yatagan Hand Made Kukri Knife - Hunting Knife - Gurkha Issue Khukuri Nepal - Engraved Bowie Knife - Camping Knife - Knife for Outdoor - Survival Kit - Product Code YS212

I love finding hidden gems like this, and it was exactly what I was looking forI've been playing alot of a zombie game series "The Last Of Us" and in part 2 there's a semi-kukri machete that I always love to use in it. Well of course the game inspired me to change up my hiking/camping/adventure set up with such a machete... but I didn't want a full size machete cause that's kind of cumbersome to carry, for me unnecessary, and gets you weird looks on the trail haha! Anyways, I saw this with an overall size to fit in/on a pack or hip with little issue and I took a gamble on it. Turned out to be a homerun!So the rundown:Steel - Good quality in an old school way. It's softer than many modern bushcraft knives but still holds an edge decently, in a large cutting tool I find this preferable as I like to sharpen them with a file which needs a softer springier temper. Sharpened up in a quick minuite on a file, I can get an edge to shave arm hair easily. I can tell by how easily the burr comes off it's a quality heat treatment on the steel. Brought it out on the trail just today to put it through it's paces. I chopped, batoned some knotty wood, carved a good bit of feather sticks and notches, and it held it's edge well. Even intentionally struck some gravel to test out how tough the edge is and of course it blunted a bit but no chipping and was only minimally deformed. Sharpened up in a min with a pocket india stone and she was back to shaving sharp. Steel wise I think their HT was good for 1.4116, on par or better than what I got with cold steel. If you're familiar with Spanish knives like Cudeman or Joker using 1.4116/MOVA then I'd say it compares to that.Fit and finish:Can't say anything but great. It came really sharp already (but I don't let a new knife go without me sharpening it right out of the box), the wood handle was well finished. The spine is 90 degrees and sharp for striking a fire steel. Nice attractive leather sheath, though I think the very front stitch will get cut by the blade over time and use. Overall very happy especially at the $40 dollar price I paid for it.Performance:Shorter and thicker than most machetes, lighter than most kukris. It was able to clear loose and hanging light vegetation (that would rather just move aside than be cut) fairly well. If you choke up on it the blade is quite light in the hand while further back on the handle and you can have some really good chopping power. Chopped into both green and seasoned 5" logs as good as a light hatchet, the kukri style blade punches well above its weight and size here. Batoned and split wood very well. Carved acceptably well for a large knife and was able to use it easily as a draw knife. Due to it's compactness it's quite easy to use and control for finer work. It's hollow ground so initial cuts will be easy, the spine is a robust but not too thick 3/16ths or 4mm thick. The size makes it a compromise sacrificing effectiveness of large machete chopping for portability and non-threatening qualities, that said it performed very well with everything I threw at it and given the size I will actually take this with me on every trip while my large machete sits at home collecting dust! Plus it's stainless so I can take this out in all kinds of weather in the wet PNW, even out in the salt, with little concern. It's got great versatility and convenient to have around, I like it alot!Conclusion:10/10 highly recommended if you wanted an affordable one-tool-option for handling all cutting tasks out in the woods. Bowie knife size with extra kukri oomph, love it! This will likely be my go-to adventure knife, my deployment knife, my safari knife, just can't sing it's praises enough. Pair it with a nice pocket knife like a swiss army and you'll be all set!

I was looking for exactly this type of Kukri to add some home made flavor to my Kukri collection. It has an actual wooden handle, and the D2 blade is just the right thickness and configuration. Kudos.