I was looking for an all-around, do-everything khkuri. I used to have a 15" Ang Khola and a 20" Sirupati, but both have gone on to better homes, so the comparisons that follow are as much taken from memory as anything. In practical terms, both were great blades, but didn't really fit with what I wanted in a khukri. The Sirupati was a great brush clearer and modest chopper, while the AK was a great litle chopper, but I found it too unwieldy for any other serious use. I had read lots of posts about the WWII, but it sounded a bit too much like a dedicated chopper, given it's weight, etc.
Enter Uncle Bill and Pala. Pala stated that the best all-around khukri is the Gelbu Special. So I orderded one, and I am now convinced that Pala DEFINITELY knows his blades.
Mine is 18" OAL, and I have neither calipers nor scale that is of any use. Check the HI website for more details. What is most striking, indeed magical, about this khukri is the deep curves of the hollow ground blade. This is the real secret of the GS. It has a bit more belly than a Sirupati, and a bit less than an AK. In cross section, however, it has the same agressive sharp wedge shape of the AK that makes it such a good chopper. The area of the choil is distinctly triangular in cross section. It would simply be a more slender AK wihtout the hollow grind.
This is where the magic of the design comes in. The hollows are not just there for show. They are quite deep, run the full length of the blade, and significantly affect it's performance.
Out of the box, my GS had a significant dull spot right at the fullest part of the belly. I remember somewhere Uncle bill mentioned that the kamis don't like to do too much grinding after they have applied the magic stone, so I think this is just a matter of them being a bit too conservative and not wanting to grind too deeply, rather than a serious QC oversight. The grind lines are absolutely perfect and dead straight, and the saber or convex bevel is very even. They just didn't get it sharp all the way down. No problem. A couple of minutes freehand with my lansky medium stone got it seriously sharp.
The buttplate was just a fraction larger than the but itself, which I think meant that they cut it to fit and then polished the handle down a bit more. The upper portion of the flare, while not a problem on any other khukris I've had, was a bit large on this one and pushed my hand a bit farther forward than I liked. So I got out the Dremel, ground down the butt into a raindrop shape (round end up) and smoothed out the cap. I also got an instant education and respect for those who actually grind and polish the handles. After a couple of hours with varying grits of sandpaper, all the way down to 600 and some 1200 steel wool, as well as a buffer wheel on the dremel with white compound, I couldn't get the same mirror polish on it that the kamis get. Now THAT is a humbling experience. However, I now have a nice satin finish that I actually prefer, since it gives a better grip as well as allows some of the grain in the horn to show through. Very nice!
Now, living in an apartment, I don't have lots of vegetation I can destroy with impunity, and the neighbors get a bit anti-social when somebody is wandering around the complex with a big knife. But I did find a few downed limbs that were being cleared and managed to test out the blade just a bit.
The Gelbu Special is everything I hoped for. It is avery bit as good a chopper as the 15" AK, but is much easier to use. The AK has a smaller sweet spot and the weight is concentrated in a smaller area making it a bit more cumbersome to swing at varying angles, change the grip, etc. The AK is a great camp knife that takes the place of a hatchet. But it is at its best when it's chopping in a more regular motion, like taking apart tree limbs and things on a chopping block- i.e. straight up and down chopping. The GS, given the hollow grinds, has very different handling characteristics that make it much easier to use at different and ever changing angles. but it removes just as much wood, since it has essentially the same bevel as the AK.
Compared to the Sirupati, it is, I believe, a better chopper, but not quite as good as taking out thing, springy vegetation. The added length and tip speed of the Sirupati give it the edge. but the flat grind of the Sirupati gives it a center of balance that seems much further out than the GS. Therefore I do find the GS easier to use since it's blade profile seems to be better fitted to doing most tasks with less effort. The Sirupati also, if I remember correctly, tended to stab downward more than allow the edge to cut, given it's forward angle. I found this a bit tiring, as I found myself having totry to make the knife do what I wanted it to do. The GS seems to have a bit more shallow angle and the edge impacts true without any effort. (While I'm on the subject, the long forward slant is about the only reason I haven't ordered a King Kobra. Bill, are you going to post the pix of the "modified" Kobra I sent? Maybe we can get a production run of half a dozen or so if there's enough interest.)
Certianly, these results may not be typical, and much would depend on one's height, weight, arm length, etc. Technique is also a major consideration in performance, and there are many who can use a Sirupati much better than I. And it, and the AK, are great knives. They just weren't the all-around go-anywhere knives I wanted. The Gelbu Special certainly is. In addition, the hollow grinds are a masterpiece of forging and the way the light plays off the sinewy curves of the blade...magic! A while back I posted that I thought the Gelbu Special should be called the Garoudko Jibro- the Tongue of the Dragon. That is definetly what it is! I just can't get over the way this blade seems to combine the best attributes of so many different khukris.
