Handles and Hand size

P

Pinkeye

Joined
Jul 7, 2013
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I thought i'd make a thread particularly for this topic. Handle size vs hand size of the HI kuks you own.

1. How big are your hands?
2. Handle girth of your kukris (whats your most comfortable if you own more than one?)

For me:
1. I wear an American large in gloves. 9+ inches measured around the fattest part of my palm.
2. My m43 kukri has 4.5 inch handle girth. It feels a bit thin to me.


I'm trying to get a sense for kukri feel. Any and all feedback would be most appreciative.

I'm hoping that this thread will be useful to others who have questions regarding handle/hands. This thread is an offshoot from this one:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1242096-m43-arrived
 
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My palm is 4" at the widest, and I have no problems with any of my khuks, and they all have varying girths (from thin to quite wide), and I do not have a problem with any of them.

I think you may be trying to hold your khukuri too firmly. You should be able to hold it loosely, and snapping it at the end of your swing. The grip should only be tight enough as to not have the khuk slip out of your hand, for obvious safety reasons.
 
cul4u01 said:
I think you may be trying to hold your khukuri too firmly. You should be able to hold it loosely, and snapping it at the end of your swing. The grip should only be tight enough as to not have the khuk slip out of your hand, for obvious safety reasons.
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thanks for the feedback! Handle girth measurements would be really really useful though. I've searched all over the forums. I can find every stat on HI kuks except handle girth.
 
Pinkeye, My Khukri with the largest handle has a Girth of 4-5/8". It's an over sized, really beefy ASTK. That's on the large side for Khukris. Here's a few Khukri's with their handle Girth:

18" ASTK: 4-5/8" - Beefy, over sized ASTK
16.5" WWII: 4-1/4"
20" Sirupati: 4-1/4"
18" WWII: 4" - Average weight Khukri
15" AK: 3-3/4" - Shop 1, Beefy blade

Those are just my larger Khukris. When I hold my ASTK in the same grip that you used with you M43, my fingers almost touch the fleshy part of my hand.

I agree with cul4u01, I think your gripping the handle tightly. There's what's known as a Pinch grip. I'll try to describe it: Grab your handle with your thumb and index finger, allow your other fingers to be loose. . . I grab the handle somewhat tightly with my thumb and index finger wrapped around the handle, the other fingers are loose. This allows me to make snap cuts, which are the most powerful for this sized Khukri.

The recommendation to cut down a tree with the Khukri is a good idea. With practice, if you experiment with different grips, you'll learn which works best for you and under which circumstances.
 
I would like as many people as possible to respond to this, as it will help me greatly in telling AZ ironwood what sizes I need various things cut for HI-- I have worked out a bulk deal with them to supply the 50 lbs of knife grips and bowie blanks and pen blanks for HI ; even showed them the website so they could see why I needed pen blanks for little knives. so this is info is useful. I find that the small grips are pretty comfortable for me even though I have large hands.


also I think I use it correctly, but not sure, it is kinda like having the blade on a loose pivot with your hand so when you swing you are not exhausting your whole body with a chop, you just bring it forward and let it do the chopping for you using that handy loose grip cul and wild talk about, cutting down a small tree is good practice for the working aspect of a khuk for sure, and generally what you end up using it for the most ( me any way, clearing brush +++)

this will finally happen in early january, hope to get at least 50 lbs out, eventually the full 100lbs
 
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Most of my 15" - 16" khuks are running from 3" - 4.15"; my 18" and above 3.5" - 4.5".

My Tarwar sword is at 5", but still comfortable. The Tarwar is a beast, so speed isn't everything; in it's case, strength, accuracy, and technique is what makes it formidable.

Personally, I find anything from 3" - 4.5" perfectly comfortable; and anything above 4.5" is unwieldy one handed. Swords 4.5" and bigger are pretty comfortable using a 1 1/2 hand - 2 handed grip.

After reviewing your photo, I too agree that your hands do not look excessively large, and the handle seems quite right, and comfortable.

If you are expecting to hold the and use the khukuri like a machete, then you are using it incorrectly. A grip and swing of a machete, is markedly different from a khukuri.

I would recommend watching a video that shows you the proper "snap" technique (I believe someone else has already posted the link on your "M43 arrived" thread).

Good luck!
 
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Gehazi, personally I find about 3.5" to be perfect, 4" to be manageable, and anything over 4" is too big. That's one of the reasons I think I'll stick to custom orders from here on out - I like big blades, but I prefer small handles. Not that I can afford any kind of blade these days.
 
I have another thread where i double posted this question. The link is at the top. So far here is the summary of the information i've received.

Small kuks<18": 3.5-4." seems to be the common range
mid size kuks(16-21") 3.5-4.5" ..alot of responses within that area (most being 4-4.5)
swords aound 5"


thanks to everyone who's helping the knowledge to spread.

more numbers would be great if anyone out there could help!
 
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wildmanh said:
Pinkeye, My Khukri with the largest handle has a Girth of 4-5/8". It's an over sized, really beefy ASTK. That's on the large side for Khukris. Here's a few Khukri's with their handle Girth:

18" ASTK: 4-5/8" - Beefy, over sized ASTK
16.5" WWII: 4-1/4"
20" Sirupati: 4-1/4"
18" WWII: 4" - Average weight Khukri
15" AK: 3-3/4" - Shop 1, Beefy blade

Those are just my larger Khukris. When I hold my ASTK in the same grip that you used with you M43, my fingers almost touch the fleshy part of my hand.

