Review: Tora Blades Goorkha Army Kukri
Nov 10, 2013 15:11:08 GMT
Post by Nilfgaardian on Nov 10, 2013 15:11:08 GMT
Introduction
For a long time I have wanted to own a kukri and this Tora GAK (together with another kukri) is my first. Tora blades have had trouble finding a new kami (blacksmith) in the past, but a few months back they announced that production was up and running again. I pre-ordered two kukris, this one and a smaller British service issue model. I bought this one mostly because of the looks and the size. I bought the smaller kukri for more practical purposes.
Historical overview
This kukri is a replica of a Goorkha Army Kukri, used during the 19th century up until the beginning of the 20th century. It is similar to the antique kukris being sold by IMA and ACC. This one is a real fighting kukri, not a farmers kukri, although one can use it in the woods too. More information on this type of kukri can be found on the Tora blades forum. Simon Hengle of Tora blades may also have some videos about this kukri on YouTube.
Full Disclosure
Bought this at full price, I had no experience with kukris before I bought this one.
Initial Impressions
I waited quite a while for this one to be made, as this was a pre-order. First it was sent to Simon Hengle, the owner of Tora blades, and he sent it to me from the UK. Delivery was fast once the knife had arrived at Tora blades, taking only three days.
The knife came packed in a cardboard and bubble wrap. The packaging was secure and it took a while to get the knife out. The knife was shipped in the scabbard causing small spots of rust to form, I think this is rather common when buying from Nepal. The little spots of rust were very easy to remove and they have not come back either. The knife itself had a pretty rough but durable working finish. Balance was good and the despite the weight this kukri handles well. The blade is evidently hand made and has visible hammer marks from the forging process.
One thing about this kukri that disappointed me a bit was the sharpness. The edge even had a section that was 1mm thick, which meant that it was completely blunt. Other than that it was all good. The wood on the handle was a bit better looking than what I expected.
Statistics
Blade Length: 14.6 inches
Handle Length: 4.9 inches
Overall Length: 19.4 inches
Weight: Approx. 750 grams / 1.7 lbs.
Components
The Blade
The blade is impressive when it comes to size. It's 14.6 inches long, 2.6 inches wide and the spine is 8.5mm/0.3 inches thick at the bolster. The blade gets thinner from the bolster but it gets thicker again at the COP. After that it starts to thin out again near the tip. The blade is also hollow forged, a rare feature in kukris these days because of the effort hollow forging requires. The combination of a complex distal taper and hollow forging makes the blade lighter, but the thicker spine at the COP results in powerful cuts. Overall this must have been a difficult blade to make.
The sharpening was not very good. I know others received kukris from the same batch which were a lot sharper. I spent a whole day sharpening this kukri. It appears that the heat treat is extremely good, since it was a major pain to sharpen the edge by hand.
The Handle
A traditional stick tang handle made of an unknown wood. The handle is a bit short, but I've gotten used to it. I have found that I have no problems with the traditional handle shape and it feels quite good in the hand. The tang is peened over a round piece of brass at the end of the handle.
The Scabbard
The scabbard is pretty good in my opinion. It fits the knife well and keeps it from falling out, even when turned upside down. The military frogs (belt hangers) that came with the scabbard are made of thick leather, and I had to oil them when they arrived because the leather had dried.
Handling Characteristics
This is a heavy knife but it still feels well balanced and fast. The weight of the blade does a lot of the work for you when chopping. Thrusting is possible with this blade as the shape brings the point up to the same level as the hand.
Test Cutting
I took this kukri out on a short forest walk. Despite the weight it was quite comfortable to carry and I did not feel the extra weight.
Later I came across a fallen tree that effectively blocked the whole trail. One could pass under it, were it not for a bunch of branches blocking the way. I decided to cut them off and the GAK performed well. I cut maybe 8 branches and everything was alright with the kukri afterwards, including the edge which retained it's sharpness.
Conclusions
This is a good blade as far as I can tell and seems to be sturdy and effective. A cut from this would be devastating to a human opponent and this has been proven on numerous occasions by the Gurkhas. There were a few cosmetic flaws on this kukri but they don't bother me much and they aren't that hard to fix if you have the time. The shape and balance are the best parts of this kukri. It is very much like the antique GAK's. The weight of this kukri fits me well, but this is probably the heaviest of the Tora range, so some folks might like lighter kukris.
Pros
Hollow ground blade
Complex distal taper
Balance
Weight
Historical accuracy
Nice looking wood handle
Tough steel
Cons
A few cosmetic issues
Edge was blunt in some places when I received it
Handle is a bit short for some people
The Bottom line
I can recommend this kukri. I know that the blunt edge on mine was an exception and others have received better sharpening. If historical accuracy is your thing, these are great kukris. Just keep in mind that these are meant to be used. They look quite good too but they are not meant to be used as a display item.
