Newbie looking for my first Kukri

alfred tan

alfred tan

Joined
Oct 26, 2003
Messages
53
I was smitten the first time i saw a broad arrow marked kukri at the local gun show, the dealer wanted $250 i put it down came back around and it was sold :( Until then, i always thought Kukris were poorly made tourist garbage.

Ultimately, i want a nicely made antique Kukri with a watered blade. But after reading about the great things that HI is doing for the people in Nepal and the quality of their blades, i would like to start with a HI blade.

Question is, which one should i get?
I will be using it as a camping tool and general purpose knife.
Is there a model that is not buffed to a chrome finish?
Could i do a special order? With a watered blade?
Are there particular smiths that are better than others?
Could i pick smiths?

And where could i find antique Kukris? (i still want one of those as a wall hanger)

thanks
alf
 
>>Question is, which one should i get?
>>I will be using it as a camping tool and general purpose knife.

World War II 16.5", horn handle or wood handle. I actually want one of these myself.

>>Is there a model that is not buffed to a chrome finish?

No, all of them have mirror polished blades. But, with a bit of work, you can scuff it up and make it look 'used'. Nothing wrong with mirror polished blades...I think it shows the extra time and effort that went into the manufacture of my blade.

>>Could i do a special order? With a watered blade?

Yes. Watered blades...I don't know if the kamis do damascus. If any of them can, perhaps Bura.

>>Are there particular smiths that are better than others?

Bura, without question. He makes the best khuks out of them all, and that's saying something. I've got this sweet little 15oz 18" Kobra and I don't think ANY of the other kamis could have equalled the weight distribution and overall execution of this piece.

>>Could i pick smiths?

You can. Just specify the smith.
 
Welcome aboard:D It sounds like you would probably want to get your feet wet with a village model. These will not have a mirror finish, or be finished as nicely overall. Recently I have picked up a couple of the 12" Villagers. The one I'm keeping for myself has been put to work splitting wood. I've batoned the he-- out of it with no problems. I'd recommend one of these while you are looking around for the antique model :) :) :)
 
Hi, Alf;

Welcome! Great "implements" and great folks here too!

You wrote, "Question is, which one should i get?
I will be using it as a camping tool and general purpose knife."

Me: It is very hard to go wrong with a 15" British Army Service, 15" Ang Khola, 18" Sirupati, 18" Gelbu Special and 16.5" WWII model. The 15" Sirupati is a real sweet Khukuri too, but it's too light for any serious chopping. By the way, don't let the light weights of the 15" BAS's fool you. I've got one that weighs only 20-oz and it is an astonishing cutter while still retaining a handy size.

You: "Is there a model that is not buffed to a chrome finish?"

Me: Not really, but a bit of relaxing time with a fine grade of sand paper and maybe a Scotch Brite pad will give you a satin finish in no time.

You: "Could i do a special order? With a watered blade?"

Me: Don't know. Never hurts to ask.

You: "Are there particular smiths that are better than others?"

Me: Yes. My favorite smiths (Kamis) by a huge margin are Yadep Bahadur (y!B) and Kumar Bishwakarma (K.M.*). Their handles are user-friendly, and the metal work is very nicely done as well. I've got ten Khuks by five different Kamis, so I've had a chance to see a decent assortment. I understand that Bura is considered THE master Kami though I've always managed to miss out on his offerings.

I just did a quick review of my Khuks and their Kamis. Curious. In my case, Raju (R.R.) makes very nice looking blades, but his handles are a bit rough on my hands because the central lateral ring is quite pronounced. I have to file them down (two Khuks). Also his blades are the most dull of the ten Khuks I have.

I have two Shankar (KS) Khuks and really dislike the way they feel in my hands, though my daughter loves how they feel (shrug). The blades are terrific though.

I have two Sher (SB) Khuks. One of them the central ring is way too pronounced. Files and sandpaper fixes that. Beautiful blade work.

You: "Could i pick smiths?"

Me: Never hurts to ask.

