Best Fighting Knife? WW2 Fairbairn Sykes FS Commando Dagger VS Gurkha Kukri
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
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Which is better in a straight up knife fight, the WW2 Fairbairn Sykes FS Commando Dagger, or the Gurkha Kukri? Not considering that these were intended originally to be used by different types of soldier for a different range of purposes, what are the pros and cons of each fighting knife design?
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I like a (woodsmen's pal) for general usage.
I like a kukri but as a tool a (woodmen's pal) is greater though it sacrifices the meh point for a hook.
If fighting solely with a second blade, then a punch/push dagger is my taste!
Tool 1st & fight 2nd in my minds eye!
Shouldn't it be between a Kukhri and a Smatchet?
Matt, my Dad served as a radio man on HMAS Nepal, which had a squad of Gurhka commandos in the crew. They protected my Dad (radio) when they were ashore on Akhyab island (Burma) spotting Japanese positions so they could use naval artillery on Japanese positions. They penetrated Japanese positions at night, in total darkness, and made theri way to hilltops with views. When I was a child, Dad showed me how the Gurkhas' trained him to kill a man by sneaking up behind them and slitting their throat. Exactly the scenario you discuss at 28 minutes into this video. Dad said, at night in total darkness they will reach around and feel for the kinds of buttons on the soldiers shirts. Japanese... they suffer a cut.
Why choose. You have 2 hands.
@@NowwwUs Interesting, similar to my comment about feeling for the soldier's boot laces! Your dad must have been impressed by his experiences. I can recall others who merely served in the next unit over from Gurkhas, but who would unconsciously stiffen with pride when we discussed the topic. I wonder if there is anyone out there who can confirm these sorts of identification techniques?
On a related topic, all the experts and authorities say, quite sensibly, that Gurkhas don't throw Kukri - why would you want to lose your weapon? - and even that it can't be thrown. (I personally know the latter to be false, as I threw a cheap touristy knock-off many times and it both stuck - most of the time - and survived the event.) However, the man who told me of the boot lace trick also claimed to have actually witnessed a Kukri successfully being thrown against an escaping enemy. As a youngster, I accepted it, as I got older I had doubts, but I am very reluctant, still, to suggest he was lying, since he had little to gain by misleading me.
"Hey mate rather than both of us dying in a bloody painful way, we go to the pub, get a pint, and wait for all of this to blow over?"
I would recommend The Winchester
How's that for a slice of fried gold?
New plan, we grab a cornetto, go to the W, you take the kegs, I'll take the whiskey and we wait for this all to blow over.
@@patrickgrounds2157 you remember that guy that used to sit in the corner? Before he went to the mines he starred as the first brit gay pornstar. They called him 'Batman Bellend'. Went on to save thirty lives in a tunnel collapse. Knew all kinds of tunnels, that bloke. That bird with the one arm, what'd you think her story is?
Like the idea and let’s discussed this as adults
It may look like a knife, but in it's weight, balance, reach and general utility, the kukri compares much more closely to a hatchet or tomahawk.
The khukuri is a hybrid between a knife, hatchet, machete and draw knife. You can also use it as a prybar, mallet and even a shovel in a pinch. It is more than just a weapon, its a full sized multi-tool that even predates the Swiss army knife. Its my favorite blade due to how handy it is in multiple scenarios outside of fighting.
@@SeemsLogical there was an argument that khukuri is so deadly in gurkha hands because they use it every day for everything, bushcraft, hunting and skinning, even making three meals a day. So when it is go time the knife has literally tens of thousands of hours of cutting stuff on it and feels like part of your body, so you can concentrate on actually fighting.
@@JinKee makes lots of sense
Plus a machete, and not a terrible carving knife. Pretty neat design and fairly practical for alot of things,.minus jungle and grass clearing.
@@SeemsLogical no no not really. It's based on ancient blade designs and has shit all to do with axes. It's just a curved bladed machete.
I carried a sirupati for years, it's a longer version of the khukri. It was made in Nepal by one of their bladesmiths and gifted to me by an Indian friend. For me, it was an agricultural tool and unbeatable at that.
i crap u not, i camped, hunted, and dug a random access hole to find a water pipe with a khukri. and i had it for maybe 15 years. it is a true workhorse. and i keep getting conflicting stories about its initial origin. as far as back as alexander's armies visiting far east. so an offspring of a kopis sword???
@@gentlemanzackp6591 Matt pretty seriously discounted the idea that it originated from Kopis. He talked about that in some of his older videos, lots of Kukri vids. I think it comes from a weird tendency to give credit to Europeans (especially in the very racist 19th century) for interesting and coincidentally similar weapons or technologies, there is some visual similarity to kopis, but that's about it. That part of the world had curved blade designs going back quite literally thousands of years, before Kukri even existed. The most compelling reason not to believe this is Kukri didn't originate until more than 1,500 years after Alexander, nor is there archeological evidence of kopis like swords in that region, but there is ample archeological evidence of all sorts of exotic Asian designs, Turkic, Indian, Chinese, etc.
Much like a good heavy machete
One's choppy, the other's stabby.
the choppy can also stabby
I'll go choppie choppie, thank you.
