Questions for the community

J

Jack88

Joined
Jun 16, 2017
Messages
203
First off I'd just like to introduce myself, my name is Jack and I've only recently caught the khukuri fever. My expertise falls mostly in guns and helicopters so after much searching I believe I found the preeminent community of experts of the Nepalese khukuri here on these forums!

It all began with the creation of a new hurricane survival kit, which turned into a go bag which further turned into a woodlands hiking kit. I thought I already had the one all be all knife recommended to me by my friend on the SEAL teams with my Winkler II belt knife (this is a kick ass knife carried widely by DevGru and will remain on my flight survival kit) but as I began looking for a machete or hatchet I discovered the khukuri. After searching through amazon I bought what I thought would be a suitable khukuri (I love amazon I bought my winkler there among numerous other things) which as everyone knows here does not supply the best khukuris.

So after at this point 10+ hours of reading/research/youtube videos I have bought two additional khukuris: the 16.5" HI CAK and the British Service Issue from Tora Blades (both on order). At this point I have many questions for the experts here before I buy an additional khukuri:

- To begin what are the member's opinions on Tora Blades? Can't say I like the wait time but I have read many good reviews.

- I ordered my CAK on Monday received my receipt email but I have yet to see any confirmation that my order has shipped. I emailed Ms Yangdu asking for an ETA just for the possibility of me being out of town the next two days (may be flying cross country, thanks to last minute scheduling...) want to make sure to have a friend grab the box if it appears on my porch.

- Is there any preference between wood/horn handles? At this point I like the look of the bone handle.

- I'm 6'2 200 lbs and want a khukuri that I can comfortable carry for miles on my belt yet have all the utility use (it does seem that these forums love the M43) I bought the CAK because of its claim to be one of the world's strongest blades but does sound as if it is impractical for long carry use.

- Has anyone here successfully blued the steel on the khukuri's?

- I love the traditionalist sheath for display, but as far as making a utility sheath to carry in the field potentially in very wet conditions does anyone recommend a method in sheath making? (leaning towards 550 cord at this point) the same goes for potential handle replacement.

- My father after seeing my first purchase really wants a khukuri as well, hes not much of an outdoorsman but loves history and would more than likely display whatever I bought him, any recommendations along these lines? I was considering either the WWII or British Army Service for him.

I have many more questions but I'll leave them for later!
 
I'm going to bump this over to the Cantina for discussion.
I have cold blued the steel on a khukri and a small HI bowie. It worked well.
The M43 is a great choice and very popular. The CAK you have coming will impress.
 
Thanks! I've blued a couple axes and a small knife but never anything so highly polished as a HI khukuri. Still too afraid to fix up my old Walther PPK without a little more practice first..
 
Cold bluing can be hit and miss. It'll work great on one gun/knife and not worth beans on the next.
A friend on another forum told me about a rust bluing process that he says is much more consistent.
Not the old style rust bluing that takes weeks but kind of like cold bluing where the part is heated up and the solution applied and then dunked in hot water.
I've seen a few that he has done and they look really good.
Like most finishes, preparation of the surface is the key. He bead blast with different grits to get the finish he wants.
I'm looking into a blast cabinet at the moment before I try it out.

Bookie is an authority on rust bluing and browning in the traditional methods. Actually he's an authority on many things.
Lot of knowledge in that mans head. I'm constantly trying to bleed off what I can but I'm sometimes slow on the uptake.
 
Welcome!

Randy ships very quick, you will receive your knife promptly.

The CAL is a good choice, though they do run a bit heavy.
My favorite is the M43, I prefer to keep them under 29 ounces. I chose the M43 over the other styles on the site due to its design which increases the amount of force in the chop, the higher grind which improves penetration and cutting performance. It also has the point on center with the hand in the natural position aiding thrusting capability. It has proven a very capable all arounder.

There are other styles that don't show on the website. One of those, the Yek Chirra is a great all around as well, and a bit lighter.

