Handles and Hand size

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.

LOL buddy... Being large does have its disadvantages as well. Finding cloths is a huge pain the arss. The big and tall stores are mainly for "rounder" people as opposed to "taller" peeps like myself. I have a 54in chest, 38in waist, and 34in inseam... Try finding cloths with those measurements hahaha. Shirt sleeves are usually wayyy to short even when you go up to XXL. I cant tuck a shirt in because it just pops out when ever I bend over. It seems they make the belly area bigger, but they don't lengthen the tail or the sleeves of the shirts.

I usually can find a shirt to fit my chest and shoulders, but then belly area is HUGE when you buy those sizes. I mean parachute city! My belly is only moderately big, just a proper man sized beer belly :D. Gloves, jackets, heck even automobiles have to be "tried on" before purchase. Thank god all Aunties kukris fit me perfectly.


As you can tell by my rant, size isn't always a good thing. Don't get me wrong I would not be a shorty for all the money in the world. I enjoy my size and the attributes it affords me. :D
 
I hope you all do not mind that I bump this thread. Please forgive my ignorance.

I am new and have been reading the threads for a few days. I read how HI made the handle larger. I have never held, nor seen in person, a Khukuri. I am interested in owning one day, but my hands are more stumbs really :D

My hand only measures 6 3/4 from the back of the palm to the top of the middle finger. They are also thick making the circumference even smaller it seems when gripping. I think a range under four would be ok, but wanted to see if there was any input for someone who has never held a khukuri before buying one.

Thank you for you patience as I learn.
 
I hope you all do not mind that I bump this thread. Please forgive my ignorance.

I am new and have been reading the threads for a few days. I read how HI made the handle larger. I have never held, nor seen in person, a Khukuri. I am interested in owning one day, but my hands are more stumbs really :D

My hand only measures 6 3/4 from the back of the palm to the top of the middle finger. They are also thick making the circumference even smaller it seems when gripping. I think a range under four would be ok, but wanted to see if there was any input for someone who has never held a khukuri before buying one.

Thank you for you patience as I learn.

The model makes a difference. Generally the broader blades have a thicker handle. My WWII's handle fills my large hands completely. My Reti (which is quite small) however is very small in my hands.
 
Thank you Scara. The WWII is one I was thinking of, but Im not certain on a model just yet. Hearing that it fills you large hands makes me wonder if I could grip it properly. have not heard of the Reti. I still have quite a bit to learn and process.

Is there a model or two I should reasearch more on that are around 15-17 oal that would mostly be used for hiking?
 
I hope you all do not mind that I bump this thread. Please forgive my ignorance.

I am new and have been reading the threads for a few days. I read how HI made the handle larger. I have never held, nor seen in person, a Khukuri. I am interested in owning one day, but my hands are more stumbs really :D

My hand only measures 6 3/4 from the back of the palm to the top of the middle finger. They are also thick making the circumference even smaller it seems when gripping. I think a range under four would be ok, but wanted to see if there was any input for someone who has never held a khukuri before buying one.

Thank you for you patience as I learn.

It's really hard to predict how a particular khukuri will feel in your hands based on measurements alone. It depends also on the balance of the knife, what you are using it for (such as general camping chores versus heavy chopping), your grip strength and whether you hold the knife correctly (a loose grip is preferred).

I suggest that you buy one of the smaller KLVUKs that Yangdu posts on this forum. For example, I recently acquired a KLVUK that's 15" overall length and 16 oz weight, with a handle that's a little small for my average-sized hand, but still comfortable. The KLVUK is the least expensive HI khukuri, so you wouldn't be risking much if it doesn't fit your hand. Also, Yangdu might agree to take it back in that case, so you would only be out the return shipping.

Another possibility would be a sirupati or chitlangi in the 15-16" overall length range and weight under 20 oz. Those models tend to be slimmer than others, which usually means a slimmer handle. Like the KLVUK these are general purpose knives, good for everything except heavy chopping.

Yet another alternative would be one of the HI mini (or micro) AK Bowies, which are even smaller, but those are not khukuris. You can do a search for "AK Bowie" on this forum to see how they look and what are the dimensions.
 
Thank you Scara. The WWII is one I was thinking of, but Im not certain on a model just yet. Hearing that it fills you large hands makes me wonder if I could grip it properly. have not heard of the Reti. I still have quite a bit to learn and process.

Is there a model or two I should reasearch more on that are around 15-17 oal that would mostly be used for hiking?

The Retis will be scarce for some time. When they wear out a file they turn it into a kukri. They're small, and very light, but they won't have any for a while because they replaced all of their files not that long ago.

What do you intend to do with the kukri while hiking? Are you planning on clearing brush, or chopping wood?
 
Thank you David and Scara for the info. I certainly have more homework to do.

I honestly am hoping to get a couple, not at once. One for chopping another for clearing and lighter duty.

The KLVUK has been suggested by another and has caught my eye.
 
