A tale of three Kukris (Windlass, Condor and EGKH)
Oct 1, 2016 1:35:20 GMT
Post by Afoo on Oct 1, 2016 1:35:20 GMT
Top to bottom: Windlass Ghurkha Kukri, EXGH No. 1 Full Tang Kukri, Condor Heavy Duty Kukri
* The “grip-able” part. Excludes the metal ricasso on the EGKH, and the slopped section of the Windlass
Preamble
As some of you know, I am mainly into Western European military swords and sabers. That said, I have recently started looking into broadening my interests to include near-sword objects – sword bayonets, cutlass bayonets – things which live in the grey area which either defy attempts at classification, or require multiple hyphens to do so
One blade which caught my eye was the kukri. Its size, weight and unique blade shape certainly defy classification by our Western standards, and there is a certain appeal to its rugged, jack of all trades nature.
The kukri also has a long and esteemed history both at home with the Ghurkas in Nepal and throughout the world, and it has played a key part in many of the Western military encounters which form the primary focus of my historical interest – from the trenches of France to the Falklands. There is even an account during the Anglo-Afghan war in which the 2nd Ghurkas along with the 92nd highlanders mounted a daring melee charge against a fortified enemy. With kukris drawn alongside the highlander broadswords, the afghan village was, in the words of Wikipedia, “pacified”.
While I have a fair bit of practical knowledge about swords, I have nearly none about the kukri. As such, I decided to test the waters. As such, I decided to cast my net wide with three different styles of kukris to get the most diverse range of experience.
The first kukri I obtained was a modern reproduction from Windlass. This is ostensibly based on the modern Indian Army combat kukri (more on that later). My intention here is to capture the fighting potential of the blade, at the cost of historical accuracy and utilitarian usage
The second kukri I have is the “heavy duty” kukri from Condor. I felt this item here would embody the utilitarian properties of the kukri-style blade, while taking advantage of modern manufacturing techniques and designs.
The last one is a more “authentic” item from one of the many kukri houses working out of Nepal using what I presume are more traditional methods and materials – at least compared with the Windlass and Condor. The particular model I opted for is Ex Gurka Kukri House No 1 Full tang Kukri, simply because it looked nice and was available domestically from Amazon in Canada, which allowed me to avoid international shipping and customs. I know the full tang design is unusual, but I like the extra strength and aesthetics so too bad. All three cost around 125 Cdn all said and done (~100 USD), so this should be a fair comparison in terms of price range.
The Grips:
The Windlass features a set of hardwood grips. The grips are noticeably larger than the EGKH, and have a more aggressive curvature. The central ridge on the Windlass is much more prominent and located in closer to the center where it aught to be, while the EGKH ridge is somewhat offset to the rear. This would enable someone with smaller hands to shift their grip further down to give more reach. However, for someone with larger hands, this rearward biases brings the palm of your hand in contact with the aggressively flared baseplate, where it rubs uncomfortably. Alternatively, you could bring your grip up so that the central ridge rests against your ring finger. I suspect that this is a training issue though – my the EGKH grips work fine if you use a firm hammer grip, maintaining a 90 degree angle between the blade and your arm with minimal extension or rotation of the wrist. As a saber person, my instinct is to do otherwise. I should also note that this would not be an issue if cutting into a solid target such as wood or enemies of the British Empire, since the force of the blow would naturally push the blade back and tilt the pommel away from your hand.
The EGKH grips look nice, but can dig into your hand when you extend your wrist. This only becomes an issue when dry handling or in the follow through of a missed cut
The Windlass grips are surprisingly comfortable and fit the hand wonderfully. The contours are smooth and the width is just right for me. It is much more flexible in terms of usage, albeit at the possible expense of support. The ring does an excellent job of establishing and maintaining hand position
The Condor has the smallest grips of all three with minimal contours. I did notice the diameter of the grips is a bit small, and I naturally favour a more “Western” grip with the thumb resting along the back of the blade rather than a hammer grip, but the preference is slight, and the kukri still remains perfectly usable regardless of how you grip. Conversely, while the simple and smooth shape of the grip adds flexibility, it also results in less positive traction than the others. I suspect that you would have to be mindful when using it in the field, since there is very little to stop your hand from sliding down into the blade if you are not careful. The use of G10 scales, or even adding some checkering to the wood or gimping to the spine would greatly help with this regard, and makes it the only major drawback to this design.
The Windlass grips give good support while permitting a more extended grip. The smaller Condor grips give more flexibility and enable more Western handling styles
In terms of the aesthetics, the buffalo horn of the EGKH kukri look very nice and refined. The subtle banding around the grips and staggered elevation also increases the aesthetic appeal. In contrast to this, the plain wood grips of the Windlass look, well, plain. There is also a lot of filler visible on the Windlass grips, which makes the piece look a bit cheap and sub-standard. I am sure there is filler on the EGKH piece, but the black horn hides it well. The Condor is well vanished with minimal filler. The staining to the wood and brass accents make it an attractive in a discrete way
The blade:
The blade of the Windlass comes in a shade over 6 mm thick. While this may not be ideal for a survival tool, its perfectly adequate for a fighting blade. Between the thinner blade and the comfy grips, the Windlass really encourages you to play around. Cut and guards are easy, and the thing just flows. Both the other two options are manageable in a combat setting, but it really do not like dancing nearly as much. The edge has a secondary bevel as expected of all Windlass products, but at least it came sharpened from the factory.
