-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is available! Price is $250 ea (shipped within CONUS).
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/
Khukri House VS. HI Khukri's
- Thread starter Mr. Bowie
- Start date
Both companies have many different styles and designs. Both have styles patterned after the WWII, MK II and other combat khukuri. AFAIK, H.I. is the only one to produce a design closely patterned after the M-43.
As many know, after much research i am partial to H.I. khukuri. I own 2 KH khukuri and over 20 H.I. khukuri and am very partial to Himalayan imports. Not only for their quality of product but because of the Dharma work and path that Uncle Bill started and Auntie Yangdu continues, from paying for kami's childrens education to sending one of them to medical school with our forumites help.
My only question to you is: do you want a khukuri with a warranty? Would you like your khukuri in several days as opposed to several weeks?
I will not tell you which you should buy, That should be your decision. Use the " search this forum" function in the upper righthand corner of the general discussion forum page. It will pull up years upon years worth of inquiries just like yours.
Also, feel free to drop by the H.I. subforum in the manufacturers section.
As many know, after much research i am partial to H.I. khukuri. I own 2 KH khukuri and over 20 H.I. khukuri and am very partial to Himalayan imports. Not only for their quality of product but because of the Dharma work and path that Uncle Bill started and Auntie Yangdu continues, from paying for kami's childrens education to sending one of them to medical school with our forumites help.
My only question to you is: do you want a khukuri with a warranty? Would you like your khukuri in several days as opposed to several weeks?
I will not tell you which you should buy, That should be your decision. Use the " search this forum" function in the upper righthand corner of the general discussion forum page. It will pull up years upon years worth of inquiries just like yours.
Also, feel free to drop by the H.I. subforum in the manufacturers section.
Does Khukri House not have a warranty on their Khukri's?
Dont know anything about khukri house except they seem to be considerably cheaper. But I own 3 HI khukri's. Their products are fantastic and their customer service is as good as it gets. I doubt you will find anyone on these forums with a single negative opinion about HI.
I looked over their site and could not find any mention. Several years ago i saw it listed as 30 days.
Just to be fair..... H.I.'s no nonsense warranty changed last year, due to unscrupulous individuals abusing it by buying secondary market items and then intentionally breaking them to affect warranty replacement. It is now a Limited Lifetime Warranty which is still the best in the khukuri business. If you value your tools and treat them as they should be treated, there should be no need to worry about warranty replacement. Also... H.I. khukuri have always been built to suit the western worlds market, with thicker spines and larger handles suitable for american hands.
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2003
- Messages
- 5,283
i have large hands and my KH fits in my hand nicely, has a thick spine and its been used since 2004 up until it was stolen...if there is any bad juju associated with stealing another's khukuri they'll get it.
That said, when I'm back in the US I'll be replacing with a HI piece.
That said, when I'm back in the US I'll be replacing with a HI piece.
shortwinger
Gold Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2010
- Messages
- 1,090
Mr Bowie,
Keep in mind that you asked a very open ended question. Also, HI has a sub-forum here in Blade Forums so you are likely to run into lots of their followers. Also, there are far more than one Khukuri House.
The kukri is basically a hammered piece of spring steel with a wood or horn handle glued or pinned to it. If by "best" you are asking about looks, then I don't think many would argue that HI would win. Their fit and finish is second to none. But I will add that if you get an ornamental kukri from one of the khukuri houses they also make some very nice lookers.
If by "best" you mean accuracy of the traditional models, once again HI would probably win hands down. And I say that even though HI does make some adjustments to the measurements for larger western hands and they do have some non-traditional models and hybrids. But if you look at the khukuri house websites and look at their "traditional village" models you will find most of them falling into the currently popular size of a 10.5 inch blade. The real traditional village models are purpose built and as such, vary greatly in size and shape to do that particular job. That is not reflected in most of the Houses but you can find that with HI. Some of the better Houses do offer different sizes within a particular model and many will make you whatever you want.
If by "best" you mean the best at work then its a closer race, but even then I think you will find that HI is going to win out. In the working category there are several important issues that may be different from production knives most on this forum are familiar with. Important issues are the shape, size and weight of the blade and the quality of the hardening of the blade. This is important because every kukri is not meant to do the same job and some simply cannot do the same jobs. For instance, if you order a Sirupate for heavy camp work you will be dissapointed and may break it. If you buy a heavy village chopper for hiking you would be similiarly unhappy! That does not mean it was a bad kukri, it was just used for a purpose it was not designed for. When you throw in the fact that some of the Khukuri Houses put out "Tourist Grade" products, basically souvineres, they are not meant for real use and will fail. So for the blade part, picking the correct model is important as is the size, shape, weight of the blade and quality of the metal. Bigger is not better. Heavier is not better. Thicker is not better. Usually, "correct" is better. The traditional designs have been developed over hundreds of years of trial and error and they now exist because they have stood up to the test of time, through hard work.
Another important part of the kukri is the handle. In Nepal a kukri may be passed down from father to son, or more accurately, the blade may be passed down from father to son. They may take that kukri back to the local blacksmith from time to time to get a new handle and touch things up. Something we hardly have access to in western society. Remember, the kukri is a farm tool there and gets regular daily use so in one year it may see more duty than two lifetimes from a weekend camper.
Lastly is the scabbard. Here you will find that Hi consistently puts out a better product. Better leather and much more attention to detail.
Many on this forum have kukri's from both places, myself included. I love them all. (OK most of them) And most will do a reasonable amount of work, usually far exceding what the average person will expect of it. And most of the good Khukuri Houses will replace a substandard blade unless it is abused. At least for a period of time following the purchase. I highly doubt that many would replace a blade after a few years of use like Hi will, but even with HI, that is as long as it wasn't abused and asked to do jobs it was not intended for.
