- Joined
- Feb 23, 1999
- Messages
- 4,855
I recently returned from a trip and found a package from Yangdu waiting. It contained this knife. If one of you can tell me the name, either myself or another moderator can fix the title of this thread.
I've written before, in my liberty series post, of the trade-offs between the Khukuri and Bowie styles. The forward angle of the khukuri gives it superior chopping ability, but sacrifices the ability to perform a back-cut. The bowie excels at the back-cut, but gives up some of the chopping the ability that the forward angle provides. The knife in the box addressed both these issues.
This knife has both the forward angle of the khukuri, and the upswept tip and sharp false edge of the bowie. Due to the angle of the false edge, the back-cut will be somewhat different from one delivered by a traditional bowie. It will be less of a cut, more of a peck or a ripping claw. The line of the point is parallel to the handle, but somewhat lower. This provides a good thrusting ability, but the offset means the knife will experience a torque during a thrust. That torque could be eliminated by bringing the point up to the line defined by the handle.
In any of the knives where snapping cuts are used, grip security is important. The traditional khukuri provides it with a flare at the butt, and an angled central ring. Bowies address it in various manners, bird's head handles, guards, coffin handles or other handles with varied width, sub-hilts, etc. This knife uses a bird's head and finger groves to provide the requisite secure grip. There are four grooves in the wood, and another effective one where the wood meets the metallic but cap. This makes two hand positions possible, a forward one for more control, and a rearward one for more chopping and back-cutting authority.
I like the the long handle paired with the relatively short blade. It creates yet another HI "snubby" with significant power in a small package.
I've written before, in my liberty series post, of the trade-offs between the Khukuri and Bowie styles. The forward angle of the khukuri gives it superior chopping ability, but sacrifices the ability to perform a back-cut. The bowie excels at the back-cut, but gives up some of the chopping the ability that the forward angle provides. The knife in the box addressed both these issues.
This knife has both the forward angle of the khukuri, and the upswept tip and sharp false edge of the bowie. Due to the angle of the false edge, the back-cut will be somewhat different from one delivered by a traditional bowie. It will be less of a cut, more of a peck or a ripping claw. The line of the point is parallel to the handle, but somewhat lower. This provides a good thrusting ability, but the offset means the knife will experience a torque during a thrust. That torque could be eliminated by bringing the point up to the line defined by the handle.
In any of the knives where snapping cuts are used, grip security is important. The traditional khukuri provides it with a flare at the butt, and an angled central ring. Bowies address it in various manners, bird's head handles, guards, coffin handles or other handles with varied width, sub-hilts, etc. This knife uses a bird's head and finger groves to provide the requisite secure grip. There are four grooves in the wood, and another effective one where the wood meets the metallic but cap. This makes two hand positions possible, a forward one for more control, and a rearward one for more chopping and back-cutting authority.
I like the the long handle paired with the relatively short blade. It creates yet another HI "snubby" with significant power in a small package.
