My next knife is a Kukri.

Walking Man

Walking Man

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May 28, 2003
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Hello, everyone.
My next knife will be an HI khukri or maybe that big bowie or something.
I'm impressed, and I've got the bug.
Too bad I only live in an apartment, and I have no place to chop wood. :(
Oh, well, at least I'll know what to use when the time comes.
 
Originally posted by Walking Man

Too bad I only live in an apartment, and I have no place to chop wood. :(
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Any old used furniture that you just need to get rid of?
 
WM, the wood doesn't have to be REAL. Just fondle the khuk(s) and pretend/fantasize. Speaking from experience.
 
About the used furniture......
I chopped that up when I got fired from my old job. :D
It's kind of a ritual with me, when I have a really, really, really bad day (once about every 2 or 3 years) I chop up furniture. It makes feel much better and gets my aggresion out.
The first time I did it, it was with a United katana that snapped in two...... I think it must have caught in the grain, and then the top half flew back and might have hurt me, but it didn't. I threw it away and used another knife.
Last time, I used my Cold Steel War hammer.
That was fun. Can you say HULK SMASH!!!
 
If you like hand made products that are made with next to primitive tools you will flip out when you get your hands on one of the HI blades. I couldn't get my head around the fact that there were hardly no machines involved in the making of these knives.

I finally got to the HI home site and saw the shop they work in and it became very clear but, it still seems amazing that such work can be produced the way they do. If you haven't been, Welcome to the cantina.:) :D
 
I was just looking at the Chitlangi Khukri.
It looks nice and has a very nice price.
 
I've been remiss, WM. Welcome.

Take a good look at the Malla, too. Most under-discussed of the khuks, but a real lady. Not one you would want irritated at you. Made short work of orange branches this past weekend.
 
You should just go ahead and order an 25in Ang Khola. I can already see you'll end up there.:D ;) Maybe some of the guys will post a link to some pics for you.:o I don't know how.

RB aka Patrick
 
Hello, Walking Man. ( And hello too to Raven's Beak, been too long no hear from you. ) Just grab somethin' short and fat (15 AK ) or medium/medium ( like 16.5 WW2 ), or long and lean ( 18" Sirupati ). Or buy a 12" AK, that way you can work up another 18 whole inches to the 30" AK.
 
Welcome. Get one of everything. That is what most of us are working up to anyway.
 
Welcome to the Cantina Walking Man :D

Too bad I only live in an apartment, and I have no place to chop wood.
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That apartment got a kitchen? Do you like to cook? You'd be well served in that aspect by any of the following;
Kumar Karda
10" Bura New Model
12" Ang Khola
12.5" Pen Knife

My advice/recommendation? Don't buy a khuk, at least not yet. Do your research first. Start here; http://www.himalayan-imports.com/faq/
Then, sit down and make a list of what you plan to use your khukuri for, and what you expect it to do (be realistic, one knife will do many things, but no knife will do everything). Once you've put together your "khukuri resume'", go back to the HI website and take a closer look at the various models. In time you should have it narrowed down to a "short list" of no more than three different khukuri models. That's the time to sift through this forum (i.e. keyword search)to scope out opinions, field test results, etc.. Some khuks, like the 15" AK, are perennial favorites, and have all kind of anecdotal data available on 'em. That's fine, but don't be put off from investigating some of the more obscure blades like the Ghopte Balance, Dui Chirra, etc., if you're interested in them. Ask opinions, folks here will have owned/used almost any khuk you're interested in, and you can benefit much from their experience.

Now, by golly, you're ready.;) Watch for specials like a hawk. Don't be nervous about picking up a so called "blem", an HI blem is better than a lot of people's "grade A", and any little problem like a crack in a horn handle, or a loose buttcap, can be fixed easily and inexpensively. HI blems are some of the absolute best knife bargains you'll ever have an opportunity to pick up. When one of the khuks on your "short list" pops up, JUMP ON IT, and I do mean jump, you gotta be quick as a ninja.:rolleyes: Don't worry about who made it, they're all good, if you buy enough khuks you'll eventually settle on a personal favorite kami.

Good luck, and good hunting,

Sarge
 
Sarge isn't kidding about jumping on blems. I sent an e-mail for one only to find that it had been nabbed a bout a minute earlier by someone else! UB was kind enough to find another one for me though. I wouldn't count on that happening very often, nor would I want to impose on his kindness. I'd also add a 15" sirupati to the kitchen list, it would make a mean cleaver.
 
Originally posted by Walking Man

Too bad I only live in an apartment, and I have no place to chop wood. :(
Oh, well, at least I'll know what to use when the time comes.
Click to expand...
I agree with Sarge, the kitchen is a wonderful place to have a few khuks. I have a Kumar Karda, a JKM1, a 12" AK and a 15" AK. Have used them all in the preparation of meat and veggies. Whole chickens don't stand a chance.:p (Maybe even half frozen, but I haven't checked that out yet.)

We live in an apartment, too. We get out the khuks, sharpen, polish ,Hooflex the handle, Practice the bellydancing....Oh that was another thread:eek: ...but i think I'll try that too. Probably be a good idea if you are pretty good at the balancing before you try using a khuk. I'm thinking my Chitlangi will do good as it is balanced beautifully right at the curve. Fits nicely on the head there. :rolleyes: :D ...now back to other apt. rituals. Bug everyone you know with excessive useless trees on their land to go out and chop away:D :D Always remember to put them away if the landlord is coming so as not to frighten them, although a few placed tactfully is great:rolleyes:
 
Hooflex = this stuff
hfconditioner.jpg


Contains lanolin and other goodies that keep buffalo horn handles healthy (they're prone to drying out and cracking in hot, dry, climates if not moisturized). You can get Hooflex at most any feed store or shop that caters to equestrians.

Sarge
 
Horn handles vs. Wood handles:

Horn does well in muggy jungle climates where things rot. It doesn't do well in dry, clear climates unless you stabilize with lanolin first. Stabilize means apply regularly, like once a month ( or once a week initially.

Wood does well is desert climes like Nevada, Arizona, etc., while horn shrinks. The woodchucks around here will tell you details.

What to buy? Wood's now more popular among forumites than horn, according to Uncle Bill. Originally it was horn. Some folks had horn and one day noticed their prized treasure had a crack down it with horn. So then wood got popular. Now it's swinging back cause cracks can be fixed with super glue or epoxy, and keep it treated and there aren't any cracks.

Which to buy? Which do you want. Or which can you get for I/3rd to 1/2 off or a bargain deal. ( Blem stands for blemish or something not up to HI standards. Cracked horn, tip rust, so on. Doesn't diminish usefulness ).
 
Originally posted by Rusty
Horn handles vs. Wood handles:
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I ignore the handle when making buying decisions.

I'm much more interested in the blade.

Mostly, a blade is WYSIWYG.
I could replace a handle if I wanted to.

Wood is often more beautiful than most horn because so much more is visible.
But some people prefer the blackish horn handle.
And every so often there's a horn handle highlighted with wonderful light streaking.
 
I bought my first Khuk just this month, it got here Monday. A nice 18" AK. I am impressed with the quality and the edge, I happily chopped the branches off a tree in my back yard. I was in the process of digging it up anyway so I figured,,what the heck.

If you collect knives or enjoy them, I think this is a must have item. When you consider it is made by native craftsman, in their home country by hand and they are paid well for it, that makes it all the more valuable. I am not a big fan of mass produced crap, a handmade knife is the way to go.
 
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