pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Aug 26, 2021 20:57:01 GMT
This cut was both satisfying and disappointing, not to mention surprising. I stepped out back to make a quick cut before the rains set in again. The target was a Windex bottle that the spray mechanism had gone bad. I tried three times with my newest kukri, a KHHI GI4 kukri, and failed to cut it. At that point I went inside and got my favourite machete a Bolleta, out of curiosity. The first cut went a bit high halving the cap and slicing a junk out of the mouth but not disturbing the bottle. The next is what you see. Got the most satisfying ring each time that reminded me of fine crystal. It was very audible. I tried the GI4 once more but the bottle had lost its structural integrity. So, my <$10 machete out cut the >$200 kukri by a good margin. I’ve been experimenting on the edge of that machete with an idea that tsmspace gave me and that was to end with a course belt. I also reduced the angle from 25° to 22½°. So far it working out very well.  |
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Post by Murffy on Aug 27, 2021 14:38:40 GMT
Interesting. Cost and cutting ability don't seem to correlate all the time. I wonder what causes the course grind to be more effective.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Aug 27, 2021 17:04:45 GMT
I can only WAG it but I suspect a course grind acts as teeth. Also I strongly suspect the target/material will play some part in the cutting efficiency as to the best grind. The machete has been doing better at the tasks I've given it with the courser grind. I certainly would not try to shave with that grind.
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Post by treeslicer on Aug 27, 2021 23:57:44 GMT
I can only WAG it but I suspect a course grind acts as teeth. Also I strongly suspect the target/material will play some part in the cutting efficiency as to the best grind. The machete has been doing better at the tasks I've given it with the courser grind. I certainly would not try to shave with that grind. If I understand the current science on this correctly, your WAG is right. Chopping cuts (such as shaving) are improved by keen edges, but slicing cuts (such as on bottles) get an extra boost from micro- or nanoserrating the edge. A coarse grind will microserrate, while molecular inconsistencies (inclusions or crystal defects) will nanoserrate. Differing levels of understanding this mechanism lead to a lot of arguments on katana boards.  |
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Aug 28, 2021 0:38:03 GMT
Thanks.
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Post by pvsampson on Aug 30, 2021 2:31:28 GMT
That is an interesting result and I feel treeslicer has the correct reasoning. I am starting to become more interested in machetes for their cutting abilities,especially for venomous snake defence.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Aug 30, 2021 12:39:40 GMT
In the beginning when looking for a tool/weapon about 20 years ago the kukri attracted me and I purchased three from KHHI. The 5” and 8” jobbies along with a karda still see use today. The 11” is pretty much retired. However for the most part they lost out to machetes, which are king in my country. Recently I purchased two antique kukris from ACC and they renewed my interest in kukris, had one made and another is in the making. As much as I like my bowies and kukris they will not replace my love of a good machete. Of course much if not everything depends on the job at hand.
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Post by leed on Oct 1, 2021 21:06:02 GMT
Machete lighter, can be swung faster with less effort.
Machete blades are often under 3mm thick, making cleaner cuts.
Machete is usually longer, more swingspeed.
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Post by Simpleman on Oct 2, 2021 4:40:16 GMT
I think its hard to argue against the excellent value for money of a machete, a machete however comes in a number of local variants very different from eachother if you compare globally. Same with khukuris. I dont know much about machetes but the choice of using a khukuri has many many levels to it. Its more then both a tool and potential weapon. One could have a look at allied troops during ww2, some carried machetes, some carried khukuris. There is a fun pic of an aussie (?) stepping into an airplane carrying a khukuri if shot down over jungle. They are slightly overlapping but also different, to compare them for what they often are used I would suggest to stand infront of dense foliage, now just start using your blade and walk straight through it, and through it. That will give a ton of information on pros and cons with both. A more slender antique khukuri.  |
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Post by Lukas MG (chenessfan) on Oct 2, 2021 9:24:33 GMT
I find it no surprise that the probably lighter and certainly much thinner machete cuts a light target better than the more substantial kukri. On light targets, speed and acuteness of edge matter most and a thin blade always helps. Heavy, dense targets are a different animal, as is actual combat.
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Post by Simpleman on Oct 2, 2021 23:31:43 GMT
Some more comparisons between the two, and an axe thrown in for the sake of it. I think it is as simple as some prefer a khukuri and some a machete. Some that used the Khukuri was chindits in Burma during WW2. I think a Khukuri is more allround, a machete perhaps more fine tuned (?), therefore better at certain tasks. Both machete and khukuri are used to this day, and that says a lot. They both work really well.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Oct 3, 2021 14:21:06 GMT
Nice video, thanks. I probably have a slight preference towards a machete. Early on I tried kukris then switched to machetes. Recently my interest in kukris has been revived. Just got a new semicustom one this week. I’ve watched many videos comparing the two and I think in most cases a 12-13” kukri is used and I agree it’s a good all-around length. However at the moment my most used kukri is 8” that I got some 15 years ago.
