Old VS New (calling the "oldtimers")

D

DanSmithy

Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Messages
345
Ok guys, this has been bugging me for some time now.
I would like to know from those of you who have (or had) and older design khuks from HI,
from the time when the khuks where not so heavy ( i.e. before the overbuild weave)
How those compare to the new beefy models? chopping power? ease of use and carry etc.etc. ?
I'm need to know before I make a decision on a custom order.

Thanks upfont for your input.
monkey.gif
DanS
 
I wish I could help you on this, but I have no experience with the newer blades. The last khukuri I bought was a 17" FF from 2005. I don't even know who the kamis are anymore.
 
I'm a bit curious about this as well but I can give some insight... I returned a ~3/8" thick m43 by Young Sher awhile back because the handle slabs kept coming loose. My replacement was by Santosh and came with a 1/2" spine offset by a concavity (a pseudo-fuller if you will) towards the primary bevel. The new one doesn't slice as well but chops a wee bit better... it's also a tad bit more exhausting to use though.

**edit**
This one might be a bit more useful. I just received an older 18" WW2 in the mail a minute ago. It's an older piece I got from a member and about 5/16" thick and by ?? (he uses a trident mark). I picked it up because I got a WW2 for my dad recently (1/2" thick by Santosh) and liked the design too much. Obviously haven't gotten a chance to chop anything up with it, but the weight difference is insane!
 
Last edited:
kamagong said:
I wish I could help you on this, but I have no experience with the newer blades. The last khukuri I bought was a 17" FF from 2005. I don't even know who the kamis are anymore.
Click to expand...

Too bad. You are long overdue for a new Christmas present...;)
 
warty said:
Killa, kami is Shankar Kumar Bishwakarma
Click to expand...

I did a couple searches and think it might actually be an older Murali piece. I guess he used a Trisul before changing to his current mark.
I'll see if I can compare the two WW2s when I get a chance
 
Last edited:
Oddly enough, two of my most recent H.I. acquisitions are remarkably light - the 20.25"/24oz "Gelbupati" made by Bura and the 20.25"/ 34.45oz SCAK by Sgt Khadka.
 
killa_concept said:
**edit**
This one might be a bit more useful. I just received an older 18" WW2 in the mail a minute ago. It's an older piece I got from a member and about 5/16" thick and by ?? (he uses a trident mark). I picked it up because I got a WW2 for my dad recently (1/2" thick by Santosh) and liked the design too much. Obviously haven't gotten a chance to chop anything up with it, but the weight difference is insane!
Click to expand...

My worries exactly...also check this new work : http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=772493 ; how's that for a weight:rolleyes:
 
I'm not sure.

When do you consider the beginning of the overbuild??

Pretty much all along my khuk buying career (about a year before I joined BF)
there has been variations of models.

For instance I have a Ganga Ram, A Foxy Folly, and a YCS that are either 17 or 18" and 23oz. My 15" Bonecutter is 25 oz.

My First khuk, an 18" AK was near 2 lbs and after trying it I decided anything over about 30 oz was really too heavy for me. Chops great for sure but I guess all the weight on the end with extended chopping really hurts my shoulder.

I had a 2 lb YCS and sold it and later snagged the lighter one on DOTD.

For my use I want something heavy enough to chop something 6 or 7" easily and yet light enough to swing and cut a small sapling or branch. The really big, long heavy ones are hard to stop on something so light. Stopping them after a fast swing hurts my tendons. They are great for chopping big trees though.

So for me it's not so much old VS new as watching DOTD and snagging khuks in the range that work for me.:thumbup:
 
I don't know if the "overbuild" is a trend or just different kamis doing different variations in weight for whatever reason.
I'm still a newbie here, but I'm yet to see an 18" chopper in the 20-25oz range. I'm sure the light weight is acheavable as I've seen those.
It's just...I haven't seen them here.

But, you seem to be backing my theory of bigger/heavier is not allways better. Specificaly if you carry it a lot.

When did you get the lighter YCS? mine is 18" 36oz:eek:
I gues, I'll do what you did...try out the design and look for a lighter one:D
 
A little gun forum humor here. I hope this doesn't degrade into a small and fast versus heavy and slow bullet discussion:p
I'm 5'11" around 205 pounds I can wail away with my 38oz 20"AK or my 34oz M43 (18") for a good long time into heavy logs(6" to 8" in diameter green or seasoned) on the ground. But I'm only about 10 steps from the beer fridge. Smaller stuff up off the ground would probably be easier. I'd like to see something in the same length range but 8 to 12 ounces lighter with a wider but noticeably convexed edge. That's why I'm holding on for one of the new/oldstyle bonecutters.
heinlein just snagged a Neem M43 off today's DOTD but I noticed that it doesn't have the pseudo chirra's and it is 2 ounces heavier than mine. Looks good but I'm waiting for a performance review.
 