Don
 
For camping where weight is a factor I really like the BAS. Also the BAS probably has the best edge of any HI knife I have. Thin enough to chop like a machete but thick enough to where the edge won't bend if you slam it into the heartwood. I doubt you could split big firewood with it cause it doesn't weigh that much, but for clearing the trail and stuff up to about 6" it's great.
 
Alfred:

It sounds like you might want to email Uncle Bill and ask if he has any Villager models, or will be getting any in the near future. I really like those, because they have a rougher finish on the blade and the handles have not been buffed with compound. This allows you to slick the blade up to the extent that you want (or leave it as is) and put on whatever wood finish you want without "rouge removal."

The shape of these various khuks doesn't seem to matter as much as the general size. I have not noticed any significant difference in the cutting ability of an AK v. Sirupati v. WWII if all are the same general weight and length.

Therefore, you might want to determine the limits of length and weight that suit your purpose and see what Uncle Bill can match you up with. About 20" (give or take) and roughly 2 lbs. works for me out in the woods, and if this is a bit large for use as a knife, the Karda will cover the tasks it won't.

The Kamis are all excellent, and like typical craftsmen some of their khuks will be particularly inspired and others will be less so. If I had 100 khuks by each of them some qualified comment could be made, but I doubt that you will be dissapointed regardless of which "maker's mark" is on the blade.

If you want an old Army khuk, check out www.atlantacutlery.com since they recently imported a large number of such items. Available but not listed on their website are old Kardas for about $2 apiece (item 1-130). I picked up 30 of them recently and have found a few in the pile that I like better than some of the ones that came with my HI khuks.
 
Originally posted by alfred tan
Question is, which one should i get?
I will be using it as a camping tool and general purpose knife.
Click to expand...
Start with 15" AK (Ang Khola).
If weight is an issue, ask for a light one.
ALL the blades of a particular style will vary
by a few to many ounces.

Or pick the blade that reaches out & grabs you from the pix.

Either way will set you onto
the "Way of the Khukuri."

:D
 
Try a 16.5" WWII.

You grab other khuks when you have an idea what you'll be doing, cause they all are made to do different jobs.

You grab a 16.5" WWII when you have no idea what you may need to use it for, and do it in complete confidence, especially a Bura made one. There's just something strongly, utterly right about one.
 
Uncle used to advertise the 15"AK as the #1 most popular model. There's a reason for that. Get one and if you don't like it for some reason you can exchange it for a different one. Pretty sure you'll keep the 15"AK though,;)
 
15 inch AK. From there you can radiate up and down in size and style. You will not be disappointed. If you get a blemished one...you will have to examine it with a microscope to find what the "blem" is.

Welcome.
 
You might call or email Uncle Bill and tell him a little bit about yourself (height, weight, fitness, etc.) and about what you're thinking of using the Khukuri for (chopping firewood, clearing brush, food prep). He's a great source of knowledge and has a good eye for the right khuk for the right person.

I started out with a BAS and loved it. But I'm oversized (nice word for fat) with big hands and my users ended up as the less mentioned blades like the Hanuman, Gelbu Special, and Tawar.

Uncle Bill will steer you straight!
 
I like the WW11 with a long heavy blade. You can always use the extra mass,when theres a lot of work to be done!
 
I agree with the Big Kahuna. I don't know of any one that has been disapppointed in the knife that Uncle Bill has picked for them. Just let him know a bit about yourself and what use you are going to put the khuk to. My first Khuks were the BAS and the 15" AK. Haven't been sorry one day.:) :)
 
Thanks all, I put in an order for a 15 inch AK by Bura, could not wait to get my hands on it.

Has anyone bought the stuff from Atlantic? Any good stuff there? I am also looking for a laminated old kuk.

thanks
alf
 
Originally posted by alfred tan
Has anyone bought the stuff from Atlantic? Any good stuff there? I am also looking for a laminated old kuk.
Click to expand...
Search: atlanta cutlery
in this forum
for many positive comments.

Laminated blade?
Who isn't? :rolleyes:
:D :D :D
 
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