khukri question

Karda, I tried that, but Aunty said it's too expensive to ship directly from Nepal, so instead the khukuris have to go from Nepal to the US back to Southeast Asia. :( Plain old EMS from Nepal works fine in my experience.
 
jayinhk said:
Karda, I tried that, but Aunty said it's too expensive to ship directly from Nepal, so instead the khukuris have to go from Nepal to the US back to Southeast Asia. :( Plain old EMS from Nepal works fine in my experience.
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It was worth a try though, in the end it is her decision.
 
Yeah. I remember she said it's because she won't send me a khukuri she hasn't checked out thoroughly and approved first. She has standards and a reputation for quality to maintain. I have to respect that! I think I will just pay the extra $35 or whatever for an HI.
 
jayinhk said:
Yeah. I remember she said it's because she won't send me a khukuri she hasn't checked out thoroughly and approved first. She has standards and a reputation for quality to maintain. I have to respect that! I think I will just pay the extra $35 or whatever for an HI.
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I'm sure you will be happy with both your purchase and her Awesome customer service. I will warn you ahead of time though... HIKV is contagious! You owe it to yourself to get at least one.
 
All this talk of Khukuri has got me wanting another:(
I think I may have to give HI a try this time so I can do a head to head, one question will the do special handle mods or are you stuck with what the show?
 
unky_gumbi said:
All this talk of Khukuri has got me wanting another:(
I think I may have to give HI a try this time so I can do a head to head, one question will the do special handle mods or are you stuck with what the show?
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What did you have in mind? Give me an idea and i can probably yell you if it's possible. I can tell you that you arent going to get micarta or handle materials like that. Generally you are stuck with what they show,as they are made in the traditional manner with traditional materials in a traditional Arun in Nepal by traditional craftsmen (kami) whose only power tool is an electric buffer and maybe a drill. The Kami do a fantastic job of fit and finish with only rudimentary tools. No high tech machinery involved. These khukuri are Truly Handmade in in the purest sense of the word. Himalayan Imports is not a big company at all, as compared to most others in the Manufactuers section. There is nothing wrong with you having the handle redone to your liking though as long as the blade/tang integrity is left intact.
 
I just would want the grooves and ridge left off the handle and mad more oval that's all, maybe 4 1/2" long handle. My KH handle is only 4" long and was so round it would twist in my hand when chopping. I will photoshop a picture to show what I mean if I am not clear enough.
 
I understand completely. Those ridges can be painful, but they are traditional and prevent the khuk from slipping out of your hand. Making the handle more oval is an interesting idea.
 
I did it t omy KH one already and actually off set the handle to one side to bring the blade more in line with my arm. I found it gave me a more accurate sing and a bit more power with less impact. As long as they keep the swell at the butt of the handle I would have no problem holding onto it.
 
unky_gumbi said:
I just would want the grooves and ridge left off the handle and mad more oval that's all, maybe 4 1/2" long handle. My KH handle is only 4" long and was so round it would twist in my hand when chopping. I will photoshop a picture to show what I mean if I am not clear enough.
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There are models, such as the M-43 that are designed without the handle rings and you have to special order a handle with rings on those. If you Email Auntie Yangdu with a special order, she could probably have one made without them. Be aware though, that as jayinhk said they are there for retention. Also they have a religious significance, but its meaning has been lost to the sands of time. At any rate they arent hard to remove if you don't like them, some users have modified their handles in this way. Himalayan Imports makes very good handles and most of the ones i have are oval in shape to fit the hand very well. Oddly enough your handle length problem is a non-issue. Himalayan Imports has always made it's handles larger than the usual Nepali khukuri, to cater to the American market and it's western sized hands. I hope this helps in making your decision to purchase and field the best khukuri on the market for the past 22 years.
 
jayinhk said:
The HI crew are great and the HI khukuris look way better, but I live in Asia and KH just works out way, way cheaper for me (even with shipping). Ordered two khukuris with shipping for $86 about a month ago and I'm still waiting, but according to KH they're on their way by EMS.