"Choppy and Stabby" a carton for knifelovers 😊
"Choppy and Stabby" a carton for knifelovers 😊
The stabby can also be slicy
I have about 30 years' worth of experience with accessing weapons quickly, and im here to tell the biggest kept secret to changing quickly.
Whether you are using swords, clubs, maces, or guns, always bind your weapon keys to your extra mouse buttons. It really helps to have a mouse that has numbers 0-9 on the side.
Thank you for coming to my ted talk. Im here all week.
My Grandad also served in Burma, he was a Chindit and served with the Ghurkas, he also carried a Kukri.
When you see the Ghurkha Regiment practicing, when they are not chopping high for the neck they are using a double hand downward thrust with the blade forward, aiming for the area high in the chest and towards the throat, i hope this information is helpful ... they have centuries of experience and find this to be an effective close fighting option so might be a useful one to consider testing for yourself.
It was also used by throwing it towards your enemy, literally chucking it at them but with precision and accuracy. Really handy technique. Also due to Gurkhas low centre of gravity, ducking and stabbing upwards into the stomach was very effective for the Gurkhas.👍🏽
Narrow focus gives us wonderful insights like this, probably completely unknown to westerners. Thanks.
KAVER ALMIGHTY GOD 🙏
Ah, it is intended to stab a foe. Listen and learn Matt.
they most certainly have mastered using it as an extremely lethal close combat tool but also extremely useful overall survival tool which comes in handy from shelter building to agriculture stuff which was its original purpose
i was working with a Gurkha just a couple of weeks ago..... he had served 30 years and had been retired since 2009.... he was helping us on a construction site in Reading ....super nice guy...what really pissed me off though... he was 64 years old....fit as a fiddle and looked about 10 years younger than me...i'm 54 btw lol..... when we were chatting , i asked him about his Kukri.... he told me that he had two of them.... a ceremonial and and every day one......he had to give back the ceremonial one when he retired...but he still has his every day one...
Cheers Prem..wherever you are now ..
Great presentation, Matt. I'm American and grew up with both of these original WW2 blades. Identical FS (ringed handle) and 1943 Calcutta Kukri. Both have battle wear. Father was Infantry, N. Africa & Italy. He fought along side Gurkhas and Commandos. He highly respected them both. I still have the blades.
The main advantage of the kukri is its multifunctional as weapon and as a tool. So you probably have it with you in many situations. The best fighting knife is useless if you left it at home.
Sure, but given that the Sykes-Fairbairn is light and compact, you are likely to have it on a sheath strapped somewhere on your body, not in your pack or elsewhere where it’s unavailable or may be left behind
As Matt points out, you are more likely to be able to quickly draw and use the Sykes-Fairbairn, which is especially important in the kind of desperate situations where you have to rely on a knife, rather than firearms. Whether the dagger has an advantage over the kukri in the other key combat use of eliminating sentries and other kinds of “silent killing” is more debatable and probably more about training and, let’s face it, luck.
If we’re talking about only taking one item, I’d say that the kukri’s “multi tool” aspects makes it a more obvious choice, but that’s kinda going beyond the combat aspects.
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I recall some after action report from a group of Gurkhas in North Africa that went something like "Enemy encountered, no ammo expended, no prisoners taken".
Still looking for hands and arms. They were scattered about the field of battle. 😱
That is an amazing laconism. Any sources for that? I'd really like to use this quote..
@@simonklein4687 unfortunately no, I believe I read it in a World at War magazine.
@@capnstewy55 Nevermind, it's really cool.
Hands, arms, legs and heads scattered about all over the place. A Kukri is very comparable to a samurai in its ability to cut completely through limbs, necks, etc. and detach things. The thin blade and tang are easily broken on an FS. The kukri is made out of leaf spring thickness steel and pretty bomb-proof.
Off the top of my head I think the kukri would win. But in general I'd use the Kukri as well, looks like a more handy tool.
I have both and trained with both. The Kuk is basically a tool and not ment for combat. I have a special custom F/S from South Africa that would totally destroy anyone with a Kuk and is much better than a F/S
@@markwalker4485 I respect your opinion, but it seems to ignore historical fact. The Kukri has been used as a weapon for more than 200 years alongside British/Indian armies and it seems odd to deny that. The Falcata was a weapon and not a tool and it is almost identical to the Kukri. In any case, there are plenty of examples of tools used as weapons and vice-versa - so I think an over-distinction between them is somewhat academic. James Bowie's knife/knives (whatever it was/were) seems to have been a personal protection weapon. It didn't stop people from using it for multiple purposes in years following his death.
To go to the other extreme, I was appalled that my Kendo teacher found a neighbour using an antique Katana for cutting the grass. It is a weapon and a valuable antique, but the owner saw it simply as a sharp edge which he could use when his lawnmower failed. I won't comment about your "special custom F/S" as you don't provide any details, but knives don't do anything - people do, so as the video says, it depends upon the users and their experience.
