Which kuk?

M

mpteach

Joined
Sep 21, 2007
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Im somewhat new here, I edc a bm 525 folder and or a leatherman charge tti.I thinking of getting a Khukuri and i would like help in deciding since im also going to be using it. I'm also a painting contractor, during the warmer months i do about 4 outside houses a month and most of them have some vegetation against the house to cut. It varies, some aren't so bad but some have thick bushes everywhere shrubs plants small tree branches in the way etc. The worst jobs have taken me over 3 hours with shears and loppers. Way too long. So, recently I bought a 20" worx 18v corldess hedge trimmer from an amazon.com sale. I threw my old shears out, the trimmer works really good. However it cant cut anything much larger than 9/16". I didnt want to get a mini electric chain saw. I still use loppers for the big stuff less than 2". I'm not really a lopper fan. I have to carry them seperately from the trimmer because i only have two hands, their very wide and unwieldy when opened fully and overall just kind of slow. In rare situations i could see myself going to the truck for loppers or just using the saw in my leatherman because a large branch must be cut at a point that is too close to the house but i dont see that being a frequent event. I originally was goint to get a gerber brush thinnner but then i saw the HI khukuris. They're really cool knives in every way. I would be nice to cut branches up to 3" in diameter though 2" would be fine. Im not sure which kuk to get. Sirupati ww2 etc. I want a length that is long enought to give me good reach and is good for chopping bushes yet small enough to carry around easily and will work in medium small spaces . I thinking 18 or 20 inches might be best but i cant decide.

Which kuk or kuks do you guys recomend?.
 
My standard answer is an 18" WWII model. But I'm partial to it. For that kind of cutting, you don't really need the big bangers like an Ang Khola. I find that the khuks smaller than about 17" aren't as useful as choppers, but lots of folks love the 15" AKs and the BAS.
 
Yea im not hiking long distances throught the woods with it, I dont need something super small. What would be the advantage of a 18WWII over say a 20sirupati?
 
i think that a 20" siru would serve you well. It sounds like it's mostly brush work that you need to clear. The 20" Siru with it 14"-15" blade would be ideal. Long enough to keep your hands clear, but packable enough to carry to the job site and in the truck bed tool box. In this case, an AK with its chopping abilities would be overkill, IMHO.

However, if you wanted a little more "all 'round" khuk that you could take hiking and could chop some serious wood (up to 8-10" pretty easily), yet could swung with a SNAP, the 18" WWII is hard to beat. Typically, it has a much longer handle than most khuks. You can choke up close for more control, or slide your hand back for snap cuts.

If you're going to use it just for brush work or trail clearing, then the 20" Siru gets my vote. Depending on how thick the brush is, you might be able to get away with an 18" version if you want something lighter/shorter.

Welcome to the forum:)!:thumbup:
 
In general, the WWII is somewhat heavier and more angled for chopping than the lighter Siru, which lets be honest is heavier duty than most anything that doesn't say HI on it. The Sirupati blade is narrower than the WWII but I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

I haven't used either khuk in a while, but the 20" sirupati felt a little more balanced in the hand, while the 18" WWII has a more forward weight bias that is good for chopping. By comparison, the 16.5" Chiruwa Ang Khola felt like a club to me.

There are a lot of people on here who know a lot more than I do, but that's my observation. Frankly, you can't go wrong.
 
I just received a 25" sirupati yesterday, which may be more than you're looking for. However, I tend to be of the mind that I'd rather have more than I need than less. Though it's very well-balanced, it's still pretty heavy and not something I'd be up to swinging for hours at a time. I've read that the 20" feels like a much different tool and would be a lot less tiring; I'll probably get one eventually, but the 25" was just what I was looking for -- it's a beast that I think could chop through just about anything.
 
If there's a lot of thickish stuff as close to walls as you mention, I'd be looking more to use
a powered sabre (reciprocating) saw than a kukri.
 
I make my cuts far enough away so that i'll have room to comfortably stand and work on the house or place a stepladder. The problems come when a massive shrub was planted within a foot of the foundation. Big branches that i have to cut close. Ive seen ones twice my height that were planted like that, one also had vines growing off of it into the house! I basically have to remove half of the massive shrub and then work around the bottom part. Usually though thats not the case so i could use my leatherman saw or even loppers in that rarish situation.

