Using Kuhkuris.

Yvsa

Yvsa

Joined
May 18, 1999
Messages
15,395

:
I know that most everyone here uses thier Kuhkuris for many things.I am kinda curious just how much anyone uses them in lieu of other knives they have. I realize that there are some things the big ones may not be useful for,even the smaller ones for that matter.
So... What is the minimum number of knives you use in everyday tasks?

I have the Kershaw 1416 folder coming from the BF.C Store as I didn't have anything like it. I am going to try and get used to my 18" AK by usng it for things I would use a different knife for. I will use the big 4" blade karda when I can't use the big one.
I am going to try and limit my use of different knives to as few as possible as I feel this is the best way to get aquainted with a new knife. Between the 18" AK and the Marbles Fieldcraft,a SAK Champ and this new Kershaw I should have most things covered.

I am wondering just how many of my others I can do without as I am used to useing many different kinds?
It should be interesting to say the least.
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>>>>---¥vsa---->®
The civilized man sleeps behind locked doors in the city while the naked savage sleeps (with a knife) in a open hut in the jungle.
 
¥vsa

Your post brings to mind something I wrote some time ago. It is now difficult to find on the KF site, so I will reproduce it here.

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The Gurkhas receive little or no training in the use of the khukuri. Yet the khukuri in their hands has become renowned as one of the most effective combat blades in the world. Perhaps we should ask ourselves how this can be, and what lessons the khukuri has to teach us.

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One evening, in the hills of Nepal a couple of days north of Kathmandu, I observed a woman slicing potatoes for the evening meal. She was using a khukuri for the task.

A full sized khukuri is not the tool of choice for slicing potatoes. Nevertheless, she was doing pretty well. She was slicing on a tall round of wood, so her hand could be below the plane of the chopping block. She was slicing them up as quickly as I do when I’m in the kitchen, but it was fairly obvious that she would loose a potato slicing race with a French chef using a chef’s knife.

She was probably using the only knife she owned. As I began to ponder what else she could make that khukuri do, my thoughts went back to the other people I had seen using them. People cutting bamboo, butchering chickens, splitting firewood, preparing food. She could probably use her tool as effectively for any of those jobs. Could she fight with it? A quick glance up at her face reassured me that she was still smiling. Good thing, because I doubt I could have outrun her.
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The constant carry and use of a tool tends to make the user proficient with it. You learn the most economical ways to use it, and it comes quickly to your hand.

Do I carry a khukuri? No. It doesn’t go well with my suits, and it makes the policemen nervous. But I do carry two delicas, a plain blade in my right pocket, and a serrated blade in my left pocket. They’ve been there for over five years now, and I’m starting to get the feel for them. Am I tempted to buy the latest and greatest knife on the counter? Yes, and sometimes I give in to the temptation. But then I remember the lesson of the khukuri, and I give the knife to a boy, or put it in the backup-backup-backup drawer.
 
Good point Ghost. If I ever have to have brain surgery I hope the surgeon does not use a khukuri!

I’ll ask him to use the karda instead.
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With the money spent on khukuris this last few weeks, I have been trying to think of ways and uses to prove the value of these fine blades to my wife. Here are a few of my observations.
Chopping wood and pruning limbs, good use.
Trimming hedge, while emotionally and physically rewarding, don't do this. Looks like hell, requires additional work using the electric trimmers to even out the edges. Also neighbors go back inside their house and wonder about this new way of horticulture.
Chopping vegies and most kitchen use is ok, (I told her that in Nepal it was used for this) but trying to put butter on toast with a 20 inch serupati brings a smile from other family members.
Comments like "you are not going to hang that on the wall" and "where will you store those"?
As time goes on I am sure I will find there are many good uses for these great hand made works of art. In the mean time, each new task is an learning experience.
Jim

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What? Another knife? Don't you have enough of those things already?
How many does one person need?

