Initial Impressions: Chitlange, Chainpure & Kobra (lots of pics)

S

sta94

Joined
Jul 7, 2008
Messages
275
Here are three khukuris I picked up recently: a Chainpure and a Kobra from Yangdu’s famous ‘Deal of the Day’ sales and a Chitlange separately. Kobra, made by Murali (from 8/27 DOTD) 20” OAL, 27oz weight; Chainpuri, made by Sher (from 9/21 DOTD) 20.25” OAL, 29oz and Chitlange made by Dil Kami 20” OAL, 32oz.

I seem to have a preference for bigger, longer blades, but with HI this usually means a noticeably heavier weight and longer, thicker handles. For me a bit of a problem as my hands are on the smaller side, and also not being a hardcore woodsman, I’m looking more for a weapon/utility combo rather than an axe-equivalent wood chopper. Thus, I went for these three slimmer-bladed Sirupate-family of HI khukuris.

Impressions: as always, I am happy with the quality of these blades. All of them are solidly constructed (which, of course, is a given when it comes to HI) with highly-polished blades and thick spines that gave even the thinnest model – the Kobra – a good heft and the feeling that it would do well in most outdoor work. Scabbards, karda and chakmak are all basic, but well-made.

IMG_7874.jpg


IMG_7888.jpg

IMG_7887.jpg
 
Kobra: Lighest and slimmest of the lot, thus most nimble handling amongst these three. Slim handle that fits my hand well, but very long so there are several inches to spare, more room to play with, I guess – choke up near the bolster or hold near pommel for extra reach. Simplest design with the least embellishment of the three. Initially I was a bit concerned about how it would handle because of the length, slimness of the blade and what looked like a more acutely angled curve of the blade, but it felt right at home in my hand and did well during the preliminary testing I performed with these three khukuris (basically whacking into the nearest tree trunk, which happened to be the mango tree in front of the house! I know ... I know ... I should be heading out into the forest and chopping down tree limbs, bushes, etc but haven’t had the time to do that yet.)

IMG_7881.jpg

IMG_7897.jpg

IMG_7898.jpg



Chainpure: Heavier than the Kobra, decent heft, very nice balance and moves pretty fast too. Sexy pointy blade shape, very good carving of the ‘sword of Shiva.’ The rust that Yangdu mentioned on the DOTD was rubbed off the blade with less than a minute’s worth of work, but has come back a few days later, so I’ll have to do a better job on it. Nice light-colored neem wood handle with a bulbous pommel end and extra engravings, very neat! Handsome khukuri. I’m also satisfied with its performance in the above-mentioned testing. Overall, a very good package!

IMG_7879.jpg

IMG_7900.jpg

IMG_7903.jpg



Chitlange: Heaviest of the lot, super-slick deep fullers on the blade, carved ‘sword of Shiva,’ not as well done as on the Chainpure above but nice all the same. Well-made thick handle with cross-hatches on the bolster and large, brass-covered pommel. My initial impression was that the handle was way too fat for me and that the khukuri’s weight was a bit too heavy as well. However, during the try-outs it sprang into life, taking deep bites into tree trunks with the lightest of efforts and I felt pretty comfortable with it too. So that made its score creep back on the positive side of the chart! Very much a muscular fighting machine as well as a hard-working chopper, I like it better after using it.

IMG_7877.jpg

IMG_7904.jpg

IMG_7908.jpg
 
Overall, I am pretty satisfied with these three. All three turned out to be stronger than expected and handle better than expected as well. Looks-wise too, they all look better in real-life than in the photos. And the way they are built, you know they will last a lifetime and more. Overall, a good balance of characteristics. A little difficult to select one as my clear favourite right now. The Kobra is the lightest and most nimble, as well the slim handle is a better fit for my hands. The Chainpure weight is around the upper limits of my preference, and the handle size is just about right for me. I also find it better looking overall than the Kobra. The Chitlange is a bit over my weight-limit preference and the handle is also a bit too fat for me. It does look very good though, and performs well too. So, at the moment, my preference would be the Chainpure by a close margin, followed by the Kobra and then the Chitlange, but I will have to take them for some serious work outs before making a final decision. These are just my own preferences based on initial impressions and very minimal use so far. I am sure guys with different body shapes & sizes, as well as different preferences will come to a different conclusion over these khukuris. Thank you!

IMG_7909.jpg


IMG_7884.jpg
 
Thanks for the great write up and pics. I have yet to add any of the slimmer bladed khuks to my collection, and your review didn't help me decide which one will be first either...they're all high on my list!:D
 
Top rate photo's and fine impressions of these three styles of Khukuri.

The only issue I have is that I have purchased the smaller 15inch version of the Chainpuri as I too have smallish hands and I now know I could have gone with the much more beautiful neem wood grip on the bigger and heavier model.:o

I have a 25inch/34ounce Kobra made by Vim Kami that fits my hand perfectly, and despite its weight is easy to use on both very high and very low springy honeysuckle bushes ...sure beats having to over-stretch or bend when using it.:cool:

So in future I'm just going to wait until you buy and test drive a Khuk then buy the ones that suit you!:p :D :thumbup:
 
Excellent review. Can't wait to see you in the woods with them. I don't own one yet but I have my heart set on a chainpure. I really like that bell shaped wooden pommel. Thanks for sharing.
 
b.c.molin said:
Top rate photo's and fine impressions of these three styles of Khukuri.

