Last year I bought several 13" khukuris that were made by a village smith and imported by HI. These knifes are not thin like a Sirupati but have more of the conventional khukuri shape. My intention was to give them away for presents. One of them had a flawed sheath so I decided to keep it. I removed the chape from the scabbard so I could carry it in a bag, pack, or pocket without damaging the fabric. I also blued the blade just for the heck of it.
This has become one of my favorite field knives. It is small enough to carry easily. I took it out in the Cascades last week and used it to clear some small saplings out of one of my favorite trails. Later I used it to chop some wood for a fire. It handled both these jobs well. I expected it to, for this was not the first time the little khukuri accompanied me into the field. The knife seems to have a good balance of weight and length for impromptu jobs. If I knew that I was going to do a lot of chopping I would bring a bigger knife or an axe.
If I were going to try to duplicate this performance with one of the standard models I think I would go for a 12" or 13" Ang Kola style. The Sirupati types give up too much weight and chopping performance in a knife this small.
I agree with Brian's comments on camp knives. Where the little one excels is in situations where you have to carry it. If I had the luxury of driving to camp I would choose a larger khukuri or an axe. If I have to pack the knife up the side of a mountain I consider weight and convenience of packing much more carefully.
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