Either way you go, be sure to email who ever you buy from and let them know you want a user and tell them what you plan to do. They will usually spit out a few models that will do the job and that will give you some choice of different looking models. By telling them you want a user you will usually take a tourist model out of the mix. None of the companies want pissed off customers so "most" will not try to slip in a tourist model if you communicate that you will use it hard. Good luck on your search.
Keep in mind that you asked a very open ended question. Also, HI has a sub-forum here in Blade Forums so you are likely to run into lots of their followers. Also, there are far more than one Khukuri House.
The kukri is basically a hammered piece of spring steel with a wood or horn handle glued or pinned to it. If by "best" you are asking about looks, then I don't think many would argue that HI would win. Their fit and finish is second to none. But I will add that if you get an ornamental kukri from one of the khukuri houses they also make some very nice lookers.
If by "best" you mean accuracy of the traditional models, once again HI would probably win hands down. And I say that even though HI does make some adjustments to the measurements for larger western hands and they do have some non-traditional models and hybrids. But if you look at the khukuri house websites and look at their "traditional village" models you will find most of them falling into the currently popular size of a 10.5 inch blade. The real traditional village models are purpose built and as such, vary greatly in size and shape to do that particular job. That is not reflected in most of the Houses but you can find that with HI. Some of the better Houses do offer different sizes within a particular model and many will make you whatever you want.
If by "best" you mean the best at work then its a closer race, but even then I think you will find that HI is going to win out. In the working category there are several important issues that may be different from production knives most on this forum are familiar with. Important issues are the shape, size and weight of the blade and the quality of the hardening of the blade. This is important because every kukri is not meant to do the same job and some simply cannot do the same jobs. For instance, if you order a Sirupate for heavy camp work you will be dissapointed and may break it. If you buy a heavy village chopper for hiking you would be similiarly unhappy! That does not mean it was a bad kukri, it was just used for a purpose it was not designed for. When you throw in the fact that some of the Khukuri Houses put out "Tourist Grade" products, basically souvineres, they are not meant for real use and will fail. So for the blade part, picking the correct model is important as is the size, shape, weight of the blade and quality of the metal. Bigger is not better. Heavier is not better. Thicker is not better. Usually, "correct" is better. The traditional designs have been developed over hundreds of years of trial and error and they now exist because they have stood up to the test of time, through hard work.
Another important part of the kukri is the handle. In Nepal a kukri may be passed down from father to son, or more accurately, the blade may be passed down from father to son. They may take that kukri back to the local blacksmith from time to time to get a new handle and touch things up. Something we hardly have access to in western society. Remember, the kukri is a farm tool there and gets regular daily use so in one year it may see more duty than two lifetimes from a weekend camper.
Lastly is the scabbard. Here you will find that Hi consistently puts out a better product. Better leather and much more attention to detail.
Many on this forum have kukri's from both places, myself included. I love them all. (OK most of them) And most will do a reasonable amount of work, usually far exceding what the average person will expect of it. And most of the good Khukuri Houses will replace a substandard blade unless it is abused. At least for a period of time following the purchase. I highly doubt that many would replace a blade after a few years of use like Hi will, but even with HI, that is as long as it wasn't abused and asked to do jobs it was not intended for.
Either way you go, be sure to email who ever you buy from and let them know you want a user and tell them what you plan to do. They will usually spit out a few models that will do the job and that will give you some choice of different looking models. By telling them you want a user you will usually take a tourist model out of the mix. None of the companies want pissed off customers so "most" will not try to slip in a tourist model if you communicate that you will use it hard. Good luck on your search.
Last edited:
Thanks again, bill!
Shortwinger is a most disciminating customer and knows his khukuri very well, whichever manufacturer.
Yes, the H.I. M-43 model is a competent and suitable user with a following of loyal users. Member Wildmike built several small cabin shelters and lived in the boonies for quite awhile, with an M-43 as his only companion.
Shortwinger is a most disciminating customer and knows his khukuri very well, whichever manufacturer.
Yes, the H.I. M-43 model is a competent and suitable user with a following of loyal users. Member Wildmike built several small cabin shelters and lived in the boonies for quite awhile, with an M-43 as his only companion.
Last edited:
No problem, Mr. Bowie!
The best thing you can do when buying a khukuri is research.
I spent over a year mulling over the question you originally posed.
The roads kept leading me back to H.I., I havent looked back since and have never been dissappointed in my choice.
But really, it is all a matter of preference. The top three makers in the game all make a fine khukuri in their own right, you just have to find the "one"...or more exactly let the "one" find you, that suits you best.
To find out what H.I. is all about i would suggest doing some reading in H.I.'s Link Library at the top of our forum, and in the Cantina Library Also.
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2011
- Messages
- 557
I looked at Kukri house, but decided to go with HI.
One of MY big reasons for this was that Kukri house prices SOUNDED cheaper, till you contacted them for shipping - then teh shippig price was enormous, and it would tkae WEEKS to get it. HI kukri's have prices SHIPPED CONUS and take only days to arrive!
Finally, I agree with teh others, now that I've been able to compare the two, the HI product looks FAR better.
One of MY big reasons for this was that Kukri house prices SOUNDED cheaper, till you contacted them for shipping - then teh shippig price was enormous, and it would tkae WEEKS to get it. HI kukri's have prices SHIPPED CONUS and take only days to arrive!
Finally, I agree with teh others, now that I've been able to compare the two, the HI product looks FAR better.
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2003
- Messages
- 5,283
Mine came from Nepal via DHL in 3 days to Australia.