Gurkha House khukris?

O

OBXC

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Apr 24, 2010
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I've been wanting a khukri for a while now and I recently found a decent GH khukri for a very reasonable price. But, being defunct, I havent seen many reviews on their khukris. Sooo, do any of you khukri advocates know anything about this brand? Are their khukris comparable in quality to say a Himalayan Imports khukri?
 
GH khukri are functional warts 'n all workhorses,
so if you're a perfectionist, many have come to the conclusion that Himalayan Imports generally have better product quality.
 
They're actually pretty good and their CS is too. If you have big hands, ask them to size up the handle for you--the standard handles are a little short for me. HI's handles are made larger to fit American hands. ;)
 
GIRLYmann said:
GH khukri are functional warts 'n all workhorses,
so if you're a perfectionist, many have come to the conclusion that Himalayan Imports generally have better product quality.
Click to expand...

Great, thats what I'm aiming for. As long as the thing still chops like the beast it is, I'll be willing to overlook the fact that its not HI ;) Thanks guys

Jayinkh, I though Gurkha House went defunct? I'm still very new to the khukri scene so forgive me if I got it all wrong.
 
They are ok kukri's. Nowhere near the quality of Himalayan Imports. They sold for a bit less but the shipping they charged more than made up for the price difference.

I have seen several instances where they required serious work upon reciept before being serviceable in any way. If you found a good one at a really decent price go for it. But be aware that it may develop problems during use (loose handle, handle coming off, pieces coming off etc.) Heat treat and quality of the blades was always a bit unpredictable with their kukri's as well.

Me I'd just buy one from H.I. on their subforum in the manufacturers section.
 
If you are going with a more affordable kukri from one of the kukri houses, I would recommend this one http://www.nepalesekhukuri.com/. I have kukris from several of the houses and none are better at service. Some are downright horrible at fit and finish, like sharpened lawn mower blades! The "Nepalese Khukuri House, PVT LTD" is fantastic about special orders and has lightening fast shipping. My first order went through on Tuesday morning and I watched the shipping tracker ping like a pinball machine and the kukri was at my door by Friday afternoon! Good quality and they initial each blade like some of the more expensive companies.

If you want a higher end kukri go with Tora Blades or HI. Its worth the extra dollars. They make them like they are supposed to be made, not the way the retail market wants them.

Bill
 
Just bought a HI blem for $120 shipped and I found the KH I bought was substantially better for much less money. Check out the link in my sig.
 
Craig Gottlieb used to be the seller of GH right here on BF back in the 2000- 2001 timeframe. I found them before I found HI. I still have 4 of the GH khuks.
They weren't bad khuks at all. They had a little less polish to them, sort of a satin finish, but they were real solid khuks. If you find one for a good price I would say go for it. IIRC the present Khukuri House were the people making the khuks for Craig back then. He was just importing them, and Gurkha House was his sales name.
 
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Interesting. Sounds like you got the unfinished village kind. KHHI has had dealers in the US and UK in the past. The two khukuris I got from them this year were much better than the one I got in '09 and have almost a mirror polish. They're really reasonable too, especially when compared to the competition.
 
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jayinhk said:
Interesting. Sounds like you got the unfinished village kind. KHHI has had dealers in the US and UK in the past. The two khukuris I got from them this year were much better than the one I got in '10 and have almost a mirror polish. They're really reasonable too, especially when compared to the competition.
Click to expand...

Gurkha House has been gone for about 8 years. They were not villagers that I got. I have one of only two Riegers from GH and one of the WWIII models that were worked up on the forum back in 2000 or 2001 by members of the GH forum at the time with a total of 40 slated for manufacture, less were made.. I also have a production Chitlange and AK.These khuks are from around 9 years ago. I am not speaking about the present day Khukuri House. The only khuk I have from them is one marketed by a John Brown. Good solid user, but not a shiney showpiece, which is not a neccessity since I actually have fun chopping and slicing with them..Having khuks from most all the major seller/makers I know of, with a collection that exceeds 50+ khuks bought over a span of 10+ years I feel I can speak with a bit of background knowledge on khuks made in these recent years.
Check out the archives here on BF. There is a wealth of background to be found.
 
Wow, you have quite the collection. Thanks for that info--I wasn't even considering purchasing a khukuri back then. The non-shiny kind are more traditional of course. How do you feel the older GH/KH khuks stack up against the HIs?

KH offers a variety of finishes now, and you can select the type of finish you want on any model. I like having them leave the bevel alone so the blade doesn't get too hot.
 
Both companies at the time made fine blades.
Craig from GH proved not to be the most honest of men though.
My WWIII had a crack in the sweet spot from being a little over hardened.
I was basically told tough luck. At the time 250. was a lot to spend on a cracked blade. You live and learn I guess. I have had blades from both makers that I loved and some that I was not so happy with.
In general I have found the best luck in blades from HI and Tora and the blades that JohnBrown sells. JH's khuks are actually made by KH to his specs.
All very differant from each other and all reliable blades.

I have also found that I like the chance to work over my blades, handles and sheaths to my tastes and at the cost of even the more expensive khuks I don't worry about messing up.
 
What kind of modifications do you make? All I really do is give the blades a polish and the handles and scabbards a coating of mineral oil.
 
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