I don't have, nor have I ever seen, a WWII model, so I can't comment on which of these two might be "better". If you already have a WWII, you probably don't need a GS. But if you don't, and you are looking for the one khuk to take anywhere, call Uncle Bill and have him send you one of these. I doubt you will be disappointed.
Tom
Enter Uncle Bill and Pala. Pala stated that the best all-around khukri is the Gelbu Special. So I orderded one, and I am now convinced that Pala DEFINITELY knows his blades.
Mine is 18" OAL, and I have neither calipers nor scale that is of any use. Check the HI website for more details. What is most striking, indeed magical, about this khukri is the deep curves of the hollow ground blade. This is the real secret of the GS. It has a bit more belly than a Sirupati, and a bit less than an AK. In cross section, however, it has the same agressive sharp wedge shape of the AK that makes it such a good chopper. The area of the choil is distinctly triangular in cross section. It would simply be a more slender AK wihtout the hollow grind.
This is where the magic of the design comes in. The hollows are not just there for show. They are quite deep, run the full length of the blade, and significantly affect it's performance.
Out of the box, my GS had a significant dull spot right at the fullest part of the belly. I remember somewhere Uncle bill mentioned that the kamis don't like to do too much grinding after they have applied the magic stone, so I think this is just a matter of them being a bit too conservative and not wanting to grind too deeply, rather than a serious QC oversight. The grind lines are absolutely perfect and dead straight, and the saber or convex bevel is very even. They just didn't get it sharp all the way down. No problem. A couple of minutes freehand with my lansky medium stone got it seriously sharp.
The buttplate was just a fraction larger than the but itself, which I think meant that they cut it to fit and then polished the handle down a bit more. The upper portion of the flare, while not a problem on any other khukris I've had, was a bit large on this one and pushed my hand a bit farther forward than I liked. So I got out the Dremel, ground down the butt into a raindrop shape (round end up) and smoothed out the cap. I also got an instant education and respect for those who actually grind and polish the handles. After a couple of hours with varying grits of sandpaper, all the way down to 600 and some 1200 steel wool, as well as a buffer wheel on the dremel with white compound, I couldn't get the same mirror polish on it that the kamis get. Now THAT is a humbling experience. However, I now have a nice satin finish that I actually prefer, since it gives a better grip as well as allows some of the grain in the horn to show through. Very nice!
Now, living in an apartment, I don't have lots of vegetation I can destroy with impunity, and the neighbors get a bit anti-social when somebody is wandering around the complex with a big knife. But I did find a few downed limbs that were being cleared and managed to test out the blade just a bit.
The Gelbu Special is everything I hoped for. It is avery bit as good a chopper as the 15" AK, but is much easier to use. The AK has a smaller sweet spot and the weight is concentrated in a smaller area making it a bit more cumbersome to swing at varying angles, change the grip, etc. The AK is a great camp knife that takes the place of a hatchet. But it is at its best when it's chopping in a more regular motion, like taking apart tree limbs and things on a chopping block- i.e. straight up and down chopping. The GS, given the hollow grinds, has very different handling characteristics that make it much easier to use at different and ever changing angles. but it removes just as much wood, since it has essentially the same bevel as the AK.
Compared to the Sirupati, it is, I believe, a better chopper, but not quite as good as taking out thing, springy vegetation. The added length and tip speed of the Sirupati give it the edge. but the flat grind of the Sirupati gives it a center of balance that seems much further out than the GS. Therefore I do find the GS easier to use since it's blade profile seems to be better fitted to doing most tasks with less effort. The Sirupati also, if I remember correctly, tended to stab downward more than allow the edge to cut, given it's forward angle. I found this a bit tiring, as I found myself having totry to make the knife do what I wanted it to do. The GS seems to have a bit more shallow angle and the edge impacts true without any effort. (While I'm on the subject, the long forward slant is about the only reason I haven't ordered a King Kobra. Bill, are you going to post the pix of the "modified" Kobra I sent? Maybe we can get a production run of half a dozen or so if there's enough interest.)
Certianly, these results may not be typical, and much would depend on one's height, weight, arm length, etc. Technique is also a major consideration in performance, and there are many who can use a Sirupati much better than I. And it, and the AK, are great knives. They just weren't the all-around go-anywhere knives I wanted. The Gelbu Special certainly is. In addition, the hollow grinds are a masterpiece of forging and the way the light plays off the sinewy curves of the blade...magic! A while back I posted that I thought the Gelbu Special should be called the Garoudko Jibro- the Tongue of the Dragon. That is definetly what it is! I just can't get over the way this blade seems to combine the best attributes of so many different khukris.
I don't have, nor have I ever seen, a WWII model, so I can't comment on which of these two might be "better". If you already have a WWII, you probably don't need a GS. But if you don't, and you are looking for the one khuk to take anywhere, call Uncle Bill and have him send you one of these. I doubt you will be disappointed.
Tom
