Practical Katana and Kukri

D

djweaponx

Joined
Sep 9, 2002
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Has anyone compared say a Paul Chen Practical Katana/ Wakizashi to the cutting power of a HI kukri?
 
Hmm. well, I have both a PC and several khukuris. Based on my totally unscientific testing, the PC katana will outcut a khukuri up to say, 20 inches in length.

I did my cutting against 4'x 8' x 1/8" plywood sheet, standing on its edge (4' side). My khukuris (15" sirupati, 20" Kobra) cut 1.5 - 2 inches deep, while the katana cut 3-4 inches with approximately the same effort. These results are based on a very limited bumber of cuts (say 2-3 cuts for each blade). Edge geometry, sharpness of the blades, and the flexibility of the plywood may play a role in the depth of penetration observed.

Please note that the katana is quite a bit longer than any khukuri, so a direct comparison isn't particularly valid.

Pat
 
Originally posted by djweaponx
Has anyone compared say a Paul Chen Practical Katana/ Wakizashi to the cutting power of a HI kukri?
Click to expand...

I am of the opinion that either one will sever a head clean from its body. :p
 
The reason I ask. I was telling my best freind about the kukri I will purchase next month (thats when my wife will let me) and I will also now get him one as a present. Since it's his birthday I want to get him a good starter katana or wakizashi that he can really cut loose with also. He always eye my katana that I got as a wedding present from my wifes family from the 1800s. I know anything I give him he will take it out back and start to hack away so I wanted something that can withstand an unskilled persons abuse and in his mind can be called a real weapon. So beside the kukri which seems indestructible I need a cheap sword also for him.

Thanks All

Weapon X
 
a 25" sirupati? They aren't lightning quick but they have some reach and bite deep. I'm an average sized joe but I can still get them moving. And from what I've seen them do to fence posts and maple limbs I have no doubt they would make terrifying weapons if it came down to it.

Frank
 
Thanx :) I will be getting both of us a sirupati. I also need a good starter Katana or Wakizashi that can CUT for him.
 
Originally posted by djweaponx
Thanx :) I will be getting both of us a sirupati. I also need a good starter Katana or Wakizashi that can CUT for him.
Click to expand...


Yeah the PC practical Katana would be a good start, they are pretty tough and cheap enough that if he bends it it won't really matter much.

Check out the HI Katana too though, they are very tough from what I have read and make great Katanas for starting out learning how to cut.

http://himalayan-imports.com/sword.html
 
"I need a cheap sword also"

Hmmm,
1005680021681_Tarwar_by_Bura.JPG

Mine's made by Bura. "Cheap" is not a word I would apply to a hand forged, zone hardened, sword, made by the Royal Kami. Incredible bargain for $195 is more like it. If you want a beginner katana/wakizashi leave this one alone. It's a broadsword, and a good one, but probably not a good choice for Iado. Still, I've taken mine to some pretty tough seasoned oak logs, and it's chopping power was nothing short of amazing. Just a thought.

Sarge
 
Originally posted by djweaponx
Has anyone compared say a Paul Chen Practical Katana/ Wakizashi to the cutting power of a HI kukri?
Click to expand...


A Katana will out cut a Khukuri on the Katanas intended target (Humans) everytime. A Katana used by a skilled swordsmen can cut a man clean in half with no trouble. And there have been documented tests of cutting up to 4 bodies stacked on top of each other.

No Khururi can do that.;)

But remember the Katana is a sword, not a knife.
 
Here is a photo from the website of the standard test cuts.
But they don't test on bodies anymore for obvious reasons.

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So beside the kukri which seems indestructible I need a cheap sword also for him.

Ahem, Gentlemen.

I would recommend 'inexpensive' as opposed to 'cheap'

:)

Cheap somehow indicates or implies inferior. Bir Gorka handmade Khukuris and Swords are not inferior, by any means..
 
Originally posted by lcs37
So beside the kukri which seems indestructible I need a cheap sword also for him.

Ahem, Gentlemen.

I would recommend 'inexpensive' as opposed to 'cheap'

:)

Cheap somehow indicates or implies inferior. Bir Gorka handmade Khukuris and Swords are not inferior, by any means..
Click to expand...


I took it as not expensive, not cheap.

And a PC Pratical Katana is a very good cutting sword to start out with. Not expensive, a good blade without all the bells and whistles.
 
My meaning was not expensive. As for myself as stated I have a few katana from my wife's family but these are not the price range for a freinds birthday present. He will also get a kukri so my budget for his katana is small witin the $150 - $200 range. I dont pruchase swords myself since my wife's grandfather hooks me up with blades from Japan. I just know my freind and I know he will be killing some enemy trees :) out back with his katana so it will have to be well made and cheap for my pocket not in quality.

Thanks
 
I have a Paul Chen Practical Katana and sixty-odd khukuris, many of them from HI. I have compared them on what I believe to be the knife equivalent of ballistic gelatin for firearms: water-filled plastic milk jugs. For the type of wound they are designed to inflict, i.e. a draw cut, the kat is clearly superior. It will cut the target into even .5" slices from top to bottom if your technique is up to the task. By contrast, the khukuri (regardless of style - sirupati, WWII, BAS, or more exotic) will make one brutal cut at the top of the target and knock the jug off its stand thereafter from sheer impact torque, but cannot execute a series of cuts on an unpressurized target like the katana. OTOH, the obviously devastating effect of the khukuri, while lacking the stylistic beauty of the katana, is equally if not more terrible when the test results are hypothetically extrapolated to the medium of human flesh. But if your friend wants to chop wood, get a khukuri - a katana is not up to the task - it will break.
 
Thank you for such a great response. The one thing I wanted was some of this great forums thoughts on the differences between Kukris and katana. As I have only experience with Japanese blades. The second part of my question was a good starting blade for a freind ie. Kris Cutlery or Paul Chen Practical Katana. I want to get him something he can use in proper training as in cutting makiwara (bundles of straw, sometimes with a bamboo core) but not breaking if he dose something stupid like trying to cut down the bean stalk. Your insights as great with the differences between kukris and katana. Please keep them coming. Everyday here is a day of learning.
 
djweaponx - What types of khukuris are you interested in? I also live in the LA area. I have a few khukuris, not as many as some in this forum, and I would be glad to let you handle them before you choose. I even have a 20" Sirupati.

Hey Sarge, that's my sword there! If you think that $195 is a bargain, you won't believe the price I got on mine. I love it. It's an incredible weapon, and I'm scared to death of it. Plus I love the fact that whenever someone looks at the HI site and checks out the swords, they're seeing my tarwar.
 
djweaponx,


The katana will hold up just fine for you have in mind. I don't beleive it will break as someone else had stated earlier. A Katana will bend, not break. If you break it then you really tried to break it. But as you stated he will be cutting straw and bamboo so he will be fine with some instruction and practice.

Good luck.
 
There seems to be something confusing here. It seems the sword lovers say the khuk doesn't cut good. I have 5 khuks that cut pretty darn good. 4" tree limbs very seldom need more than two hits. I use a 15" Sirupati and 12" AK in the kitchen quite often. They cut very well for veggies and meat, cooked or raw. We know that there is still a place for a khuk in modern warfare. What war would you use one of those long blades. I know what Sarge uses his swords for. And, I guess I can see the use of a katana in the dojo, Other than that I'm not sure what purpose. A collecter has long blades but he isn't testing them to see how they cut.

That seems like it would be the same as taking a 1860 colt army revolver out to plink at cans. If I saw something like that I would probably have a heart attack.:) :D
 
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