Need advice and/or opinions on a good Khukuri for a Security gig in Afghanistan

[Superintendent]

Warty,
I listed only what I currently have.
Biggest draw back to the Tamang, is I will need two...one for him, one for Me!

 

[warty]

well, you can get his now and yours when you can...

 

[Wolf_1989]

Chitlangi

 

[H2OCutter]

16.5 WWII -this one is 22 oz IIRC

 

[Berkley]

I wish Sarge was still around. IIRC he outfitted a lot of soldiers with khuks but I can't remember about what models were deemed best.

Sarge carried a horn handled 20" Shop 1 sirupate on his first tour in Iraq, and said it was much too big. On his last tour in Afghanistan he carried this wooden handled HI "ugly duckling" true villager, the old split scabbard wrapped in wire and recovered in deerskin (killed and cured by Sarge). It's basically a BAS; I believe he said it could "git-r-done", or words to that effect.

 

[killa_concept]

I would agree on the 15" chitlangi if you plan on giving him one of yours. The 16" BAS might be another good consideration if you're too attached to yours

 

[topgun0728]

H2O - Is that a Terry Sisko rig?

 

[H2OCutter]

H2O - Is that a Terry Sisko rig?

It is indeed, Terry does outstanding work and is great to deal with.:thumbup:

 

[b.c.molin]

Is just me, or does anyone else feel a strange aurora when handling a Khukuri? espeally the HI Khuk.... I’ve held many items from firearms, knives, sports cars, etc, that felt good in the hand, but the HI Khukuri’s seems to have an almost spiritual "feel" to them. It has to be more than just the red wine I'm usually comsuming, I’m sure….

No, you are not alone regarding 'feel' or aurora of some HI items having a metaphysical aspect to them, and I'm a teetotaller.!

My 16.5inch WWII weighs in at 22ounces:

 

[ArchAngel]

If I were going into such a situation and place as your brother, I would want my 18" Gelbu Special. It is a light, fast and deadly khuk. IMHO at the 16" and smaller size, it is too knife like and not as khukish. That is just my opinion.
The area of the world your brother is going to is full of people with a warrior mentality and they seem to respect a large blade, and as stated before me the khuk is known and respected as a deadly tool over there. Something with a fast and powerful nature would be the best. As Gelbus are so rare these days, if a lightish Chitlange could be found in the 18" or so size range, I think you would have found the tool for the job.
Yangdu could point you in the right direction possibly too. She knows khuks far better than any of us ever will. Drop her an e-mail.
Good luck to your brother BTW. May he remain safe and only need a khuk as a reminder of his time there.

 

[wildmike]

My .02 cents. Get an M-43. Most versatile and efficient combination of survival and combat characteristics around.

 

[Nicholas]

i can't speak as tp its combat qualities, but my M-43 has handled just about every utility task that I've asked of it.

 

[warty]

I feel the auras as well. I have also handled many weapons of war and tools as well. Never before has one felt the same as a Himalayan Imports Khukuri does, certainly not any of the other khuks I have handled. These seem to have a real aura of authenticity and a feeling of quality construction built into them.

I still think you should drive over to Yangdu's and ask to handle a Tamang. Should you find it to your liking, buy a couple and be done with all of this!

 

[Wolf_1989]

Of all the khukuris in my collection, the one and only Sgt Khadka "Super CAK" gets my nod as the ultimate khukuri. It's not really a Chiruwa Ang Khola, as it has dui chuirra double fullers and is more of a Dui Chirra/M43 hybrid. It's a larger khukuri at a little over 20" long but it's lightweight, wickedly fast (almost like a sirupati) and has vicious cleaving power. In fact, I named it Cleaver because of this. Cleaver is my #1 pick if civilization collapses and I need to pick only ONE khukuri to bug out with.

On the other hand, speaking of special auras, this one does it for me:

21.5" Chitlangi by Sher the Tiger.

This is the third H.I. piece to enter my collection and a very close #2 to Cleaver. I have posted before the odd impression I received upon first holding it out of the tribox; it felt as if we had known each other long ago and had been reunited. Perhaps I lived in the Chitlang Valley of Nepal in a past life or something. There's something special and unseen about this one. It's the one which started my infatuation with the magnificent and beautiful Chitlangi Khukuri. It's the only thing I have ever bought which had immediate sentimental value as soon as I touched it. Sometimes a khukuri chooses YOU.

