Yangdu / Himalayan Imports I apologize..

Tools are meant to be used within their intended context. There are obvious techniques or lack thereof that will significantly wear the edge or stress the blade of any edged tool. Common sense goes a long way. I think people invest 100-150 dollars in a large blade and because they can't get out enough to use it properly for the intended purpose of utility or outdoor recreation, they feel the need to justify their purpose by abusing the blade.
 
Which HI Khukuri had disappointed you?
Fell free to post the picture and review on the forum
 
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Had an experience last winter that made me feel proud somehow. The storm had blown a 1 ft diameter branch down across the trail next to my home. Half of it was busted through, the other half was still attached to the mighty tree. I brought my 20" Bura AK out & started hacking away to clear the trail. My neighbor saw me & said no worries - he'll walk home & get his axe. By the time he got back, that AK had already cut all the way through the log. Dude couldn't believe it... he was scratching his head & holding that AK & wondering WTF? He started showing it to our other neighbor - both were impressed. I dunno why, but that just made me feel proud....
 
Had an experience last winter that made me feel proud somehow. The storm had blown a 1 ft diameter branch down across the trail next to my home. Half of it was busted through, the other half was still attached to the mighty tree. I brought my 20" Bura AK out & started hacking away to clear the trail. My neighbor saw me & said no worries - he'll walk home & get his axe. By the time he got back, that AK had already cut all the way through the log. Dude couldn't believe it... he was scratching his head & holding that AK & wondering WTF? He started showing it to our other neighbor - both were impressed. I dunno why, but that just made me feel proud....
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Prequel- Tree log size of footballer's thigh fall down after heavy rain and i only had 12" Salyan, rat tang.

If i recalled it correctly, one of the hikers saw me chopping and told me i should have asked for a saw instead.
" The knife's too small.Don't spoil it, better get a saw, it's faster".
Sal must have felt annoyed hence it just rose up and dude just look at it for a sec and then left.
30 mins later he came back in disbelief how Sal finished chewing that log.

And we are talking about CAK...Heck...i really don't see any problem with a 12".
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I stood at disbelief yesterday at the same location, thinking how could a 12" smallie whack something that size?
 
I think it's a simple fact that kukri aren't for everybody.

For me, those saws are horrible. I've tried them, and broken more than one, I almost always cut myself with them (so much for them being safer), and they were slower through the same size wood than an axe or kukri.

My CAK is sharpened so it cuts light stuff as well as chopping. I bought a sirupate for clearing out some space on a plot of land. It's great on the light stuff, but even small branches ~1", it takes 2-3 swings to get through when the CAK takes one. However, the siru is better for swinging for hours.

A traditional latin-style machete doesn't work all that great for me, either. Some people swear by them.

You just have to roll with what works for you.
 
JayGoliath said:
I stood at disbelief yesterday at the same location, thinking how could a 12" smallie whack something that size?
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Put a properly tempered edge on that thing which the kamis do and you'd be surprised what it will go through. I refrain on using them at home for cooking cause I am afraid they'll go right through the cutting board and the wood table beneath it! :eek:

The 9in pen knife does a fine job of chewing through all the stubborn electronics packaging in this apartment! :D
10 years later and it's not even completely sharpened.

Go on youtube and get some of the somewhat graphic videos of animal slaughter or what not and see how the nepalis use them. They have small hands and are pretty short in height.

Some customers also mentioned that they had to fine tune the edge on theirs, cause it wasn't sharpened sufficiently or they wanted a different edge geometry on it.

2 of mine came wicked sharp out of the box.
Between the small pen khukuri and the small straight ham knives at home, the meat just doesn't have a chance in this kitchen! :D
 
I have bought kukries knowing full well that there are lighter tools specifically designed for single tasks that out perform them (for that task). For example a pocket or backpacker's saw I used to have. It only weighed a few ounces (or less) and out cut anything. It consisted of a 2 foot piece of wire, with a rough sandpaper like carbide surface, connected by finger rings at each end. A little chain saw if you will.

On a family backpacking trip there was a dead tree we needed to chop down for fire wood. My brother in law whips out his giant Bowie knife and starts chopping. It was a big tree maybe 10 inches in diameter so it was taking him a while. My father said he could take the tree down faster and takes out his new toy, a nine millimeter Beretta pistol, and starts shooting at the tree. I kid you not. He really did start shooting at the tree. After this failed to "terminate" the offending tree, I went to my pack and got my pocket saw. With in 2 minutes I had cut the tree down. So a 5 dollar, less than 1 ounce, saw out performed a 2 pound Bowie and a 9 millimeter Beretta.

Ounce for ounce or on pure cost the little wire saw was in a different league when or came to cutting down a tree.

Oh - to this day we have a running joke about my dad and how he stalked and shot a dangerous tree while backpacking.
 
I have a 20" LOA (15" Bladed) Sirupati Khukri that has out chopped a friends 18" Bladed USGI Machete on green Aspen. When I say out chopped, the Khukri made bigger chips and took less time. I'm experienced with my Sirupati and he may not have been as experienced with his Machete, it's hard to say.

Got an HI Bolo a few years ago thats about the same length as my Sirupati, but it weighs a lot more. Funny thing is, when I got it the Sirupati would out chop it. Turns out the edge was way to narrow and thick! I've thinned out it's edge a bit but not enough. A project for this spring. I think that once the edge is thin enough, that blade will make a better chopper and brush knife.

Looks to me like your Khukri held it's own against the machete and with proper technique it would do better. If not, thin the edge. Also most machetes don't have edges or poor ones at best out of the box. This is so the user can put what ever edge they like on it. Unforunately sometimes this happens with Khukris. Bought a Swamp Rat CampTramp once with a 90 degree edge. Thing was a wedge and didn't chop worth a durn. Thought about fixing the edge, but I needed money at the time so I sold it. The new owner had the edge thinned and loves it.
 
I have a story to share as well. A couple of months ago, my father in law and I were trying to remove a thick root that was pushing against an underground water pipe in my yard and we couldn't figure out how to do it. We had several pieces of electric equipment with us as well as a wood/drywall saw and we couldn't damage that thing. The root was huge and stuck in a corner, making it hard to get to (not enough space to move a large saw into). All of a sudden, I decided that it was the perfect chance to let my 15" BAK (Boomerang AK made by Old Kami Sher) do the job. That BAK just happened to be the perfect "man" for the job, and its aggressive curvature made the job possible. I hacked away at that root (the BAK fit my hands perfectly and allowed me to chop away accurately) and a few minutes later opened up a giant wedge in the root. The help of a big concrete drill finished off the job. My father in law was very impressed (and you know how hard it is to impress a father in law) and I was proud to say that the edge hardly needed any straightening. A few strokes with a piece of Henckles steel from the kitchen made the edge perfect again. I could've gotten by without and if I were in the woods, I wouldn't even worry about it. Impressive! Now my BAK lives in my trunk permanently and I take it everywhere I go. I also have a 9" baby WWII (made by Young Kami Sher) in my trunk as its little brother companion. Way to go, HI.
 
I haven't ever used my FF to do any chopping, not because it can't do it but because the thing is too dang pretty to scuff up.

When I need to chop stuff up, I normally reach for models like a Ganga Ram or similar. I chop a lot of oak of all diameters, and haven't been disappointed often with how my khuks have performed.

Andy
 
Xmodius said:
I'm not sure what the point, if any, of this thread is.
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The point is just what you posted, the ability to state how one feels/thinks for the moment..

I simply haven't given HI a fair shake and don't want to be labeled a naysayer, thought I'd make it public as many here have read some of the posts I've chimed in on about HI..

simple really..
 
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