Pure Gold. With a Kukri in one hand and a trench knife in the other, you shouldn't even have to engage, because any sane person would leg it! I bought a forces issue training Kukri in Thamel, Kathmandu, in 1999. Only cost a fiver. From the proper shop! It'd cost more to post it home, obviously, so I carried it with me when I went trekking. Started on Helambu, and it's entering a National Park so I decided the Kukri had to be open carry otherwise I'd be in big trouble. At the first checkpoint two young guards saw it on the top of the bergen. I thought that perhaps I had made a grave error, but the lads gave me a big smile and Namaste! Next came Gosaikunda, which reminded me of Snowdonia, and then Langtang. At the end I realised the weapon was the heaviest kit I had, so I gave it to an old fella on the outskirts of Langtang. Happy Days!
Not if the sane person has a firearm.
@@chuckschillingvideos It appears that you haven't read much about the Gurkhas.
Ayo Gorkhali!
In a last ditch, last resort banzai charge I would take the Kukri~🤣 For a stealthy dispatch, the dagger is a good choice. Also, if it is a situation where I need to stay hidden and survive in the jungle for a long periods of time, the kukri will be a better tool/weapon.
Overall , for dispatch ,@dagger more handy .
I would love to see an evaluation like this of the K-bar knife. It's shape is very different from both kukri & FS dagger and it's size is in between the two also.
And possibly the Marine Raider Bowie, although it was not nearly as prolific as the Kabar.
I'm not sure if it was a marketing ploy as I haven't seen a period example, but there was also the V 42 variant of the FS supposedly used by the 1st Special Service Force.
The K-BAR is literally a modernized Bowie knife.
The K-BAR is literally a modernized Bowie knife.
@@mikeblair2594 literally just an ordinary knife
I carried a Kukri as my battle blade, I rate it as one of the best knives ever. The Fairbairn Sykes I'd have as a boot knife. Great post, cheers
The Khukuri knife is actually an excellent stabbing weapon. People untrained in it’s use think of it as a hacking weapon. And while it can be used like that, it can also be used as a slicing weapon, but it is an excellent stabbing weapon as well, the removal of the stab usually being accompanied by a slash that completely eviscerates the opponent.
I'd love to see you turn this into a series using various melee implements based on era and making them go head to head and giving your opinion on which would win ratio out of 10 matches.
I'll probably get parts wrong but I remember reading a funny but fictional story about the toughness of Ghurkha soldiers :
A British officer is briefing his men on a risky air mission , "Ok men, we will approach from the north then lower to 5000 feeting to begin jumping...."
Ghurkha soldier: "Excuse me Sir, but I would like to respectfully request we lower to 3000 feet instead. I feel this will greatly reduce our chances of injury"
British officer (looking confused): " But that won't allow enough time for the parachutes to open!"
Ghurkha soldier : " Ahhhhhh.......so we are using parachutes."
The Fairbain Sykes is really good for stabbing up through the brain between the atlas vertebrae and the skull when you sneak up behind and place your hand over the mouth to keep the enemy silent. It's thin profile allows it to slip in easily.
I'll give it a try 🙄
Fine for surgery - but unclear if the patient has a kukri.
Looks more like that bit from Crocodile Dundee: call that a knife...THIS is a knife!
I have zero training in knife fighting other than the obligatory "run away meme", so for myself I would almost certainly pick the Kukri for its combination of simple chopper-type potential and its utility as an actual tool.
Yeah, the khukuri has a bit more reach to it and the chopping preference means that even a hit to an opponents arm could immediately end the fight. And you can use the khukuri as a tool when you're not fighting with it, the Sykes-Fairbairn is a dedicated fighting dagger.
And it looks proper scary.
I get the feeling that an idiot with a Kukri is a still gonna kill you, whereas you might have a chance against an idiot with a FS.
Fairbairn himself describes his "ideal" street fight knife as being something similar to the kukri. Just look up the smatchet to see a Fairbairn designed "fighting knife".
It's not quite as straight forward as that. The Shanghai Police daggers were designed for close combat rather than sentry removal, and the Smatchet has some disadvantages compared to a kukri. Plus, after the war Fairbairn himself came up with the Cobra - a whole different design. So even Fairbairn himself came up with 3 different fighting knife designs, all offering different strengths and weaknesses.
@@scholagladiatoria I didn't realise he'd made the Shanghai Police daggers. I'll have to look this up now, cheers Matt, very cool.
@@scholagladiatoria Looking at all three, it seems like he didn't "design" much of anything so much as copy pre-existing knives. That Shanghai dagger is so generic as to defy being a category other than double edged knife. The FS commando dagger is nearly the same as not only stilettos but also rondel daggers. The Smatchet is just a barong. And that Cobra looks to be a large karambit.
Seems like his knife design reputation confuses the idea of inventing something with the idea of applying the proper tool to the job.
The kukri seems almost like a short word, the FS was made for stealthy ambush style assasination at close range. Two different tools.
But you can do stealth kills with a Kukri also.
@@longrider42
Not as effective though.
And you can stsnd up fight with the dagger. Each can do the other's job, just not as well as the specialist. Both very good at their job, and serviceable at the other one's job.
I would, however, say that this is a fair compatison, as while very different, there were (and still are) times when a soldier could choose which he wants to cary.
