Best affordable khukuri

I'll see if my POS camera will take some decent pics of my very affordable , modified Khuk and the sheath I made , when I get home.
 
For years I had a old Cold Steel LTC Khukri that was my brush knife/chopper when I went camping. Well it was finally getting hard to sharpen from all the nicks and abuse I had put it through so I took it with me to the Cold Steel booth at this years Blade Show. All I wanted was too see if it was able to be re-sharpend. Well once the gentleman behind the counter realized I was not going to be buying anything new he did not seem like he wanted to spend anymore time talking to me. Fine by me.

Well went and talked to Ken Warner and he fixed me up with a new Blackjack Khukri for about 90$ at the show. The Blackjack Khukri feels nice in the hand and proved to be a better chopper (convex edge maybe?) than my old Cold Steel. Granted somewhere down the road I hope to acquire a HI version.
 
Art? Pick up one of the cheapies from Atlanta Cutlery. The blade of mine is at a spring temper so although it'll dull quickly, you're not going to break it through hard use. It's also less expensive than any of the other options above save for the khukuri machete from CS, which is a machete...not a khukuri. (Not even comparable really and not a particularly good machete on top of that due to the short length and marginal heat treat.)

Take the AC khukuri out and use it a bit. See if this sort of thing interests you. If it does, move on to HI. If not, you're only out $30 or so plus shipping and could probably flip it on Ebay without too much trouble. The AC khuk is pretty poor quality but it's a bargain at $30. (The scabbard is worth that much alone, and you can always put a nicer khuk in that scabbard later...which is exactly what I did.)

The HI khukuris seem expensive. When you consider what you're getting and the warranty behind them, they're some of the best bargains around.
 
My $.02.

I respectfully disagree with Brother Sartori. Since you already "love khukuris," buy an HI after deciding what model is best for you. Specials are available regularly at the HI forum.

The AC repro (I bought one years ago. :o ) has a horrible handle that may put you totally off khukuri unless heavily modified. However "modernized" (Place a reasonable value on your time.), it still has questionable heat-treatment. The AC scabbard is on par with the heat-treatment.

In any case, I suggest you rule out stainless steel khukuri. Carbon steels are simply tougher - important in an impact tool.
 
Watch the HI forums in the afternoon or early evening. Deals come up regularly, a couple times a week. You can grab an HI for around $70.00, including shipping. Sometimes a couple bucks more or less depending on the model. They are guaranteed for life. If it fails, you send it back for another or a refund. You get a traditional khuk with an unconditional guarantee for a good price. If you don't like it, you shouldn't have much trouble selling it on ebay or here.
 
I also endorse Himalayan Imports. Keep a close eye on their forum and act fast when you see a good deal.
 
Artfully Martial, I have two HI khuks that I don't use much anymore. One is a BAS (British Army Service) and the other a 18" WWII. You'll have to check their website to see what they are. They are both used, the BAS especially. It has a small ding in the blade where I hit a rock, but it is usable and you could sharpen it up fine. They both have epoxy fixes in the handles, which are horn and chipped in shipping, which is why they often get offered at discount. The frog for the sheath is missing on the BAS, but I think the WWII still has it's. I don't use the frogs to wear them on my belt, I lash the sheaths to my pack or tuck them through my belt. The brass chape at the end of the sheath is missing on both, I take them off as I don't like them, they tend to poke.

Take your pick and send me your mailing address. If you want to send me $10.00 bucks to cover shipping, that would be nice, but I am giving you one though if you want it. I've given away about a dozen of these things over the years, so you're not the first. I'd rather see another HI out there getting used than something else. Khuks got a bad name in the US because of cheap copies. HI is the real deal and I'd like people to know that. This offer applies only to Artfully Martial, if he passes, don't hound me for it. I tried to email him and PM him to do it privately, but he has those things disabled.
 
What a generous offer! I think that this would be perfect....a well used knife that I'm not afraid to beat up on. I like to buy quality knives, but past a certain price range I just can't bring myself to use on really mean tasks. I really plan on beating the heck out of the khukuri on the next camping trip.

One of my best friends from Baylor University is the guy that introduced me to khukuri and to bladeforums....he went by Samurai Dave on here, but he hasn't posted in a long time...he had two HI import khukuris, and I throw bonfire parties out here...when I saw him chopping wood easily with his khukuri I knew that it must be my first user fixed blade....but that was a couple of years ago and I had forgotten about those days.

Is there a way I could get you the shipping money through paypal?
 
Don't worry about it too much, I have a paypal account, but never used it to get money, :D so whatever. Just email me your address and let me know which one you want. If you don't have a preference, I'll send you the WWII. It is not as beat up. I actually haven't used that one much as it is very similar to another one I got around the same time which I liked better on a purely instinctual level. Nothing wrong with it, but it didn't "speak to me" as a lot of us are fond of thinking they do. Uncle Bill always said they find their way to their owners, and this one isn't mine. I think it could be yours. If not, pass it on or send it back. I remember Samurai Dave, get him posting again if you can.
 
Bobwhite said:
Take your pick and send me your mailing address. If you want to send me $10.00 bucks to cover shipping, that would be nice, but I am giving you one though if you want it. I've given away about a dozen of these things over the years, so you're not the first. I'd rather see another HI out there getting used than something else. Khuks got a bad name in the US because of cheap copies. HI is the real deal and I'd like people to know that. This offer applies only to Artfully Martial, if he passes, don't hound me for it. I tried to email him and PM him to do it privately, but he has those things disabled.
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You are the man! Psychic green chiclets coming to you! :thumbup:
What a nice thing to do, Very generous!
 
bzzhewt said:
I really wanna get one of these!

http://www.khukurihouseonline.com/Content/Catalog/

These things are dirt cheap. Check out the site, they show the making of the knives. Intriguing.
I hadn't noticed anyone talking about these, but are they legitimate?
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"legitimate" = ? They are khukuri and certainly not the worst around.

As for "dirt cheap", if you are suggesting that they are cheap relative to value, I supposed one would start by comparing prices on similar models, taking into account whether shipping is included or you pay additional over the quoted price to ship item from Nepal to your location. Then there is the issue of quality. "Dirt cheap" may not equal good value.



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The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of cheap price is forgotten.
 
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