The only issue I have is that I have purchased the smaller 15inch version of the Chainpuri as I too have smallish hands and I now know I could have gone with the much more beautiful neem wood grip on the bigger and heavier model.:o

I have a 25inch/34ounce Kobra made by Vim Kami that fits my hand perfectly, and despite its weight is easy to use on both very high and very low springy honeysuckle bushes ...sure beats having to over-stretch or bend when using it.:cool:

So in future I'm just going to wait until you buy and test drive a Khuk then buy the ones that suit you!:p :D :thumbup:
Click to expand...


LOL!!! :D I actually waited for another forumite to test-drive a similar Chainpure before deciding on going for this one. :D Was undecided cuz of size/weight concerns, till Big W bought a similar one and posted pics on Ramanon and I think here as well, then I took a stab at this one. Really glad I did, this is a great khukuri, no doubt 'bout it!

Glad you folks liked the write-up & pics. I've gotten a lot of pleasure out of other folks reviews and nice khuk photos and wanted to contribute my bit as well. Thank you! :)
 
Funny how things come around full circle, because it was the pics of your villager kuks that inspired me to purchase the
Chainpure to begin with. ;)
A pic with the new one and one of the closest villagers would be cool. :thumbup:
 
Nice write up and love the photos. The in-hand shots are few and far between so it's nice to see them referenced in a hand (even if we don't know how big or small you are). I was apprehensive about the 18" blades I was looking at, but seeing them in the photos (your 20" in your hand) helped put me at ease.

Now to decide which one and place that order.
 
Big W said:
Funny how things come around full circle, because it was the pics of your villager kuks that inspired me to purchase the
Chainpure to begin with. ;)
A pic with the new one and one of the closest villagers would be cool. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

:D Those village khukuris are really neat! I'll see what I can do re: the pics, will probably take a bit though as this weekend is pretty busy.
 
I'm an avowed Chitlangi fan but the more I look at that Chainpuri, the more I like it. It's truly a beautiful khukuri. Very elegant and classy, but it's all business at the same time.

:thumbup:
 
John Shields said:
Nice write up and love the photos. The in-hand shots are few and far between so it's nice to see them referenced in a hand (even if we don't know how big or small you are). I was apprehensive about the 18" blades I was looking at, but seeing them in the photos (your 20" in your hand) helped put me at ease.

Now to decide which one and place that order.
Click to expand...

Hi John, yeah, that's why I included these pics as I felt it would give an additional perspective on how the knife will actually look when you hold it. My hands are on the smaller side and as you can see there's enough room in the handles for bigger-sized hands, so I don't think that should be an issue. HI specifically makes their handles larger & longer to accomodate bigger Western hands as opposed to other traditional khukuris whose handles, designed for smaller Nepalese hands, are often quite cramped for bigger Wetern hands.
 
Wolf_1989 said:
I'm an avowed Chitlangi fan but the more I look at that Chainpuri, the more I like it. It's truly a beautiful khukuri. Very elegant and classy, but it's all business at the same time.

:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Hi Wolf, it was your consistently glowing reviews & photos of your Chitlanges that made me want this style in the first place. :) The Chainpure is a very nice khukuri, I don't think you will go wrong with it.
 
sta94 said:
Hi Wolf, it was your consistently glowing reviews & photos of your Chitlanges that made me want this style in the first place. :) The Chainpure is a very nice khukuri, I don't think you will go wrong with it.
Click to expand...

What you posted earlier about the Chitlangi is precisely why I love that particular form of khukuri. It's a good 'short sword' and a good chopper as well. And of all the khukuris I've used, to me it has the best handle design. The Chainpuri is similar to H.I.'s Dharain Chitlangi overall, but I think I prefer the Chainpuri more. Good design for a fighter! and your pics really show off the beautiful carvings on the handle. The particular pattern carved into the pommel area have a sort of Mediterranean look to them. I really dig it.:cool:
 
Wolf_1989 said:
What you posted earlier about the Chitlangi is precisely why I love that particular form of khukuri. It's a good 'short sword' and a good chopper as well. And of all the khukuris I've used, to me it has the best handle design. The Chainpuri is similar to H.I.'s Dharain Chitlangi overall, but I think I prefer the Chainpuri more. Good design for a fighter! and your pics really show off the beautiful carvings on the handle. The particular pattern carved into the pommel area have a sort of Mediterranean look to them. I really dig it.:cool:
Click to expand...

Re: pommel carvings on Chainpuri, now that you mention it, they do look a bit Mediterranean. It's a fairly common design element in the Himalayas, I think more Tibetan influenced than Hindu Nepalese. It shows up often as designs along the edges of Tibetan carpets, wool blankets (including saddle blankets for horses), even on houses, buildings, monasteries, gateways, etc. (accenting doorways, windows, walls). Cool to see it on khukuris as well. :)
 
Come to think of it, I recall seeing that pattern in other cultures too. Guess some things are universal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top