@@VigilanteMind .....the Gurkha would disagree and we all know how famed they are in military service.
Tune in next week for Swiss Army Vs Claymore.
A Kukri is a combination of a axe, billhook, short sword, knife and spear head curved forward which means it stabs in a arch thrust which is dangerous as it can thrust and tear out through body.
While I have no practical personal experience with either, I have been told that the way to dispatch a sentry silently with a kukri, is if the they are not wearing a helmet, you split the their skull like a melon with a massive overhand strike like a hatchet. If they're wearing a helmet, you swing it like a bat decapitating them at the neck. Where as a with a Fairbairn Sykes you have to slip it in the throat and punch outward with the dagger. Given the amount of adrenaline in a situation like that, I would expect the gross motor skills of a chopping motion to be a little more effective over the somewhat fiddly stab them in the neck method.
The main thing is stealth, not whether it would kill them.
The kukri whether in distance or upclose, it's primary fatal target will always be the head. It has the mass and build for that task. Even a dull kukri will kill as long as you go for the head. The dagger on the other hand may have a better advantage in upclose combat utilizing stabs and cuts but being that close and in stress and in flailing panicked attacks... Swinging your melee weapon Like a truncheon will be the win. I bet my money on the kukri or if I had a choice my 14inch bladed bolo with a decent enough point.
I own a sirupate (slender relative of the kukri) with a 14 inch blade. It splits hardwood into kindling with great ease and would doubtless split a skull as easily. For all its apparent graceful design its blade is still more than a quarter inch thick.
I've been studying some bartitsu and the books by William fairbairn we do a fair amount of knife exchanges in my Hema group (yes I consider the trench fighting combatives as a historic European martial art) I've come to the consensus the FS dagger draws from the best features of medieval fighting knives it's an amalgam of several ideas rolled into one very purpose built tool. I will also state large knives such as a Bowie, longknife, perhaps even a Khyber knife would hold a distinct advantage they can utterly destroy the wrist and to some degree use its mass to parry "take the hand" doctrine of use. I think as personal light weight tactile blade the FS and the later V42 knife are top of the line I can attest when combined with the defendu/bartitsu grapple techniques it's a knife I'd carry anywhere I'd not be able to conceal carry a firearm and wouldn't feel underequipped in the slightest.
My dad during WWII fought in Burma with Stillwell and I still have his Kukri that was given to him by the Ghurkhas. ( I think this was correct but he recently passed away so I can't ask him to confirm. )
The curve in the kukri takes pressure off the wrist when stabbing. I love Kukri blades FTW ...just IMO as someone who actually swings these things.
Excellent video! It was really interesting to hear about the sheer number of different service people who used both knives!
I emailed you a few years back to show you my grandad's wooden-handled FS knife. He was a Royal Engineers sergeant in Burma, and was given the knife by a Canadian soldier.
Unless the troop with the dagger has something substantial to block the kukri with, he's going to get hacked into dogmeat 95% of the time, IMO...
Captain Context strikes again!! Initially I was thinking the kukri all day in a street fight, but you did bring up some valid points. I see the merits in both, the FS probably is more of a fighting knife whereas the kukri is more multi-purpose tool and fighting knife. I'd feel confident with either one.
If you think of it in the context of a modern streetfight I would say that the FS is way superior in carryability and concelability. A kukri of that side would just be left at home imho.
@@simoneriksson8329 Oh yeah, definitely as far as size goes and carry-ability the win goes to the FS. Like Matt said they would place them just about anywhere on the body, definitely a more handy knife than that size of kukri. Makes me wonder about a kukri the same size of the FS.
@@simoneriksson8329 depends where you live some places concealability is no real issue. And size constraints legally aren't either. So bigger is better.
@@simoneriksson8329 I dunno they do make small kukris and I have heard they are popular as street fighting/self defense knives in some areas of Asia and near Nepal. Easy to learn to use and good for chopping so easy to do damage.
i think clothing accurate with ballistic jell test between the knives of both sides! awesome video! both awesome knives, both so specialized in style of use and application
This is very interesting, but I couldn't help being reminded of all those age-old debates on topics like "who would win a fight between an alligator and a grizzly bear?" 😊
This is a tough one! It would have to come down to the old "If you could only have ONE of these blades, which would you choose?" for me to decide which was better. I'd have to choose the kukri for it's utility.
A fantastic comparison of two knives coming from different continents, cultures and purposes.
In today’s globalized world this video was long overdue. So thank you for your awesome work, sir! 🗡️
You sound dangerous 😃
@@MrBollocks10 you’re right. 😂 I’m gonna delete this.
Interesting.. I haven't watched the video yet, but I actually had the debate once so before I start... Our general observations were that the Fairbairn has lightning fast thrusts, can be fenced with, passes through thick clothing and is super useful in a grapple. Other than counter-thrusting it lacks defense, but is superlatively lethal given its ability to pass between ribs.
The kukri by contrast cant thrust well, but hits like a truck. It can possibly close distance as quick as a daggers thrust due to its fast slashes combined with passing footwork and is formidable in defense given its ability to defang and cut across a line to prevent someone advancing. It can hook and control limbs in close, but is pretty awful grappling on the ground.
