Hanshee kukri

[ndoghouse]

Welcome back Bookie! Did ya git enuff root beer?

 

[CubeLW]

Am I the only one that feels that the Hanshee is what the Nepali grim reaper would use? The curve just screams "Abandon all hope" .

 

[Scara]

I think the consensus is that a hanshee's main practical application is for fighting, and its shape presents unique ability to extend draw cuts, but I am no martial artist

I suppose a better way of phrasing the question would be if I were looking for another kukri and my top priority was to get the best fighter, would I be better served by the Hanshee or another? I can understand that the hanshee is most practically used as a fighter, but I'm curious if there is a better fighting kukri.

 

[Bawanna]

That's a difficult nearly impossible question Scara. If your not trained like most of us you may go for any move that seems like it might work. A stabbing move would not go well with a hanshe, where as a kobra or a gelbu or siru being slightly straighter might pull off a stab.

The big plus to my untrained eye and I believe the strong point of the design is the hook shape. If you swing it it's gonna want to grab the assailant, if he tries to pull away or back up he'd gonna get a serious draw cut and the blade doesn't want to let him go.

There's a million variables, length is another. How long is too long?

I'm not trained in knife or sword fighting and much to late in the game to seek it nor would I. I'm a gun guy who loves knives so I'll leave the fighting to my 1911 and have fun with the hanshe.

 

[christcl]

I'll take my Hanshee over M43 as a backup defense blade, but I prefer the M43 as a backpacking/outdoors knife.

 

[Steve Tall]

A thread about a hanshee-like Bura Boomerang:

I picked this hanshee or bura boomerang up from the DOTD 11/13. It was delivered today, and man what a wonderful delightful of a kukri this thing is.


Blade - The blade on the "Bura Boomerang" is very curved, so much so I would call it a hanshee, but who am I to argue with Bura. The blade finish is one of the best on any kukri I have ever seen. The lines are crisp and even with a seemingly higher polish then what a HI kukri normally comes with. The blade has very very little showing of hammer marks (can only be seen if using a ruler). The fullers are a bit to be desired however, in the previous photos posted for the boomerang I thought it only had one fuller on each side, however this is not the case. The boomerang has two fuller directly next to each other. The ones on mine are not very straight and on one it almost disappears before reappearing again. The finish on the fullers don't take away from the piece, however they are noticeable. The edge is well formed with very little convex to it (almost a flat edge). The edge is fairly sharp along most of it, however there seems to be about an inch of rolled edge close to the point of percussion. The spine of the kukri is also well formed and quite even with the main central ridge straight in the middle. The cho has some creeping to it, and I feel Bura could of pushed it closer to the bolster another 1/4" or more, but where it is currently at has no affect on the blades ability.


Handle - The handle on this kukri is quite interesting compared to other HI I have. The handle finish is the same as on a villager model, while it is smooth and without hot spots, it lacks the higher polish that accompanies normal HI kukris. The handle finish certainly isn't a problem, in fact I like it on this kukri. It gives it a certain feel and grippy ability. The handle is also much more curved then on other HI kukris, which I find much to my liking as it feels as though the handle was made just for my hands. The curve in the handle keeps the kukri secure and prevents my hand from sliding down even on hard strokes. The bolster on the kukri is the traditional style in white metal and it is very well done. The bolster fits the kukri very well with only a small gap of laha visible. The butt cap is also very well done, it came without any sharp corners and fits the rest of the handle nearly perfect.


Chakma and Karda - The chakma and karda on this kukri came with the same blade finish and handle finish as on the kukri itself (high polish blade and villager handle). The chakma is the sharpest I have ever received by HI to date, with the edge able to shave with. The chakma and karda are also around the size that I find that I can comfortably able to use (I prefer to be able to get 4 fingers around the handle, however these allow 3 and are still quite comfortable). The blade on the chakma is 3 1/8" with the karda being 3 1/4". The handle on the chakma is 2 3/4" with the karda also being 2 3/4".


Scabbard - The scabbard on the Bura Boomerang is extremely well done. The leather on the scabbard is the standard thick leather of high quality and the same for the frog. The fit of the kukri inside the scabbard is perfect. The kukri fits inside like a glove, once the kukri is placed inside the scabbard you can tip the scabbard upside down and shake without the kukri coming lose. While the kukri is held firmly in place inside the scabbard it remains quite easy to draw with just a little pressure. The chape fits nice and snug against the scabbard with very little glue showing, the solder line on the chape is fairly clean and even, however the only down side to the chape are two small dents at the back of the scabbard.


Chopping - The Bura Boomerang chops a little different then most other kukris, it sort of slices while it chops, much like the Movie Model and the Munk Bowie. The slicing ability at the end of the chop helps prevent the blade from sticking as well as it makes chopping more compterable and less tiring. The boomerang's ability to chop is quite similar to my 18" AK and 16" BGRS with the AK being the better of the three and the BGRS being the least (though not by much). The boomerang can also handle more whippy things like saplings better then the 18" AK, though not quite as good as the 16" BGRS. After an initial edge check on some logs to see what the kukri was capable of doing, I took it to a good size log which the kukri made quick work out of. While the AK may be a little better at penetration, and the BRGS being slightly better at whippy stuff, the boomerang is however the best at downward strikes. Once I had cut the log in two I chopped one section in to halves, once strike from the kukri was able to split the log in two with the pieces going flying. Once I gathered up the two halves again I cut them in half once more to form 4 pieces.


Overall I could not be happier with this kukri. The handle feels as though it was made for me and the blade is more then adequate enough for some serious tasks. While swinging this kukri it feels wonderful, even with it's fairly far out point of balance it handles like a dream. While it handles a little differently in chops then other kukris, it is nothing that can not be overcome with a little practice.


