Buying an AFFORDABLE kukri

S

Skytorn

Joined
Jan 22, 2010
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110
Looking to buy a kukri because who needs an axe for chopping wood. :D

By looking at price (and rather...extravagant marketing) alone, I take it that the CS Gurkha Kukri is top of the line. But I'm not in life-or-death situations here. I don't need to pay $300 to ensure I've got the edge against even the most dangerous of campfire wood.

1. Can I get a fine workhorse kukri for <$50?
2. Who sells such a blade?
3. I know Cold Steel sells a Kukri in 1055, but the thiness of it worries me somewhat. Is it a concern?

Thanks all!
 
Check out Himalayan Imports right here at BF in the manufacturers forum. Particularly the Deal of the Day posts. Some great choppers to be had:)
 
I don't think anything you are likely to find under $50 is going to chop wood very well, or hold up very long under that kind of use. Cold Steel makes a nice $20 kukri-shaped machete which is very tough but not a good choice for heavy chopping. Most of the imported kuks will come apart pretty quickly if you try to use them like an axe.

Your best best is a used (or deal-of-the-day) HI kuk, and you might spend a minimum of $80 or so for a decent chopper. They are splendid tools but the handles don't always hold up under hard use; your very best bet are the kinds where the tang is the full size of the handle, with the scales are pinned to the sides. These will last forever. The more common, rat-tail type handles will eventually crack, at least if the two I have are any indication.

Handles aside, the HI kuks are outstanding. Don't forget to read the safety thread at the top of the HI forum.
 
i have had a good experience with
Deal Spotting removed.
They are not the same quality as HI, but they are great "villagers".
They are made to be used.
 
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For the price you are looking for (under $50) you can snag one of these from Atlanta Cutlery. -It is a solid, full visible tang monster with a 12" blade that's more than .25" thick. Made in India in the traditional fashion from truck springs.

It's not as nice as an HI blade, but it's good bang for buck IMHO. :thumbup:

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...Or for even less money I picked up this cheapie at a surpluss store for tweny bucks. -also has a 12" blade that is around .30" thick at the spine, but it is fully flat ground like a CS kukri.

..I figure it'll make a good beater to throw in my trunk.
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right now in the manufacturers/himalayan imports section they have a blem for like $50
 
right now in the manufacturers/himalayan imports section they have a blem for like $50
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I'd be sure to find the extent of the blem before buying...just sayin. And "no - I don't care much for the kukri overall," highly over-rated and a less than versatile design, IMO.
 
cziv said:
I'd be sure to find the extent of the blem before buying...just sayin. And "no - I don't care much for the kukri overall," highly over-rated and a less than versatile design, IMO.
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Your opinion. The Khukuri is under-rated IMHO, most quality khukuri make a great hatchet, draw knife, brush hog, Batonning knife and camp/bushcraft knife. As well as a very effective SD weapon.
The nature of H.I.'s blems are usually finish/cosmetic problems that don't meet Yangdu's high standards for retail sale. Sometimes there are very minor rust problems which take about 5 minutes to rectify and sometimes she finds some that have small cracks in the handle, which are easily repaired with epoxy or superglue. Most times DOTD sales are perfectly good items Discounted for sale to keep her business and the kami's fed and working, and because she likes her friends at the forum. All items are shipped and warranty issues addressed by Yangdu from Reno Nevada. Most Nepali khukuri have smallish handles to fit nepali people. H.I. make their handles larger to fit western hands.
If you buy from KH, you will pay shipping from kathmandu. If you have any warranty issues (if there is a warranty), you will have to ship it back to kathmandu. They do usually make a decent user khukuri, with a decent heat treat, which is more than can be said about the AC/Windlass khukuri's which are spottily HT'ed at best. But you get what you pay for.
I've done extensive research on the various khukuri in the market and will always buy an H.I. over anything else. If anyone wishes to research for themselves all they need do is use the search feature here and google to see there is a reason H.I. has been top of the heap for over 20 years.

Here are some of the most recent threads here in the general forum :

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=729674&highlight=khukuri
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=720426&highlight=khukuri
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=710582&highlight=khukuri
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=706214&highlight=khukuri
 
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Karda - I dig your Avatar!

You should come out of the HI forum and play more often. I won't argue the merits of the kukri with you. I would in person but I don't have enough cartilage left in my fingers to do it here.

I own one, and have handled a few others - authentic peices too. I find that time has marched on past this ancient design and that there are other modern blades, much stouter and more versatile that one could buy, but that's just my opinion is all.

