Kukris
Khukris, Khukuris
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Featured: "Nasmyth-Marius" full sized combat, tactical primary edged weapon Khukri. Satin finished 440C, .250" thick, hollow ground, fully tapered tang, full filework, with traditional "cho." Brass multi-pinned dovetailed bolsters, Honduran rosewood exotic hardwood handle. Sheath: double layered kydex over aluminum welt frame, secured with steel Chicago screws, heavy 1.75" aluminum belt loops. This is a serious, strong, super sharp Khukri in the traditional blade style but with the addition of a full tang for great strength. A superbly graceful, useful keen weapon and tool. |
| The kukri is the traditional knife of the Nepalese. There
are several spellings for the word (khukri, kukri, khukuri) and they're all
pronounced the same: (kook-er-ee). It is used as a preferred weapon, tool, and
implement in Nepal, since at least before the 17th century. It is similar in
shape to the Egyptian kopesh, with a bent forward, sweeping curved blade.
Related blade styles are the Greek kopis, the Roman falcatta, and the Macedonian
machiara.
Modern kukris can be large or small, but most of mine have at least a 10" (25 cm.) blade. Some of mine are tactical, some are traditional, all are art. The blade shape and handle arrangement lends itself to fine geometry of grind, and a very good kukri is hard to make. You might see a lot of this knife design, but very few are executed well. I hollow grind my kukris, and that is rare, indeed. That's probably because of the blade shape, with the deep recurve, sweeping belly, and long overall grind, it is very difficult to make a hollow ground kukri well. Incidentally, only the very finest kukris in history were hollow ground. The forward bend in the blade geometry has several advantages. It allows a more relaxed wrist position when holding the knife, with the wrist at a straighter angle when a blow is delivered, rather than bent forward, putting strain on the radius-wrist joint. Because of the wider area toward the point of the blade, more impact can be delivered, more weight pushes the center of percussion toward the point, and the sweeping belly makes for extremely effective slashing cuts. That is probably the reason for the reputation of this warrior's weapon. Slashing cuts, though often proven in history to be less lethal, have a more violent and horrifying effect. To this day, the Nepalese warriors and their khukris are legendary for their fearless bravery and effectiveness in combat. Probably less recognized is the recurve area, toward the tang where the edge sweeps inward. This area is less apt to take an impact, and when hollow ground makes a devastatingly keen cutting edge, and being protected by the large belly, is more likely to stay sharp. That is handy for fine cutting chores.
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| I had a guy who posted some of my khukri
pictures on a knife forum (bulletin board). Another member claimed
he winced every time he saw a hollow ground khukri, and even posted
pictures of a cheap, junky looking khukri with a bent, broken and
chipped blade as "evidence" that the hollow grind in a khukri did
not work. Here's the email that I responded with: Hello, M. It’s always interesting to read what guys think of knives, uses, grinds, geometry, and tradition. Please do not believe everything you read. Traditionally only the finest khukris are hollow ground and there are many historical references that cite this. The khukri of historical fame is a fierce weapon, used to slash and disable the enemy, and I talk about it at length on my Khukri page (here). The khukri is NOT an axe, designed for chopping down a tree, though I suppose that traditionally, utilitarian khukris are used as all-around tools. Most of those used for working knives are cheap, thick, and made of relatively inexpensive and soft steel, like an axe or machete. The grind is important, and if you are creating an axe, a convex grind is appropriate. My khukris (and all my combat and tactical models) are first weapons, and secondly tools, so my clients request razor-keen and thin edges, serviceable throughout the life of the knife (as it is repeatedly sharpened). I talk about grind geometry and longevity extensively on my “Blades Page” at this bookmark. How resistant a knife edge is to breakage, bending, wear, and chipping does not solely depend on the grind geometry! True, I do grind knives intended for light occasional chopping thicker, such as my CSAR knives. But the blade serviceability depends on the type of steel used, the hardness and temper, the weight and impact pressure of the blow, the angularity of the blow, and the material being cut or chopped. Give me a tree of Honduras Rosewood or Lignum Vitae, and I’ll frustrate even the axe! And I don’t care how a knife is ground or made, ANY knife blade can be broken or ruined. The point is, M., that a knife is for cutting, and an axe is for chopping, and a saw is for sawing, and if there was truly a tool that could be all things to all users, we would only have ONE design, and it would dominate and push all the others out of existence. Right now, I have over 340 designs on my site, and it’s showing no signs of stopping, so that evidently is not the case in my own work. I guess the most important thing I can say is that I’ve had fantastic feedback from all my military, combat, police, SWAT, CSAR, and SERE clients about the performance of my khukris and other styles of blades. And they are the guys that are using the knives in combat and in the professional field. That hard-earned reputation is why I’m about two years in backorders, and the list is growing daily…that’s the most important thing. Thanks M., for your interest and support. Jay |
Email me here if you're interested in your own very fine khukri.
