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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
whos kukri is better??
- Thread starter shaft
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2003
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- 476
If you want Cold Steel, Ontario or Kabar models... tis' NOT a Khukuri that you're after.
Now if you want a Khuk, you want H.I.
Comparing them price-wise is just laughable,
and comparing them quality-wise is disrespect!
But, you probably won't listen to us... and go with the junk anyhow.
I just hope no vital areas are exposed when blades go flyin'.
Now if you want a Khuk, you want H.I.
Comparing them price-wise is just laughable,
and comparing them quality-wise is disrespect!
But, you probably won't listen to us... and go with the junk anyhow.
I just hope no vital areas are exposed when blades go flyin'.
My second home actually.
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2002
- Messages
- 3,179
You have not seen a big knife till you've seen an HI. I'd put my big WWII up against all three of those. And remember, without the cho it's just a bent knife.
Frank
Frank
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2002
- Messages
- 3,548
Another vote for HI. I have a bunch and abuse them often.
I had a CS kukri, it felt flimsy and the kraton handle was awful, the khuk would twist in my hand when chopping.
If you want a "tactical" one, get an HI and gun-blue it. They have seen plenty of military use and take severe beatings without complaint. They are also very easy to keep sharp.
The Kabar one probably has a better handle than the CS, if it's anything like my NG Kabar.
I had a CS kukri, it felt flimsy and the kraton handle was awful, the khuk would twist in my hand when chopping.
If you want a "tactical" one, get an HI and gun-blue it. They have seen plenty of military use and take severe beatings without complaint. They are also very easy to keep sharp.
The Kabar one probably has a better handle than the CS, if it's anything like my NG Kabar.
Chris Keller
BANNED
- Joined
- Jan 10, 1999
- Messages
- 399
The best are from Himalyan Imports. The reason why is they are handmade.
Handmade kukris are much easier to match to the taste of the user. He can pick any size that fits his liking.
Any production kukri has to fit as many users as possible. So the HI kukris are better for the same reason a handmade suit is better.
HI kukris also have things most factory kukris do not. They have a very thick spine and are zone tempered. They have more complex grinds and their fullers mean they do not stick in wood as much as say a flat grind will.
A custom kukri made here can certainly match these qualities, but the HI kukris beat these in the cost department.
I am not knocking our factory kukris totally. Cold Steel kukris for instance are pretty good. But you need to recall they are made under different economics for a different class of user.
Handmade kukris are much easier to match to the taste of the user. He can pick any size that fits his liking.
Any production kukri has to fit as many users as possible. So the HI kukris are better for the same reason a handmade suit is better.
HI kukris also have things most factory kukris do not. They have a very thick spine and are zone tempered. They have more complex grinds and their fullers mean they do not stick in wood as much as say a flat grind will.
A custom kukri made here can certainly match these qualities, but the HI kukris beat these in the cost department.
I am not knocking our factory kukris totally. Cold Steel kukris for instance are pretty good. But you need to recall they are made under different economics for a different class of user.
- Joined
- Jun 9, 1999
- Messages
- 4,729
Oh, you mean sort of like this? Or this? I paid $75 dollars for the Ang Khola and $60 for the WWII. Both were on sale, true, but such deals aren't unusual or too awfully hard to come by. One more thing:
Care to put a wager on that? The very same knife used in the above test will be going out on a pass-around in about a week. The edge has been fully restored and other that the edge the knife was undamaged by that test. If you'd like a chance to use a hand forged blade with millenia of history to it, send me an e-mail and you can use it for a week for the cost of shipping. Feel free to compare it to any other hand forged piece made of any wonder steel by any maker in the world at any price. I won't say that nothing can beat it, but I garuantee that they will be comparable. Same goes for you shaft, in fact the World War II passaround that's linked in my sig still has slots open if you would like to try it. chrisbrogden will be sending it out on Monday and it can just as easily go to you as me. I got it as a blem at half price, $60. At that price it undercuts the Cold Steel kukris and is comparable to the Ontario and Ka-bar offerings. I don't think the CS, Ontario, or Ka-bar knives are bad knives, but they aren't khukuris. You have to use one to understand, but once you have it's hard to deny.
, HEHEHE
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2002
- Messages
- 2,259
I would agree that if you grab one of Uncle Bill's BLems you are getting about the best knife value around. Even regular prices are amazing for quality you get. BUt I ahve three HI khuks now, one villager from the 12" villager run he jsut did, and then two "blemishes" 15" ang kholas that had nothing wrong with one, and other one had a 1/4" or so crack in the karda. They're all getting reworked for me for various things, but all were well worth the money. The two 15" ak's cost me 62.50/pc shipped, and the 12" villager was 50 I believe, though I'd ahve to look it up in my records. So for $175 I got three great, nearly unbreakable knives. value for the dollar, the others can't come close to that(and I'm a huge fan of CS and Kabar products,so don't get me wrong on that. Just dollar for dollar, don't think you can beat HI khuks)
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2000
- Messages
- 375
as far as i'm aware, there is no serious competition for HI. a lifetime-worthy (aside from the warranty that they offer which is no joke) implement of the style for ~$50 (at least the blems) is something not to be scoffed at.
if you're looking at major factor variants of a khukri, you might want to study more on the real purpose and design in a handmade one, and the best place for that is the HI forums or web site. if you're wanting a big, cool-looking blade that you can try to chop with the tip with, perhaps a cold steel will do better. if you're actually wanting an implement that outperforms almost anything at the tasks a khukri was invented to do, HI is the place.
if you're looking at major factor variants of a khukri, you might want to study more on the real purpose and design in a handmade one, and the best place for that is the HI forums or web site. if you're wanting a big, cool-looking blade that you can try to chop with the tip with, perhaps a cold steel will do better. if you're actually wanting an implement that outperforms almost anything at the tasks a khukri was invented to do, HI is the place.
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2003
- Messages
- 20,206
Sweet, what HI model it that at the top of your (GASP!) 2:59 A.M. post on 9/20/03?
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2002
- Messages
- 3,397
Ummmmm.
Not to pick nits.
But, despite their given names those two examples
(which I wouldn't at all mind owning)
are really more accurately named
in the vein of barong, bolo, kopis, or other.
I'd not call a blade a khuk variant
without, at least, a more distinct forward curve.
A good place to compare these types of blade shapes is:
http://www.valiantco.com/
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2000
- Messages
- 3,794
Ok, one more vote from me goes to HI.
Not that I've used them a lot, but managed to abuse two of them real bad, both were AKs. As others said many times terrific value for the price. Especially villagers.
I do doubt that another blade will " eat" HI kukris. After all it's spring steel 5160, zone hardened with the edge at 59-60HRC...
Look again
Not that I've used them a lot, but managed to abuse two of them real bad, both were AKs. As others said many times terrific value for the price. Especially villagers.
I do doubt that another blade will " eat" HI kukris. After all it's spring steel 5160, zone hardened with the edge at 59-60HRC...
Look again