In fact I have a pair of them, both the same size and both made by The Tiger. One has a horn handle, the other saatisal. I named them Wolf's Tooth and Wolf's Claw.

The Claw is lighter, slimmer, and faster.

 

[ivan51]

huh this is a perty interesting post:thumbup:

 

[ofelas]

I'll go against what's been proposed here. Get him the minimum neccessary blade to get the job done, something which he'll carry rather than prefer to leave behind. A great gift that would actually be practical.

The khukuris suggested are all far too large for private use, and are more suited to uniformed carry. Even then a 15" + khukuri would be more than adequate.

He'd be best served with a small, light khuk; 9" blade or so, not more than 12-13" overall length.

I doubt your brother's going to use his khukuri as a last ditch stand off against a few armed knifefighters. Insurgents tend to use firearms, and going up against them with a blade is sheer fantasy. Someone brandishing an 18" khukuri is liable to get shot from a few feet away. Better to conceal a real small khuk & the chances of using it as a last ditch option are increased.

He'll be better served with a small, light khuk, easy to conceal & fast swing recovery if he had to close in with someone at short notice if he absolutely had to use a blade. And he'd have to be well trained in it's use, at level of training that's lacking in most modern militaries.

 

[killa_concept]

I'll go against what's been proposed here. . .

Well if you read my post, that's pretty much what I said... there's no reason to be packing around an 18" kukri unless you plan on hacking down trees or slow moving zombies. It's simply not a practical size: It doesn't conceal or wear well so you pretty much have to strap it to your pack making it harder to access... and with the larger size, it becomes more difficult to draw and use. The larger the size, the more it loses it's utility functionality as well - and utility is what a knife carried into the "combat" zone is going to be used for anyways.

Everyone who is recommending an 18" is simply thinking of it's potential usage, and not the situation that would call for said usage.

Also I had issues with these two things you've said:

The khukuris suggested are all far too large for private use, and are more suited to uniformed carry

Did you get that mixed up? From what you said, it sounded more like you'd suggest a LARGE kukri for private use and a smaller one for uniformed carry (and that is what I would agree with).

And he'd have to be well trained in it's use, at level of training that's lacking in most modern militaries.

I completely disagree with this portion. For someone talking about fending off enemies with a kukri to be "sheer fantasy", I find this somewhat contradictory that you suggest being "well-trained" in knife fighting. Knives in modern military usage are 99.99%+ utility and very unlikely to see combat usage - and if it were to see it, it would be even less likely to be any sort of drawn out confrontation... hell, the chances that both yourself and the enemy would have knives drawn before someone stabbed the other is minuscule. What one needs to train is simply preparedness in drawing the blade and perhaps a few basic moves. That's what the military trains and even then, it's probably more than is necessary...

I'd give this page a read through if I were you (the portion about gurkha training): http://www.himalayan-imports.com/gurkha.html

 

[Karda]

I for one, was thinking mostly of utility for my recommendation, not self defense, unless you consider intimidation by khukuri a defense.
12"-15" would be best suited to both needs, if you are a larger person an 18" might also suffice. Anything larger is unecessary. IIRC, Sarge (Sylvrflcn) carried a 12" knukuri and found it to suit his needs well. Personally i would use a 15" Ang Khola so that i had a khukuri suitable for any situation.

 

[killa_concept]

I for one, was thinking mostly of utility for my recommendation, not self defense, unless you consider intimidation by khukuri a defense.
12"-15" would be best suited to both needs, if you are a larger person an 18" might also suffice. Anything larger is unecessary. IIRC, Sarge (Sylvrflcn) carried a 12" knukuri and found it to suit his needs well. Personally i would use a 15" Ang Khola so the a had a khukuri suitable for any situation.

As was I - which is also why I've been advocated a kukri in 15" and below. My only reason for speaking about martial context was because I saw it as the predominant reason for people suggesting 18"ers. Even for a larger person, 18" is too large and unnecessary for a carry size IMO. That length/weight of knife is simply going to trade off far too much in utility, portability, and ease of use for it's heavier chop (something that isn't necessary and also something that a 12-15" will still perform more than adequately). Has anyone here ever tried pealing fruit with a kukri in the reverse grip? I find it somewhat difficult to do with my 15" AK - and near impossible with my 18" 37oz Vojpure. You just can't get the sort of finesse out of an 18"er that you will out of a 12-15"

 

[DannyinJapan]

The shorter chitlangi or gelbu special would be my personal choice if only for self-defense. (15" maybe)