 
As Howard observed when he was in Nepal in the village or rural areas many households own only one tool -- their khukuri. Think about that. Post hole digger, gardening tool for whatever task, household use, gathering and splitting wood, building shed and out buildings where it is hammer, saw, hatchet, chisel, plane, drawbar. Necessity is the mother of invention. Somewhere on one of our sites is a pix of a ferris wheel built with khukuris.

Uncle Bill
 
Markus
Reading your post gave me an idea. Bill, do you think there is a market for a butcher block khukuri holder? Just think, we could have all of our various ang khola, serupati, WW11, all in one compact block!! We could put labels above each one like "paring", "filet", "boning" and of course my favorite "butter knife". This would help prove to our wives the khuks usefullness in the kitchen. It could even have a compartment for bandages, tourniquets, and plasma expenders. The possibilities are endless.
Jim

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What? Another knife? Don't you have enough of those things already?
How many does one person need?

 
Gonesailing, you are now in the acute stage of HIKV. I can tell by the sick humor.
 
Rusty, perhaps you could send him some of your medication. But since Jim was able to offer me a couple of very neat remedies for pain due to spondylolisthesis perhaps that is not required. He will know how to treat his HIKV -- simply buy some more khukuris!

Uncle Bill
 
My pocket knife and Gerber multi-pliers get the most use. The pocket knife is usually an AFCK or REKAT poineer.

I live in the city and don't get to use my khukhuri's outdoors except on weekends. If I expect to do chopping I almost always pack the 22" Ang Khola. The WWII model almost always accompanies me when I am traveling. I use all of the khukhuri's for chopping up 2x4's and scrap wood where I work quite a bit. Usually, the village khukhuri gets used as it fits in my backpack nicely and gives me a good workout.

Will


[This message has been edited by Will Kwan (edited 18 July 1999).]
 
Is that anything like ankylosing spondilitis? Because I don't have that. LOL, couldn't resist. Whatever I do have, and they ain't sure, acts like AS but isn't.
 
:
Hi guys.

Howard,
I have read that post you made in knife forums.I have read just about all of the H.I. archives in both forums and found a wealth of information. I recall that post because I found what you said to be quite beautiful and true. I like what you said.... a lot.


Uncle Bill,
that is what I mean.(about using just the Kuhkuri.)
I have seen the ferris wheel too or the post.!! It has been a while.
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Unfortunatly as I was going to show my cuz something the other day the pic I was looking for had been replaced by something you had posted recently. No biggie,so don't worry about it. I know space is limited.
smile.gif

The ones that are still on knife forum have been the same as the subject so far. Some beautiful Old Kuhkuris still on there so far.


Jim,
I live in the wilds of Oklahoma (actually in a housing addition in the suburbs with a 40' easement behind our house and a huge open field behind that.) and although I don't carry the big ones in town anymore there are some local parks where I have carried a big knife. Just nothing this big,yet.
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Being an Indin the neighbors have long been accustomed to our antics.
I'll bet you don't know anybody that has a Sweatlodge in thier backyard. Where at least once a month there are anywhere from 8 to 20 people running around half naked getting ready to
have a Ceremony that most non-indins don't understand.
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Let alone the Lodge itself,or the big pile of wood stacked neatly along the fence,or the big Fire that is built to heat the Rocks.
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Many times during and after deer seaon there is a big frame with a deerhide streched on it that I work on for a while and then put the whole thing back in the shed until the next day or two. I sure love my home state.
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Will,
I am very lucky to live where
I do and have a "sister" who has 40 acres about 25 mins away where I can go do pretty much what I want,when I want. Just no hunting,she's a vegetarian and besides I like her Foxes and other animals that live safely there too.
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There is always something there that needs to be cleared.

I used to have just one big knife and usually a large 3 blade stockman pocket knife. That was what I done everything with. Just liking knives and having finally deceided that they are to me what jewelry is to some ladies,I have several. Nothing really fancy or expensive compared to some.