The traditional sheath are fine, but it is easy with a little leather working skill to make a different sheath.

The best advice is to read the safety faq which is posted as a sticky FIRST! Then get out and use the knife, that will show you what you personally need more than anyone's opinion.
 
After speaking with Yangdu I decided to go with a M43 instead of the CAK, currently looking at getting my father a BAS as well (he'd display it more than use it)
 
Jack88 said:
After speaking with Yangdu I decided to go with a M43 instead of the CAK, currently looking at getting my father a BAS as well (he'd display it more than use it)
Click to expand...

Really superb choices, my 2 favorites! Those M43s are nothing short of awesome, and the BAS is my goto backpacking blade, I have a really light one, but they're very versatile.
 
Smart man! You won't be disapointed.

The first Kukri I ever used was a BAS pattern though not from HI. They are a good blade, just not as capable as an M43.
 
I think I want to get him the BAS also to be able to compare it to the Tora blades version I have on order. Do you guys know the difference between the lighter and heavier version of the M43? I asked Yangdu but no response.
 
Mrs. Martino runs the company, takes orders, does the computer posts, ships all the khuks, and takes care of the customers in general as well as watch over her family. In essence, she is a one woman show, so she will be slow at issuing replies in most instances, but you will get a reply. Why Tora? Don't believe he's much of an HI fan at all. The HI blades will blue, black, brown, red, or French gray, and even purple providing you do your part. Make sure the metal has no oils and finger prints. If it's one of the "villagers", you'll need to remove a large amount of forge scale first.
 
Well in the world of khuks Tora and HI seem to be the best two companies, so after reading and watching so many comparisons I thought I'd get one of each. Though I am already looking at ordering my 3rd from HI. The Tora guy never responded to me from days ago, so he lost a sale. Mrs Martino has been pretty good about responding to me, though we got side tracked talking about a blem and I'm not sure if my M43 was shipped lol.

Thanks for the info, still trying to figure out the mechanics of this forum. Want to post a picture of an axe I customized and blued out..
 
Found a picture of the little bowie I cold blued. I had planned to keep it myself but an officer at work talked me out of it just like several others.


I cut a little of the tang off, just didn't need to be there and worked over the handle a little bit.
Melted a little kydex.
 
Jack, that is the problem I have encountered with Tora. They had a khuk I fell deeply in love with, but failed to ever answer my inquiries. Later, an an old helicopter crew chief of mine manged to obtain one for himself. After I saw the quality of it, my trusty and fever faithful DOTD KLVUK turned out to be just as handsome....and that's one khuk no one can buy from me. Too dern good to let it escape.
 
Lord help us! We got two chopper nuts on the same thread:confused:
My wife has a KLVUK with Kydex and likes it very much!
 
Bawanna that's a beautiful blade. Officer at work, you military? Seems to be a strong presence here of military, I'm active.

Bookie, yeah the guy lost a sale because he refused to answer me. Sending more business Yangdu's way, she has been very responsive to me. Crew chief, you an aviator? A KLVUK is on the list for me eventually for sure.

I have a problem though, I've found another type of blade I'm now obsessing over.. Finnish Puukko's...

ndoghouse how did you go about getting a kydex for the KLVUK? The only thing I dislike about these kuk's are the sheathes. They wouldn't fair well with me on a trip through the Napali coast.. I honestly think I'd take a coldsteel version for that sort of trip, something that I wouldn't be afraid to take in the salt water with me.

Thanks for the responses gentlemen!
 
Excellent pictures, I'm just finishing up my wings becoming a helo pilot myself... Navy though
 
I play with cops. Military wouldn't let me in, I tried.
My son (The Marine) is headed he thinks to Kuwait about September. He'll get a leave prior to that but will spend the Christmas season mingling with camels and sand I guess.
No easy deployment this time. Last time was embassy duty at Baghdad, gravy run he claimed.
 
Gotcha, well thanks to your son. Some time before I get out there.

Think I've found a community I get along with here, long had my hand in firearms just learning about knives.
 
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