What would chop better? Busse Kukri vs ASHBM?

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shqxk

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Mar 26, 2012
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I really digging the HUCK but I want to make sure if the Busse kukri will really out chop Battle Mistress since the blade shape wouldn't be as all around useful as BM.
 
I'm sure the following quote from Wikipedia about Kukri's would translate well to wood chopping too:

"The kukri is effective as a chopping and slashing weapon. Because the blade bends towards the opponent, the user need not angle the wrist while executing a chopping motion. Unlike a straight-edged sword, the center of mass combined with the angle of the blade allow the kukri to slice as it chops. The edge slides across the target's surface while the center of mass maintains momentum as the blade moving through the target's cross-section. This gives the kukri a penetrative force disproportional to its length. The design enables the user to inflict deep wounds and to penetrate bone. This has been proven over and over in battlefields where Gurkhas chopped the heads off the enemy off in one smooth slice."

I think it will out chop a Battle Mistress...the real question is if it could out chop a MOABOLO or MOAB!!
 
Geometry cuts. The edge geometry has a huge influence on the chopping performance. My TTKZ was a lousy chopper at first, due to the overthick edge profile. Then Garth thinned the geometry and greatly improved the performace.

So comparing two blade is really comparing the geometry. Thin wins.

Assuming equal edge profiles, then the HUCK would win, IMO.
 
Agreed with Resinguy...the question is how thin is the HUCK ground. If it has to be reground to get something in the .030-.040 range behind the edge, it's just not worth it to me. You would lose some of it's visual appeal in the CBT, and plus well, I don't do regrinds, so I'd be paying more. Plus I"d be left with a half coated blade...now looks aren't everything, but at that price they do matter to me personally.

With full tang kukri's I also always wonder about balance these days. You want to make sure the sweet spot is actually in the blade swell.
 
So when we talk about thin- we are strictly talking thin behond the edge? Doesnt matter if the blade is 3/16 or .32 - as long as she's thin behind the edge?
Thats what Im thinkin anyways....
Thanx for overlookin my ignorance fellas.
 
Behind the edge is correct. I'm sure some formula can be created to add overall stock thickness to the equation.

Overall thickness and edge angle and blade height influence thickness behind the edge.
 
Yeah, I definitely agreed that geometry is the key of chopping penetration. I have seen cutting competition blade with 0.345" thick with the edge that 3 times thinner than a Spyderco Paramilitary :eek:

Sound like the Kukri will likely to have a thicker grind than SHBM and since I don't want regrind any of my Busse so I think I will stick with the SHBM.
 
It's not just edge geometry that would be to simple. It's also blade weight, blade length, weight distribution as well as blade shape.
If it were not so we wouldn't have any axes which out chop big knives.
A Kukri is something in between an axe and a knife and will almost always out chop a knife even if most Kukris are thicker behind the edge and not as thin as a machete for example.

However if you need speed and lightweight against bush for example get a light and thin machete by all means though even there a Kukri shaped machete will do wonders for your wrist due to its forward curve.

However if you want to chop wood or even trees get a medium heavy Kukri.

If it's hardwood you are after and don't want the blade to bounce off, get the heaviest Kukri you can handle.

Regarding the balance. You all know the more forward the better it chops heavy things and the more back the faster it'll be.
Blade length ties into this as well.

Then comes edge geometry as well which was already discussed. Though it didn't touch on user abilities and non homogenous media. I believe a thicker edge will be more forgiving to people like me who aren't masters at chopping just yet. One wrong hit and the too thin edge will bend or tear. One knot hidden under the bark and you'll be happy if the edge was a bit thicker.

Everything being equal a better edge is better, duh. :-) whatever better means for a particular user anyways.
But not everything is equal. As decribed above many other criteria can be more important.
I guess we focus on edge too much because that's pretty much the only thing we users can change after we obtained a blade. All other aspects however require carefully consideration before the purchase.
 
I spent years chopping many cords of wood with an axe, two khukuris and my SHBM's. 1-2 cords a year for 5 or so years. Even being thicker and not as sharp, my khkuris were better choppers. They had more weight towards the tip allowing me to hit much harder. Everything else being equal, ie, weight, length, thickness etc, the forward balance of the khukuri plus the shearing action of the edge(depending on where you hit the wood of course) will definitely cut deeper. By shearing I mean the recurve iof the edge hits items at an angle instead of flat like a straight edge. That angle causes a slicing motion which helps cut through the item being hit.
 
resinguy said:
Geometry cuts. The edge geometry has a huge influence on the chopping performance. My TTKZ was a lousy chopper at first, due to the overthick edge profile. Then Garth thinned the geometry and greatly improved the performace.

