I dont think that HI is currently regularly producing the optimal weight khukuri for most of us.
I agree that the optimal weight depends on the mix of jobs that are regularly encountered.
Many of my jobs take longer than they used to, because now I have many difficult decisions to make. When we were going to bring the Christmas tree in to set it up I realized that I would have to trim the top and some of the bottom branches. So in to the bedroom to select the proper khukuri. Perhaps an 18 WWII or a Gelbu Special. No theyre too big. Well maybe a 15 AK. Perhaps the 13 villager. About 15 minutes later I emerged from the bedroom with the proper khukuri to make the four or five cuts necessary. Actually, any of the khuks could have done the job well.
The one I actually chose is the same one I most often chose for yard work these days. As a matter of fact its my only khukuri that is stored with a belt through its frog so I can put it on quickly for use. Its a forlorn little villager, whose fit and finish are nowhere near the quality of my HI knives.
But its light to carry, sharp, and wickedly fast. It handles vines and small branches with ease. Each limb of the tree it took off came off in one clean blow. It is easy to control, so the blows did not go too far and scar other branches.
The village Udhaipur in the picture is 17 long and 14 oz. The blade is about 5/16 thick at back and about 1.5 wide. I think this size and weight of blade is about ideal for the mix of tasks I usually encounter. I suspect many of the forumites with similar lifestyles would arrive at the same conclusion. One of its greatest advantages is its light weight that makes it easy to carry. Rusty has a village Chainpuri with roughly the same specs. The Kumar fighters are similar also.
It would be interesting to see something this size made of spring steel in the regular HI lineup. The Kumar fighter is the right size, but I am not confident of the file steel. The kamis have a lot of experience with the spring steel, and I trust them to get it right. Strength and flexibility become more important as the weight of the blade goes down. These sizes come up occasionally in the village models, but quality control is uncertain. Quality control is crucial in these light blades. If any khukuri would be likely to break under heavy work, it would be one of these light ones.
