Super Cak or Bonecutter?

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kazushi

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Jul 25, 2011
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I just started getting into Himalayan Imports and Khukuri knives. I don't own any Khukuris at the moment. I want a khukuri knife that will be very good for chopping fire wood and branches for camping and that is a good size that I could carry in a rucksack or on my hip when hiking. I have heard about the Super CAK and Bonecutter and think that these would be the best way to go. What size khukuri would be good for this purpose? One that is efficient at chopping wood but can also be strapped to an ALICE Pack to hike around with. Which do you guys generally prefer the CAK, Super CAK, or Bonecutter or something else for these purposes? Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
The super CAK is actually about 20", it is not vey conducive to packing around, unless youre a behemoth.
For all around camp chores and trekking a 16"-16.5" AK, CAK, WWII, Pen Knife would work well. For larger people the 18" M-43 and the like would work. The smallest i would go is 15".
 
For a pure chopping tool, if you can get a larger (15-18 inch) Pen Knife, I don't think you'd be disappointed. The way it's designed is to maximise chopping, I am quite fond of it. However, other models like the Ang Khola are probably a bit more versatile.
 
As soon as you mention the hiking and packing element you virtually eliminate all the models you brought up, especially the Super CAK which is really a novelty. The Bonecutter and 15" AK are possibilities but I would go with the BAS first. The BAS is the kukri that the military carries so it is the best combination of size and weight to get that type of job done. It is just about as small as you can get and still feel and work like a kukri. But by comparison it is still much larger than almost any other regular knife you would consider for that job, meaning it is big enough to get most jobs done.

After you pack around a BAS for a while you can decide if you want to, or can handle anything larger in the carry role. My BAS is the only one I really consider putting on my belt but if I knew I was going on a long term camp I would consider taking the Bonecutter. I normally keep the blades the size of the Bonecutter on my Polaris or take them when I go car camping.

Most of the other small models are made for paper openers and trinkets for around the home, not something you want to depend on in the field. When your trip may depend on it go with what works; the BAS and the 15 AK and if you absolutely have to go larger a Bonecutter or a light M43 if you can find one.
 
the more i look, the more i like the scak more. i like the fuller and more pointy tip. i used to like bonecutter more,but i think the scak is the way to go. but the Sgt. isnt doing blades, which bites cause i gave a gift(really nice watch) for building a special scak, he stopped doing blades for hi around the time he was to do mine, but he also lost his helper too. maybe ill still be able to get my scak from him. time will tell.

i would think my 16.5"cak would be a great carry. anything around that range would be a great weight/tool ratio
 
Occasionally you can find a SCAK on the DoD, the one I got was made by Bhakta. While I like the weight for working the wood in by backyard, you might want to rethink having to hump it any distance (mine came in at 44 oz.). My CAK works pretty well the same, a little shorter/lighter, but swings beautifully, and the BAS makes a good all round camp blade.
 
Bhakta makes a really great CAK. Mine is 16.5 inches and is 32oz it's heavy while not feeling all that heavy.

I have a 42oz ASTK and even though it's only 1/3 heavier it feels more like double that.

I have a 30oz Bonecutter coming today so I'll let you know how it feels in comparison.
 
I didn't realize that the SCAK was so big and heavy. So it looks like I should look for something in the range of 16-18 inches. What is a BAS?
 
BAS is British Army Service. I believe it's the current army pattern. (I'm slow)

People also seem to love the WWII. 18" and less than 30oz.
 
Ok great recommendations guys Ive started looking at the M43 and BAS and I like them both. If you plan on using the knife would you go with the Villager model or the polished up version of the knives? If you buy the polished up ones will they get dinged up pretty bad if you use them for chopping or can you just clean them right back up?
 
Buy a villager for sure.

My CAK is high polish and I'm afraid to use it cause it's so pretty. My Gelbu and ASTK are villager and I used them the first day.
 
Ok so villager is the way to go. What about like a guard on the khukuri? when you guys are chopping with one does it want to slip out of your hand at all or much chance of your hand going up from handle to blade without a guard being on the handle? Is that a problem?
 
Not for me as I don't use them in a stabbing motion. It's more likely that they would pull out of your hand than for it to slide upwards while chopping.
 
kazushi said:
Ok great recommendations guys Ive started looking at the M43 and BAS and I like them both. If you plan on using the knife would you go with the Villager model or the polished up version of the knives? If you buy the polished up ones will they get dinged up pretty bad if you use them for chopping or can you just clean them right back up?
Click to expand...

A Villager model will come with a satin finish that makes clean up a little easier, ie you don't have to polish it. You can use a polished model and bring it back to its original shine with some polishing paste after clean up...its just more work. Or you can get a polished model and use a Scotchbrite pad when cleaning and in no time you'll have a Villager finish on your blade.

Another recommendation for a khukuri would be the Gelbu Special(also known as an Udhaipuri). It is only slightly less of a chopper than my CAK and was considered by Pala as the best combination of tool and weapon. My 18.5" Gelbu comes in at just over 23 oz. and is obviously one of my favorites. I also like the (Baby) Ganga Ram Special as a chopper. Mine is 18" and 29.6 oz and is an effective chopper. If it came in a 15" size, I'm sure it would make it a little lighter and more attractive for packing/hiking and still chop in the manner of the GRS.

The BAS, CAK or WWII are all good recommendations also. Let us know what you wind up getting. But of course you'll eventually have to try them all out...that's the way HIKV is.

Rick
 
Would an M43 with a guard on it like this below be a bad idea for some reason or affect the khuks performance negatively some how?
khukriguard.jpg
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kazushi, I haven't seen that kind of guard on an HI khukuri. If it could be done to an M43, that sort of guard shouldn't affect performance of the blade. With the khukuri being a chopping/slicing blade there isn't much need for a bolster guard on the handle. The main change that I would make to the M43 handle would be putting the traditional handle rings on it, thus improving the grip. The traditional handle that HI puts on their khuks is a tried and true design developed over centuries. Even when digging, applying pressure to the pommel to drive the blade into the earth can be done safely. Ooops, there I go rambling.
 
@stickfred I looked up the traditional handle rings and a guy did a review about them and basically said that it is a centuries old design and is tried and true for making a good grip. Why don't they make m43 w these handles? Isnt it supposed to be a utility and fighting blade? If so you would prob have to stab with it and wouldnt want your hand to lose grip and slip on to blade
 
kazushi said:
@stickfred I looked up the traditional handle rings and a guy did a review about them and basically said that it is a centuries old design and is tried and true for making a good grip. Why don't they make m43 w these handles? Isnt it supposed to be a utility and fighting blade? If so you would prob have to stab with it and wouldnt want your hand to lose grip and slip on to blade
Click to expand...

The only real problem with a guard on a khukuri like that is it may get in the way of chopping or batonning at times.

The reason the M-43 doesnt have handle rings is because it is supposed to be a beefier copy of the original WWII model, this is also why it is not made to the original WWII specs. You can, however, special order one with handle rings if you choose to do so.
 
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