I do not think you will find a handle too large whatsoever....it just gives you more room to adjust....i wear med. gloves and have relatively small short fingers for palm size and for anybody a too small a handle is the worry, not too large....at worst and even with smallest hands, a WWII might feel as a Tarwar to somebody else, and that is a wonderful place to be....but i doubt any adult of whatever size would feel it THAT large even....
 
KBA, simply tell auntie when you decide to buy that you have small hands. You'd like a traditional size handle. I have small hands too, everything else is large to make up for it. Wear a 7 3/4 hat. Curved spines and some of the DUI and Yek chirras have small handles. Thamar leans towards small handles. Most folks, Gurka Bazerka being a possible exception would be better off with smaller grips.

Hope this sends, I'm in the woods with poor internet on a piece of junk IPad imitation thingy.
 
That is encouraging mtngunr. Thank you.

I was considering the WWII based on another post you wrote commenting on the WWII's handle length.
 
KBA, simply tell auntie when you decide to buy that you have small hands. You'd like a traditional size handle. I have small hands too, everything else is large to make up for it. Wear a 7 3/4 hat. Curved spines and some of the DUI and Yek chirras have small handles. Thamar leans towards small handles. Most folks, Gurka Bazerka being a possible exception would be better off with smaller grips.

Hope this sends, I'm in the woods with poor internet on a piece of junk IPad imitation thingy.


Received, or sent. :thumbup:

I will certainly write her.

Thank you again everyone for the education. I look forward to the day I can try one.

Edit: Now I just need to look up the names you all used. The learning process is half the fun ;)
 
Also if too large a handle its a relatively easy chore to reduce it for a custom fit. Especially rat tails but full tangs aren't difficult either.
 
Just to clarify one point: For small hands the main issue is the handle girth, not the length. A longer handle won't hurt, since you can grip it where you like. However, a too-fat handle might be a problem.

One time I had to return an extra large, fairly heavy chitlangi because the handle was too fat and I just couldn't get a decent grip on it. I volunteered to pay a "restocking" fee, though Yangdu didn't ask for it, and I got a credit toward my next purchase.

Some of the more traditional khukuris have short handles, but the girth is not always small. What I've noticed is that the kamis tend to make the fatness of the handle proportional to the width of the blade. That's just my personal generalization and I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions.

I agree with Bawanna that if you tell Yangdu that you have small hands (short fingers) she will pick something that works for you. However, if you buy a DOTD here at the forum you have to make a quick decision (since they usually go very fast), so it's good that you are researching it in advance.
 
I do prefer smaller handles, perhaps I should say more traditional sized handles, for myself in most cases. I've asked for such on my next custom khuk and am actually anxious to see how it fits, particularly against my old faithful KLVUK.
 
David - the girth is certainly what I was concerned about. I had read in another thread,a post by mtngunr, that a longer handle was prefferable. One thing I am trying to learn, to not try as a newbie, is a short fat handle.

When the time comes, I do think I will write Auntie for her guidance, in hopes of a slimmer handle.

Thanks again everyone for the great info.
 
I have an 18" 2 lb. AK. My palm is 3 1/2" across at the knuckles. Medium gloves are slightly loose, small gloves are pretty tight. The AK handle felt narrow until I used the knife to chop and then it felt just right. I tend to like thick handles on knives, axes, hatchets but the AK handle felt good.
 
I have big hands (XXL, size 11, 4.5inch across palm) but find it easy to adjust to handles which at first feel too thin or too thick or too long. Human hands are cool that way. Chop with any Kukri for a few minutes and it will feel much better than new.

But here is one thing I can't adjust too and that are handles which are too short.
Last week in South India a beautiful blade caught my eye but if with some pain I can only squeeze 3 fingers between guard and pommel it's useless.
 
I've only a small collection of HI knives right now, but I will say that all of the handles are near perfect. I'll second a KLVUK, as I've raved about mine on another thread, and mention that the handles is great for everything. It's longer than some more traditional designs, but that allows you to choke-up or grips towards the pomell, depending on what you're trying to do. As for girth, it feels great in hand, and I'm a smaller guy at 5'8" and 125lbs.

Handles can vary in my experience, but they always suit the knife. One of my thicker handles is on my Kumar BDC, and the thinnest is on a Siru. Both of these knives are 12" overall, but the BDC is much beefier. It feels like you're holding the grip of a .357

One last thing that I want to mention is something I originally considered when ordering my first HI. Since the beginning, this company has been primarily mail-order, phone-order, and now internet-order. This, to me, means that almost all of the people who bought these knives did so without ever seeing or holding it for themselves. Then you look at the amazing response to these knives, and can only come to the same conclusion I did: all of them are perfect.

We all can tell you from experience that your first will not be your last, so I say pull the trigger now. Grab a KLVUK, if for no other reason than affordability, and expect it to spend a good amount of it's life in your pack, on your side, and in your hand.

-SG
 
What SingleGrind is trying to tell you is that you're already succumbing to HIKV. There is no known cure.....
 
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