Help!!! Kukri.....

[TheViking]

Hello

I've been studying a kukri the last few days, and now a have to seek for some advice! :!:
I've read about all the good things about a Kukri and all that stuff, but now I would like to hear all the BAD things about it!! :idea: :idea:
IF there is any.........
So if you have a Kukri, then send a reply and help me... :idea: :?: :!:

Andy
Vikingpower

 

[Adi007]

Welcome to BCUK! :wave:

I only have a Cold Steel one and not a traditional one so take that into account but one thing I found was that the handle took some getting used to (or my hands had to get used to the handle - I had some spectacular blisters after chopping for several hours with one. Other than that, hard to fault - robust, versatile, easy to use and they do what they are supposed to - chop!

 

[The General]

My honest comment would be that such a tool can be incredibly dangerous to use if you are tired or lack due care and attention. You could seriously harm or kill yourself if you did not treat this tool with the utmost care.

If you visit the H/I website there is a great section on using a Khukri with safty.

I think the inherent unforgiving nature of such a powerful tool is why they are frowned upon at many outdoor training events (same goes for an axe!)

Any sharp tool is dangerous, but these are deadly if you are not careful!

Fantastic user tool though! They really chop and chop and chop! Beginners buy a saw...

 

[Adi007]

My honest comment would be that such a tool can be incredibly dangerous to use if you are tired or lack due care and attention. You could seriously harm or kill yourself if you did not treat this tool with the utmost care.

Absolutely - excellent points. A khuk is potentially a very dangerous bit of kit that can chop off limbs and cut important things such a femoral arteries like they aren't there. Take care using one, practice and never use one while tired, distracted or under the influence!

 

[Andy]

first off my kukri is my avatar made in 1919 i think

handle is odd and takes some getting used to
scares the hell out of people that see it. an axe doesn't so much
a wooden axe has a bitof spring about it, a kukri doesn't been metal
very long cutting edge gives potential for a lot of damage
I find it a bit tricky to shapen the inside of the curve

My dad has delt with someone that was killed by one.

plus side
very good at chopping
IMHO might be more versitile then an axe, my dad has sorted out a whole pig fro Xmas with one
great chopping power
Cheap

 

[the naughty boy]

hello viking,i own two kuks and use to use them all the time,i used to rave about how good they were untill i bought a forrest axe from gransfors bruks. much better ! kuks have a lot going for them and look the business but do your self a favour and get the mini axe instead. then when you can afford one get a kuk.
kuk enthusiasts will tell you how good they are and how they out chop axes ,hell i used to say the same myself but trust me - if practical application is what your after then go for an axe.its the best of both worlds.
but if your heart set on a kuk then try torra supplies run by simon hengle i think for a really good deal on a genuine army issue kuk ,i got one from him and it was much cheaper than H.I
also one last outpoint on kuks...if you grip it to low the diamond shaped butt will hurt your hand and feel uncomfortable till you get used to gripping it slightly higher

on second thoughts get both if you can afford it :-D

 

[eraaij]

A khukuri may not chop as well and as controlled as an axe, but do not forget that this tool is a tradeoff. The khukuri combines an axe with a large blade. In Nepal, farmers this tool for much more than splitting wood. One of the other important uses is clearing brush and grasses. An axe obviously does not do that task very well.

I own 6 khukuris from HI and used the bigger ones a lot for splitting firewood. They do that well and it is great fun, but they are no match for a good Axe like the SFA or bigger ones. They can also be more dangerous due to the forward strong curve and the long edge. For bushcraft tasks just use an axe.

Sharpening: you can do best with the mousepad/sandpaper combi in a stropping motion.

-Emile

 

[the naughty boy]

My dad has delt with someone that was killed by one.

before or after? is he an undertaker?

anyone seen the last episode of angel yet?lets just say wesley gets up close and personal with a kuk!
id hate to spoil it for you

 

[Andy]

My dad has delt with someone that was killed by one.

before or after? is he an undertaker?

before he was working in A&E at the time.

PS I use a kukri because I have a good kuk but i don't have a god axe for bushcraft. when i get a job I think I'll end up with an axe

 

[ditchfield]

My Grandfather liberated a real Ghurka Kukri in WWII. I find that it is very heavy, although beautiful.

 

[ChrisKavanaugh]

The Kukhri is a very ancient pattern. The bend was an early compensation for the softer bronze to increase structural strength. The greeks made use of this in early swords. The mechanical disadvantage vs an axe is the natural tendancy to deviate off the cutting angle. This isn't so much a cutting loss as fatiquing and potentially more dangerous. Their low cost make it easy to collect one at least for familiarization. Standing in a downpour with unknown tools is not the time to learn. You can always wave it wildly watching The Man Who Would Be King \: or The Khyber Rifles

 

[The General]

I'm not sure hop appropriate this is but... From an historical point of view and in the context of how dangerous a tool it is... Feel free to delete this if it steps over the line.

I saw on the Discovery channel some time ago a story about a Gurka who had lost a lot a friends in the war in the Pacific circa 1944. He was at a station (train station) waiting to be taken back to the rear lines when he saw a train load of surrendered Japanise soldiers being brought back from the front lines. Apparently they had their heads stuck out of the windows due to the heat and he stood up and calmly held his Khukrhi out and 10 men lost thier heads before they could pull him down. The inertia of the train and blade design and sharpness did all the work.

Fact or fiction? Its a terrible story of humanities baseness, but a graphic example of the power of this tool.

 

[Mike Stewart]

I think that Chris is on the right track(not the one of the bveheader), when he said that the Kukri and other large knives in the region of India, Napal and even furthere north and west are actually common in thier root knife/wsord.

the Kopis/Falcutta was developed in the bronze age and was widely used from earlier than 500 B.C, all the way thru 500 A.D. The Macidonian Greeks were not just warriors , they were seafareing traders. The Kopis was not only spread thru conquest , it was spread thru trade.

the Turkish Yataghan is an evolutionery variant of the Kopis and many of the traditional Indian swords were curved closer to the Yataghan.

Mike.......