21" Chitlangi by Lacchu: transcontinental magic

A

Amko

Joined
Jun 15, 2017
Messages
485
For me the Chitlangi has always been the perfect khukuri. A superb celebration of aesthetics and lethality.

This then is not so much a review as it is an experience. Being from India, I've always dreamed of an HI khukuri door-delivered from Reno. That dream come true yesterday. Tell you why.

Auntie has steadfastly refused to ship to India, usually citing Indian Customs issues. But I haven't. And looks like I won this time. I emailed. Explained. Reasoned. To my amazement she actually sent me the Chitlangi via USPS Priority International. Thanks Ma'am...

Although I had to pay a heavy price: 80 dollars customs duty on a 139 dollar Chitlangi off the 8/31 DOTD.

Anyway, back to the transcontinental magic: first thing I did was hit the blade with mineral oil. Then neatsfoot oil for the horn handle. Within hours it cleaned right up. Magic. I kid you not. The scratches on the handle just seemed to dissolve. There it was: a pristine blade. Gleaming. I could have sold it at full price. Not that I will.

A 21"Chitlangi on HimalayanImports.com currently sets you back USD 255. I got mine for USD 139 on the 8/31 DOTD. I seriously doubt I'll ever get a better deal.

Oh and more about the Chitlangi? It's a Lacchu who was Bura's helper. You guys know what it's all about. And yes this one is seriously gorgeous: wide, bell shaped pommel, cross-hatched handle and bolster, sword of Shiva perfectly symmetrical on both sides, pariwa ka aka and best of all those deep fullers! Take all your breathless reviews and then some. It's so immaculate, it should go into the display case straight away. Not that I have one.

Some Photobucket photos:

http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p407/amko1967/Mobile Uploads/IMG_20180829_141941_zps1zu8ws2e.jpg

http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p407/amko1967/Mobile Uploads/IMG_20180829_142011_zpsatvcjyi6.jpg

http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p407/amko1967/Mobile Uploads/IMG_20180829_142034_zpstofh7aim.jpg

For those who understand Devanagari characters, Lacchu's mark reads as Ruh Bee, ( Ravi means the Sun in Nepali/Hindi/Sanskrit) and Lacchhu's Sun has an eight-pointed star. From my reading on this forum, Lacchu is one of HI's oldest kamis - and his work is consistently superb.

Initial thoughts on this Chitlangi: At 21" and 32.5 oz, I don't see myself strapping it to a belt or throwing it into a backpack. Beautiful as it is, this is first and foremost a big, serious knife. It's not a light martial arts khukuri unlike my 20" 20 oz Kobra...or my 18" 24 oz Panchthar Chitlangi. But given how sharp Lacchhu made the edge, it is every inch a lethal weapon. Zombie killer is an apt description. It's certainly intimidating, and if it comes down to it, should easily play that role.
 
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Grats on your new Chit! I hear ya! That is one of my first knives by HI and still is! Simply magical! Regardless of what you want to do with it or how you carry it your a lucky man to behold one! Mine is made by Tirtha but he and Lachhu were both equally great Kamis in the time. One thing about Lachhu is he is not only HI history but has been there probably longer than any other Kami. Maybe excluding Kumar? Glad you got it thru customs ok. Enjoy it and please use it. Balance on these are exceptional!
 
Ndog, thanks for sharing. Love the photo of your Chitlangi...it was instrumental in influencing my choice early on when I first joined this forum. I feel privileged to own this Chitlangi for sure. A real slice of HI history. I will be taking it to my nearby woods first thing!
 
The handle on this Chitlangi is truly delightful. Lachhu got it just right. It has a much flatter profile than the handle of any other khukuri in my collection. It's just right. Which means it fits my hands just that much snugger. No, strike that, it's absolutely perfect.
 
I'm glad to see your comment on the handle. In the Bladeforums Exchange there is entirely too much emphasis on blade length and too little emphasis on handle size. In fact most Exchange listings give only the blade length. That's like judging a car by horsepower alone and ignoring handling (no pun intended).

In practical terms an inch or two difference in blade length has almost no effect on functionality, but a small difference in the length or girth of a handle can make a blade virtually unusable if it doesn't fit the hand of the buyer.

Weight is also important, especially for a chopper, and that is almost completely neglected in Exchange listings. Some sellers give the weight, but many (probably most) do not.
 
Its easy to not talk about the handle when its perfect but when it aint right most people are not so forgiving. When I got my 20 AK from the web store it had a large handle. I thought it would be too much girth for my sausage hands but boy was I wrong. I learned that having the extra girth gives you more lateral leverage for twisting open a log, splitting a stick, or something like that and when you learn the proper way to snap chop you dont death grip it anyway. Ive gotten to like the short stubby lots of drop handles myself. It takes much less energy to use in my opinion....at least for choppers. If I could change anything about my Chit id add a bit more drop to the handle like Thamars Chirras.
That is a beauty George! Purna did a great job on that one!
 
According to Uncle Bill the Nepalese kamis call this knife the Jadu Khukuri or Magic Khukuri.

Be that as it may, it's probably due to the fact that such a Chitlangi blade, while substantial, feels well balanced and "light", relatively speaking.

On a completely unrelated side point: it just struck me that my scabbard has a ridgeline. Is it just me or is this the only model to have this feature?
 
I have had problem shipping knife to India from US in past reason Indian customs. I am so pleased the Chitlangi arrived safe !
Great post and picture thank you NAMASTE!!
 
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