My hat is off to HI

[TLR]

I posted a thread over in the cantina several weeks ago looking for suggestions in Kathmandu for a kuhkri shop or better yet a Kami to meet. I was only there for a few days but I scoured every kuhkri shop I could find looking for the right one to bring home as a memento of the trip. Suffice it to say that as a knife maker my standards are already fairly high. With that said I do not believe my expectations are unreasonable as both HI blades that I own I have been happy with. In the entirety of Kathmandu I could find absolutely nothing, even in a far more expensive price range than I could afford, that was even close in comparison to the quality of Himalayan Imports.

Handles were far to thick. Glue lines were terrible. Most had thong holes which were drilled to large for the brass inserts they used and so they were split and gaping. Many had thing holes filled with glue. Overall I was very disappointed. I dragged my friends through a number of shops and they couldn't understand why I couldn't just buy one. Finally I told them that I would rather wait and buy one from Nepal that I was happy with rather than buy one in Nepal that didn't meet my standards.

So now I am on the hunt. I will watch Yangdu's posts and try to find one that captures the essence of that amazing country and people, made to a standard that Nepal can be proud of. Aside that, Kathmandu is amazing and I can only hope I may have another chance to go there in my lifetime. I really fell in love with Nepal and her people.

 

[Bawanna]

Your so lucky to have had the opportunity to visit the area and see just where these knives come from.

Too bad things aren't a bit different where you could have visited HI's shop but at least you were closer than most of us will ever get.

No doubt in my mind Yangdu will present something that will be just what your looking for.

Any pictures from the trip. We love pictures.

 

[Howard Wallace]

Kathmandu shops are primarily for tourists. Cityfolk don't much need to carry around a khukuri. Get back in the hills, as the HI crew do, and you will find locals carrying them, and local smiths making them. Still not up to US collecters' standards for fit and finish, but honest working knives meant for hard use. One of HI's selling points, as you discovered, is getting talented local smiths to adhere to western expectations for fit and finish.

It is a magical country. Did you have a chance to get offroad back into the hills?

 

[davidf99]

The fact that the handles were far too thick is a sure sign that they were made for western tourists, whose hands tend to be larger than most people in that part of the world.

There's a difference between a knife being a rough and ready working tool, and just plain poor workmanship. I suspect that a lot of tourists will buy these Kathmandu knives as souvenirs of their trip -- display pieces for their coffee tables back home -- without any intention of using them, and without the experience to recognize poor workmanship in a knife that looks exotic to them.

I've seen the same thing with items sold here in the U.S. at auctions. Some of them are absolutely unfit for use, or very crudely made, but people pay big bucks for them because they come from faraway places or are very old. I have nothing against vintage or antique items, and I own a few, but under the wear and tear should be good workmanship -- or in some cases good old-growth wood that can be restored.