For a long time I have wanted to own a kukri and this Tora GAK (together with another kukri) is my first. Tora blades have had trouble finding a new kami (blacksmith) in the past, but a few months back they announced that production was up and running again. I pre-ordered two kukris, this one and a smaller British service issue model. I bought this one mostly because of the looks and the size. I bought the smaller kukri for more practical purposes.
Historical overview
This kukri is a replica of a Goorkha Army Kukri, used during the 19th century up until the beginning of the 20th century. It is similar to the antique kukris being sold by IMA and ACC. This one is a real fighting kukri, not a farmers kukri, although one can use it in the woods too. More information on this type of kukri can be found on the Tora blades forum. Simon Hengle of Tora blades may also have some videos about this kukri on YouTube.
Full Disclosure
Bought this at full price, I had no experience with kukris before I bought this one.
Initial Impressions
I waited quite a while for this one to be made, as this was a pre-order. First it was sent to Simon Hengle, the owner of Tora blades, and he sent it to me from the UK. Delivery was fast once the knife had arrived at Tora blades, taking only three days.
The knife came packed in a cardboard and bubble wrap. The packaging was secure and it took a while to get the knife out. The knife was shipped in the scabbard causing small spots of rust to form, I think this is rather common when buying from Nepal. The little spots of rust were very easy to remove and they have not come back either. The knife itself had a pretty rough but durable working finish. Balance was good and the despite the weight this kukri handles well. The blade is evidently hand made and has visible hammer marks from the forging process.
One thing about this kukri that disappointed me a bit was the sharpness. The edge even had a section that was 1mm thick, which meant that it was completely blunt. Other than that it was all good. The wood on the handle was a bit better looking than what I expected.
Statistics
Blade Length: 14.6 inches
Handle Length: 4.9 inches
Overall Length: 19.4 inches
Weight: Approx. 750 grams / 1.7 lbs.
Components
The Blade
The blade is impressive when it comes to size. It's 14.6 inches long, 2.6 inches wide and the spine is 8.5mm/0.3 inches thick at the bolster. The blade gets thinner from the bolster but it gets thicker again at the COP. After that it starts to thin out again near the tip. The blade is also hollow forged, a rare feature in kukris these days because of the effort hollow forging requires. The combination of a complex distal taper and hollow forging makes the blade lighter, but the thicker spine at the COP results in powerful cuts. Overall this must have been a difficult blade to make.
The sharpening was not very good. I know others received kukris from the same batch which were a lot sharper. I spent a whole day sharpening this kukri. It appears that the heat treat is extremely good, since it was a major pain to sharpen the edge by hand.
The Handle
A traditional stick tang handle made of an unknown wood. The handle is a bit short, but I've gotten used to it. I have found that I have no problems with the traditional handle shape and it feels quite good in the hand. The tang is peened over a round piece of brass at the end of the handle.
The Scabbard
The scabbard is pretty good in my opinion. It fits the knife well and keeps it from falling out, even when turned upside down. The military frogs (belt hangers) that came with the scabbard are made of thick leather, and I had to oil them when they arrived because the leather had dried.
Handling Characteristics
This is a heavy knife but it still feels well balanced and fast. The weight of the blade does a lot of the work for you when chopping. Thrusting is possible with this blade as the shape brings the point up to the same level as the hand.
Test Cutting
I took this kukri out on a short forest walk. Despite the weight it was quite comfortable to carry and I did not feel the extra weight.
Later I came across a fallen tree that effectively blocked the whole trail. One could pass under it, were it not for a bunch of branches blocking the way. I decided to cut them off and the GAK performed well. I cut maybe 8 branches and everything was alright with the kukri afterwards, including the edge which retained it's sharpness.
Conclusions
This is a good blade as far as I can tell and seems to be sturdy and effective. A cut from this would be devastating to a human opponent and this has been proven on numerous occasions by the Gurkhas. There were a few cosmetic flaws on this kukri but they don't bother me much and they aren't that hard to fix if you have the time. The shape and balance are the best parts of this kukri. It is very much like the antique GAK's. The weight of this kukri fits me well, but this is probably the heaviest of the Tora range, so some folks might like lighter kukris.
Pros
Hollow ground blade
Complex distal taper
Balance
Weight
Historical accuracy
Nice looking wood handle
Tough steel
Cons
A few cosmetic issues
Edge was blunt in some places when I received it
Handle is a bit short for some people
The Bottom line
I can recommend this kukri. I know that the blunt edge on mine was an exception and others have received better sharpening. If historical accuracy is your thing, these are great kukris. Just keep in mind that these are meant to be used. They look quite good too but they are not meant to be used as a display item.