I ordered a jungle panawal last year with my grandma's last name on it (she was Nepalese, and my relatives carried khukuris when they served in the Indian army--some of my distant relatives probably carry them right now) and they had no problem customizing it for me (larger handle, left handed sheath, etc). I could put a razor edge on the jungle relatively easily and it is a tough chopper--I used it to open up coconuts and I damn near split one in two without really trying. If your brother's going to abuse it and use it for yard work, you might be better off with a jungle model. I wasn't happy with the rounded tip on my jungle khukuri and the XXL t-shirt I bought fit like a medium, so they told me I could get a free khukuri and t-shirt on my next order, but I told them to take better care of their kamis (the guys who make the blades) rather than throwing in freebies when I ordered a month ago.

In retrospect, Nepalis are smaller so the XXL I got was probably XXL in Nepal, and I don't think jungle khukuris are supposed to have sharp tips, but it's good to know they'll take care of you if you do have issues.

One other positive to KH that isn't discussed is that KH khukuris are made by traditional craftsmen in the villages they grew up in. HI's production facility produces types from all over Nepal under one roof, but they produce really top quality khuks.
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I bought my first Khukuri from Khukuri House Handcraft Industries (KHHI) about six years ago. KHHI have several factories, though my orders always went to the main facility in Katmandu where all custom orders are fabricated. It's my understanding that while the other factories can be hit and miss, the custom orders are generally done by the more experienced Bishwakarmas (Kamis) with a minority of the work performed by less experienced apprentices.

The Bishwakarmas, as I understand it from KHHI themselves, are mostly hired from distant villages, with each tending to specialize in 2 or 3 styles. A custom order is matched to the least busy specialists in that style. I favor the Sirupate, the Chainpure and the Chitlange styles for both practical and aesthetic reasons, but with differing hafts and mountings from those commonly found on the above mentioned styles.

I agree the fabrication process can be a bit slow (3 weeks typical to fabricate, 1-2 weeks to ship and clear customs in the US), but I was very pleased with the results despite the delay and fully appraised at each step in terms of where the order was in the queue. I was quite pleased with the quality and appearance despite warnings that they would not measure up to HI.

Since I don't favor mirror finishes and slick handles on hard use knives, what I custom ordered and ultimately obtained from KHHI, was exactly what I deemed appropriate for my intended use and were despite this more aesthetically pleasing than I had anticipated.

Customer service, which operates via email, was very prompt and detailed, timezones notwithstanding. KHHI were also very willing to adjust to changes in the order, as happened twice as I thought further through my intended use (at least on my first two orders). I also agree that if I had been displeased with my order upon receipt, or if the knife had failed during use (particularly the heavy use I have subjected it to since), I would have been in a tough spot with whether to return the knife or not for repair/replacement. My first knife remains one of three that has been on several long trips with me, domestically and around the world in fact, thus far without fault.

I will qualify my experience as being based on custom orders through KHHI, never have I ordered from the catalog for a "standard" pattern. Those knives may well be made by a somewhat less capable Bishwakarma team. My experience may also be non-typical for a custom order as well, but after 4 knives from KHHI thus far, I doubt it.

KHHI was all too willing to let me define almost every aspect of my knife, sheath and accessories in finite detail. Indeed, I hand drew the first and second version as a pencil sketch, scanned the image and sent it by email to help guide the Bishwakarma that surveyed the order handed to him by the customer service person. I specified, in great detail, the length and approximate thickness of the blade, the length and proportion of the grip, the form of cho, the location where the edge should begin, the form of deep convex edge grind (roughly 1/2" wide), the depth and orientation of the chirra near the point and spine and the number of rivets in the handle as well as the swells and ridges of the grip and the details of the sheath and frog.

I cannot argue the HI Khukuri product line is legendary, the quality appears to be very high and I've even handled a colleagues HI Ang Khola, a truly well built piece. I feel that at the very least the custom order Khukuri's I've obtained so far from KHHI appear to approximate the quality in materials, fit, finish, hardness and temper. However, your mileage may vary.

With warm regard,

-E
 
jules said:
From what I understand, it's not necessary for them to have a razor edge and it wouldn't last very long under use anyway.
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I like to get my khuks razor sharp now and then... the high degree of polish on the very edge at least probably helps prevent microscopic edge damage under use, and it can be a real help with cutting smaller materials like smaller branches, twigs, grassy stuff, et cetera. As long as it's not razor thin[i/], there's no harm in gettin' 'em as sharp as you can. Just maintain a robust edge geometry.