Whilst the dagger can near guarantee a fatal thrust, but the kukri will cause huge *structural* damage:
A fatally stabbed enemy soldier can keep attacking, but a cleaving blow tends to disable the combatant severely.
At the end of the day (assuming similar skill level) it comes down to two things, firstly footwork and secondly -why not both :)
A very nice treatment of the capacities of these blades...The principal use of the FS knife is for killing, nothing else...the kukri can also do the same, but is used as a tool as well...perhaps you could do a video(s) on how to use a kukri & the FS? Thanks!
I love both of these blades. But I gravitate towards a Bowie style blade for I feel it’s better balanced between these
Yeah the bowie style blades find that perfect equilibrium between stabbing, cutting, speed, and size.
Though personally I'd choose a FS Knife because I find maximizing speed and agility in a fight or the field is priority.
Plus a good Bowie knife will have a better guard. Yes I have several Big Bowie knives. But they where not military.
But nobody really knows the correct shape of the bowie...
@@howler6490 Know one knows what the "Original" Bowie knife looked like. But I have the Western W49 Bowie in my collection, and I think it would do. I also have the Cold Steel 1917 Frontier Bowie, 12 inch razor sharp blade with a wicked point and a good guard. Oh and I also have a Khukuri, from Nepal. I guess I prefer big blades to little ones.
Kukri, but then I'm British.
Possibly a Dirk otherwise.
29:00 Silent Knife, holy knife. happy holidays!
Add a guard to prevent your hand sliding onto the blade and a kukri actually stabs/thrusts rather well.
Good luck grabbing a khukuri in motion, also a khukuri can draw slice and stab at almost the same range as a FS (can also snap cut at longer range), furthermore the rings are meant for stabbing and we have both British accounts and later accounts of khukuri even upto the Kargil war being used to stab and doing terrible damage, that's centuries of use. Key word...STAB, not a linear thrust. Khukuri scabbards have a specific technique for drawing that needs lot of repetition, again another thing that we know from WW2 Gurkha training. Also, even in heavy winter clothing a snap cutting khukuri will go through most stuff (and will defo stab through as well). Btw sentry removal was done with khukuri in WW2, key word STAB into the throat and cut out :)
@El Bearsidente exactly my point 🙂
Great Uncle was No 3 Commando and was still serving RM in 1948.
He had only one Knife hanging on his wall beside his medals.
A Kurkri that he carried from 1941 till he retired from military service.
I always understood that the kukri is a general purpose knife which is very effective in the right hands in combat and the Fairbairn Sykes was a knife more for clandestine forces and used for stabbing unsuspecting enemies rather than knife fighting like a Bowie knife.
The F&S is a modern compact version of an Italian stiletto.
The Arkansas Toothpick is a bigger heavy version of a stiletto.
The Bowie cuts and stabs both. As for fighting, the Bowie might prove more versatile than both the FBS and the Kukhri.
I'd take a ka-bar knife over both, because it's a better carving tool and carving is incredibly important as a survival task
Each to their own.
Joking before I start anything.
Kabar knife
Kant (sic)
Actually
Buy
A
Real
Knife :-D
Be good to see maybe a Brit vs US showdown though, DBK style between a K and the Mod4, across the board testing.
It's worth mentioning that you could carry both. The kukri is bulkier and more cumbersome and less concealable, but anyone who can carry a kukri can also carry a Fairbairn Sykes (it's not that heavy). Then use whatever fits the situation more.
I would like to stand next to a Nepalese or Gurka and actually see how fast they can pull the kuhkri. They are some producing kydex sheaths that are partially open at the top so they are much easier to engage. I would like to see a matchup between the kuhkri and the smatchet. I would like to know the history of the smachet. It reminds me of the US M17 bolo, but I believe the Welsh (engineers)? had a similar type weapon/tool.
I served with many Nepal people. They preferred a dagger style knife for training so IF we ever did see combat they would have used a dagger
@@markwalker4485 That is very interesting, what is the context of your comment? You say "Nepal people", not specifically Gurkhas, so are we talking about units outside the British or Indian armies?
In this discussion I have tried to avoid unanswerables such as "what would I do?" - since it is not open to verification. I am retired and disabled and such a question is really hypothetical. I understood Matt to be assuming a wartime context, at least for most of his discussion, with only a slight digression into what might be his personal preference. As such, I have tried to look at what he says and compare it to what I know from reading history. This is not because I am prejudiced against the F/S and my other comments should show I respect the knife's creators. Nor am I prejudiced against Matt or his channel. It is simply because I I do know something about the Gurkhas' history and a little about their usage of the Kukri during that history. In contrast, I know very little about the F/S knife and have never seen any specific accounts of its usage. My comments are based on research into history, both written and anecdotal. Of course, what I have read or been told might be utterly false. However, I am primarily drawing on books which were written by or endorsed by Gurkha officers, as well as citations, such as those given for the VC, etc., plus reminiscences from people I have met and whom I trust. I will admit that I borrowed and read some of these books over 50 years ago and my memory may not be perfect.
