So I just received my first kukri today and OMG it's....
First of all, I am writing this as martial artist and not as a outdoor's man. In fact, I am a pretty lousy outdoor's at that.
Nevertheless I am an avid Kaili practitioner (but not in any way a master) and I had hands on experience with katanas and various type swords. Thus, I am not so much writing a review as writing my impression of a kukri martial arts weapon.
To begin, I like to thank Karda! This blade refurbished by Karda from a returned blade and Karda did wonderful job repairing and polishing it! The blade is sharp and free of any nick and chips.
So, when I first held it in my hand, my instinct screamed that this blade is HEAVY. The actual center of the gravity is situated before its shoulder near the handle, but when held, the appearance balance point is about an inch or two after the shoulder on the recurve section. Combined with the recurve design, it means that this blade requires the welder to exercise great deal control, because its momentum would be easily carry the blade foward and embed it into the wrong target (i.e. yourself).
So after careful consideration, I decided not heed my own warning and went chopping.
After 20 minutes of practice, OMG I was in LOVE. And best of all, all my limbs are still intact!
First thing I learned was that I couldn't swing the blade with full force using my shoulder like a katana (or a bat), because it would have undoubtedly embedded itself in my leg. The wide profile precludes it from being used like Chinese sword or sandatas or fighting knives (no duh). However, I found that it can be used like an extremely heavy pair of Chinese butterfly sword, but with amazing chopping power. I cut through anything from springing young twigs to three inch branches with easy. And by slightly adjusting my technique, I effortlessly embedded an inch of the tip into wood.
What makes controlling this monster possible? The handle. The design of the handle is simply amazing. I have medium to small hands, so your experience may vary. I grip the handle with my pinky hooked beneath the ring for extra grip and my index finger extended to the brass near the neck. When my arm was fully extend in a strike, the curve at the bottom half of the handle fits snugly into my palm and effectively stop the arcing of momentum of the blade. So I can easily strike at near full force without fear of the blade flinging out of my hands.
Overall I think WWII is a amazing knife and I will be practicing with it to build fluency in utilizing its potential. Though, my next purchase would be something on the lower end of the weight scale to get a full breadth of the “kukri experience”.
Note: I am postulating that the cutting power is derived from the recurve, which allows welder to employ "push and pull" technique of a katana swing without requiring two hands (albeit in the reverse direction).
Question: what grit sand paper should I use to hone up the edge just a bit?
This is my first kukri so if I misrepresented anything in this post please let me know. Thanks for reading.
AL
First of all, I am writing this as martial artist and not as a outdoor's man. In fact, I am a pretty lousy outdoor's at that.
Nevertheless I am an avid Kaili practitioner (but not in any way a master) and I had hands on experience with katanas and various type swords. Thus, I am not so much writing a review as writing my impression of a kukri martial arts weapon.
To begin, I like to thank Karda! This blade refurbished by Karda from a returned blade and Karda did wonderful job repairing and polishing it! The blade is sharp and free of any nick and chips.
So, when I first held it in my hand, my instinct screamed that this blade is HEAVY. The actual center of the gravity is situated before its shoulder near the handle, but when held, the appearance balance point is about an inch or two after the shoulder on the recurve section. Combined with the recurve design, it means that this blade requires the welder to exercise great deal control, because its momentum would be easily carry the blade foward and embed it into the wrong target (i.e. yourself).
So after careful consideration, I decided not heed my own warning and went chopping.
After 20 minutes of practice, OMG I was in LOVE. And best of all, all my limbs are still intact!
First thing I learned was that I couldn't swing the blade with full force using my shoulder like a katana (or a bat), because it would have undoubtedly embedded itself in my leg. The wide profile precludes it from being used like Chinese sword or sandatas or fighting knives (no duh). However, I found that it can be used like an extremely heavy pair of Chinese butterfly sword, but with amazing chopping power. I cut through anything from springing young twigs to three inch branches with easy. And by slightly adjusting my technique, I effortlessly embedded an inch of the tip into wood.
What makes controlling this monster possible? The handle. The design of the handle is simply amazing. I have medium to small hands, so your experience may vary. I grip the handle with my pinky hooked beneath the ring for extra grip and my index finger extended to the brass near the neck. When my arm was fully extend in a strike, the curve at the bottom half of the handle fits snugly into my palm and effectively stop the arcing of momentum of the blade. So I can easily strike at near full force without fear of the blade flinging out of my hands.
Overall I think WWII is a amazing knife and I will be practicing with it to build fluency in utilizing its potential. Though, my next purchase would be something on the lower end of the weight scale to get a full breadth of the “kukri experience”.
Note: I am postulating that the cutting power is derived from the recurve, which allows welder to employ "push and pull" technique of a katana swing without requiring two hands (albeit in the reverse direction).
Question: what grit sand paper should I use to hone up the edge just a bit?
This is my first kukri so if I misrepresented anything in this post please let me know. Thanks for reading.
AL
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