What made you buy a kukri?

I was simultaneously blessed and cursed with a father who seems to think that whatever he did in life is what everyone else who ever lived should always do.
When he became a cop, he decided he needed to study the martial arts a bit more. It happens that one of the two flourishing styles was Bando, which just happened to be what my dad took up. So when I was a 5 year old watching that masterstroke of cinematic superlativity called 3 Ninjas, it was kismet I'd feel the need to become a ninja.
The old man decided the only martial art for me was Bando, quite possibly the single ugliest fighting style I've ever seen. As a kid I couldn't appreciate it, since it lacked the aerial kicks and cartwheels that made Rocky, Colt, and Tum-Tum so lethal.
With age, however, I came to respect the dump truck-like utilitarian nature of the art. And, of course, the khukri is to a Bandoist what the katana is to the kenjutsuka. There are some undercurrents of sensationalism among some of the Bando community, though, so I'd always thought the khukri to be a strict weapon of war, and so I only practiced with it in that context. It wasn't really until the last couple years that I discovered it's less bellicose applications. Now my M43 is my favored knife for cutting potatoes.
So in a word: Bando.
 
A beaver.
(but I have to say that honestly, the first time I saw a khuk, my reaction was "yeah... whatever")

When I was young, during a fishing trip, my father and I had to walk for a while to get an axe. A beaver left a tree in the middle of the road.

So when I got into knives, I was looking for something bigger, something that could chop anything. Then I heard about khukris, did a lot of reading, and started to hunt for my first HI deal. I ended up with a 18" Ganga Ram. A few hairline cracks made it a blem ;) People here were really helpful.
 
I got my first one way back in 2005 as a gift from a good friend of mine. It was an actual WWII-used khuk, and I fell in love. Some months later I went with my friend Chris (Roadrunner) to the Blade show in Atlanta, thanks in no small part to Mr. Koster's VIP passes. There I had the pleasure of meeting several forumites and having a wonderful dinner at Fogo de Chao, where they commenced to showing there recent aquisitions, not a few of which were beautiful khuks. After that, I was hooked. When we got back to Augusta, I joined the Cantina, and promptly ordered my first installment of HIKV medication.
 
C.S. Graves said:
Off topic, maybe off-colour:



Ain't beavers responsible for 90% of men's actions? :D
Click to expand...

I wasn't fast on that one... maybe because I was in a discussion with a friend... about a girl... wich proves your point.

69418694.QQqLwyq0.jpg

(to help others that are as tired as me)
 
Farther back than I can exactly remember I came across some cheapo khukuris, and shortly thereafter forgot about them without getting one. I got my first khuk, an 18" AK, in the fall of 2000 at the age of 14, shortly after discovering HI while surfing the net. I got the knife because of its history and the sheer coolness of the gorkhas; I got it from HI because their knives had amassed a devoted following and the service was excellent, still is in fact. I don't have so many as I might like and am not the most devout forumite, but when it comes to khukuris, this is where it's at.


Dan
 
Wow, Dsprag, you've been a member since 1999, and 24 posts! Well, you know what they say, quality over quantity!
 
I was living in a rough situation and had previous experience with a kukri from nepal which had been picked up from a troop in the Gurkhas.

I checked out nthe H.I. website and after some research purchased my M43. It served admirably then in the role of shelter builder and major survival tool which was what I purchased it for.
 
My first Khuk purchase came after a search to find a replacement for my cheap Home Depot machete. After 10 consecutive seasons of clearing brush behind my house with that piece of trash I did a Bladeforums search on clearing brush and was almost immediately directed to the HI forum. It was a divine moment.
My first post in this forum asking the typical "which Khuk to buy?" question was answered by so many folks with great advice and welcoming words that I felt like I was amongst old friends and not strangers.

My first purchase was a 17" Foxy Folly with a purpleheart Western style wood handle and a quick draw sheath.

After I used it for a few weeks and got the hang of hitting the "sweet spot" I decided I would try a slightly less beefy blade and purchased a 17"WWII with a traditional handle to get into the tighter spots. I must say that I find the traditional style handle to be more comfortable for me to use over extended periods of time, which surprised me.

My next purchase will be a style of Khuk with an even more narrow blade, a Kobra or perhaps a Sirupati. I've collected knives for many years now, and I can't think of any other blade packing in as much bang for your buck as the HI line of knives do. They're real workhorses!
 
Bonkers said:
That sure don't apply to me. :p
Click to expand...

Me neither, I'm afraid :o I'm working on it...

Anyway, a friend of mine had sent me a link to this guy's survival website (m40, for those who know of it), and this person really extolled the value of a khukuri (though he focused more on khukuri-shaped machetes) for wilderness survival purposes. I confess to being thrown off by the blade design initially, but I was intrigued nevertheless. I decided to do some serious research, and that brought me here to BF. It was actually the desire to purchase a HI khuk in the DOTDs that led me to register for BF in the first place :D So the HI khukuri is the reason for my renewed interest in cutlery (fixed and folding) and wilderness survival skills (W&SS is my home here on the BF :))

For my first khuk, I settled on a 16.5" WWII Khuk for hiking/camping purposes. I hope to acquire an 18" WWII, Chitlangi, M43, Dui Chirra, Foxy Folly, Ganga Ram, Bone Cutter, CAK, 15" AK, and BAS over the next several years :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top