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Post by howler on Oct 3, 2021 21:10:26 GMT
Some more comparisons between the two, and an axe thrown in for the sake of it. I think it is as simple as some prefer a khukuri and some a machete. Some that used the Khukuri was chindits in Burma during WW2. I think a Khukuri is more allround, a machete perhaps more fine tuned (?), therefore better at certain tasks. Both machete and khukuri are used to this day, and that says a lot. They both work really well. I think a distinction should be pointed out that there are so many heavy duty machete type blades that have features of a Kukri (re-curve, forward weighted) like Thai E-nep, Barong, Parang, Golok, Bolo, etc...blades that can chop like a small to large hand axe/hatchet, so maybe we are specifically talking about your standard, thin bladed Latin style you pick up at the hardware store. Many have, for example, sung the virtues of the Ontario SP53 and its forward weighted bolo shape, though it does lack that distinctive banana spinal curvature, but a more useful & pointy tip. I would like to see a match up of equal sized/weighted Kukri vs E-nep, Barong, Bolo. |
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Post by Simpleman on Oct 3, 2021 21:35:05 GMT
I think a distinction should be pointed out that there are so many heavy duty machete type blades that have features of a Kukri (re-curve, forward weighted) like Thai E-nep, Barong, Parang, Golok, Bolo, etc...blades that can chop like a small to large hand axe/hatchet, so maybe we are specifically talking about your standard, thin bladed Latin style you pick up at the hardware store. Many have, for example, sung the virtues of the Ontario SP53 and its forward weighted bolo shape, though it does lack that distinctive banana spinal curvature, but a more useful & pointy tip. I would like to see a match up of equal sized/weighted Kukri vs E-nep, Barong, Bolo. Totally agree. I wrote earlier that machetes comes in many different forms. Some would even say that the Khukuri is a type of machete. Not to mention khukuris, while some traits more often are displayed to a lesser or greater extent, then can look and handle very different from eachother.  |
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Post by howler on Oct 3, 2021 22:22:39 GMT
I think a distinction should be pointed out that there are so many heavy duty machete type blades that have features of a Kukri (re-curve, forward weighted) like Thai E-nep, Barong, Parang, Golok, Bolo, etc...blades that can chop like a small to large hand axe/hatchet, so maybe we are specifically talking about your standard, thin bladed Latin style you pick up at the hardware store. Many have, for example, sung the virtues of the Ontario SP53 and its forward weighted bolo shape, though it does lack that distinctive banana spinal curvature, but a more useful & pointy tip. I would like to see a match up of equal sized/weighted Kukri vs E-nep, Barong, Bolo. Totally agree. I wrote earlier that machetes comes in many different forms. Some would even say that the Khukuri is a type of machete. Not to mention khukuris, while some traits more often are displayed to a lesser or greater extent, then can look and handle very different from eachother. I think heavy parangs, golok, bolo can be even more versatile than the kukri (particularly the more curved) because you have less awkwardness in that tip being lower than the slicing belly for kitchen work and slicing on boards (imagine rocking a blade like a pizza cutter), but that kukri curve sure does help in chopping. |
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Post by Simpleman on Oct 3, 2021 23:41:31 GMT
I think heavy parangs, golok, bolo can be even more versatile than the kukri (particularly the more curved) because you have less awkwardness in that tip being lower than the slicing belly for kitchen work and slicing on boards (imagine rocking a blade like a pizza cutter), but that kukri curve sure does help in chopping. Good things to consider. I am sorry to say I dont know that much of machetes in general. I dont use them, just because I think the khukuri seems more allround and for other reasons. Carving, fine work in wood can be accomplished by varying the grip. I know people that even have skinned animals with the khukuri. Khukuris are used in kitchen duties daily in nepal, I have also done so but not to great effectivness. A decent kitchen knife will be much better. If handling a machete it would be the Parang Golok Machete I`d be interested in. The ones used in jungle by SAS seems interesting. A skilled, adaptive user I guess could use both khukuri and machete with great success as an allround tool. Would like to stick that into the discussion, knowledge. The more I use a khukuri the more I learn, I think its one of the best do it all tools there is. But it comes at price, the jack of all trades, master of none. And let us not forget, the drawbacks are known. Therefore the use of a smaller knife, and some additional tools are common. But all in all I think we could say, knowledge is the key, the tool secondary. |
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Post by howler on Oct 4, 2021 0:52:01 GMT
