The village Gelbu Special arrived today. Heres a picture, Jani.
It is light and nimble. There is a deep, forged fuller that extends the length of the blade. (Not just on the forward section like the AK.) This makes the blade even lighter than its size would indicate. The fuller does not show in the photographs. I dont usually carry khukuris on hikes or backpacking. I have enough trouble lugging my fat old carcass up the slopes of the Cascades, let alone a heavy knife. I even cut off the handle of my backpacking toothbrush. But I might consider taking this khukuri. It is light as a feather, but tough enough to split wood. It will chop, albeit not as well as the AK, and the spine is strong enough to be pounded through wood when splitting. I think this is a gentlemans knife, a traveling knife. This knife is light enough to be useful cutting blackberry vines, or other trail type duties.
It has an eye of the dove cho. Jim, I prefer this cho, because if I am attacked by someone wielding a rapier, when they thrust I can catch the tip of their weapon in the cho, and with a quick twist, disarm them.
Just kidding.
The blade is not stamped made in Nepal.
There is a knot in the wood of the handle that makes it not quite smooth, and gives it a special character.
This is a keeper. As I suspected, when Kami Sherpa expressed admiration of this blade.
The Gelbu Special looks like a winning design.
Perhaps Kami Sherpa can tell us some of the history of this design. I wonder where it originated, and if there are preferred uses for the design in Nepal. And of course, I wonder the village of origin of this particular knife, and what kami made it.