I agree with cul4u01, I think your gripping the handle tightly. There's what's known as a Pinch grip. I'll try to describe it: Grab your handle with your thumb and index finger, allow your other fingers to be loose. . . I grab the handle somewhat tightly with my thumb and index finger wrapped around the handle, the other fingers are loose. This allows me to make snap cuts, which are the most powerful for this sized Khukri.

The recommendation to cut down a tree with the Khukri is a good idea. With practice, if you experiment with different grips, you'll learn which works best for you and under which circumstances.
Click to expand...

thats really helpful, thanks so much!
 
I took some pictures of my hand and some of my handles to show a representation of what HI is turning out. I have 15 HI kukris and 2 HI swords to make the comparisons with. I have found that handles have a broad range in size even when they are made by the same kami.

Here is my hand size and some Lachhu kami handles...
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Here is a Manakamana Special, and a ASTK both by Lachhu. As you can see the grips are almost identical in shape yet the Manakamana is about 25% smaller or downsized. I find both grips extremely comfortable. The larger ASTK makes for a great "loose rolling wrist" chop. The Mamakamana special lends itself to a fighters grip, I can get a good grip even with wet hands.
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Here are some pictures of my FAVORITE handle by far. Its a Thamar Dui Chirra, as you can see the grip has a good curve to it and the diameter of the grip is dead nuts perfect!
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Here is the largest and thickest grip I have. It is a Lachhu 23in 40oz Chitilangi, the grip helps with such a larger piece...
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Another picture with a Lachhu 21in 30oz Gelbu special. I find grips vary in size even with the same kami...
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Here are some pics you might be able to gather info on...
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Working kukri grips...
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Fighting kukri grips...
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The grips size hasn't been a real concern for me. I have been a competitive handgun shooter since birth ;) I have gotten accustom to many different sized and shapes. I have found that each grip needs to be felt and used before any conclusions can be made. My Ruger .22 has a very long and narrow Luger style grip that I find completely manageable . Yet my full size double stack Berretta 92, Sig 226, Glock 23, and others are also very comfortable to hold and shoot even though they range in size dramatically. I know its a lot easier to throw a new set of grips on a pistol than it is to put new scales on a kukri. There are options however... Hardware stores offer some cool products. You can always use West Systems epoxy to make a center ring or you can file the grip down to size and add material with a number of different products. There is a super cool product but I cant remember its name. It looks like silly putty, you can wrap you grip and give it a squeeze. It will mold to you hand shape and hardened to a rock solid state. I don't think its a good idea on a kukri though... You want to keep a loose grip on the kukri and roll through the target with it.

I hope this info and pictures were useful.
 
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My largest diameter handle is 4-1/4" around,(a Vim WW2) and that's after I reduced it as much as I could without making a new bolster. I personally like them smaller and a more oval shape, so it indexes better. I have a CAK the same length whose handle is 3-1/2" or so and a very high oval, and it handles much better.
 
Scara said:
GB, might the name of the product be Sugru?
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Sugru... That might be the stuff. I know if wasn't named that when I used it but who knows what name it has now. It was actually a handgun specific grip. It was blue in color and they had models available for the 1911, Berretta, and every other modern handgun. This was in the early 90's so it might not be available, but the product you listed looks very similar.

Im not sure how hard the Sugru hardens too but the stuff I am referring to gets as hard as ABS plastic when completely cured.

I just read the Sugru website and its definitely not the stuff. I will try and find it and provide a link. It sets up super hard after the initial silly putty consistency.
 
gurkha berserka said:
Sugru? What kukri are you referring to? The Dui Chirra? Sorry but I am not sure what product you are referring to Scara.
Click to expand...

There is a super cool product but I cant remember its name. It looks like silly putty, you can wrap you grip and give it a squeeze. It will mold to you hand shape and hardened to a rock solid state.
Click to expand...

I've heard of something called Sugru that I'm told has properties similar to what you described in the quote.
 
Found it... Its called "My grip"... It turns to putty with 200 degree heat and can be used over and over again once heat is applied again.

I don't want to post any website links (don't want to get on Mr. Karda's bad side).
You can do a amazon search for it... That's how I found it after revisiting my Gun Digest 1988 lol.
 
You got big paws GB! I measured my hand same way you did and only got 7", well 7 1/8" if I run my hand under hot water to loosen the joints and then stretch really hard.

Do you think I got girlyman hands?
 
Bawanna said:
You got big paws GB! I measured my hand same way you did and only got 7", well 7 1/8" if I run my hand under hot water to loosen the joints and then stretch really hard.

Do you think I got girlyman hands?
Click to expand...

You little hands are just fine my friend. Sometimes these big things get in the way, especially when trying to plug something in behind a dresser or trying to buy gloves. My hands are actually proportioned right... I am 6'5 285lbs and a pure sexy beast just like yourself. :D
 
Well that solves that. I was about to ask just how big an ole boy are you, now I know.

Not even with my lunch and a nap do I want to tangle with yall. When I applied for the State Patrol after they lowered the standards (a bunch) the height requirement was 5' 6". Guy asked me if I was standing up straight. I stretched my neck a bit and he said just a little more? Stretched a bit more and he said I was there!!!!!

Told me still not to expect a call, the short people rule was only being used for woman and minorities.

Oh well, I never looked good in them Smokey Bear flat brim hats no how.
 
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