I thought about 18v reciprocating saws or small 18v chainsaws (hand or pole). I dont think theres a real speed advantage and khukuris are much more reliable and versatile. They dont need as much maintance or batteries iether. Plus i could fit it in a scabbard while im walking around with the hedger which a couldnt to with a bigger heavier tool. Lastl kuks are cool knives!!!

I dont do enough to make gas worth it or conversely i do so little i dont have to have gas brush tools:) Circling a house through the trees and bushes with an extention cord and moving at a decent speed doesnt work so good so im limiting myself to battery or hand powered tools for the brush work.

IM leaning towards the 20" sirupati but i could still be swayed to the 18" ww2. Steely had some intesting points. How big in inches of a branch can you cut with each with one blow? When you choke up for a precise cut do you use multiple blows instead of with the long imprecise snap?? Also whats the deal with the angle and how does balance effect things?
 
It really depends on how big the stuff usually is. You said up to three inches, but any kukri will chop that off, how many strokes it takes depends on how big the kukri is. The real question is how big is the stuff you run into on a regular basis?

If it's 1-1.5" as the biggest you run into consistantly, then the Sirupate would probably be the better choice, lighter, probably easier to work with for a long time.

If you routinely run into stuff over 1.5", the 18" WWII would probably get the job done faster. I have an 18" WWII, and it has very nice handling qualities. It's maybe 2/3 the weight of my 20" Ang Khola, but is no slouch as a chopper. I pick it over the AK whenever I'm doing work that involves chopping things 2" or under.
 
Most of the stuff is under 1.5" I would like to able to chop the rarer 2" branches with one chop though if possible. 3" is the biggest i can see myself having do ever deal with. On the other hand i don't think I'll be working long enough periods of time to get tired.

Besides fatiguing faster is there any difference using a heavy blade to cut the light stuff? For the medium stuff whats the difference in using a lighter faster blade or a heavier slower blade?
 
for what you're needing, I would think that a faster blade will do the job. Keep in mind that a "faster" "lighter" blade is still going to be up to 3/8" at the spine/bolster juncture;) A 20" Siru will more than handle 2-3" stuff. Much of it in just one swipe. I can clear that with my kobra (a very naughty thing to do that voids the warranty).
 
mpteach said:
Besides fatiguing faster is there any difference using a heavy blade to cut the light stuff? For the medium stuff whats the difference in using a lighter faster blade or a heavier slower blade?
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Well, on smaller stuff, the heavier blade will tend to push what you're cutting, whereas the smaller blade will start to cut sooner. If most of your stuff is 1.5" and under, I'd definitely go with the sirupate over the WWII.
 
mpteach said:
Im pretty much sold on the sirupate now, unless the chitlangi wound be better??:)
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MP, either will suffice for what you wish to do. What you need to pay attention to is the weight and choose whichever is the lightest according to size. You might get a light Sirupati or an even lighter Chitlangi or vice versa. If you're wanting one around the 18"-20" range then try to find one less than 22-28 ounces or lighter. A 22 ounce 20" Sirupati would be much better than a 28 ounce 18" Chitlangi, get my drift?;) :)
But IMO a 22 ounce 20" Chitlangi would be the better of those two.:thumbup: :cool: It's also my opinion that the Chitlangi cuts like a much heavier kukri than it may be. I have a 20"+ Chitlangi but I don't have a Sirupati, that is unless it's a smaller one I have.:o

Personally for what you need I'd choose a lighter 17"-18" BGRS and reprofile the edge thinner so it would chop through the light stuff with ease, probably would no matter which one I chose though.:thumbup: :D
You have to not go too thin on the edge profile so as to not distort a thin edge when hitting something very hard like a rock, wire, or concrete.;) :p
 
mpteach said:
That doesnt help me make a choice.

Whats a BGRS?
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See my post again where I talked about the weight. A Chitlangi or a Sirupati are nearly the same except the Chitlangi is double fullered. A BGRS is a Baby Ganga Ram Special and one of the absolute best all around work kukris there are.:thumbup: :cool:
 
Does a double fuller blade of the same weight perform differently in use or does it just look prettier?

Why is a BGRS better for work than chitlangis or sirupatis of the same length?
 
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