So comparing two blade is really comparing the geometry. Thin wins.

Assuming equal edge profiles, then the HUCK would win, IMO.
Click to expand...


I don't know about all that edge geometry stuff, but I do know that my FBM LE could chop circles around my TTKZ.
(I was going to have my TTKZ reprofiled, but didn't get around to sending it in before the Custom Shop went dark.)
 
JohnTheTexican said:
I don't know about all that edge geometry stuff, but I do know that my FBM LE could chop circles around my TTKZ.
(I was going to have my TTKZ reprofiled, but didn't get around to sending it in before the Custom Shop went dark.)
Click to expand...

Guy makes a good point edge geometry and blade geometry is important. The FBM LE is heavyweight. I have not held or used a TTKZ so can't comment.
 
Cobalt said:
I spent years chopping many cords of wood with an axe, two khukuris and my SHBM's. 1-2 cords a year for 5 or so years. Even being thicker and not as sharp, my khkuris were better choppers. They had more weight towards the tip allowing me to hit much harder. Everything else being equal, ie, weight, length, thickness etc, the forward balance of the khukuri plus the shearing action of the edge(depending on where you hit the wood of course) will definitely cut deeper. By shearing I mean the recurve iof the edge hits items at an angle instead of flat like a straight edge. That angle causes a slicing motion which helps cut through the item being hit.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing experience but do you mean Himalayan Traditional Khukri or Busse Kukri? I found the traditional kukri does chop really well due to its hidden tang construction with strong weight forward. But its wouldn't be very fast in hand enough to be comfortable for others light usage.

I never have any experience on full tang kukri before and really doubt about it... INFI awesomeness is the only reason that make me want the knife.
 
shqxk said:
Thanks for sharing experience but do you mean Himalayan Traditional Khukri or Busse Kukri? I found the traditional kukri does chop really well due to its hidden tang construction with strong weight forward. But its wouldn't be very fast in hand enough to be comfortable for others light usage.

I never have any experience on full tang kukri before and really doubt about it... INFI awesomeness is the only reason that make me want the knife.
Click to expand...
Most of my HI Kuks are full tang. They are all well balanced. I'm sure Busse can pull that off too. Either way a full tang kukri will be more forward balanced than a full tang knife and most likely also more forward balanced than a hidden tang knife.
The BK21 Becker Kukri is also full tang (with cavities in the tang) and is also a great Kukri though a bit too light for really hard wood.
 
shqxk said:
Sound like the Kukri will likely to have a thicker grind than SHBM and since I don't want regrind any of my Busse so I think I will stick with the SHBM.
Click to expand...


Too soon to say. Right now we have no way of knowing if this will be true or not.
 
Given the experiences I have had w Busse and since the blade does not look to be full height grind, I wouldn't bet on a thinner edge though. It's all speculation, but I feel the past and the looks point to one side.

The Becker Kukri doesn't strike me as a good comparison. The handle is much smaller than on this one (5.5/13.25 ratio vs 6.75/12 on the Busse), the stock thinner, and the handle scale material is lighter than micarta I believe. Again though, it's just speculation, but for me I have to speculate when dropping $600.
 
Cobalt said:
Guy makes a good point edge geometry and blade geometry is important. The FBM LE is heavyweight. I have not held or used a TTKZ so can't comment.
Click to expand...

Ther TTKZ is a heavyweight too, and when I got it, I expected it to be an excellent chopper. But it just wasn't. That's why resinguy and others sent theirs to Garth for reprofiling (and I would have too if I hadn't procrastinated for a few years). I expect Busse learned something from that and incorporated it into their subsequent Kukris. That was, after all, the whole point of releasing a "Test Team" version.
 
The HUCK looks very much like an ax head at the sweet spot and looks to be dropped even lower than any other Busse recurve chopper so far which should create some interesting leverage at impact. This one is more exciting to me as a chopper than the ASHBM, though the ASHBM is no slouch, I believe the HUCK will be quite a bit more powerful in the chopping department.

The original TTKZ was very thick edged. Last year's coated ganza versions were almost half as thick behind the edge at the shoulder, but still pretty thick. The KZ2 was thinner than both. The Battlesaw, more recent than any of those was about the same as the KZ2 edge, so I imagine the HUCK will be similar to that. Either way, a quick convex to correct the the edge geometry makes a huge difference to an obtuse v-edge without having to regrind the entire blade.
 
I wonder if they"ll put the LB treatment on the handle to enhance the weight forward choppyness.
 
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