View of the Windlass blade (top). Closeup of the edge and secondary bevel (bottom)
In contrast to this, the blade on the EGKH is MASSIVE – being almost double the thickness of the Windlass and 33% thicker than the Condor. While it is not built to dance – its built to serve. This is reflected in the blade thickness – at over 1 cm you could baton this thing through a whole plantation without worry. This mentality of functionality also extends to the edge. As a result of my experience with replica swords, I expect to see secondary bevels on everything. However, the EGHK comes with a keen, perfectly flat ground edge from the factory. Its not paper cutting sharp, but its very close to it. Should also note that the EGKH allegedly has a deferentially tempered blade going from ~60 RHC in the blade to ~45 in the body and ~25 in the spine. I cannot verify this, but it is consistent with the EGKH being a functional tool.
Blade on the EGKH - well polished and no bevel.
The condor likewise embodies the same functional design as the EGKH, but updates it a bit with modern tech. It edge has a convex shape to it which helps improve durability while avoiding most of the drawbacks of a secondary bevel. As such, while the factory edge is not as sharp as the EGKH, I suspect it will last longer, and will be a bit easier to sharpen. The flat of the blade appears to be un-polished, which gives it a unique aesthetic. I personally like it, though not certain how I will feel once it starts wearing smooth.
Blade on the Condor. The convex grind is hard to pick up on camera, but trust its there. The rough unfinished flat region is visible as matte grey.
I thought the EGKH was a bit clunky…until I held the Condor. The tang on both the Windlass and EGKH taper down near the base. The Condor’s tang thickness is constant throughout. While the Condor has a thinner blade than the EGKH, both weigh the same due to this lack of tang taper. Furthermore, the weight of the EGKH is at the front, which pushes the blade forwards and assists in cutting while the rearwards bias of the Condor makes it feel much more dead. That said, all three knives are relatively short and even the COndor is much more nimble than an axe.
Tang profiles of the Windlass, EGKH and Condor. Note the thickness of the tang within the grips
It is interesting to note that, at 1.7 pounds, the weight of these blades approaches that of some light cavalry and infantry swords. Just some food for thought
The Sheath:
The Windlass sheath is comically oversized – its way too massive to carry anywhere, and the gaping hole does nothing to help retain the blade, which falls right out at the smallest provocation. The accompanying knives are a comical affair as well - they are made of sheet steel and only serve to feed your local landfill. The belt loop is comically oversized, and overall a bit of a letdown compared to the blade.
Windlass Scabbard is comically over-sized relative to the size of the blade
Opening of the scabbard is way too large (left). Comically useless knives (right) made of what appears to be sheet steel
The EGKH scabbard is more of a serious affair. Finished in leather it is a much more reasonable size, and actually holds the blade! The old-fashioned construction will also appeal to traditionalists, and ensures a tighter fit than the Windlass a tight fit. However, the unusual shape of the blade makes it hard to sheath and draw it with haste, and I am always afraid of puncturing the scabbard and slicing off my fingers. The spot of black tape on the scabbard is a testament to this possibility, and a warning to always use safe handling practices, when drawing and sheathing live blades. I suspect that one-handed drawing and sheathing will be even more difficult, and potentially dangerous so I am not going to try. Not sure if this is common to all kukris, or if I just got an abnormally obtuse scabbard.
EGKH scabbard is more like it. Also comes with mini-knives that are actually functional
The Condor gets around the unusual blade shape by incorporating a pair of buckles which allow you to draw the blade from the back of the scabbard. While these buckles are marginally more awkward to manipulate compared to a Ka-Bar or other large Western knife, they are much better than the other two kukri’s, and can be done reasonably effectively with one hand and with haste with some practice. The sheath itself is rather plain, but function. The low profile definitely helps increase carrying comfort though, while the belt loop can swivel, it is riveted into place, limiting the carrying methods available - the loops on the Windlass and EGKH can be swapped for lefties or removed all together
Condor has a much more modern solution to the curved Kukri blade (left). The belt attachment can swivel, but is pinned into place (right)
Authenticity:
As an interesting addendum, I recently bought what is allegedly a 1950’s Indian Army Issue Kukri, complete with broad arrow stamp. The provenance is a bit iffy, but I trust the Vendor (John Denner out of Canada) so I will take it at face value unless told otherwise. The workmanship on this piece is not stellar, but this *is* 1950’s India after all. The handle is at least secure and the blade is sound. This piece is made more interesting by the fact that the Windlass Kukri is supposed to match current military specifications (Mk III Military Kukri I believe). The Windlass is a perfect match for the antique item, lending credit to this claim.
The original did NOT come with scabbard, so I cannot make a comparison on that aspect.
Original Indian Army kukri (top) vs Windlass replica (bottom)
Comparison of blade profiles
Comparison of tang profiles
Close up of Indian markings. The broad arrow is for acceptance. The INDIA was added after for export laws
Close up of the pommels. Interesting to note that both the Original and Replica have tangs that appear to be peened through the pommel as well as rivets through the grips, making it a solid design
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While sharing the same heritage, all three blades presented here differ widely in construction, use and functionality. While they have their advantages and disadvantages, they all provide a strong testament to the inherent flexibility of the Kukri design, and prove that it can still remain relevant in the 21st century and beyond both as a fighting and working blade.
The Windlass one would be my favorite if it not for the scabbard - the blade handles nice, its heft is adequate and the grips comfy. The fact it matches the mil-spec version is extra icing on the cake. While the EGKH one is heavy, it does have a certain aesthetic appeal to me, and the modern conveniences of the Condor would make it my go-to bush tool
More pictures at full resolution here