*Trigger Warning* If you are anti-knife, this post may traumatize you. This is not a butter knife we are going to discuss and ~gasp~ look at today. The Gurkha Kukri might be described by those who have little to no experience with knives as a “fully-semi-automatic-high-powered-high-capacity-military-style-assault-knife”. Proceed with caution.

The latest addition to my collection of blades is something I have actually wanted for a long time, but never found the one that I thought was the right one. Given the varying quality of the Kukri available, I preferred to wait until I found something sturdy.

The Gurkha Kukri has always appealed to me. The physics of the blade give it a cutting power that is grossly disproportional to the small size of the weapon. It is known to be capable of severing limbs (tree or human) or removing heads. Like on those infomercials of old, this thing can truthfully be said to slice and chop at the same time.

The Kukri I have is from Kukri House in Nepal. As with anything, there are varying opinions on the quality of the craftsmanship from Kukri House. Personally, I find the work to be of excellent quality. The blade is made of 1095 carbon steel, full tang, and is not mass produced. It also happens to be a beautiful blade as well. The three fullers reduce the weight of the blade, and they also add a certain something to the look.

There are differing stories about the little notch near the base of the blade.

The common story is that the notch prevents the blood of your enemy from getting on the handle. I have not tested this theory for the obvious reason that I have no enemies. Others claim that the notch is of religious significance, and I know nothing to argue for or against this thought. And other people say it is for trapping an incoming blade. It would be a tiny trap, but sometimes that would be enough, so I cannot say this is incorrect either.

I don’t know why it is there, and I don’t care.

This blade is a beast, which would explain Beast being the nickname of this knife.

It weighs about two pounds and measures about seventeen inches overall, with a twelve-inch blade. It comes from the Kukri House already sharpened. As with anything hand-made, there are minor differences here and there on the blade. But a slight variation on the width of the spine, for example, does nothing to detract from the quality of the knife. Hand-made products will all have slight differences and that is fine. Unless, of course, you have to have every little detail exact, no matter how insignificant the detail may be. Then these things might drive you nuts. In that case, go get a factory made product and you will be a lot happier.

I am impressed with the knife and the craftsmanship that went into making it. I would recommend this one and will be chopping wood and other inanimates soon. I don’t do destruction tests because I prefer to let other people throw their money away, but there are easily found video destruction tests on this product, and I can tell you that even in the zombie apocalypse this blade will survive.