strength of a kukri, compared to an axe.

I know the chopping efficency of a kuk is on par with a axe, even better in somecases.
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Not true.

Due to the several factors, the chopping efficiency of a kuk cannot match that of an axe, provided the axe user has adequate space to obtain a full swing.

1) Due to the longer handle of the axe, the axe will deliver more force (larger arc equals more energy).

2) Due to the method of using an axe (when swing with both arms), the axe will deliver even more force.

As for the axe handle breaking, try one of these...

http://www2.fiskars.com/CA/en/Garden/Product+Detail?contentId=78664

Don't get me wrong, kuks are great and I like them too, but they just can't compete with a full size axe when it comes to chopping.
 
I agree, I think a Felling axe is much better at chopping down trees than a khukuri, but I never had the impression that khukuri were tree choppers.

I have a couple of khukuri, and I think they are great alround tools.

Fiddleback, I have just had a look at the Tora sight, it doesn't say anywhere that they are Martial Art khukuri, they do look very traditional in shape and weight though, some great looking khukuri.

I have just been reading this thread on there, It explains the difference between an HI M43 and a Tora M43, which is perhaps why the HI chops better, as they seem to be heavier.

http://www.toraforums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1490&PN=1

What do you think?
 
Simon, the owner of Tora is a martial artist, and runs a dojo teaching khuk fighting. Generally, Toras are lighter, longer, and pointier. Simon loves a pointy khuk.

But for chopping often the point gets in the way. I like a heavier, thicker, blunter pointed khuk for chopping better. Thats HI.

Now, Tora makes a damn fine khukuri. Damn fine. I own 3 and have owned 6 or so. They're prised posessions. But none of them cracked my top 5 choppers. Not even my ultra heavy Tora SGAK.
 
Also guys, I wasn't so much comparing an axe to a kuk for felling trees. Just in the sense on 3"-4" saplings, poplar, things like that. Thats what interests me so much, Im just tired of an axe for things like that, I've used one for along time. And its time for a change.

Personally in the last, 5 years we'll say, I have never taken anything down larger that 5"(5" was at a camp ground with old logs lying around) so in that snese, I hopping not only will a larger knife be easier to stuff in a pack, but it'll be a little more rounded on camp chores.
 
Get a khuk. You'll like it.

For big heavy choppers you can't beat an AK or a GRS or a Samsher.

For hiking a BAS is king.
 
I like the look, and more so the price. One question, 15" oal? or just blade length, must be oal.
 
Fonly said:
Also guys, I wasn't so much comparing an axe to a kuk for felling trees. Just in the sense on 3"-4" saplings, poplar, things like that. Thats what interests me so much, Im just tired of an axe for things like that, I've used one for along time. And its time for a change.
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That's what machetes are for. ;)
 
Fonly said:
I like the look, and more so the price. One question, 15" oal? or just blade length, must be oal.
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At HI the length is OAL. At Tora its the blade length.
 
I wouldn't worry about the hidden tang. I've got a big WWII that I've been chopping with for 4-5 years. This thing is a beast. But even at 18.5" and 28oz. it's not the biggest kid on the block. For hiking I'd go with a 15" model. The AK is a top seller for a reason.

Frank
 
I got a M-43 from HI today and it cuts on hard wood as well as my Eastwing hatchet. The hatchet is 8 oz. heaver and sharper. Once I sharpen up the khurkri it should cut better than the hatchet.

The M-43 is a solid tang model but I would not be afraid of the hidden tang models. That style has been used for many years and many see daily use and several handles over several generations with no failure.
 
knives5004.jpg

This is a Khukuri type knife that I made when I was 12 years old. That would be 36 years ago. I can say that in my hand the Khukuri cuts better than a hatchet of the same weight. There are also many materials that the Khukuri cuts better such as vines, grass, bamboo, and cactus.
 
Apples and oranges and peaches too. The idea of comparing a Khukuri to a felling axe is ludicrous. Even comparing it to a machete the object you're cutting is critical to the discussion. They're all good tools, but each has areas where it shines and others where it's not so good. I went after some blackberry vines with a GB mini the other day simply because the vines were too close to other plants I didn't want to cut. I could be selective with the hatchet whereas the other tools would have cut too much. Anything can cut blackberry vines, my favorite tool for that is a bulldozer, but that's at the other end of the selective cutting scale.
 
ras said:
Apples and oranges and peaches too. The idea of comparing a Khukuri to a felling axe is ludicrous. Even comparing it to a machete the object you're cutting is critical to the discussion. They're all good tools, but each has areas where it shines and others where it's not so good. I went after some blackberry vines with a GB mini the other day simply because the vines were too close to other plants I didn't want to cut. I could be selective with the hatchet whereas the other tools would have cut too much. Anything can cut blackberry vines, my favorite tool for that is a bulldozer, but that's at the other end of the selective cutting scale.
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I missed the part where a khukuri was thought to perform like a "felling axe." However, it seems to me that comparing tools is one way to try to understand their relative competencies.
 
Fonly said:
Also guys, I wasn't so much comparing an axe to a kuk for felling trees. Just in the sense on 3"-4" saplings, poplar, things like that. Thats what interests me so much, Im just tired of an axe for things like that, I've used one for along time. And its time for a change.
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GET IT! You really don't need any more justification than you want it. And you know you do. :)
 
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