serious question regarding durability of khukris

Cotherion said:
Force dissipate to the body. A yielding surface that will absorb force. Then is not surprising if bullet does not penetrate.

Compared to if knife is put in something unyielding like a vise, the force has less avenue to dissipate, then it is not surprising if bullet penetrates.

Just a thought. :)
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Understood.
But the one shot with an AK was in a vise, and still took 2 rounds to go through. Again, though, I only mentioned these in the vein of "stupidity that should not be done and expect warranty coverage". I only gave examples because someone said it was impossible, and I wanted to point out that it HAD been done.

chiral.grolim said:
:eek:
That really IS a testimonial!!!
If you don't need INFI-durability/edge-holding and find a tool that performs better at the tasks you need it for... :thumbup:
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The 5160 in the HI blades holds an edge just as long as INFI, and both are easy to sharpen. The INFI certainly does win out in the "durability without deformation" category, and I really don;t think there's anything close to IN in that regard.

Please don't anyone think I'm starting an HI vs Busse war, or that I don't like Busse blades (I kept all my smaller Busses). It's just that the larger ones don't stand up well in the chopping category when compared to my kukris. There's people who certainly have the need for the toughness of the big Busses, but my door-kicking days are over, and I don't. On top of that, as I've said before, I really don't see how I can break my HIs by hand (and I've done some tough work, and a few stupid things when I first got them, and they just shrug it off).


chiral.grolim said:
Those videos sold me on HI products. Noss admits throughout the videos that his main difficulties with the 12" AK is that he isn't used to the blade-shape (as evident in his technique), but he is amazed at the performance (durability-wise) of even such a little HI product esp. at the price and compared to other modern "hard-use" blades. Oh, he criticizes the handle, but mentions in his forum that the larger HI CAK he bought for personal use is plenty to his liking. I think everyone was surprised at how easily the blade bent and set (being 1/2" thick) in the videos... *shrug* But in terms of "destruction" (total blade failure), HI ranks with the Bussekin! Compare performance and durability to destruction between similar weight FFBM and CAK ... it'll take a long time and a lot of work, and no promises that the CAK won't finish on top :thumbup:

(Not that you should treat one of these hand-made beauties like a production Busse)
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Like I mentioned (and others) in the thread about his test: the blade bending like that is exactly how they are supposed to perform. A differentially hardened blade should bend, not break. Think about it, these are really made as tools for poor third-world villagers (I mean no disrespect in saying that). If they break a blade, they're in trouble. Being very poor (poorer than me ;) ), they can't afford to just go have a kami pop another out for them.. However, if the blade bends, they can pound it back into a usable shape, sharpen out the edge damage and get back to it.
 
Different strokes for different folks.

I've talked over the use of the khukuri with Ron Hood, a noted wilderness survival instructor, in the past. He made the very valid point that although they are good choppers, there is a definate technique to using them. He also noted that a khukuri could be quite dangerous in the hands of someone unfamiliar with this blade type. These comments come from long experience with teaching wilderness skills to varied audiences, and I respect them.

Some of the other blade styles are actually better and safer for some individuals, even when it comes to chopping. However, as the folks here on the forum know, it is hard to beat a traditional khukuri in the hands of an experienced user for chopping performance.

Some modern makers are adopting a forward cant to the blade of larger knives, that approximates some of the mechanical advantages of a khukuri.
 
All good points, Howard.

Only contention I would make is that for the inexperienced user, chopping with pretty much anything is dangerous. A good, sharp axe or machete will lop off a hand or cut to the femur just as well as a kukri will. The big knives Ron Hood champions are only safer in that they are much less efficient choppers and will take off less meat when you miss, but are still dangerous for someone who has no technique. So really, the problem is, people who buy things in case of emergency, and then never develop the skill set beforehand figuring it'll just come to them at the time.

Now, in terms of body mechanics, yes, different people will use different tools better or worse than someone else. You can see that just in what people here prefer in terms of kukris. No one is wrong, it's just that different things work better for different people.
 
I think it may hinge on what people are familiar with and have grown up with, and also their ability and willingness to learn new techniques.

I have a bit of difficulty understanding the problems some people encounter, if I don't have them myself. (I have my own share of issues and problems. They just tend to be unusual ones.)
 
Busse knives have a heck of a good reputation but not many of their designs appeal to me. Mostly aesthetically.
 
personally, Ive grown up with hatchets and small knives...

I find the large bush knives to be awesome, but hard to use

the Khukuri just makes sense to me, though I probably wield it more like a hatchet than a knife

someone who grew up with large straight edged knives might find the opposite to be true, that the khuk is just awkward and something like a battle mistress works better for them
 
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