From experience, I'd go with HI or Tora Blades in the UK. :thumbup:
 
I actually found my custom Sirupate from KHHI to be better than the Kobra I got from HI. KH is who I'm going with from now on. :)

erichsen said:
I bought my first Khukuri from Khukuri House Handcraft Industries (KHHI) about six years ago. KHHI have several factories, though my orders always went to the main facility in Katmandu where all custom orders are fabricated. It's my understanding that while the other factories can be hit and miss, the custom orders are generally done by the more experienced Bishwakarmas (Kamis) with a minority of the work performed by less experienced apprentices.

The Bishwakarmas, as I understand it from KHHI themselves, are mostly hired from distant villages, with each tending to specialize in 2 or 3 styles. A custom order is matched to the least busy specialists in that style. I favor the Sirupate, the Chainpure and the Chitlange styles for both practical and aesthetic reasons, but with differing hafts and mountings from those commonly found on the above mentioned styles.

I agree the fabrication process can be a bit slow (3 weeks typical to fabricate, 1-2 weeks to ship and clear customs in the US), but I was very pleased with the results despite the delay and fully appraised at each step in terms of where the order was in the queue. I was quite pleased with the quality and appearance despite warnings that they would not measure up to HI.

Since I don't favor mirror finishes and slick handles on hard use knives, what I custom ordered and ultimately obtained from KHHI, was exactly what I deemed appropriate for my intended use and were despite this more aesthetically pleasing than I had anticipated.

Customer service, which operates via email, was very prompt and detailed, timezones notwithstanding. KHHI were also very willing to adjust to changes in the order, as happened twice as I thought further through my intended use (at least on my first two orders). I also agree that if I had been displeased with my order upon receipt, or if the knife had failed during use (particularly the heavy use I have subjected it to since), I would have been in a tough spot with whether to return the knife or not for repair/replacement. My first knife remains one of three that has been on several long trips with me, domestically and around the world in fact, thus far without fault.

I will qualify my experience as being based on custom orders through KHHI, never have I ordered from the catalog for a "standard" pattern. Those knives may well be made by a somewhat less capable Bishwakarma team. My experience may also be non-typical for a custom order as well, but after 4 knives from KHHI thus far, I doubt it.

KHHI was all too willing to let me define almost every aspect of my knife, sheath and accessories in finite detail. Indeed, I hand drew the first and second version as a pencil sketch, scanned the image and sent it by email to help guide the Bishwakarma that surveyed the order handed to him by the customer service person. I specified, in great detail, the length and approximate thickness of the blade, the length and proportion of the grip, the form of cho, the location where the edge should begin, the form of deep convex edge grind (roughly 1/2" wide), the depth and orientation of the chirra near the point and spine and the number of rivets in the handle as well as the swells and ridges of the grip and the details of the sheath and frog.

I cannot argue the HI Khukuri product line is legendary, the quality appears to be very high and I've even handled a colleagues HI Ang Khola, a truly well built piece. I feel that at the very least the custom order Khukuri's I've obtained so far from KHHI appear to approximate the quality in materials, fit, finish, hardness and temper. However, your mileage may vary.

With warm regard,

-E
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Seems to me for a comparison to be honest it ought to be of each manufacturers FIRST quality goods. Not one companies blem against a first quality knife.

While you seem to have had a good experience with KHHI I have seen several other of their products which were of deplorable quality, and which fell apart in use.

H.I has always exhibited well above average quality and service soi they have recieved my business.

Folks must bear in mind as well that these are forged knives and each one is individualand one of a kind.

Glad you had a good experience, just don't feel yopu needed to knock H.I. in a onre sided comparison and make a blanket judgement off of a blade that you knew was a blem.
 
For the original poster's purposes, an HI kuk is likely the way to go. I have kukris from both companies and my advise is go with the HI. The fit and finish will likely be better and any problems will be dealt with faster, though I too have had great customer service from Kukri house, there's only so much can be done from across the ocean. As far as a user kuk, get what you want, it doesn't matter if it's made in Nepal or not. If it's for USING then that is the main point. If a kukri machete from Cold Steel will be a better tool for your purposes then that is what you should get. For the original post's combination of looks/conversation piece/possible use, yeah, go with the HI.
 
Yep, it was a blem, but the only blemish it should have had were the described grain marks on the horn handle, not unmentioned scabbard, bolster and end cap issues, and remember, I got two KH khuks for $80 compared to $120 for the 'blemished' Kobra. One of the KHs even had a stag handle.

I'm not spending $150 on a KH Sirupate or Kobra when they are going to be too heavy for my needs.
 
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