To Bill Martino: Concerning Tradition vs Comfort

S

Snarlin Stef

Joined
May 2, 2003
Messages
143
First let me begin by saying that i finally sharpenned my khuk to a razors edge able to shave the hairs off my arm. It kind of took me about a week or so bcs the khuk blade has varying hardness and it took me a while to get a goodd technique down. With that said I tried my khuk on some pretty hard woods outside and after a couple of hours the blade is still sharp as ever.. I couldnt understand how the hell it was able to hold an edge like that after the abuse i put it through... i was very impressed.

My one flaw that I find with these khuks is the handles. It seems that is the only complaint that I ever hear about these knives. Its that ridged notch in the center of the handle. I dont understand why the handles need to have that ridge?

The only thing I can think of is that its the "traditional style." I respect tradition. Beleive me after being a part of the last all male class at Viriginia Military Institute and having many freinds in the military, I respect tradition. However, that notch (regardless of tradition) just doesnt make sense to me. I have to hold the blade in such a way that its inbtwn my fingers. However, when i chop hard my fingers slip over that notch and I find myself having to regrip the khuk. Dont get me wrong though, that rdged notch in the center of the handles are not gonna ever sway me from your products; I still love them.

But please advise on why the khuks are made with that notch eventhough it seems to be the only thing ever complained about? It seems to me that if its the only thing people ever complain about then it might be worth making them without the ridge in the handle. (its prob easier for the kamis to make them that way too)

dont take offense I love these knives they are the best ive ever owned im just being direct.

please advise
Stef
 
Yeah I can see that. Some folks smooth out those rings. The M43 model does not have those rings on the handle and is very comfortable!
 
There has been much said here in the past abut "let the Khukuri teach you". The ring and grooves are traditional, yes, but the ring serves a practical purpose. It acts as the guard, to keep the handle in your hand. Hold the handle in a saber grip, with the ring between your middle ngers, or between the ring finger and your pinky finger. Let the point of the buttcap slide along the base of your thumb, not into your thumb as you would grip a western handle. Some light chopping with this grip will convince you right away that the muscles of your last two fingers, and those toward the edge of your palm are developing :D Continued use of this grip will strengthen the hand and put callouses where the Nepali have theirs :) If it simply won't work, you can always modify the handles.
 
munk... yah i do too

i was just noticing that the blade slips a little bit on hard chops in my hand... and that ridge doenst stay inbtwn my fingers. So i have to regrip the knife after a few swings otherwise it will be diggin into my fingers too much
 
I hold it the same way Munk described as well. I've found the chiruwa handles tend to have a less hand-friendly profile than the one-piece handles. My chiruwas all tend to bite the palm a little around the ring. The only problems I've had with one-piece handles were from the one or two that were too small for my hands to grip comfortably.
 
The rings are not going to go away and neither will the cho. They mean something of cultural or religious significance -- probably both. Of course, nobody remembers what they mean but they are not about to change these features. However, you can change the rings if you like -- just sand them off. It's your knife.

And many thanks for report from the field.
 
well... i have a chiruwa model so the metal shaped to the ridge so i might be able to sand the horn but not the metal...

and besides ill just get used to it and suck it up :)
 
I like the way the ring helps me hold onto things. That said, some of them seem excessively large. Chiruwa rings aren't all that nice to the hands, either.
 
Snarlin Stef-- the metal can be filed if you really want to get rid of the ring. I would suggest leaving it for a while though and seeing if you get used to it. As others have mentioned, it serves as a guard of sorts that helps prevent your hand from sliding forward onto the blade. Besides, it's a lot easier to file or sand the ring off than it is to put it back on.
--Josh
 
If you were to sand off the rings, how would you do it without leaving unsightly sanding marks?

Ben
 
Originally posted by btice
If you were to sand off the rings, how would you do it without leaving unsightly sanding marks?

Ben
Click to expand...

I'd try progressively finer grits of sandpaper.
--Josh
 
Hey, Munk :)

Ben - Rmoving the ring would probably involve refinishing the entire handle. Fairly easy, if wood. More tedious if horn. The wood can be fine-sanded and steel-wooled to remove the marks, and then refinished. Horn would involve all of this, plus buffing on a wheel with a fine polishing compound and rouge. I'm lazy - I just "learned from the Khuk". I could say that if your hand slips it is too weak for chopping, or your grip is incorrect, and you would not have a good reaction to that. To put it into perspective, after two years in a wheel chair, using just my thumb and first two fingertips to grip the drive ring, I can crack walnuts held with those fingertips. After my first trip to the woodpile with a Khuk, I found out how much work was needed for the last two fingers to catch up. If you use a saber grip, swing down on your target, bring your final pressure to bear with the two last fingers and transition into a wrist snap, all in a smooth sequence,the knife will do most of the cutting, and a heckuva of a lot more of it than with a hammer grip and an arm swing.
 
I think I'll work with the khuk for a while to see what it "tells" me. I would rather avoid sanding the horn handle.

Ben
 
One time years ago, when my father was still with us, he an I stood in front of a display of fishing lures at the hardware store. He asked me what those shiny things were designed to do. I replied, ¡°To catch fish.¡± He responded ¡°No son, they¡¯re designed to catch fishermen.¡±

Many modern knives are designed the same way. You won¡¯t find that funny looking and initially uncomfortable central ring on many factory khukuris.

The traditional Nepalese khukuri was not designed to catch someone¡¯s eye when on a display rack. The design evolved over centuries. Each feature of the traditional khukuri bears careful attention and study to understand it¡¯s function. For the central ring, look closely. See how the front side of the ring has a gentle slope, while the back drops abruptly. This enables the hand to slide back over the ring much more easily than it allows the hand to slide forward. A hilt gets in the way of the utility use of a khukuri, although they are sometimes seen on old military weapons. The central ring can provide much of the utility of a hilt without the drawbacks. I suspect there were some bloody fingers in Nepal before that central ring caught on as a design feature. It has stuck like a leech down through the centuries.

Good advice from those who said, ¡°If you don¡¯t like it take it off.¡± However, you are wise to spend some time understanding the function of the ring before you make the decision to remove it.
 
Oddly enough, even the most brutal handle rings just feel _good_ to me, even with the really sharp edges.

Interesting how different people can have such differing experiences with the same phenomenon.

-Dave
 
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