Anyone ever had an HI kukri break?

B

Boom Stick

Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Messages
17
Not looking to bash HI in this, far from it. I hear wonderful things about their kukris and their guarentee is tops. I'm just curious with all of the trials that some of you folks put your blades through whether one of them has ever gave up the ghost. Anybody?
 
I remember those troubles with the museum model, wich leaded to a recall of all of them.

Other than that, only minor damages.
 
There have been a few complete failures.
A lot of us use our HI khuks hard in the field.



munk
 
Boom stick go bang? :D

Evry kukri manufactures make the occasional dogs.;)

its the nature of Nepali kukri production. Thier hand made.

HI offer the only gauranteed replacment gaurantee though, none of the other companys do. { Although The others will replace something if they they think its good for futre sales, or advertiment to others etc..]

Hi will actualy swallow the loss if you break something they sold you..

if your serios Buy 3 or more kukris of each of the main 4 companys & after that you will have more real understanding of how the kukri marketing works & know which ones you personaly prefer to use, sell the others, keep your favorites you will have done well. :D

Youl find each company supplies varied pieces.

Personaly Ive kept less than one in 5 kukri, Ive owned, but I think a 1 to 3 ratio can always provide you with one you truly love.

{But some would think i am fanatical in my search for great kukri.}

Spiral
 
Hi Spiral,

I had the impression you were more of a researcher/collector. Do you still buy kuks from HI, Tora, etc.?

Bill
 
Welcome to the Cantina!
7.gif
Once in a great while one will slip through with a brittle tang/blade juncture and the blade will snap off. It hasn't been reported in quite some time that I've seen though. Some of the unusual models with thin edges, like the YCS, have come through with soft edges. I got one of those, but received a replacement days later so it was no big deal. The chances of getting a dud are historically pretty slim.
 
The only khuk I have is a CAK, with what I've done with it as any indicator... a Kami would have to seriously mess up for the CAK to fail in anything short of a hydraulic press! Again, I only have one, but I couldn't break it by hand, any where near mid-blade, even if I wanted to. I'm small but tough, that thing beat me!
 
I have owned a few, never had a catastrophic failure. I have had one with the laha that didn't quite take and a munk cleaver with an inclusion in the steel near the edge, but nothing major.
 
Willieboy said:
Hi Spiral,

I had the impression you were more of a researcher/collector. Do you still buy kuks from HI, Tora, etc.?

Bill
Click to expand...

No, I know only buy older pieces, I still get to see handle quite a few modern ones though, from all the manufacturers.

I try to keep my finger on the pulse.

I also use kukri, not just collect & research. For 2 years I even used just one kukri to do evrything I could need a knife for, replacing my kitchen knvies,scissors, axes, & numerous other knives & kukri., prepair food, cut small tres, split firwood, cut paper, string, open envelopes, just to see what it was like to use one fullsize kukri to do evrything.

{I also used a cutlery knife at the table with my fork I must admit.}
I guess that is research, but it comes from a practical understanding & use.

Spiral
 
Mine have never failed, or chipped, or rolled. I've been stupid enough to whack into a rock, bit of cement, or nail a few times, and the edge was a bit bunged up as a result. But nothing which wasn't easily worked out either with the chakmak, or (on the soft tip) with a file, or with sharpening stones.

I couldn't be happier. Best tools I've ever bought.
 
Had small chip taken out of my WWII when she discovered a marble countertop lying underneath the underbrush! The marble suffered more than my II. :)
 
I personally had a chiruwa AK break on me - clean snap through the front (toward the blade) of the cho. Best guess is that the metal was too cold when the cho was cut, though it could've been other problems with the heat treat, a flaw in the leaf spring, or a combination thereof. It was made by Bura pre-stroke - proof that everybody has an off day - and chopped through a good number of logs before it gave up the ghost.

Up side was that Yangdu picked me out a great replacement - 18" wood handled AK that was lighter, thinner, and prettier than the chiruwa. Bill even offered to make good on the 2 for 1 replacement claim, but I couldn't in good conscience take advantage of it.

Beyond that, the biggest HI problems have been edge issues. A few years back, there were a rash of khuks that were too soft, but that's been resolved. I haven't rigorously tested all of my khuks, but I've dinged a few edges - mostly chopping into rocks or debris (not on purpose). You sharpen it out and life is good.

Overall, I'm happy with HI quality. It is what it is - not the computer controlled precision of a modern knife shop, but the collective talents of a group of very skilled, very experience people producing knives that work. In Nepal, if your kami gives you a dud, you take it back to him with much swearing and have him make it right. That trip would be a little much for me, but Yangdu operates in the same spirit. If it doesn't work, HI will make it right.
 
I've had a couple of minor rolled edges, nothing big, and what you could expect from any manufacturer.

I've had two blades, an M43 and a Seax that came with forging problems that I returned immediately for replacement, but that's out of many, many purchases over the past 3 years.

I've had several that needed handle work, and one Crow that was really poorly done by a new kami at the time, who now does great work. One Bura Cherokee Rose had some waves on the spine that a flat bastard file fixed in 10 minutes. I kept that Crow but probably should have called it a loss at the time, although I have reprofiled the blade into an interesting looking knife, so I guess it wasn't a total loss in any case.

The Museum Model was the first one I have had self-destruct on me, and I still have hopes of salvaging it, (if I can ever find time to work on it.) At that it withstood over 100 whacks as hard as I could swing it into an ancient rock-hard railroad tie (while wearing a heavy welding gauntlet as this was just after Steve's MM operated on his hand :eek: ), and only after all that did the front ring brazing begin to crack slightly.

I always thought I wanted perfection in knives. I have dozens of production knives made on machines that are perfect. Also many custom knives that take far longer to make than a kukri and cost a lot more, many of them quite beautiful, but it's the little imperfections and unique individual touches that make these knives so unique and irresistible.

Norm
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top