Question on my 20" Kobra

K

Kmark

Joined
Mar 21, 2000
Messages
320
Hey guys, got a 20" Kobra from Uncle Bill the other day. Made by Kumar, fit and finish are excellent. Grip is perfectly shaped - not too big, not too small. Scabbard is very well done and holds the blade securely, yet allows me to draw it very quickly.

Here's the thing, though. I find it a little too forward weighted for my tastes. My 22" Bura Kobra is more neutral than this blade. This Kobra has a balance point of around 4" out from the base of the bolster. The blade thickness at at the bolster is 3/8" and has definite distal taper. There doesn't appear to be a reason why it's more blade heavy than my 22" Kobra, yet it definitely is.

Could it be the wood handle, or the amount of metal on the tang that's throwing the weight distribution off?
 
kobra1.jpg

kobra2.jpg
 
Originally posted by Kmark .......... I find it a little too forward weighted for my tastes. ..... This Kobra has a balance point of around 4" out from the base of the bolster. ..........Could it be the wood handle, or the amount of metal on the tang that's throwing the weight distribution off?
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It's a continueing argument among some at Swordforum.com.
But a balance point 4" from the bolster is
considered just fine for a chopping sword
[long or short] which is what a kobra is.
Most chopping swords have the weight much more foreward.
But, there's always wiggle room in the argument for more
neutral balance depending on the style of use.
And you have to feel comfortable with your own tools.

Look at both blades from the top, side by side,
is the blade thicker on the 20",
It could easily be the handle area responsible.

Experiment with taping coins the the pommel to see
what it takes the get the balance you like.

There's a formula for calculating the 'feel' of a sword.
I'll look it up and post here later.
 
Where and how do you grip the khukuris, it can make a big difference. A guy I know who's done some Bando grips his thumb on the bolster.
 
OK here's the formula.
It works well for swords to -compare- 'handiness'.
I haven't tried it with my khukuris yet,
but maybe it would be interesting to start a thread
and compare our various styles and within styles.

Pen, with all the numbers, it sounds like something you might like.

RE NSHR-PoB: measure the distance from the front of your actual grip to the Point of balance.

From Swordforum.com: "I'm probably the most recent guilty party. I've changed the name of it and now call it the Nelson Sword Handling Rating or NSHR.
It is a quick and dirty attempt to apply a numerical valuation with how "handy" a sword is, when wielded with one hand.
The formula is: Blade Length x NSHR PoB x Weapon Weight / 1,000
Blade Length is in inches. Weapon Wt is in ounces. NSHR PoB is the NSHR Point of Balance. This is the distance from the front of the handle, not the front of the guard, to the point of balance (in inches).
For example, a typical Gus Trim sword will balance 5.5" in front of the guard. Most Gus Trim guards are about 0.5" in width, so the NSHR PoB would be 6.0" in this case.
Here are some "typical" ratings:
My English Knightly Sword: 31.6" blade; 32.6-oz wt; 5.2" NSHR PoB; gives an NSH Rating of 5.3. Lower numbers mean the sword is "more agilie". A rating of 5.3 is a VERY agile sword.
My DD1401 a Type XVIa or XIIa by Gus and offered through Lee Reeves' Armoury: 40-oz wt; 34.5" blade; and a 5.9" NSHR PoB gives me a NSH Rating of 8.1. This sword can be handled with some alacrity with one hand, but it would require some pretty strong arm- and upper body muscles.
My Arms & Armour 12th Century Sword, a Type XIIIa "Heavy": 59-oz; 35.0" blade; and an NSHR PoB of 6.8" yields an NSH Rating of 13.9. This sword is impossible to wield effectively with one hand, given my current level of arm- and upper body strength. It is a "thunderbolt", completely destroying anything it hits - when swung with two hands - but with one hand, I can't get enough velocity up to strike as hard as I like, and forget about changing direction with it once it gets going. Someone stronger than I could handle it better I'm sure. -----Don Nelson"
Extracted from:
http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9057
This thread has a good discussion of what,why,if, and other questions.
Also see the original thread from which this formula originated:
http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6821

Swordforum has lots of good info RE blades, even if your only interest is knives.
You probably have to register (free) to get to the threads.
 
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