Weight / Feel from Chiruwa

M

mcatalfano

Joined
Dec 22, 2013
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How would a 16.5" 30 oz CAK feel compared to a 16.5" 30 oz AK? Would the CAK feel lighter due to more weight in the handle? Would one be easier to use for extended chopping due to Weight distribution / balance point?
 
The CAK would probably be less comfortable for extended chopping, because you get more vibrations that way.
 
I think the Chiruwa would feel better in the hand and is no worse with vibration. If I hit to close to the end whether Chiruwa or rat tail I feel vibration bad. If I hit in the sweet spot or below I feel no or very little vibration. Of course I am no expert, but in my little experience that is the way it seems to me.
 
Agreed, I think the whole transfer of shock through a chiruwa handle is overblown. I personally also find that chiruwa handles are more neutrally balanced whereas non-chiruwa are more forward balanced. The only drawback to a chiruwa handle, however, is that the scales tend to shrink, which causes the chiruwa tang to protrude and create an uncomfortable grip in the hand. I have yet to find a way to prevent this phenomenon from occurring (although admittedly I do live in the very dry Mojave desert).
 
One day I compared two 18" khuks with almost identical weights. One was chiruwa, and one was not. I went back and forth between the two of them, chopping the same log. What I noticed was that the non-chiruwa khuk seemed to hit with more weight behind it. The chiruwa khuk, not being as forward weighted, was more neutral in hand and it seemed to hit with more velocity for the same amount of effort. (With both khuks, I was doing the wrist snap technique at the end of the swing.) The chopping effectiveness for the two khuks was virtually identical, and I was surprised.

The chiruwa khuk did seem to transmit some minor tingly shock to my hand and wrist (at times), which I didn't notice with the non-chiruwa.

Of course, YMMV, since variations between khukuris (such as bevel angle, weight distribution, etc.) and different chopping technique could skew the results.
 
These differences probably only matter for extended chopping or extreme conditions.
 
p.s. - HI do not make 'rat tail' tangs, a disparaging pejorative term. their tangs are substantial and formed as part of the forging process. they may occasionally be stub tangs on decorative carved grips, usually pinned, or normally a full peened tang. even the stub tangs are substantial & you should never worry about it breaking.

Sword Tangs

Capture 002.jpg
 
The non Chiruwa handle does absorb shock better and has a better balance to it. The blade heavy feel of a standard tang just feels better when swinging. It takes less effort to chop a rat tail tang IMHO
 
G.B.:Mark 8:18: post no. 7. :)

...and the Lord admonished him saying "thou cannot smite with a HI rat tail,
for God hath not made such, and will not permit such to exist on the face of
the earth, for the rat tail blade is the work of the beast whose name hath the true number
616. seek ye not a rat tail of the beast's making lest it fall apart in your hand as you smite.
 
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kronckew said:
G.B.:Mark 8:18: post no. 7. :)

...and the Lord admonished him saying "thou cannot smite with a HI rat tail,
for God hath not made such, and will not permit such to exist on the face of
the earth, for the rat tail blade is the work of the beast whose name hath the true number
616. seek ye not a rat tail of the beast's making lest it fall apart in your hand as you smite.
Click to expand...

LMAO... I always felt bad referring to HI's standard tang as a "rat tail". The more logical and true description of HI's standard tangs are "tree stumps". The tang is super think and strong, I really don't see how anyone could ever snap one of HI's tree stump tangs. I have a bunch of both types chiruwa and standard. I have to say I prefer the standard tang, although I would never turn down a chiruwa. Most of my Purna pieces are chiruwa except for a chainpuri... The chainpuri does feel amazing in the hand mostly due to its almost partial tang construction.
 
i always think of the HI hidden tang's as 'kangaroo tails'

nothin' like an xray to illustrate:
attachment.php


thick as well as nice & springy - more bounce to the ounce ;)

for comparison, a kangaroo tail:

return_of_the_kangaroo_tail__by_lupagreenwolf-d7psb20.jpg
 
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What makes me think about the standard version in the future is that shrinkage will not expose the full tang, as it happens when the scales shrink. Had this problem lately, and then it starts cutting into your hand. Of course you can fix it, but I'd rather not have to.

(Ihave only full tangs, it either happened this way, either a little bit of western mentality; I'd say both. For a lot of batoning, I might still prefer the full tang, but I am not sure why one would do that very often using a knife...I would rather expect said person to use a splitting maul or at least an axe.)
 
Oh, and when we are talking about such heavily built knives...it's like discussing the merits of diffferent tank designs, outside of the combat zone. They are both tanks, if you know what I mean.
 
[Notices edit above.] Dang, Mr. K, how is the kangaroo hunting season going in UK? Those hounds of yours seem to work their butts off.
 
Poppy hasn't caught one in weeks. found this kid yesterday bangin' two sticks together.
i asked him why he wuz doin' that. he said 'it keeps the kangaroos away. and it does.
woulda shot him but the damage was already done. a good wuppin' and breaking his sticks
so far has not brought back any local kangaroos. i think they all went and hid in the zoos,
and got too lazy, bein' fed there and all, to want to come back. dang kids. ah, well maybe the leopards will get 'em.
the kids, i mean, not the marsupials, as there ain't none no more nohow.
 
Yes it certainly does resemble a marsupials tail. I will have to start calling HI's standard tang a kangaroo tail. :D

That xray speaks volumes!
 
kronckew said:
Poppy hasn't caught one in weeks. found this kid yesterday bangin' two sticks together.
i asked him why he wuz doin' that. he said 'it keeps the kangaroos away. and it does.
woulda shot him but the damage was already done. a good wuppin' and breaking his sticks
so far has not brought back any local kangaroos. i think they all went and hid in the zoos,
and got too lazy, bein' fed there and all, to want to come back. dang kids. ah, well maybe the leopards will get 'em.
the kids, i mean, not the marsupials, as there ain't none no more nohow.
Click to expand...

Gotta say, he was doing a heck of a job, even if in the end I suppose many noble hunters of kangoroos will have to go home frustrated for a while, their beagle packs trailing. I mean, singlehandedly having such a success with only two sticks is quite a feat: reminded me of the Chinese sparrow campaign. And how many people were banging pans back in the day?
 
wouldn't have minded, except the leopards are now eatin' the livestock and upsetting the natives. they're threatening to storm the moor and kill off the cats.
if they do that, there's nothing to keep down the population of elephants. too many times have i seen the elephants trampling the village into piles of rubble.
we can't even kill the elephants and use the ivory for repairs, CITES you know. besides, the villagers tend to get lost and sink in the quicksand. that brings in the govt.

and then everything will go to heck.

i of course blame george w. bush.

our happy village, pre-sticks debacle.
cam-hiull.jpg
 
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My decidedly non-technical and non-expert opinion was that my 16.5 inch Chirawa felt "dead" when I chopped with it while a similarly weighted standard khuk felt "snappier" in the hand and chopped better. However, the chirawa also had a thicker edge (read: kind of dull) so that was probably the performance difference (not the feel difference).
 
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