Thank you Yangdu for such a wonderful knife at an unbelievable price. :thumbup:


Here are the stats to the knife.

Blade - 12 1/2"
Handle - 4 1/4
Overall Length - 16 3/4"
Point of Balance - 4" away from bolster
Blade Thickness - 11mm
Weight - 25oz
Kami - Bura

 

[cul4u01]

Scara - I think the important question, is even if the hanshee is more for fighting, would you be able to use it? In what context are you thinking of, house hallway, or a room, garage, backyard, a yard, outside, in the street, in a field, etc...

For home defense, I of course prefer my Sig 226, but as far as knives go, I have my 18" Bashpati, or the Suga, or the Trisul. All of which I am proficient with in a home defense situation. In an open field situation, I am most proficient with my Tibetan Longsword, or my Wu Jian, I could probably go toe to toe with someone who even had a tarwar, katana, or hanshee. The others may be bigger, thicker, and even stronger than my 2 straight swords, but I am extremely proficient in my particular martial art with those 2 swords, and it's knowing when to deflect, parry, and misdirect, before attempting to attack, that will usually decide the outcome.

Weapons are generally secondary, and ones mindset and knowledge is first and foremost, the most important.

That's my 2 cents.

 

[christcl]

I'm certainly most of us have some martial arts training that maybe translatable to a hanshee in a jiffy.

I'll stick to my Benelli M4 or Sig SP2022 as my home defense weapon if possible and needed.

Scara - I think the important question, is even if the hanshee is more for fighting, would you be able to use it? In what context are you thinking of, house hallway, or a room, garage, backyard, a yard, outside, in the street, in a field, etc...

For home defense, I of course prefer my Sig 226, but as far as knives go, I have my 18" Bashpati, or the Suga, or the Trisul. All of which I am proficient with in a home defense situation. In an open field situation, I am most proficient with my Tibetan Longsword, or my Wu Jian, I could probably go toe to toe with someone who even had a tarwar, katana, or hanshee. The others may be bigger, thicker, and even stronger than my 2 straight swords, but I am extremely proficient in my particular martial art with those 2 swords, and it's knowing when to deflect, parry, and misdirect, before attempting to attack, that will usually decide the outcome.

Weapons are generally secondary, and ones mindset and knowledge is first and foremost, the most important.

That's my 2 cents.

 

[cul4u01]

I'm certainly most of us have some martial arts training that maybe translatable to a hanshee in a jiffy.

I'll stick to my Benelli M4 or Sig SP2022 as my home defense weapon if possible and needed.

Most definately, any martial art can be adapted to utilize any kind of weapon, question is, how comfortable, and efficient can one be when wielding that weapon?

 

[christcl]

I received Iaido and then Iai-kenpo training when I was younger. Some of the principles of cutting with a long sword, wakizashi, or tanto as well as foot work and distance are very translatable, however I would be outmatched by someone faster and with a more dynamic style like Escrima.

Hence, gundo is my martial art now haha.

Most definately, any martial art can be adapted to utilize any kind of weapon, question is, how comfortable, and efficient can one be when wielding that weapon?

 

[uluapark]

for home defense the best knife , is the one that goes..BANG!!

 

[cul4u01]

Hence, gundo is my martial art now haha.

lol...me too.

Too old to really train effectively now, but I do teach, and I'll admit there are one or two of the older students who have the potential to surpass my skills, I may need to send them to a classmate of mine for further training soon, if they would like to pursue higher training.

 

[christcl]

What martial art do you teach?

I notice you are in CA too, I'm of the Calguns state of mind that it looks less questionable to the police here to use a handgun than cut someone up with a big knife in home defense.

lol...me too.

Too old to really train effectively now, but I do teach, and I'll admit there are one or two of the older students who have the potential to surpass my skills, I may need to send them to a classmate of mine for further training soon, if they would like to pursue higher training.

 

[cul4u01]

Choy Li Fut for 36 years now.

Sorry, didn't mean to be rude, I was driving.

I practiced under Larry Young, who learned from Grandmaster Lau Bun. Larry's classmate is Grandmaster Doc Fai Wong of the Choy Li Fut Plum Blossom Federation his son Jason is my classmate, and he went to school with my brother. Jason is much more proficient than I, and I may need to send a couple of my students to him.

I do not have a formal school. I just teach friends, and friends children, in my backyard at home. I don't have the time or patience to actually run a martial arts school. I'm actually operating the way Grandmaster Lau Bun did, by teaching those interested in an informal setting.

 

[christcl]

I understand perfectly.

I'm learning Gao Ying style Chinese archery from my friend Justin Ma in a similar non-formal manner. He is proponent of the style and owner of Cinnabar bows based in the Bay Area.

Choy Li Fut for 36 years now.

Sorry, didn't mean to be rude, I was driving.

I practiced under Larry Young, who learned from Grandmaster Lau Bun. Larry's classmate was Doc Fai Wong of the Choy Li Fut Plum Blossom Federation his son Jason is my classmate, and went to school with my brother. Jason is much more proficient than I, and I may need to send a couple of my students to him.

I do not have a formal school. I just teach friends, and friends children, in my backyard at home. I don't have the time or patience to actually run a martial arts school. I'm actually operating the way Grandmaster Lau Bun did, by teaching those interested in an informal setting.

 

[cul4u01]

I understand perfectly.

I'm learning Gao Ying style Chinese archery from my friend Justin Ma in a similar non-formal manner. He is proponent of the style and owner of Cinnabar bows based in the Bay Area.

That's very cool. Best way to learn I think, is the informal way, because some of the best students learned it the ancient way.