The TUSK from Kevin McClung was compared over a range of tasks and application against several khukuris from Himalayan Imports; fifteen and twenty inch Ang Kholas, and a twenty inch Sirupati. Pictures of the khukuris can be seen on the Himalayan Imports website. The khukuris were sold as "blems" due to slight cosmetic issues ( the handle is *slightly* off center on the Sirupati).
The khukuris have a high level of fit and finish, similar level to the twenty inch Ang Khola The Sirupati has an oak handle which is slightly more textured giving a more secure grip. The ergonomics of the handles are pretty much the same on all the khukuris and provide a comfortable and secure grip even when wet. The ergonomics of the TUSK are excellent as well and are described in its initial review linked to above.
All knives can easily withstand full power stabs into 2x8 followed up by pulling to the side to break them free. There was no bending of the tips and all knives easily popped pieces out of the 2x8". The were also punched through 1/4" (and thicker) plywood and twisted out tearing apart the wood without harm to the knives. The TUSK penetrated deeper than the fifteen inch Ang Khola and twenty inch Sirupati due to its thinner tip. Only the huge weight of the twenty inch Ang Khola allowed for equal penetration. The edge was also more durable in regards to light impacts off of hard materials like rock and hardened metals had no noticeable effect on the edge of the TUSK whereas the khukuris impacted a little. This was due to both the higher hardness of the TUSK and a more obtuse edge angle.
On various foods, cardboard, light rope and fabrics the The khukuris are hampered by their excessive forward balance which causes a high rate of fatigue. The Sirupati is the most efficient khukuri as it is more neutral in balance. However the TUSK is much lighter in hand still, and has no problems with fatigue. In regards to raw cutting ability, the khukuris make smooth cuts on all materials where as the serrations on the TUSK just catch badly, in fabrics for example the teeth simply get tangled and it has to be ripped apart. Cutting half inch nylon rope is only possible with the rope under heavy tension.
However on very hard skinned fruit the serrations of the TUSK saw decently well, while the khukuris have trouble. One harder materials such as webbing, plastics, and woods, sawing with the serrations shows an advantage for for TUSK. As well the serrations chewed though soft metals like aluminum and tin quickly with little effort. The khukuris can slice through these materials somewhat because the recurved edge acts much like one big serration but they do not have the same level of aggression as the serrations on the TUSK.
Note that it is easy to simply chop through all the materials that the khukuris have trouble slicing through. The slicing performance can also be greatly enhanced by using a rougher finish on the edges [ref], this isn't a great edge for chopping or whittling though it degrades easily.
UPDATE : there are many types of serration patterns, the ones used by Mission are very aggressive and cut very smoothly [ref]. The main advantages of chisel top serrations like those on the TUSK are the durability and ease of sharpening.
At this point the khukuris needed some steeling and a few swipes by a ceramic rod. The TUSK was only blunted in the regions where it cut through the metal strips. These areas had suffered some fracture, and could not be burnished out as on the khukuris.
The blades were used to dig some holes in several five gallon buckets filled with frozen rain water, about three inches deep with the ice starting about six inches under the rim.
The twenty inch Ang Khola had excellent penetration and the wide flat blade was at the perfect angle to round out the hole. The fifteen inch Ang Khola was pretty much the same in feel and performance with a slightly shorter reach. The twenty inch Sirupati had the reach of the twenty inch Ang Khola but was more fluid being lighter and cut with virtually no fatigue.
The TUSK didn't have the khukuri power or dropped blade and had to be used in a stabbing motion. It could also be used as a saw to enlarge the whole. However it was much more efficient to chop with the Sirupati, and the hole could be made with far less effort in far shorter time. All knives were comfortable in the hand and suffered no edge damage or tip damage from the ice and were not noticeably blunted.
Using various scrap woods, the blades were used for some chopping, spitting and some light prying. The wood included 1/4" (and thicker) plywood (4-8 inches wide), 1x6 board, 4-5 foot lengths of 2x8 and some 4x4 blocks.
With dead-fall penetration tests on the 1/4" plywood the knives were all similar. However when chopped, the khukuris readily pulled ahead due to the much greater weight are more forward balance allowing a much more powerful swing. The performance was twenty inch Ang Khola, twenty inch Sirupati, fifteen inch Ang Khola, and TUSK. The extra length of the Sirupati allowed it to out perform the smaller Ang Khola when using its tip to chop. This is only a functional chopping method on light woods. Using heavy swings the tip generates too much feedback to be comfortable.
Using the blades to split lengths of 2x8, the performance was twenty inch Ang Khola, fifteen inch Ang Khola, twenty inch Sirupati, TUSK. The Ang Kholas could easily split the wood, the other knives penetrated enough to allow for a sideways twist to split. On carving the wood the performance was twenty inch Sirupati, fifteen inch Ang Khola, TUSK, twenty inch Ang Khola. The Sirupati's neutral balance again gave it the advantage. The TUSK's serrations catch into the wood heavily. Chopping the 2x8, it was again twenty inch Ang Khola, fifteen inch Ang Khola, twenty inch Sirupati, TUSK.
Chopping into the scrap with the TUSK and giving it a couple of smacks with another piece of wood, the handle of the TUSK was flexed lightly (one hand, just elbow and shoulder no body weight), the TUSK cracked in half. No significant blade flex before the crack. This was repeated with the khukuris with no problem. They could easily break out the wood with no significant blade flex.
UPDATE : in the years since the TUSK failure, many knives have been subjected to this work without problems, even very cheap knives like those from Ontario can do this without gross failure.
The khukuris were then used for some heavy chopping, full force cuts into various woods with a lot of prying and twisting to clear out the chips. Since some of the wood like plywood will not form chips readily, it takes a lot of prying to clear out a notch. The khukuris were then used to split two to three pieces of the board on top of each other flat on the chopping board with a tip driven chop. All were still fairly sharp. Some steeling and some minor work with the ceramic rod and all were back sharp again. One minor note, the fifteen inch Ang Khola's blade is a bit harder than the others and its edge held up the best.
The khukuris were then used to pry various frozen items apart. The Sirupati was limited to a one arm push with some weight behind it. This produced slight blade flex. The Ang Khola were used with full body weight leverage with no problems, and no significant flex was induced. The tips were then used to dig and prying in frozen woods. No bends or impaction was noted on the tip.
The khukuris were much better in chopping and splitting and the TUSK was much better at slicing hard and stiff materials. The fifteen inch Ang Khola behaves much like the twenty inch model, just smaller, and the Sirupati is more neutral in balance and better suited to lighter work where greater control and precision is required. However, while slighter the Sirupati can still withstand considerable strain and in no way needs to be handled lightly. The TUSK was shown to have significant durability flaws and easily broken in light prying.
You can comment on this review by dropping me an email : cliffstamp[REMOVE]@cutleryscience.com .
| Last updated : | Mon Jun 16 12:26:58 NDT 2003 |
| Thu Jan 14 11:12:33 NST 1999 |