I found your comment about the Nepali preference for the dagger helpful, thank you. I think the changes in Nepali society, education and exposure to the modern world may be changing both the people and their culture. Thus, an urban educated Nepali, or Gurkha children educated in the UK, may have little or no experience of the Kukri and would find the dagger easier.
Nevertheless, the men and boys who joined the British Indian army were brought up to use the Kukri in all situations and I am thinking about those historical situations. Whereas the F/S was designed for one to one and commando raids, the Kukri has been used in a variety of contexts, not excluding stealth situations, but mostly on the battlefield. Thus, even many so-called "one to one" fights were the result of encounters with advancing enemy troops. It is known that the Gurkhas sometimes advanced by transferring rifles to the left hand and drawing Kukri. Indeed, some of the verified accounts are so remarkable that I didn't want to report them here. However, that says much more about the soldiers themselves and says little or nothing about either knife.
I wouldn't consider kukri as a "slicing" weapon as much as a chopping, hacking, or even pummeling weapon (especially with the slightly thicker ones). It's closer to a hand axe, and it can be pretty wild at whacking enemies with devastating chops. It doesn't matter much if it doesn't cut through some of the gear or clothing, a good hit will still have enough impact to open up the opponent for more.
the kukri was also used by Gurkha to remove heads. it was used in such a way that the person could be asleep and wake to his buddy's head,
I carry both the kukri on my back and the dagger in a shoulder sheath. The dagger in the left hand and the kukri in the right. Dagger for defense, kukri for offense. Kukri is vastly more useful across a variety of tasks. The dagger, was only good for stabbing and opening letters.
Just like a mechanic each tool is job specific. The more tools you have the more jobs you can do. Same with these two types of blades. I've been studying martial arts since 1972. Started teaching in 1984. Great examples great techniques good information.
hello from Montana...tree climber here that uses a kukri every day...best design out there...and my grandfather was in Burma to in ww2
I believe that the Kukri is the more versatile weapon in many circumstances. Just think for instance if you are trying to disable the wrist of your opponent or trying to sever the carotid artery or the jugular vein of an opponents neck. It would take much more accuracy to do so with a dagger vs. a kukri. Having said that, it is true that a dagger is for more affective against someone wearing armor. Even the leather worn by the United States Marines, from which the nickname, Leatherneck, was derived.
Idea for a fun video. Trench shovels/e tool/folding shovels used in combat. I've heard stories about small shovels used in combat. The Russians say their shovels can deflect a bullet.
I'd like to see a video about tomahawks and hatchets used in either of the great wars or before or after wars. I loved your last tomahawk video.
Hawks were used in s Vietnam by some US troops. In Texas they are one of the few edged weapons still banned from carry along with gravity knives and balisongs.
“The loser of a knife fight dies in the street. The winner dies in an ambulance”
I don’t remember where I heard it
Shocker: Captain Contexts' answer to which is better is - context.
Very interesting. I own and have carried both. My own experience has come down to a smaller blade piggy-backed on a smatchet, kukri, or large bowie sheath. The smachet and bowie will chop, slash, or stab, while the smaller knife (now a rather modified cold steel Master Hunter) does light, fiddly tasks. As always, a good video, thanks for presenting and posting!
The kukri I have came with 2 small knives that fit in the sheath. One to be used as a steel to keep the edge on the kukri in line. And another small knife that has a sharp blade that is supposed to be used for small tasks.
@@travisrolison9646 Right. At least one of my khuks came with the carda and chakma. I threw them out as they don't fit my narrative ;) Last count there are 8 kkuks in my collection, all but two from Nepal or India. The two are Cold Steel made and theoretically aren't khuks at all, not being made in Nepal. They function just fine EXCEPT for the rubber-ish kraton grips, which don't slide in the hand the way the wood or horn grips do.. Someday perhaps I'll have one of them re-gripped.
Hey, I’ve got both of these! My F&S is in the car as my daily carry. I used to work in some areas where people smashing your car window was a real possibility and the F&S was good for that sort of confined spaces fight. I actually use my kukri as a “chef’s knife.”
In fact, true story I had to do some beside the road car repair, blown out 💡 and this guy snuck up behind me. He saw the F&S and turned around. 😥
CAP Christ man! Where do you live?
@@sirdigbyminge1639 the job was the problem, it was in a bad part of North Phoenix.
@@CAP198462 Hi, it just would not be legal in the UK, that is why Sir Digby was so shocked.
I'd cop-out in a different way, and say that it depends on the level of training and experience. A fighter trained in close-combat, who practices on a regular basis, would probably make more efficient use of the FS in a fight than a Kukri, but a general infantryman, who'll be more used to needing a blade as a tool than a weapon, would be more effective with something like the Kukri as they'd be handling it regularly and be thoroughly used to its heft and reach using similar sorts of blows. There's word for something which always needs taking account of in these sorts of questions.... begins with a 'C'.... it's on the tip of my tongue... Matt?
he mentioned training so many times in this video I dont even know why you mention it.
I carry a khukri as my hunting/bushcraft knife and I can say from experience that it will cleanly take a deer head off with a single blow. The damage it would do to a person I'd prefer not to think about.
