A lot of folks have already brought up most of the points I was planning on touching upon, but thought I might as well throw in my two-bit, so here goes ...
I know HI has a huge fan following for its "overbuilt", big, thick & heavy khukuris, but I too am wondering if HI would be willing to produce lighter versions of their popular models as well. Like many here, I feel a broader-bladed khukuri in the 16-18 inch overall range (ex: M43, AK, etc.) with a weight in the 24-28 ozs range would be ideal for me personally (stats = 5’10” 180lbs). For khukuris longer than that (20+ inch range) I would personally stick to the slimmer-bladed variety (Sirupate, Chainpure, etc.) to keep it in the same weight range, unless I was specifically going for a big, heavy khukuri.
Now to bring down the weight from what we usually see, perhaps some areas to consider would be:
BLADES: Slightly slimmer spine – doesn’t have to be super-slim like a “CS Kukri”, but shaving off a tenth of an inch or two should make a difference in weight. Also, perhaps deeper hollow-forged blades. I’ve handled some very nice, well-made older khukuris (as well as from another modern source) that strike a great balance between length and weight, and most of these have deeply hollow-forged blades with tapering spines (thicker at bolster, thinner at tip). They have a decent heft for good chopping power but also have a very lively, “fighter” feel to them that makes them a pleasure to swing around.
HANDLES: Non-Chiruwa handle options please! Stick tangs work very well, and have done so for centuries, and I’m pretty sure they weigh less than chiruwa-tangs too. Infact, as a number of you know, many older khukuris (as well as many current khukuris used in the villages in Nepal & the Himalayas) are partial tangs and serve(d) their owners very well – this is just an example, not saying we should have partial tangs, but definitely more stick-tangs going all the way through the handle. Of course, for models like M43 they should probably remain chiruwa-handle-only as the original WW2 ones were chiruwa-style, but even here, gradually tapering the spine of the tang in the handle from thicker by the bolster to thinner by the pommel should shave off some weight without hampering the khukuri’s performance.
Also, I wonder if making the handles less chunky might help too – those extra long, super-thick handles are not as aesthetically pleasing to my eyes, and I’m sure add to the weight too. Shorter handles should lower the weight too, but may not be popular with folks having bigger hands, but just throwing this in here as an option, perhaps shorten the handles just a tad bit?!
MISCELLANEOUS: I like some of the recent scabbards, as well as the fact that there seem to be more non-habaki bolsters being offered. Now, can we please bring down the kauri/cho closer to the bolster???!!!
The above are all my personal wish-list for alternate/lighter HI options besides its usual heavy-weight line-up. I’m certain loads of you will scoff at the idea of shaving down the spine thickness, handle size, etc., particularly with HI’s reputation for indestructible blades, and I’m fine with that.
These are just my personal opinions based on the fact that I see a khukuri in its traditional role (as it’s usually seen in Nepal and other parts of the Himalayas) – as a fighting blade as well as an all purpose utility chopper, but not as an axe-substitute or a prybar with an edge!!!
Here in the Himalayas, folks usually don’t try to chop down mid-sized trees with their khukuris – they find a bancharo (axe) for that.
Also, food for thought: most Nepali are smaller than most average-sized Americans, but their khukuris also usually weigh in the 20oz-or-less range, so a 17-inch M43 weighing 26 ozs isn’t really a flimsy, lightweight blade ... umm ... don’t know where I’m going with this thought
... anyways, better end on this note as I'm starting to ramble.
Hope I haven’t offended anybody ... I’ll now go back and wait for an 18” 24oz M43 to show up with shorter, slimmer stag-horn (or neem) handle and tooled leather scabbard, or an 18” 25 ozs non-chiruwa-handle Shamsher, or ...