I just advised the OP to check out the defects. I've seen a couple of kukris that were really a mess and have no idea who made or sold them. No big deal intended. :)
 
Thanks, i handmade most of that avie myself.

I'm not saying that H.I. is the end all be all of knives. I'm just giving my honest opinion of what i've found as a Khukuri Afficionado. For the price, H.I. are the best bang for the buck in the khukuri world. They don't just make Khukuri ya know. There are many different styles of blade sold there, from small to large light to heavy. Several different Bowie styles, machete types, parang, karambit, hunting knives, cleavers....there is a flavor for everyone at H.I.
I don't think you can find a knife, let alone a khukuri that is made more stout than an H.I. without paying at least 3x more for it. As a design though, there is a reason that the khukuri has been around for so long, and continues to prove itself to this day, on and off the battlefield. There are several H.I. products in both sandboxes as we speak and several in use in the jungles of south america as well.
 
I'm not saying that H.I. is the end all be all of knives. I'm just giving my honest opinion of what i've found as a Khukuri Afficionado. For the price, H.I. are the best bang for the buck in the khukuri world. They don't just make Khukuri ya know. There are many different styles of blade sold there, from small to large light to heavy. Several different Bowie styles, machete types, parang, karambit, hunting knives, cleavers....there is a flavor for everyone at H.I.
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I hear you, I'll have to do a little window shopping at HI and see what they have to offer in their catalog. Thanks! :)
 
I am of the opinion that the Khukuri is the most versatile big blade design out there, but that is my opinion
I have heard people say that they are no good for food prep but this proves otherwise
[youtube]0DHGlhFJH0g[/youtube]

Oh its an HI as well
 
Maybe that guy is probably selling them in a late night TV commercial it looked like a Veg-o-Matic! :D

He is also a skilled fish cutter and the kukri/khukuri was a nice touch, but if you can filet that good, you can do it with any long sharp knife. I guess that qualifies it for food prep too.

The reasons I believe that kukri/khukuri ('s) are outdated are more for Practical/Tactical.
 
Since the OP is looking for a chopper under the $50 mark, much as I'd like to recommend the likes of HI and Tora, one would be hard pressed to get a sizable specimen from either company for that little money. All I can think of in that price range would be to gamble on one of the Windlass/AC khuks BryFry mentioned and hope it's one of their better ones that you end up with. The owner may wish to have a means of peening potential rolls in the edge back after heavy use, in case the edge is on the soft side. The Windlass is a bit thicker than the CS Khukuri Machete if memory serves (had one of the former in the early 90's briefly) and as such could get more momentum in the swing... either would likely need a good sharpening out of the box.
 
cziv said:
The reasons I believe that kukri/khukuri ('s) are outdated are more for Practical/Tactical.
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Well there ya go, being an honorable and humble blade any self respecting khukuri would stay the hell outta Prac-Tac. :D Still somehow i think the Gurkha Regiments and the British Armed Forces would tend to disagree with your assessment.
 
From my personal experience with the CS machete it is worth the extra money to get the real thing
 
cziv said:
Maybe that guy is probably selling them in a late night TV commercial it looked like a Veg-o-Matic! :D

He is also a skilled fish cutter and the kukri/khukuri was a nice touch, but if you can filet that good, you can do it with any long sharp knife. I guess that qualifies it for food prep too.

The reasons I believe that kukri/khukuri ('s) are outdated are more for Practical/Tactical.
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DoubleFacePalm.jpg


:D

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Still somehow i think the Gurkha Regiments and the British Armed Forces would tend to disagree with your assessment.
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Love the pics, obviously some "colony" poster showing teenagers how tough they are with their Gurkha Kukris. Not productive to the thread. :)

If you look at the picture you'd know why it's for Practical Tactical reasons.
 
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cziv said:
Love the pics, obviously some "colony" poster showing teenagers how tough they are with their Gurkha Kukris. We don't even want to go there about British history. Not productive to the thread. :)

If you look at the picture you'd know why it's for Practical Tactical reasons.
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No, lets do go there since you thought enough of it to bring it up.
At this point i really think you need to explain. Because when i look at that pic, i see something that makes most enemies leave the battlefield or die.
 
Politics has no place here. So excuse me, I pass on this and it's about kukri/khukuri not about our biases toward various armed forces.

Because when i look at that pic, i see something that makes most enemies leave the battlefield or die.
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I see something that's so ridiculous, like a Seargeant Rock comic book (circa 1950) that makes me laugh for the minute it would give the crazed kukri wielder time to behead me. :D

They're real choppers for sure!
 
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