What do you think of the Kabar Kukri?

crimsonfalcon07

crimsonfalcon07

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Dec 27, 2010
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I wasn't able to find a lot of information on this knife. People mainly say to buy a real one, such as the HI, but there's rarely much actual detailed information. I ended up buying both of them, but I'd love to hear from Khukuri experts what roles they think each knife should serve, and opinions relative to the price point.

As far as I can tell, HI is a great all around workhorse, and virtually indestructible due to its width and heft. Mine came very dull, which apparently isn't unusual. The Kabar, while it's obviously not as durable, came razor sharp, and still holds its edge nicely even doing some chopping on some reasonably hard woods (hickory and seasoned cherry). Also feels like a solid fighting knife; I'm more inclined to see it as a fighting knife than as a utility knife.
 
if you want more information on this there is a the BECKER forum under Manufacturers that will be a MUCH better forum for this question.

________________________

Beckerhead #32
 
I have the kabar kukri you are talking about. I think it is a great kukri, and has held up beyond what I had expected, especially for the money. I am not going to give a huge review, but lets just say that I am extremely happy with it! :)
 
First and formost, the Ka-Bar Kukri Machette is not a kukri. It is a machete. When a product discription says kukri machete, they mean a machete with a kukri "styled" blade. Why is this important? Because a machete is designed to cut vegitation efficiently by having a long thin sharp blade that is fast enough to slice through light hanging vines and thing stringy briars and similar brush. It should have a relatively thin sharp edge to bite into light moving vegitation.

A kukri on the other hand, was designed to cut larger material such as heavy brush, branches and even small trees. It was also used as a fighting weapon. Unlike the thin bladed machete, the kukri has a spine thickness at the bolster of 1/4 - 1/2 inch or more and a convex edge that is strong rather than sharp. The blade shape, its taper and its edge bevel are designed more like a small forest ax that allows the blade to bite deeply in dense wood and blow apart the wood to allow the blade to sink deeper. By contrast, a machete will bite deeply but get stuck because the blade is ground incorrectly for these dense materials.

Some say, who cares? I'm sure a person that gets hurt out in the wilderness because he/she used this tool in a manner inconsistent with its design cares. People see reviews and then go out and buy these machetes and think they are like real kukris. No one seems to ask themselves why real kukris cost 10 times more? Doesn't anyone ask why one is called a kukri and the other called a machete? Do they think that those of us that buy the CS Gurkha Kukri or a traditional Nepalese kukri are just flashing money?

Back to the original post, this is why your HI kukri came "dull" and your Ka-Bar came razor sharp. The HI kukri won't be much use cutting weeds and hanging vines because it is heavy and its edge doesn't bite into the flimsy brush well. It will however cut trees like an ax. Your razor sharp Ka-Bar will cut vines well but its edge will chip and/or break if you use it to cut trees like a traditional kukri because razor sharp edges are not made for heavy chopping.

Both tools have very negative issues doing the other tools job. Imagine a 2 pound kukri slicing through a hanging vine and then continuing around to bite into your leg because it is impossible to stop it! Imagine a machete's blade breaking when it smacks into a downed log and the fractured part comes back and hits you in the face!!!

Each tool has its own purpose. Parts of that purpose may overlap a bit but, they are not interchangeable tools.

Bill
Virginia
 
shortwinger said:
First and formost, the Ka-Bar Kukri Machette is not a kukri. It is a machete.
Click to expand...



Shortwinger covered it well. :thumbup:



Just because it has a Kukri shape does not make it a Kukri. :eek:


Even among Kukri's there are a wide variety of shapes and sized taylored toward their intended uses.




Big Mike
 
My MKII kukri is 17.5 inches long and weighs about 25 or 26 ounces while the Ka-Bar weighs in at 27oz. As you stated, some of the bigger heavier models of kukri are not meant to carry on a hike, they are tools for the farm. And when used correctly they can be used for extended periods.

But just to compare, how many "average folks" can use an ax for an extended period? Or even a hatchet? Most would get tired in just a few minutes. My guess is that this would be the case with a machete too.

My point on the comparison was just a heads up that each tool has its proper place. As you are reading this, hundreds of housewives around the world are using a butter knife as a screwdriver! That fact doesn't make it correct. It may get the job done but the screw head is deformed and the end of the butter knife is bent. A quick check on the magical interweb box will show you how many stories and videos are out there about machetes breaking while batoning and doing things beyond their intended use.

Webster says a machete is "a large heavy knife used for cutting sugarcane and underbrush and as a weapon."

Bill
Virginia
 
I should point out, I never said the Kabar was a kukri. As I mentioned, I think it's clear that the two knives are designed with very different purposes in mind (Kabar for lighter chopping, although it does fine on wood--so far it's gone through half a cord of firewood without significant issues), and the HI WWII for heavier tasks. And not all khukuri are the same either. Depending on the style of khukuri, some are more for those heavy farms tasks you describe, while others are much lighter.

Regardless, it strikes me that in Nepal, the khuk is a general utility knife; they use it, very successfully, for literally everything. The same could be said of a top-quality machete. Sure, you see videos of machetes breaking. But it strikes me that most of those machetes are probably $5 ACM machetes. I don't see any videos of a Condor or a Swamp Rat or a Scrap Yard machete breaking like that. But you can doubtless find plenty of videos of Nepalese made tourist khuk's breaking under heavy use. If we're going to make a good comparison, we should be comparing good quality machetes to good quality khuks.

I also got the impression, from the longer comparison thread I posted, that some of the newer and shinier HI's come dull, not because of the tasks it's designed for, but because some users just want to put their own edge on. I mean, it came DULL. Not just dull as in, not able to cut cardboard, but dull as in, not able to do pretty much ANYTHING, including chopping wood, or, god forbid, a tree.

In the two months since I first posted this up, I reground my Kabar's edge to a convex grind, rather than the hollow grind that it came with. So far, it has held up admirably to chopping wood, but is still razor sharp for lighter cutting tasks with just a bit of touching up after I do my chopping. I'm quite impressed for the sub $50 I paid, with how much knife I get. I love the HI, and once I put an edge on that, well, it's been great. Couldn't get it even close to shaving sharp, but it holds an edge extremely well, and does pretty well even in the kitchen.

In either case, I use both just as I would use a Chinese broadsword, with swings ending blunt edge towards my body and blade parallel, and past the torso, so that if I were to cut through something unexpectedly easily or hard, I won't get injured.

I think what I really am interested in now, is that the Nepalese use their Khukuri for everything. What kind of grind would be best for that general utility, and how will YOU use your Kabar kukri machete?
 
I think everyone is in agreement, we have hacked this up enough! ( <- see what I did there?) :)

Oh and btw Crimsonfalcon, I only responded because in your title you ask the question:
"What do you think of the Kabar Kukri?"
I would not have chimed in if you put Machete at the end. And for what its worth, I like the kukri machete. Ka-Bar makes a great product!

Bill
Virginia
 
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