A Kukri certainly saved my life. A long time ago....FF.....our Sherpas, having taken us a very long way up into the Himalayan foothills, suddenly demanded a large sum of baksheesh to set us on the correct path or to leave us with dwindling rations with a choice of many paths. I drew my Kukri and swore quite maniacally that I would go to their village and cut off their heads. They scarpered, we ate the last of our rations and bivvyed down-me, to the most ferocious criticism from the Aussie in our little group. The next morning the Sherpas arrived with smiles saying "You very dangerous man, we show you way."
Good old Kukri.
Hi, i remember getting a commando dagger from a smith in goa,( india). In the 1970's. The reason isn't important here. The dagger he dug up for me was an old ww2 vintage piece . The same form but a lot beefier. Thicker longer heavier .i really miss that blade, it was the sharpest dagger iv'e èver used..it was heavy enough to parry a kukri with..the smith told me his father got it after the fight against the germans in the harbour.... lg from emmental
When it comes to the stealth kill with the kukri, I was taught (from a bando student of a WWII vet). To come from behind (dur) and instead of chopping, flip the kukri edge in and use the off hand to either cover mouth and expose neck while dragging kukri across or use off hand to snake up under the arm and push both head and neck forward (obviously when continued stealth isn't an issue) while again pulling back and across with the kukri. So, point being stealth no chop.
I think a short modified yatigan would be a nice combination of both, really good chopping and really good thrusting/peircing
Yaas...the yatigan needs more love⚔️
An excellent video, but I think a more interesting comparison of designs from the same period would be a properly hollow ground V-42 vs John Ek vs F/S. All in the same niche but still offering dramatic differences in functionality.
If you’re pitting the two against each other the Kukri is hands down the better knife. The Fairbairn Sykes can stab better, but given its lack of reach it really doesn’t matter. Someone trying to stab a Gurkha is going to have his hand liberated from the rest of his arm.
Followed by head being liberated from neck .....
I absolutely love kukris, I've carried one (&a15$ Mora) for a emergency knife in my truck, it definitely seen some hard use.
The kukiri probably has its origins back to the bronze age, it has that look to them. Being wide, thick, and looks structurally stable if it was made from softer metal.
No
Probably not, indeed very likely not given what commodities of design there are in bronze weapons.
Matt's covered the origins of the kukri (as much as we know) in other videos. Basically they don't start appearing in Nepal or anywhere else until about the 16th century and they replace previous more conventional knife designs. Speculated connection to the Kopis or Falcata is fantasy, both of those blades were out of use long before the first kukris appear and the earliest kukris are much narrower, ruling out any evolution from such wide blades.
@@vorynrosethorn903 If you look at the kind of leaf bladed weapons used in the film Troy - based on Bronze age weapons and similar to a blade cast in bronze on the UK archaeology programme Time Team - you see a narrow part just after the hilt broadens out to a wide blade that narrows to a point. As if the Kukri had been straightened and twinned with another. To put it another way, split one of these bronze age blades down the middle and then bend the front section to the side, you would get an ancient Falcata or Kukri. We know that there was the bronze age Kopis in Egypt and so, Steft's suggestion isn't too unrealistic.
My great grandfather fought the 2nd world war in Burma and have lots of medals
When close up, you can place the blade of your khukuri on a body part of your enemy and then saw. So it can be used while grappling.
Each one is excellent for one thing and sucks for the other thing. A good combat Boowie knife is excellent for both cutting and stabbing and also as utility knife. I must admit also that the Gurkas actually use the kukri in combat and it is also an excellent tool. The dagger is just usless wait for 95 % of soldiers who will never have any use of it
I would argue that the kukris' curve is favourable towards stabbing in a way. The way it's curved allows one to hold it in a hammer grip and stab with it without twisting the wrist too much. The dagger, on the other hand, needs to be held with the thumb on the guard in a stabbing grip to align it with your arm, like with all straight blades, which is arguably a less secure way of holding it and less powerful stabbing stance. The gladius for instance, which was designed for stabbing through thick clothing, was intended to be held hammer grip and the stabs were upwards into the belly not straight into the target.
Those of us with a 12" blade know exactly what Matt is talking about. As, I am sure, does Matt.
Another thing in my humble opinion to take into account is the fact that larger weapons are naturally going to be more cumbersome and have a slower stroke rate than smaller weapons.
I was coming in to say just that. The style of striking for the kukri inherently reduces the frequency of strikes delivered as compared to the dagger.
@@woodsman105 Yes, but it is somewhat like the Liam Neeson film of Rob Roy, the little Italian rapier was quick, but it only took one cut with the claymore!😀 Also, speed requires training to become skill and the Gurkha used his knife everyday.
I would argue the "Cutting" part. The reason is that the dagger would be much easier to get a "Cutting" edge in place to cut. What I mean is with one cutting edge and a wide body it would be harder to make the edge line up with the target. Someone could hold the blade or hand in a number of ways that would prevent it from being effective. That is really not so much the case with the dagger or even its hand as the backside of the blade or even tip (to cut) could be used possibly to attack . And there is really no place to hold the blade that would not put someone in danger.
