Hand-Forged Fantasy Kukri Knife, Single Fuller Blade

Chirra is the Nepali word for a fuller ground into a kukri blade, and Nepali smiths count them: ek chirra is one fuller, dui chirra two, tin chirra three. This blade is an ek chirra. The reason for grinding one is specific to a chopping blade. A kukri is very thick through the spine — that mass is what makes it chop — but not all of that steel is doing useful work. Removing a channel from the middle of the flat takes weight out of the section that contributes least to stiffness, so the blade stays rigid where it matters while becoming quicker to swing and less tiring over a long session. The trade-off is that a fullered blade takes more work to make and gives you one more surface to clean and oil. On a heavy kukri like this one, the weight saving is worth having.

Effectively yes, and it is the single biggest departure from tradition on this knife. A traditional kukri handle runs five to six inches, sized for one hand, because the kukri was carried on the belt and used one-handed for everything from farm work to fighting. Nine inches lets you set a second hand behind the first, which changes what the blade can do: you drive it with your shoulders and hips rather than your wrist, you get more control on a heavy stroke, and you can choke up or spread your hands depending on the job. It also takes some strain off the wrist, which matters more than people expect on a forward-curved blade — the bend generates a twisting load every time it lands. What you give up is one-handed convenience and belt carry. If you want the traditional grip, we build it as a custom option.

Fantasy, and specifically in the hilt. The blade is genuine: forward-curved with a wide belly, forged from leaf-spring steel, and carrying a proper cho notch at the root, which is the mark of a real kukri rather than a recurved chopper wearing the name. The fuller follows real Nepali practice too. What is not traditional is the hilt — a village kukri has a short one-hand grip and no guard at all, where this has a nine-inch two-hand grip, a checkered mid-section and a swept steel guard. Those are our choices. If you are collecting Gurkha or traditional Nepali blades, buy a service-pattern kukri instead; we will build one to whatever pattern you specify.

The blades are almost the same length — 17 inches here against 16.5 — so everything else is what separates them. This one has a single fuller running the length of the blade, a nine-inch two-hand grip, a swept steel guard, and no companion blades. The tiger-etched kukri has a plain blade with an etched tiger on the flat, a traditional six and a half inch one-hand grip in rosewood, a bolster rather than a guard, and it ships with a karda. In use, this one is the two-handed chopper and that one is the traditional carry pattern at a large size. Buy this if you want to swing it with both hands; buy the tiger kukri if you want something closer to a traditional Nepali knife with its companion blade.

No, not as standard, and that is worth explaining rather than hiding. A traditional kukri scabbard carries two small blades in a pocket: the karda, a utility knife for the fine work a big chopper cannot do, and the chakmak, a blunt burnisher for truing the edge in the field. This kukri ships without them. If you want the full traditional pairing, both are available through the companion blades option and our smiths make them to match the kukri they are sold with. Given the two-hand grip and the guard on this knife, plenty of buyers treat it as a standalone chopper and do not want the extra pieces — but the choice is yours.

It stops your hand running forward onto the edge, which is a real concern on a blade that is used with a heavy committed stroke and can slip if your grip is wet or gloved. A traditional kukri has no guard at all — it relies on a bolster and a flared butt to keep the hand in place, and Nepali users manage perfectly well — so this is a modern safety addition rather than a historical feature. It also gives the front hand something to register against when you set both hands on the grip. If you want the traditional arrangement with no guard, that is a custom option and it will look considerably more authentic.

Yes. It is hand-forged from 5160 high-carbon spring steel, oil-tempered, sharpened, and built on a full tang with riveted scales. It will chop green wood, clear brush and take the abuse a working blade is meant to take. Do not use it on stone, metal, nails hidden in old timber, or seasoned hardwood knots, and check the rivets and the edge after heavy use.

The blade is forged from 5160 high-carbon spring steel, the same alloy used in heavy-duty truck leaf springs, prized for toughness and edge retention. It is oil-tempered for a hard cutting edge backed by a flexible, shock-absorbent spine. Nepali smiths have forged kukris from vehicle leaf spring for generations, long before anyone in Nepal was quoting an alloy number — it became the traditional material because it was available and because a chopping blade needs to absorb shock without chipping far more than it needs extreme hardness.

Full tang, with the scales riveted straight through it and a steel butt cap at the end, so the handle is mechanically fastened to the steel rather than held by adhesive. Nepali smiths call this construction panawal. The alternative traditional build is a narrow stick tang set into a solid handle and peened at the butt, which is lighter but is the part that fails first on a hard-used knife. On a two-handed blade the case for a full tang is even stronger than usual, because a second hand on the grip lets you generate considerably more leverage against the handle than one hand ever could.

Yes, sharpened to a working edge along the belly, finished by hand. If you need it blunt for display, or to satisfy import rules where you live, choose the display-blunt option or tell us in your order notes. There is no extra charge either way. The edge near the cho and back toward the guard is traditionally left unsharpened, which is normal and not an oversight.

Yes to all three, and they are worth thinking about together rather than separately. A service-size blade nearer eleven inches with a traditional one-hand grip and no guard gives you something close to a real Nepali kukri, and most people who own several end up reaching for the smaller one. A double chirra takes more weight out if you want it faster. And the karda and chakmak can be added to any build. Tell us the job you want the knife to do rather than only the dimensions, and we will say honestly what suits it.

Yes. We ship worldwide from Nepal by DHL or FedEx in 7 to 14 business days with tracking. In-stock specs dispatch within 2 to 3 business days; fully custom builds take roughly 4 to 6 weeks to forge first. Import and blade laws vary by country, so please check your local rules before ordering.