tough and strong Khukuri

A

arty

Joined
Oct 18, 2003
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What is your toughest and strongest khukuri? I don't necessarily mean the biggest. This question is for those members who have used their khukuris.

Style - Is it a Villager or a regular Hi model? Are villagers as strong or are they stronger?
Horn or wooden handle?
Stick or chiruwa tang?
Maker?
 
I don't know. If you're going to use it as a crowbar the Chiruwa Ak probably is.

Probably the heaviest you own is.


munk
 
I wondered if the villagers were stronger or weaker than the regular Hi models.
There are reasons for believing both, but experience using them might tell the story.
For example, the blades on the villagers could be tougher, since the lack of polish means that there was less chance for a buffer to overheat the edge or other parts of the blade.
The bolster could be stronger or weaker, depending on what the white metal consisted of.
Yvsa commented once that stick tangs are just as strong as the full tang models.
I just mainly sharpen and finish them. I have a panawal AK in my toolbox for emergencies, but none of mine have seen real use.
There have been very few reports of handle or blade failures in the forum, and I just wondered if some Khukuris would be inherently stronger than others....or just more likely to be stronger.
e.g. what would you look for in your "survival" user khukuri?
 
As far as I understand Arty, there is no difference from villagers and regular HI models (made from the same Kami's).

The only difference is appearance. Less polish on the handle and on the blade.

Since each khukuri varies with the maker and are hand made, determining which has higher failure rates... well, i don't think that the variances would most likely be attributed to the above reasons rather than villager or regular models.

As for toughest model? I think the only discernable difference lies in the Kobra model. Typically it is made thinner than the others. I'd have to say that my heaviest khukuri on a length vs weight ratio would be my M43.
 
- 18" AK
- Horn scales
- Chiruwa
- Kumar

It survived a pretty rough torture test with only minor edge damage and a few scratches. Practically speaking, any properly hardened (particularly the tang, since that's the place where they fail the most often), full size and thickness khukuri from HI is practically unbreakable; they're basically sharpened truck springs with hard edges and soft spines. Can you break a truck spring with your bare hands? I know I can't. So really the question is whether or not the edge will hold up to hard impacts and possibly flexing with some of the thinner models. My testing indicates that they will. Now, you might be able to break apart one of the handles, but it's a relatively simple matter to have that replaced.
 
I don't know what metal is used today. ONce Bill said he would not guarentee Villagers had Mercedes truck spring metal. The metal on my 20 AK villager seems different to me than the metal on my other khuks. This may be just my own sample and not a pattern.


I see no reason to trust Villagers more than regular HI khuks, though there may be no reason not to trust them as well.



munk
 
I use my khukuris allot. My heaviest is a 20" AK. My Chiruwas, WW 2, BAS, and Sirupatis all do just fine. :)
 
I use them for chopping wood. :D

I usualy use them at work chopping heavy brush or small trees around the house. I have a pile I need to burn down by the lake. I have been hog hunting and I used my 20" sirupati for camp wood. My friend used an axe but I took a little longer with my khukuri but I wasn't as tired. I have my blades scattered in various locations so I don't go hunting for any when I need to use one. I don't always have the best one for the job at hand, but the chopping gets done. :)

I have used the 20" AK for a shovel digging my truck out of the sand. I carry a gi shovel in the tool box now.
 
arty said:
What is your toughest and strongest khukuri?
Click to expand...
The one I pick up to use at the time.:p ;) Makes no difference whether it is a villager, a BirGhorka villageer, or a standard HI. They are all done equally well and all will serve you equally well.
The only disclaimer I will put on this is that the 15" + khuks will be inheirently stronger as will the wider bladed khuks. Of course the AK is the king strengthwise but I doubt you will break any of them even doing extraordinary work.
 
The 16 1/2" Chiruwa AK is the strongest. Trust me. I know things.

BTW, a mention was made of villagers being stronger due to not having been polished. The opposite is true...polishing removes micro cracks and reduces the risk of stress fractures. For example...bushings are always polished for just this reason.

*Technically*, for a number of reasons, the Chiruwa AK is the strongest...but as has been stated...these things are like any high grade tool. I go to the flea market to buy old broken stuff *specifically* to return for new...nothing wrong, as they specifically warrent the tool, not the buyer. Tools of the highest calibre are made to the highest standards and so the breakage rate is amazingly low.

*I* believe the reason they exchange the odd broken ones so freely is that it promotes the purchase of other new ones to complete partial sets. Great marketing!


.
 
Nasty - You may be right about the effects of the polish. Also, small flaws may not be noticed without a high polish, as in the villager models - they won't be visible with a satin finish.
 
I totally agree with what Yvsa said. The one in your hand will be over-built for just about any job you put it up against. Remember, in the normal knife world a "sharpened pry bar" is 3/16" thick;) My strongest khuk pound for pound is probably my 15" AK. Shanker made it extra thick at the spine and the edge. Tough as hell, but really doesn't get used for much any more except as an emergency crash axe. As far as a "survival khuk", i could survive with any of them. it would depend on the situation of which one i would be packing. For general camping i like the 18" WWII. If i were in a situation where I needed to hunt/dress game, the i would go for the YCS. In any case, I think any of the khuks whether they be standard or villager will out last your great grandkids if they are properly taken car of:)

Jake
 
I don't have enough to truly know. I DO know the only edges I have ever rolled were on standard khuks, and that my villagers have never rolled. I wondered if the polishing heated up the blade too much on the standards but I don't know. I have standard ones that have never rolled either :confused:
 
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