While it may seem like an apples to oranges kind of comparison, blades of the same general form are in direct competition in the choice of blades carried and to a degree issued by the present Nepalese Armed Forces and Gurkhas. In today's modes of warfare you'd think that the larger, slower, less stabby khukuri wouldn't be the first choice for messy close range interactions but they remain the blade of choice. While I don't have any insights on the decision making of the units and officials involved I do find it hard to believe that such a critical application is entirely determined by tradition and cultural factors- the advantages of the form must still be somewhat relevant.
Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash
2:06 lol nice work with the zooming in the ad 🤣
The Greek Coppice was a Kukri in all but name and used as a butcher tool for splitting carcases .
If it cuts meat, it will cut people .
Get a 12-inch Sabre butcher knife with a loose round gaurd as in the one on a steel, and you have the best of both worlds.
5:35 any soldier Canadian, American British Indian or Gurkhas has a advantage in close waters combat.
I would go with the weapon with a Gurkha attached to the handle. Possibly even if it was an egg better.
I'll stick with my kbar usmc fighting knife. Of all the knives I own it is the best at combat in my rather limited experience. What I carry most often though is a crkt obake, carried handle down next to the mag pouches on my shoulder holster rig. Carried there it can be drawn by either hand.
I also own and love both. “ If you please, sir: May I carry both?”
As to utility? Kuk for wine bottles and no decanting tool and SF for
Those safety seals and cotton tamper- and opening proof aspirin bottles in the morning.
Christopher
This all very interesting and I've owned both knives. I would like to see if you could get some of the axis power knives and compare them to allied power. You even bring in a V42 and Marine Ka Bar. Thanks much
In a knife on knife fight the fs would be very dangerous but those seconds after the fatal stab would be hairy, there is a very good chance of both parties getting stabbed.
The Kukri meanwhile is going to be quite one sided, if you get a good strike in that's probably the last of them.
You'd have to ask a Gurkha how to cut ones throat with the kukri as it was certainly used that way plenty often during the war, with the Gurkhas being known as a right terror to Japanese sentrys.
i have a 1960s valor copy of the fairbarin sykes wood handle with a little tiny brass washer and cap nut for a pommel the washer is bent to fit the rounded end of the handle and whoever owned it before me wrapped the handle with some kind of string and glued it, its really grippy and the kukri is used sometimes downstairs near the wood furnace to chop wood
Two different weapons for two different situations. The Kukri is for decapitation, the Sykes Fairburn dagger for slipping in between the ribs in a silent kill.
I love khukuri but I love any knife with hand guard more like the trench knife what a beast
The smaller and lighter knife is much easier to carry. As a side note, check out the V-42 combat knife.
True, but the Kurkri is also an excellent field tool so it has uses other than just stabbing someone from behind
@@travisrolison9646 - a stiletto has more than one function. It lacks the same chopping ability that a kukri has simply because it's not a heavy knife, but it's still a knife.
@@sleepinggiant4062 yes it has some function but a kukri could be use to chop sticks for a fire or whatver. Clearing brush, as a pry bar in emergency, combat etc
One other big advantage of a kukri is ease of use. A lot of the gurka or even soldiers who were farmers first have a lot of muscle memory built up for chopping with kukri as a tool or an ax with similar motions. Thus using the kukri would be quicker to learn to use with minimal training vs using a specialized knife with techniques for that knife
If I was an average soldier who needed a multipurpose tool that could be called upon to clear brush, possibly dig and pry, and also serve as a backup to my primary weapon in certain very desperate situations, I would pick the kukri. If I was a special operator who needed a purpose built extremely lethal tool for ambushing and removing specific threats at very close range, I would pick the Fairbairn. But they are, as mentioned, different tools for different jobs. Overall, the Fairbairn-Sykes is my favorite fighting knife. While I carry knives for their utility in everyday tasks and hope never to be in a position to use one defensively, I admire the Fairbairn for exactly the opposite reason. It is not a utility knife. It is not for digging or prying, building shelters or other menial daily tasks. It is a tool with a very specific task, which is does very well.
Ah. U finally got a khukuri with the bloodnotch
I believe the answer in this situation is...carry both!
I'd think a Kabar vs The Sykes is a more equivilant comparison.
There were a lot of more or less similar knifes like the Fairbairn in use by the axis. Not identical (except from kept trophies) but very similar. The german trench dagger would be such a case. So that comparison is quite valid.
A short man with a big knife and a smile is scarier than a big man with a small knife and a frown- someone on Gurkha/Gorkha soldier
Another interesting comparison would be the 1918 trench knife and the FS dagger. Which would you rather have in fight? Yes the 1918 is much heavier and bulkier to wear, but judged only as weapons. Also can we expect a Smatchet video at some point, I'm extremely interested to know more about it after reading "Get Tough!" and subsequently buying the Windlass reproduction.
Oh! Kukri vs Smatchet? I'd love to see a video on that!
I would like to see a video on the filipino barong and how it compares to the kukri. I think a barong with a drawn out tip would be a good middle ground for both stabbing and chopping, specially if you add a false edge to it.
Let's make it interesting and add in the Enep too. The Enep is the Thai cousin of the khukuri, you'll see some similar design language between the two.