Kailash clip point Bhura review

[Rowan McDirk]

Kailash places the Bhura knives under their modern blades section although in my opinion the lines and design truly catch the traditional Nepalese spirit.
Both knives caught my eyes, but especially the 6” model.
I prefer to use the more acute points of a clip point instead of a spear point so I asked Kailash to make a slight modification to the blades.

Both Bhura’s have polished performance grind blades, buffalo horn handles (medium and small), brass hardware and a traditional dap sheath. The 6” blade has an unsharpened false edge, the 3,5” a sharpened back edge.

The handles are excellent and very comfortable to use.

The polished horn seemed to have a strange feature. Last weekend when camping I carried the the 6” Bhura. It was cold and raining. Went to collect tinder, kindling and branches to make a fire in wet conditions with the knife and a lighter. When handling the wet and cold horn it seemed to feel rough and less the slippery than when dry. Not that the polished handle is ever a concern, the shape of the handle, the flaring bottom and the karhari/ridge in the center of the handle give an good grip.

The performance grind lives up to its name and performs. It is a thin convex edge that does well in a camp/field/utility knife. The convex edge is not the prefered grind for kitchen duty. It cuts foods well, but not as good as a flat grind would. The convex breaks vegetables instead of cutting, yet I cooked several outdoor meals with the knife.

It excels in wood carving and carving feathersticks.

The traditional dap sheaths hold the blades very secure and are quite thin for having a wooden core. They carry comfortably on the belt.
Only comment is that the belt loop is as wide as the handle is long, which is wider than the width of a regular belt. That pulls the belt loop up on the belt when unsheathing the knife.

With having both sizes also comes a preference of one size. For me that is the 6” model. The large Bhura is a good size for use around the house, garden and campsite. It gets used frequently. The smaller version gets less use but would be a better choice in combination with a large kukri.

 

[Kailash Blades]

Another great review! And such a yummy looking campfire stew Some great looking feathersticks too!

I'm glad you like the lines on these- they were very tricky to get right. Then once the design was finalised we had some real stumbles getting the blade silhouette to flow into the traditional handle shapes nicely- it requires a bolster that's thinner at the back than at the front which is a bit of a headache but is also seen on some very broad khukuris from back in the day.

I prefer the 6" too- I don't know if I'm just spending all my time around khukuris but a 6" blade already feels so small to me. the 3.5" does sneak in under a few prominent carry length restrictions and provides a lower pricepoint though- these knives are often making their way into orders as a gift to a family member and the lower sale price definitely helps.

Thanks very much for the feedback on the sheath loops. It's very difficult to make a traditional sheath for these knives that holds them in well. They're quite short, straight and have a narrower bolster than belly so there's very little pressure from the outline of the knives against the interior of the daps to keep them in. To ensure retention we use the handle strap which has to be placed behind the handle ring so the whole belt loop gets extended.
Would this sliding up issue be remedied by a line of stitching to split the loop in half?

How do you like the handle sizing? Did you size up or go with the recommended website size for your palm width? Would love some feedback on this in particular.

Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash

 

[Rowan McDirk]

The bolster that is a thinner at the back than at the front was a detail I had not noticed but it certainly gives a flowing line to the design.
I can see the small Bhura is a perfect introduction knife. It is not threatening and has all the aspects of a custom knife that will surprise a inexperienced knife user in application of the tool.
The 3.5 Bhura has a small (3.75") handle.
The 6" Bhura has a medium (4.75") handle.
I choose a different handle because of the size of the blades and to get the opportunity to try out both.
My other Kailash Kukri have a large handle, which is too long for my taste.
I'll make a separate topic where I compare and measure the handle sizes of my different kukri, might be interesting as a reference for other Kailash customers.

The small, 3.75" handle fits my glove size 9 hand, the hand completely covers the handle without discomfort. Handle size is similar to the antique kukri that I was able to handle. A firm but agreeable tension.

The medium 4.25" handle is the perfect handle size (and circumference) for me. Perfect fit with just a little room for shifting of the grip. I would prefer this handle size on all my future Kailash blades.

For the belt loop, I'll take pictures of the loop with a regular belt through it.

 

[fishface5]

Kudos on the design effort, those both look great especially the 6"

 

[Bill_Melater]

After my own experience, I'd recommend for people to follow the sizing guide on the website but seeing a more in depth comparison would be neat.

I'm curious how you fell that handle design (where you're encouraged to have a hammer grip) works on a small knife like that.

Great review!

 

[HJA]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing your thoughts

 

[Kailash Blades]

I can see the small Bhura is a perfect introduction knife. It is not threatening and has all the aspects of a custom knife that will surprise a inexperienced knife user in application of the tool.
The 3.5 Bhura has a small (3.75") handle.
The 6" Bhura has a medium (4.75") handle.
I choose a different handle because of the size of the blades and to get the opportunity to try out both.
My other Kailash Kukri have a large handle, which is too long for my taste.
I'll make a separate topic where I compare and measure the handle sizes of my different kukri, might be interesting as a reference for other Kailash customers.

I think you're right about it being a good starter knife- it's a pretty friendly shape and quite forgiving.
I think that if you did a handle size comparsion it would be greatly appreciated- it's a big stumbling block for many of our customers. First time khukuri users and those who have been stung by poorly sized or laid out khukuri handles in the past are afraid of too-small handles and handle rings and can sometimes overshoot sizing.

Some notes on handle sizing:

-We have plans to update our handle sizing webpage in future to suggest that people stick to their measured size and avoid sizing up for traditional handles. While it eliminates the risk of being too cramped in a a handle we feel that the handle ring anchors you strongly to the center which puts the buttcap flare too far rearwards for your palm to benefit from its very helpful passive retention. This can then place undue pressure on the handle ring itself and may be part of why it has developed such a reputation in one size fits all khukuri handles. Our current view is that it's a risk/reward thing. The closer you can get to the exact cutoff point you are rewarded with better retention, lighter handle and more effortless snug fit you'll get. However if it's too snug you then can have hotspots and a cramped feeling which can really suck- this is the risk. On an oversized handle you don't benefit as much from the handle shaping and have to grab more actively. Low risk of cramping and hotspots but low reward. Reports of people following the size guide and getting an uncomfortable handle are almost unheard of.

-The bhura and 5/7 mini use a different handle layout than other khukuris. Basically the handle is shorter by 0.5" but the handle ring is placed further forward by 0.25". This should give about the same space between the handle ring and flare (most crucial khukuri handle dimension) and encourages the index finger to sit right on top of the bolster to fully utilize all available handle space. On our other khukuri handles the index finger generally sits rearward of or on the edge of the bolster

Kudos on the design effort, those both look great especially the 6"

Thanks very much!

 

[Rowan McDirk]

About the belt loop.
A line of stitching to split the belt loop in half would still fit a regular 1.5"/4 cm wide belt.
With the split belt loop a lower and higher belt carry would be possible.
Or a
Another small but important detail, the placement of the handle strap is perfect. There is no play at all when the strap is closed.

Even though the 3.5" Bhura has the small handle it still accommodates a safe and comfortable saber grip next to the hammer grip.

 

[Kailash Blades]

Thanks very much for the additional info- What we might do it a stitch line at 2" measured from the top. Then people can still fit a 2" max belt and it will limit free play. Depending on handle length there will then be enough space below for a lower carry with 1.5" belt or 2"
The guys have gotten so much better with retention straps over the last 2 years. They used to all have a bit of play but now they're rock solid.