The Ka-Bar Machete Kukri

The Ka-Bar Machete Kukri Md: 1249 is a modern take on the legendary utility and combat knife of Nepal, from the equally legendary Ka-Bar company. The Kukri gained fame in the hands of the elite Gurkha regiments who engaged the Japanese in fierce jungle combat in WWII, and this excellent tool is a worthy tribute to that legacy.

Like all kukris, the Ka-Bar Machete Kukri Md: 1249 has a curved blade whose width and belly increased towards the point and which is sharpened on the concave side. This unique blade shape leads to very powerful chopping, allowing the kukri to be about as effective as most hatchets in chopping small trees or branches, and splitting small-diameter logs, or, of especially interest to sportsmen, splitting the pelvis and quartering the carcass of a large game animal. But, the kukri remains equally effective for slashing brush and crash like a machete and for any slicing tasks for which one would normally use a large fixed blade knife. In knife combatives, the shape also allows for quick, powerful chops with the flick of a wrist, which are devastating and quite capable of removing a hand at the wrist, as well as slashing. The concave shape also allows for a certain amount of trapping of an opponent’s blade to be done when parrying, especially with the left hand supporting the block on the spine of the knife. And even though the knife is highly curved, the drop of the point actually allows for quite effective use of the point, the stab being delivered with more a “punching” motion rather than the thrust used with more typical knives. During the war, kukri-wielding Gurkhas occasionally encountered katana-armed Japanese officers and quite often came out on top, using techniques like this to overcome their opponent’s longer weapon.

The Ka-Bar Machete Kukri Md: 1249 is made out of 1085 carbon steel blade, which exhibits exceptional durability and edge holding qualities, and is given a rugged black coating for rust protection. The full-tanged black handle is made of Kraton-G, a handle material which experience shows gives exceptional grip security even when soaked in sweat and/or blood. The blade is 11 and 1/2 inches long, the overall length is 17 inches, and the knife weighs in at approximately one and one quarter pounds. The blade is quite thick and robustly made compared to that of your average machete, making the Ka-Bar Machete Kukri Md: 1249 far and away better for dealing with actual trees and branches, as opposed to light brush. It comes with a black sheath made from a combination of leather and cordura, and knife and sheath together weigh in at approximately two and a half pounds.