The Malayan Keris I have is nice as is the Moro Kris sword. I also have a neat kind of sword knife (?) from Africa I think that looks like a spear. I have a really nice J.J. Martinez Navaja from Spain with a 6 3/4" blade and stag handles.It looks nicely hand made. I have several like this that I call curiosity knives,because most people don't have anything like them.

I guess I maybe use a knife of some kind more than other people and for more things in my everyday activities when I am having a good day. The carvng knives are a 'must' for me,so I will use them if the occasion arises. What little kitchen work I do I may try to use
the Kuhkuri or the karda for.
I guess it may be like what Howard and Uncle Bill say about learning what the Kuhkuri will teach us and also using it because nothing else is available.

Jim.
I would be very interested in anything that helps back pain. We joke about Rusty's medicine,and I don't know about his or Uncle Bills,but I take some high powered stuff just to move around some everyday.
I had to retire due to a back injury and have had 3 back surgeries. Two fusions with hardware and the last one to remove all the hardware and L1 to L2 was refused without hardware.
I am like the little pink bunny though.I just keep on going,going.
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>>>>---¥vsa---->®
The civilized man sleeps behind locked doors in the city while the naked savage sleeps (with a knife) in a open hut in the jungle.
 
Jim, whatever info you send to Yvsa, send me a copy. I went in to see if I had a neck spur and came out having been told my whole neck was practically fused by arthritis, so I take a lot of NSAID's ( Non Steroidal Anti Inflamatory Drugs = aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, mostly over the counter stuff most of the time ).
 
Yvsa;

You mention that you have a Malay Keris - it is purely a weapon and not a tool - be carefull with that small weapon - some original Malay Keris is being applied with some sort of poison along it's blade. Pls take precaution about this !

I love khukuri because it serve me 3 purposes that are as a tool, as a weapon & as a some sort of ornament for man !
 
Personally I have two classes of knives. Small thin ones that I use for light utility work and heavier ones for everything else. The lighter models are usually custom made for me and I would not want anyone to use them as they are rather fragile outside the scope of their designed use. The other knives should not be fragile under any application but yet I often hesistate in lending them out because of warrenty issues. My HI's get the most use simply because this is not a concern. For example my younger brother got a job and spent most of last week doing cleanup work at the local cemetary. He had to get rid of a lot of brush and had to do some weeding / digging etc. so I gave him the 18" AK.

When most ask me for a lend of a knife, its the HI models I reach for first. There are a lot of performance issues that are a reason for this, but they are not the main reason. First and foremost I am secure in knowing that Bill has no problem with what I do with my knives or for that matter that I lend them to other people. The idea that he would say "too bad, you were not the one using it" if I had a problem, I don't ever see happening. Or similar "too bad, you should not have done that". I know what I want - he knows what I want. And I know that one way or the other I will get it. It is that simple.

Could I have a problem with one of my HI's? Possibly, I don't see it as overly likely, but it could happen. But I know it will only be a problem as long as it takes me to contact Bill. Its directly because of this that my khukuris are used on a daily basis. Security is a very important factor just as necessary as performance.

-Cliff
 
Cliff, if you and your "little" (6' 6") brother have not destroyed your HI khukuris by now the chances of your ever doing so is quite remote. However, if the almost impossible should happen all you need do is email me and a replacement will be in the air.

Uncle Bill
 
Kuhkuris can also be good for your marriage.Last month had a big fight with the wife(you care more for your toys than me).Came home from work to a bottle of wine, no kids. The wife in nothing on but my cowboy rig,my Ruger Bisley on her right hip,18" WW2 on left hip. The whole rig had a cool east meets west look.Oh,thats right the wife looked pretty good too ;0).
 
Bill P,

Remember, safety first. Better keep an empty chamber under the hammer, and be careful where you grab that khukuri sheath. You never know what can happen in the heat of passion!

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