am technologically challenged and didn't know how to load them here. However the Tamang at http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...3-Pix-Bagh-Bhairab-Movie-Model-and-Great-Buys appears to be identical to mine and no doubt made by the same master smith. I am a happy man.
