Dont be so quick to knock soft metal. It withstands abuse better than brittle hard metal even if it can't hold an edge as well. "Cheap" metal is often brittle flash and prone to breaking. "Good metal" is often a combination of hard and soft attributes.
Anyway - that knife is a nice weapon and is classed in the machete category. Current utility knife of the British Ghurka Regiment. The design has some fundamental flaws in execution but a good design theory.
Here's a page on a guy going over pros and cons, with a good set of links: I want to keep my finger thanks.
Here you go, someone else looking to put together history of a particular example of one, it may help: Khukuri knife origin hunting
Sweet knife.
/off topic rant on
Love the urban legend stuff around the Ghurkas now. Gave me a chuckle The Gurkas were indian militia, right. British used em in WWII against the japanese alongside the local chinese and other local forces. Made good cannon fodder for the Brits I read.
"Draw their knife they need to draw blood before they put it back"
"Ranger touches a Ghurka they end up in hospital in 5 minutes"
ROFL - nothing ever changes
I'm sure they fly and shoot rockets out their asses too.
Actually, I bet I can find those same two quotes around Ninjas, SS, and Samurai somewhere. Probably even on this board.
Are the Ghurkas better than line indian infantry? Certainly. Do they strike fear into the heart of Argentinians? I'm sure if I'm some uneducated Llama farmer in the hills outside Buenos Aires I'd beleive anything too. Are they supermen better than every other nation's special forces? Hardly.
Personally I'd be more scared of the British SAS or a Harrier with a ADEN25 bearing down on me.
But its nice to know the "Grass is greener" effect fully in force still.
/off topic rant off
[ 18. July 2005, 12:56 PM: Message edited by: Mowgli ]