Today I cleaned and trained with some of my knives. I've been training with blades for years and find it relaxing and almost therapeutic these days. Knives are probably the ultimate tool—good for both survival and self-protection. They're cheap, long lasting, self-contained and don't require much maintenance.

The latest addition to my armory is a kukri knife. The kukri is the traditional weapon of the Gurkha warriors of Nepal. It's a holy weapon—not unlike the samurai's katana sword. Its origin may be unbelievably ancient; one theory dictates that it was invented by the Iberian people in the Bronze Age, and spread into what is now India with Alexander the Great, when his armies invaded the Punjab.

Whatever its origin, the kukri blade is undeniably bizarre; long and curved, and heavier towards the tip than the base. This design means that the knife can be swung in a horrendously powerful arc in the hands of an expert. Kukris can act as survival knives, and function well as machetes against undergrowth. But their primary design is as brutal combat knives. The legend goes that in WWII, Gurkhas in the field would slash at the throats of Nazis, decapitating them with a single effortless motion. In fact, many legends surround this amazing knife; the most romantic is that a Gurkha never unsheathes his kukri without drawing blood. Sadly, this isn't true—in fact the kukri is more often used in Nepal as a bushcraft tool than a weapon.

In the twentieth century, many Nepalese blacksmiths made kukris from the leaf-springs of trucks which reached the region during the great wars. Traditionally, handles were of water-buffalo horn. Technology has caught up with the kukri, and the latest versions are forged from carbon steel, with a rugged polymer handles.

If you are looking for a really meaty close-range melee weapon, relatively easy to use and somewhere in between a dagger and a knife, you need to get your hands on one of these beauties. My favored manufacturers are Ka-Bar. Their version features an 11.5 inch blade with a total knife length of over 17 inches. The leather sheath is included. Check out their site, here.