Kukri Machete, Hand Forged 12 Inch Blade with Water Buffalo Horn Handle

This is the kukri for work bigger than a knife and smaller than an axe. The blade is 12 inches of 5160 spring steel with the deep forward curve that carries the weight near the tip. The handle is polished water buffalo horn, black with faint gray streaking. It runs 17.5 inches overall. Buyers use it on green growth, downed limbs and camp kindling.

Specification

The blade

5160 spring steel is what lets you swing twelve inches of blade hard without worrying about a chip. The flat comes out of the forge dark gray with faint hammer marks, and the bevel is polished mirror bright. The blade leaves the handle narrow, sweeps forward and down, then widens near the tip, so the mass sits ahead of your hand. The cho at the base of the edge stops a cut running into the handle. Carbon steel darkens and rusts if put away wet.

The handle

Water buffalo horn is the traditional handle here and the one collectors ask for. It is polished black with gray streaking that runs its own way in every piece. Horn does not soak up water and warms quickly in the hand. The ring sits between your fingers and the flared butt keeps your grip from sliding back. The tang is hidden, running down inside the horn.

The karda and the chakmak

The two small knives in pockets on the back of the scabbard are not decoration. The karda is the sharp one, for cord, food and close work a 12 inch blade cannot do neatly. The chakmak is blunt, used to true up a rolled edge and traditionally to strike a spark. Nepali makers include both and name both. So do we.

The leather

The scabbard is water buffalo leather over a wooden core, so it holds its shape under a blade this size. The tip is capped in brass, a belt frog is stitched to the back, and the two pockets sit behind it. Every stitch is put in by hand. The face is hand tooled with a basket weave stamp inside a carved border, struck deep into damp leather.

Who it suits

Buyers pick the 12 inch for more reach and more weight behind the cut.

• Property owners cutting back green growth and brambles
• Campers and hunters who want reach
• Collectors who want the traditional horn handle
• Buyers who want a tooled scabbard

What comes in the box

• The 12 inch kukri
• The karda and the chakmak
• The tooled leather scabbard
• A care card

Every piece is different

Horn is a natural material and the gray streaking runs its own way in every handle. Add the forge finish and hand cut tooling and no two leave the shop alike.

Looking after it

Dry the blade after use and never store it wet. The gray patina that comes with time is normal and protects the steel. Sharpen on a stone or a file, following the bevel already there, and work the belly of the curve. Oil the blade before storage, wipe the horn now and then, and let the leather dry away from heat. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits, and clean line art engraves better than a photograph. You get a proof image before the laser runs, adding 3 to 5 business days. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

Why does the blade curve forward? The curve puts the heaviest steel furthest from your hand, so it chops above its size.

What are the two small knives? The karda and the chakmak. The karda is sharp, for fine work. The chakmak is blunt and trues up an edge.

What is the notch near the handle? That is the cho. It stops a cut running back into the handle.

Is water buffalo horn hard to look after? No. Keep it dry and rub a little oil in now and then.

Will my blade look exactly like the photo? No. The horn, the forge finish and the tooling differ on every piece.

How long until it ships? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days with USPS.

For a shorter blade see the hand forged kukri in the service pattern, and for reach the 15 inch kukri in rosewood. More sits in kukri knives, bushcraft blades and all knives.