I have to say the weight was an area of concern in today's DOTD. I went ahead and got the M-43; but I do think I would have preferred it if it was 5- 12 oz. lighter. I guess I will find out in a few days.
A lot of reviewers leave length and weight info out of their reviews. Saying what a great chopper they had isn't very pertinent to one I'm considering if the specs are wildly different.
 
The only khukri I have which I feel is too much is my 25" and 5 lb Bhairab. But that's ok as I didn't buy it for a user; I bought it as an art piece.

I'm 6'5" and 235 lbs and I have no problem carrying a 20" khukri out in the woods all day long. But usually what I carry is one of my numerous Chitlangi's, my 20" Siru, or the Super CAK. One of the reasons I like the Chitlangi so much is it's such a good jack-of-all-trades khukri. It can do anything I need it to do and I usually don't *need* to hack away at a full size log when I'm just roaming the woods with my pups.
 
And on the other end of the scale, I'm 5'7" and around 135 lbs. At max, I can deal with using my 17" 27 ounce Foxy Folly comfortably. I can also swing my 35 ounce M43, but not for too long.

Heaviest one I own is the aforementioned M43, lightest (over 15 inches) is the 16 inch Sirupate at 20 ounces. 27 ounces is a nice compromise weight-wise.
 
Weight was always one of my main considerations from the first moment I decided I want a kukri. There are advantages and disadvantages to having a heavy blade, but a kukri is not an axe or a mallet. It's a category of knife/sword as far as I'm concerned, and should have its weight limited accordingly. For any practical use, you need the blade to fall on the lighter side rather than the heavier side. I guess a lot of my fellow Americans are stuck in the "bigger is better" mentality, but that is seldom the rational/logical choice with knives/swords. I don't think I will EVER buy a kukri over about 2 pounds, as I know that'd just be physically impractical (in general), even if I can handle more weight with ease.

I have been hearing chatter lately about how older kukris were made lighter, and that is concerning. I don't think there's any real reason to make the things heavier, and I would be more impressed by good strong kukris of comparable size and significantly reduced weight compared to what's commonly available. Indeed, I have seen some kukris with a ridiculous weight profile...
 
Ascalon, for me it's not a matter of "bigger is better" as much as it is "longer is better". At my altitude, a khukri under 20" feels too short for me. Me carrying a 20" khukri is about proportionately the same as your average Nepalese man carrying a 16" or 17" khukri. I like my tomahawks the same way. The first thing I do is rehaft a new one if it comes with a handle shorter than 20" long.
 
Wolf_1989 said:
Ascalon, for me it's not a matter of "bigger is better" as much as it is "longer is better". At my altitude, a khukri under 20" feels too short for me. Me carrying a 20" khukri is about proportionately the same as your average Nepalese man carrying a 16" or 17" khukri. I like my tomahawks the same way. The first thing I do is rehaft a new one if it comes with a handle shorter than 20" long.
Click to expand...

Oh yea, for sure. A good length kukri is a must, though one of those huge (25"+) ones would be impractical mainly because of the weight. They should be able to make 18~20" kukris with a good weight profile around 2 pounds or less, not pushing towards 3 pounds like I've been seeing lately.
 
Ascalon said:
Oh yea, for sure. A good length kukri is a must, though one of those huge (25"+) ones would be impractical mainly because of the weight. They should be able to make 18~20" kukris with a good weight profile around 2 pounds or less, not pushing towards 3 pounds like I've been seeing lately.
Click to expand...

You'd dig my 20.25" Sirupati/Gelbu hybrid. Bura made that one a mere 24 oz. Talk about agile & quick. Wow. I know what you're saying; I'd like to see more of em made a bit lighter too.
 
Wolf_1989 said:
You'd dig my 20.25" Sirupati/Gelbu hybrid. Bura made that one a mere 24 oz. Talk about agile & quick. Wow. I know what you're saying; I'd like to see more of em made a bit lighter too.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a plan. Possibly a little shorter would be good.
 
heinlein said:
Sounds like a plan. Possibly a little shorter would be good.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the responce so far.
It seems most agree that there should be a weight limit of sort, at least when it comes to a user khuks.
I think making lighter and still strong enough khuks will put some chalenge to the kamis, but this is what differentiate top quality company from the "other makers".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top