I agree with ndog (as usual). The Gelbu Specials are usually a little beefier than Sirupatis or Chitlangis of the same length. I say "usually" because there's a lot of variation in these hand-made blades. Regardless of weight, the edge geometry of the GS makes it more versatile as a chopper than the others.
I've never been convinced that any one type or size of blade is better as a fighter. It depends too much on the strength and fighting style of the user, and the prevailing conditions. In general faster is better, but if the user has no training and just wants something for occasional self-defense any medium-weight blade will serve and a Gelbu Special is as good as it gets. Keep in mind the huge difference between a skilled martial artist and the average person who likely will not be able to make good use of the extra speed of a very light blade.
I would avoid a blade that's too long or too heavy. It might be slow, or awkward in confined spaces. My main issue with the HI Ultimate Fighter is the weight. I have one, and it's beautiful, but not my first choice as a fighter. However, it looks intimidating and might scare off a potential attacker.
The Kobra tends to be slimmer and lighter weight than the other models, but the very long Kobras (25" and up) are pretty heavy, and feel even heavier because the center of mass is a greater distance from the hand.
Here are a couple of Gelbu Specials, showing the deep-forged fullers. The first one, by Tirtha Kami, is 21" OAL and 29 oz, fairly large for a GS. The second one, by Sher Kami, is 17" OAL and 19 oz, which is at the lightweight end of the GS spectrum.
I've never been convinced that any one type or size of blade is better as a fighter. It depends too much on the strength and fighting style of the user, and the prevailing conditions. In general faster is better, but if the user has no training and just wants something for occasional self-defense any medium-weight blade will serve and a Gelbu Special is as good as it gets. Keep in mind the huge difference between a skilled martial artist and the average person who likely will not be able to make good use of the extra speed of a very light blade.
I would avoid a blade that's too long or too heavy. It might be slow, or awkward in confined spaces. My main issue with the HI Ultimate Fighter is the weight. I have one, and it's beautiful, but not my first choice as a fighter. However, it looks intimidating and might scare off a potential attacker.
The Kobra tends to be slimmer and lighter weight than the other models, but the very long Kobras (25" and up) are pretty heavy, and feel even heavier because the center of mass is a greater distance from the hand.
Here are a couple of Gelbu Specials, showing the deep-forged fullers. The first one, by Tirtha Kami, is 21" OAL and 29 oz, fairly large for a GS. The second one, by Sher Kami, is 17" OAL and 19 oz, which is at the lightweight end of the GS spectrum.
![9-16-13003_zps2cdb819d[1].jpg](https://www.bladeforums.com/data/attachments/511/511024-e33b27641f4e7677aa014138763e2e5a.jpg?hash=4zsnZB9Odn "9-16-13003_zps2cdb819d[1].jpg")
![7-16-14004_zps6237e2ef[1].jpg](https://www.bladeforums.com/data/attachments/511/511035-db5ec354e23f663e278f655e7718d310.jpg?hash=217DVOI_Zj "7-16-14004_zps6237e2ef[1].jpg")
