Beautiful...but not quite what I ordered. M43.

[Svashtar]

I wouldn't have blinked at 31 oz. The M-43's I've owned were:

17" 26 oz. (Kumar, hill walnut)
17" 27 oz. (Kumar, USA antler)
17.5" 31 oz. (Vim, grey buffalo horn)
18" 33 oz. (Vim, unfinished neem wood)
18" 28 oz. (Kumar, satisal)
18" 29 oz. (Amtrak, buffalo horn)

31 oz. is right in there. I still have the newer Vim's because of their balance and excellent handles.

Back in the day most of us considered an 18" 2 lb. knife to be perfect for chopping, and the Bura Baby Ganga Ram was the epitome of that ideal, and along with the 18" WWII was widely considered to be HI's best chopper back then; and that was with the regular full tang, not a chiruwa tang. A 2 lb. Chiruwa tang knife would be a great combination of strength and balance IMO.

And I disagree that over the years HI's have gotten heavier, I think generally the opposite is true for most models. 10-12 years ago HI sold AK's and CAK's that could run 3 and 4 lbs. Uncle Bill would warn people requesting 20" AK's that they were a handful that could easily top 60 oz.

Over time he got them to adjust the weight downwards. I had a Sher 26.5" CAK that ran 73 oz., and an original series Foxes Folly that was 21" long and 49 oz., so things have improved. Uncle Bill used to say that the kamis must think we were supermen to wield kukris like that.

The kamis try to get requested weight and proportions right, but doing it by hand introduces variances obviously, and I'm amazed they are as consistent as they are. The few SO's I had (they were on hold for a couple of years) I just asked for a 17" whatever, and let the kamis work it out and was never disappointed.

BTW, that rounded pommel would be a plus for me personally. I'm not the SO requestor, but personally I think asking for a 25oz. blade is pushing it at that length. In reviewing my listings the only HI's I can find close to those specs are the Sher Attitude model (later HI Razor), an 18.5" Malla, and a Bura (Boomerang) Hanshee, and all 3 of those blades are quite a bit shallower than an M-43. There is also a one-off 18" Berk's Special (Dui Chirra), at 26 oz., but it gets its weight savings from fullering not found on the M-43.

Norm

 

[davidf99]

.... I had a Sher 26.5" CAK that ran 73 oz., and an original series Foxes Folly that was 21" long and 49 oz., so things have improved. Uncle Bill used to say that the kamis must think we were supermen to wield kukris like that.

The kamis try to get requested weight and proportions right, but doing it by hand introduces variances obviously, and I'm amazed they are as consistent as they are.... Norm

I've had a few thoughts about that:

1. From the many khukuris I've seen on this forum, and the not-so-many I've handled, it seems that the kamis try to keep the blade size, handle size and weight roughly in the same proportions for a given model. It's not always true, but if you get a longer, heavier khukuri, it's likely to have a thicker handle. Conversely, if you get a small model, like 12"-13" long, it might have a handle that is too short or thin for your hand.

The way I see it, even if the blade is only 2 inches long, the handle still has to be big enough to fit your hand.

2. The main exception are the AK Bowies, which usually have good sized handles even for a shorter blade. But they're not khukuris, so the kamis would not be following some ancient tradition when they make those.

3. As for Uncle Bill saying that the kamis must think we (Americans) were supermen: Nepalese tend to be smaller and with smaller hands than the American average. On they other hand, they probably have disproportionately strong hands and wrists (especially kamis, who hammer steel all day long). So when they make a blade with an "American-sized" handle, they probably assume that the person who's going to use that knife is very strong. Hence, 49 oz and 73 oz knives.

Luckily the kamis do listen, so we usually get knives that can be used for something other than strength-conditioning.

 

[Svashtar]

I've had a few thoughts about that:

1. From the many khukuris I've seen on this forum, and the not-so-many I've handled, it seems that the kamis try to keep the blade size, handle size and weight roughly in the same proportions for a given model. It's not always true, but if you get a longer, heavier khukuri, it's likely to have a thicker handle. Conversely, if you get a small model, like 12"-13" long, it might have a handle that is too short or thin for your hand.

The way I see it, even if the blade is only 2 inches long, the handle still has to be big enough to fit your hand.

2. The main exception are the AK Bowies, which usually have good sized handles even for a shorter blade. But they're not khukuris, so the kamis would not be following some ancient tradition when they make those.

3. As for Uncle Bill saying that the kamis must think we (Americans) were supermen: Nepalese tend to be smaller and with smaller hands than the American average. On they other hand, they probably have disproportionately strong hands and wrists (especially kamis, who hammer steel all day long). So when they make a blade with an "American-sized" handle, they probably assume that the person who's going to use that knife is very strong. Hence, 49 oz and 73 oz knives.

Luckily the kamis do listen, so we usually get knives that can be used for something other than strength-conditioning.

Very true, but on the other hand when you hit something with a well-built convexed edge 20" 4 lb. AK, believe me, it "knew it had been hit!" Yes, you couldn't swing it that long, but then you usually didn't have to more than once or twice.

 

[Bladite]

Svashtar might know a thing or two about Khuks. Esp the old ones