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Featured: "Maginus-Nasmyth" Tactical Combat Khukri: bead blasted .250" thick hollow ground 440C high chromium stainless tool steel blade with traditional "cho," spine filework, nickel silver bolsters, triple pinned and dovetailed, green nephrite jade gemstone handle, central dovetailed nickel silver bolster with African blackwood traditional grip ring. Sheath: Faux lizard inlaid in 9-10 oz. leather shoulder. Double belt loop sheath. This is a strong, razor keen super-aggressive knife. |
| At the ricasso is a "cho" (one wonders about the more modern word "choil"). It has a lot of tradition, but in modern works serves as a terminal point for the cutting edge, and a decorative point of focus. Currently, my kukris have full tangs, not the traditional (and weaker) hidden tang handle arrangements. This just makes them physically stronger. It does create some problems in handle construction, particularly with the traditional palm ring seen in a lot of historic kukris, as the ring has to be segmented, and mounted in a central reinforced bolster with hidden pins. Most of my kukris have full filework, from blade tip to cho. This may mean hundreds and hundreds of file cuts. |
| The sheaths I make for kukris are leather or kydex on an
aluminum frame. Despite the overall size of the weapon, the sheaths are not that
large, as they usually cover only the blade. Another advantage of the heavy
blade point is the ability for the knife to stay in the sheath with weight.
Email me here if you're interested in your own very fine khukri. |
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Featured: "Nasmyth" This fine khukri is a full sized work of art. The hollow ground blade is made of high chromium 440c martensitic stainless tool steel, with full intricate filework, and a traditional "cho" at the start of the grind. The knife is a full tang, one solid piece of 1/4" thick steel from tip to tip. The tang is fully tapered for balance, and I've adorned this beautiful piece with over 900 individual file cuts in the filework. The bolsters are brass, hand-engraved in a curving style to match the blade curves and the repeating pattern of the Tiger Eye Quartz gemstone handle. The Tiger eye is chatoyant, with wild play of light in the "cat's eye" effect. In the center of the handle is a traditional palm ring, and this one is made of Australian Tiger Iron gemstone, which is a metamorphic rock of Tiger Eye Quartz, Red Jasper, and Hematite. The sheath is double stitched hand-tooled, and made of 9-10 oz. thick leather shoulder. A magnificent piece! |
| Derivatives of the kukris in shape and form also make fine
modern Primary Edged Weapons, and I have these types of knives in combat. Those
who carry them are very pleased with their performance.
Email me here if you're interested in your own very fine khukri. |
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Featured: "Horrocks" This is a fine tactical combat knife designed by a Sgt. in active duty combat in the 101st Airborne for use and carry in Iraq. The blade is ATS-34 high molybdenum martensitic stainless tool steel, bead blasted for non-glare finish. The bolsters and pins are nickel silver, and the handle is micarta (phenolic), all bead-blasted for a firm tactical grip. This is a great design, made for use and abuse. The blade is .250" thick, and about 9 inches long, with a full overall length of 14inches! This is a monster of a knife. The blade shape is like reminiscent of a Khukri, but with a manageable curve that is not too hard to sheath. The blade spine has a half-length swage for a thin, penetrating point without sacrificing strength. The knife is hollow ground and terrifyingly sharp, with the concavity near the hilt protected from heavy chopping while remaining razor-keen. The handle is very curvaceous, and forms to the hand in a way like no other knife I've seen. It stays positively locked into the grip. With extra heavy and wide bolsters, this is one stout weapon and tool. The sheath is made of double thick kydex over aluminum welt frame, secured with steel Chicago screws. The sheath has both horizontal and vertical belt loops for many different carrying arrangements. This is a serious combat tool, in combat right now.
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Email me here if you're interested in your own very fine khukri.
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Featured: "Hooded Warrior" This is an excellent combat knife designed by a sniper for sniper's adjunct and combat use in the theatre of operations in Iraq. He put a lot of design thought and reason into the design, and I constructed it with the same care. It's made of .250" thick bead-blasted 440C high chromium stainless tool steel for ease of care, toughness with hardness, and no glare to alert the enemy. The aggressive blade has a huge sweeping belly for slashing cuts, a very sharp point that offers improved piercing with the addition of a top swage. The hollow ground knife is extremely sharp, and the thin area near the ricasso insures a keen cutting edge for line, rope, or textile. The design has a forward leaning blade to handle angle, which is usable in either traditional or defensive grip (with the thumb atop the rear bolster). The fittings are nickel silver, the handle is zero-care micarta phenolic, which is bead blasted for a solid grip even when wet. The finger grooves, front quillion, and handle belly make it a very comfortable knife to hold. The filework on the bolsters and spine in the critical areas around the bolsters improve tactile security. This knife comes with the best military combat sheath made, my waterproof locking model made of double thick kydex, aluminum frame, and all stainless mechanism components. This is a fine, real combat knife, well thought out, and in use in current combat operations. Below: close-up of sniper symbol engraved in micarta handle.
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Email me here if you're interested in your own very fine khukri.
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