I think heavy parangs, golok, bolo can be even more versatile than the kukri (particularly the more curved) because you have less awkwardness in that tip being lower than the slicing belly for kitchen work and slicing on boards (imagine rocking a blade like a pizza cutter), but that kukri curve sure does help in chopping. Good things to consider. I am sorry to say I dont know that much of machetes in general. I dont use them, just because I think the khukuri seems more allround and for other reasons. Carving, fine work in wood can be accomplished by varying the grip. I know people that even have skinned animals with the khukuri. Khukuris are used in kitchen duties daily in nepal, I have also done so but not to great effectivness. A decent kitchen knife will be much better. If handling a machete it would be the Parang Golok Machete I`d be interested in. The ones used in jungle by SAS seems interesting. A skilled, adaptive user I guess could use both khukuri and machete with great success as an allround tool. Would like to stick that into the discussion, knowledge. The more I use a khukuri the more I learn, I think its one of the best do it all tools there is. But it comes at price, the jack of all trades, master of none. And let us not forget, the drawbacks are known. Therefore the use of a smaller knife, and some additional tools are common. But all in all I think we could say, knowledge is the key, the tool secondary. I like to say that only two people in history (both fiction) carried only a large blade and nothing else, Tarzan and John Rambo. Tarzan, because he found his dead parents knife and Rambo because his blade was conveniently at the front desk on his way out of the police building ( no time or ability to have other tools). Anyone in the woods with a large chopper will always be carrying a swiss army, mora, slip joint, edc flipper, leatherman, and if you are going camping you may have all these things along with folding saw and axe. Point is to think in a carry system, like small knife, hatchet, folding knife or any combination that fits the environmental need. Just no reason not to have a small, lightweight knife because no carry penalty. |
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Oct 4, 2021 2:41:32 GMT
The argument kukri vs machete can go on forever like cut vs thrust. I don’t believe one is better than the other as such. It boils down to personal preference, location, and the job at hand. The Nepalese will use a khukuri for everything. When it comes to food preparation it’s from slaughter through butchering, then food preparation. But keep in mind their style of cooking and eating is different from what a westerner knows. Meat is mostly chopped including the bones but when finer slices are wanted they set with their khukuri inverted similar to what I saw in the video and take a chunk of meat with both hands then run it over the blade. They also slice vegetables. But again prep and eating is different. For corn after roasting on an open fire they will pick the cornels off with their fingers and eat them as such. Some vegetables are torn apart by hand some are sliced. The food is also served differently. I’ve tried my kukris in the kitchen western style and have to agree a kitchen knife is better in that case. As for carrying a second knife, I’m a believer in that. Always have a backup. In the case of a kukri there is the karda, for want of anything better. Below is a CS 12” Barong Machete that is one of the most versatile knives I have and would lend itself to kitchen duty nicely amongst a host of other jobs. It’s been well used as can be seen by the wear and the grip needs attention at this point. Just put that on my todo list. Its big brother the 18” jobby is the stronger cutter but not nearly as versatile. Unfortunately Thompson didn’t see fit to continue the 12”’s production when he moved the production to Africa.  |
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Post by Simpleman on Oct 4, 2021 7:03:37 GMT
The argument kukri vs machete can go on forever like cut vs thrust. I don’t believe one is better than the other as such. It boils down to personal preference, location, and the job at hand. The Nepalese will use a khukuri for everything. When it comes to food preparation it’s from slaughter through butchering, then food preparation. But keep in mind their style of cooking and eating is different from what a westerner knows. Meat is mostly chopped including the bones but when finer slices are wanted they set with their khukuri inverted similar to what I saw in the video and take a chunk of meat with both hands then run it over the blade. They also slice vegetables. But again prep and eating is different. For corn after roasting on an open fire they will pick the cornels off with their fingers and eat them as such. Some vegetables are torn apart by hand some are sliced. The food is also served differently. I’ve tried my kukris in the kitchen western style and have to agree a kitchen knife is better in that case. As for carrying a second knife, I’m a believer in that. Always have a backup. In the case of a kukri there is the karda, for want of anything better. Below is a CS 12” Barong Machete that is one of the most versatile knives I have and would lend itself to kitchen duty nicely amongst a host of other jobs. It’s been well used as can be seen by the wear and the grip needs attention at this point. Just put that on my todo list. Its big brother the 18” jobby is the stronger cutter but not nearly as versatile. Unfortunately Thompson didn’t see fit to continue the 12”’s production when he moved the production to Africa. Nicely described on how it is used. I think many people dont know to what extent it is used, how and why. Kardas and other smaller tools for making fire and surviving put aside. It is interesting to note that the series we both have been watching, on occasion both axes and saws are used for wood, sickles for grass. But rarely a smaller knife, Nepal seems not to have an abundance of smaller blades, they seem to get a long with a khukuri and nothing else then a khukuri. I think if you only have one tool, you will learn how to use it for everything with mixed results of course. Bringing only one tool out, some would say it would be an axe, others a small fixed blade etc. Yes I also think its much personal preference. |
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AndiTheBarvarian
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Oct 4, 2021 9:38:18 GMT
A khukrete, or is it a machukri? The left one:  |
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