- Joined
- Jan 28, 2006
- Messages
- 7,035
I often get asked "Why do you always carry that thing?"
I'll give my answer (might help the new guys), and would ask what makes you favor the kukri.
One word: versatility.
There's a lot I can do with an axe, and I love me some axes.
There's a lot I can do with a long knife.
But the kukri is good at all of them (caveat: it has to have the correct geometry).
The way it starts thick at the spine and starts tapering right away gives a lot of weight behind the sweet spot without the whole thing being heavier than it needs to be. The bevel is narrow enough to slice well and go deep, but flares enough so that when you split with it, the wood only touches the bevel. It is equally good slicing meat as wood.
An axe that is good at slicing meat will tend to stop dead when splitting and you transition from the thin cheeks to the wide eye. A good splitting axe won't slice meat well, nor will it bite deep when felling and limbing. The blade geometry of the kukri makes it good at all of these.
The length makes it a good substitute for a machete, especially if it's kept sharp and you let gravity and momentum do the work for you.
It can be used as a draw knife.
In a pinch, they make a more than adequate weapon for two or four-legged problems.
It doesn't do small detail stuff very well, but they thoughtfully include a karda for that.
What else can do all of that in one package?
I'll give my answer (might help the new guys), and would ask what makes you favor the kukri.
One word: versatility.
There's a lot I can do with an axe, and I love me some axes.
There's a lot I can do with a long knife.
But the kukri is good at all of them (caveat: it has to have the correct geometry).
The way it starts thick at the spine and starts tapering right away gives a lot of weight behind the sweet spot without the whole thing being heavier than it needs to be. The bevel is narrow enough to slice well and go deep, but flares enough so that when you split with it, the wood only touches the bevel. It is equally good slicing meat as wood.
An axe that is good at slicing meat will tend to stop dead when splitting and you transition from the thin cheeks to the wide eye. A good splitting axe won't slice meat well, nor will it bite deep when felling and limbing. The blade geometry of the kukri makes it good at all of these.
The length makes it a good substitute for a machete, especially if it's kept sharp and you let gravity and momentum do the work for you.
It can be used as a draw knife.
In a pinch, they make a more than adequate weapon for two or four-legged problems.
It doesn't do small detail stuff very well, but they thoughtfully include a karda for that.
What else can do all of that in one package?
