Hi guys, I thought you might be interested in the relative abilities of my 2 H.I. khuks as I have had the opportunity this weekend of putting them through their paces in removing a few 3"-4" diameter oak trees that my Dad wanted clearing from the bottom of his garden.
The first khuk I got from Uncle Bill (after poring over the forum archives) was a 20" GS made by Bura. I had read nothing but good reports and, of course, it carried Pala's highest recommendation.
Then HIKV kicked in and thanks mainly to Tom Holt's excellent reviews of the 25" Kobra I ordered another Bura made beauty. Each knife arrived "chopping sharp" and I quickly brought the edges up to the point where they would easily shave hair from my arms.
Both blades are similar in weight, but totally different in feel and I simply had to find out how this "feel" translated into chopping efficiency. The GS is horn handled, weighs 25oz and balances 3.25 inches in front of the bolster. The Kobra is wood handled, weighs 27.5oz and balances 6 inches in front of the bolster.
The GS feels every inch the weapon. Very well balanced in the hand and very quick for multiple strikes. The Kobra, on the other hand, feels considerably heavier, due to the centre of mass being further from the hand. It does, however, feel aggressive and eager and moves through the air with alarming speed. Multiple strikes are a little slower than with the GS.
The test began with the GS and a tree some 3.5" in diameter. I tried to keep all my swings the same so that the comparison could have at least some degree of meaningful accuracy. Each swing was a diagonal, full power hit with hips, shoulder, arm and wrist all playing a part.
The GS bit deeply into the tree, cutting it down completely in 6 hits. I was very pleased with the performance of the GS. There was no trace of vibration or handshock and I certainly felt that no other big knife could have felled this tree any easier.
I was wrong.
Whilst I had high expectations of the Kobra, it is fair to say that I was stunned by its brutal hacking power and the awesome ease with which the Kobra dispatched the next tree. Two hits and it was down. This was a tree some 4" in diameter. I then moved on to the final tree(just over 3" wide). My first hit almost went right through and before I could take a second swing it fell down. Three hits with the Kobra had felled two small trees! Again, no handshock or vibration at all. Tom, this knife is everything you said it was, many thanks!
Also many thanks to Uncle Bill and to Bura for giving me two superb examples of these great knives. Although at this point I didn't need any further confirmation of Bura's skill I was nevertheless delighted to find that both blades were still absolutely hair-popping sharp after the test.
In conclusion, I would suggest that the martial artist or soldier would prefer the quickness, balance and compactness of the Gelbu Special. However should a dragon ever start misbehaving in my neighbourhood, I know which khukuri I'll be reaching for.
The first khuk I got from Uncle Bill (after poring over the forum archives) was a 20" GS made by Bura. I had read nothing but good reports and, of course, it carried Pala's highest recommendation.
Then HIKV kicked in and thanks mainly to Tom Holt's excellent reviews of the 25" Kobra I ordered another Bura made beauty. Each knife arrived "chopping sharp" and I quickly brought the edges up to the point where they would easily shave hair from my arms.
Both blades are similar in weight, but totally different in feel and I simply had to find out how this "feel" translated into chopping efficiency. The GS is horn handled, weighs 25oz and balances 3.25 inches in front of the bolster. The Kobra is wood handled, weighs 27.5oz and balances 6 inches in front of the bolster.
The GS feels every inch the weapon. Very well balanced in the hand and very quick for multiple strikes. The Kobra, on the other hand, feels considerably heavier, due to the centre of mass being further from the hand. It does, however, feel aggressive and eager and moves through the air with alarming speed. Multiple strikes are a little slower than with the GS.
The test began with the GS and a tree some 3.5" in diameter. I tried to keep all my swings the same so that the comparison could have at least some degree of meaningful accuracy. Each swing was a diagonal, full power hit with hips, shoulder, arm and wrist all playing a part.
The GS bit deeply into the tree, cutting it down completely in 6 hits. I was very pleased with the performance of the GS. There was no trace of vibration or handshock and I certainly felt that no other big knife could have felled this tree any easier.
I was wrong.
Whilst I had high expectations of the Kobra, it is fair to say that I was stunned by its brutal hacking power and the awesome ease with which the Kobra dispatched the next tree. Two hits and it was down. This was a tree some 4" in diameter. I then moved on to the final tree(just over 3" wide). My first hit almost went right through and before I could take a second swing it fell down. Three hits with the Kobra had felled two small trees! Again, no handshock or vibration at all. Tom, this knife is everything you said it was, many thanks!
Also many thanks to Uncle Bill and to Bura for giving me two superb examples of these great knives. Although at this point I didn't need any further confirmation of Bura's skill I was nevertheless delighted to find that both blades were still absolutely hair-popping sharp after the test.
In conclusion, I would suggest that the martial artist or soldier would prefer the quickness, balance and compactness of the Gelbu Special. However should a dragon ever start misbehaving in my neighbourhood, I know which khukuri I'll be reaching for.
