My Young Sher Kobra: My First HI Khukuri

[Wolf_1989]

I had considered buying a 20" Kobra until I scored my 24oz 20.25" Sirupati and decided it was exactly what I needed to fill the 'fighting khukuri' niche in my collection. The weight and balance IMO are just right and to me, anything lighter weight in that length category would be too light. Yes it came with two oddball kardas but in a way I like that. I more often touch up my edges with a butcher's steel anyway and really don't use the chakmas. The Sirupati itself in that rig is flawlessly perfect in every way and it is phenomenally fast and agile (to me anyway, as I am used to using much heavier khukris for chopping wood).

 

[Karda]

That was Nice JayGoliath.
and it is also the rub.

If you look at our competitor you will see that it has 16 people on the KH site alone. From the CEO to the lady who serves them Tea upon request, not counting the Kami's and sarki's of course, tending to that business. They have several brick and mortar stores(and Staff). They Buy or contract from Aruns all over Nepal and India to serve everything from your basic tourist junk to quality khukuri at a premium price.
It gets/makes these khukuri at pennies on the dollar, which is probably why they can afford to sell a bit cheaper and afford to give disgruntled customers such as jayinhk the free khukuri he has been given.

H.I. on the other hand is staffed by approximately 6 people, not including kami's and sarki's. It has one website, one shop and only one Yangdu servicing our little community here at BFc as well as international orders. She does all the tasks for this business, ranging from answering questions, taking orders, filling them, packaging them and then shipping them. She does this while providing us World class service as well as enjoyable interaction. H.I. pays its Kami's a higher wage with premiums for high quality work.

Over the Years I have seen H.I. sell khukuri basically at cost or even raffled/given away to tend to the needs of its shop employees and their families. Ranging from buying medicine for the sickly, medical procedures for the injured. School tuition for the children, All out of it's own pocket. Pala even once cared for Bura in his own home. hell.... H.I. and this forum has even sent an untouchable Kami's son to Medical school.

With H.I. it has never been about the money, It has been about walking the Dharma path and about friendship. Giving back to Nepal and it's people. Making sure the right and good thing is done, taking precedence over the profitable one.
In short. If you look around enough you will find that H.I. and Khukuri house used to have a relationship long ago. And you would also learn that if it were not for Uncle Bill, Yangdu and Palas trailblazing efforts in bringing high quality khukuri to the world market via magazine reviews, the internet and various forums KH would possibly still be selling tourist khukuri and gurkha supplies out of their shops on the terai. It is because of their trailblazing effort and eye for quality that the khukuri has gained the worldwide recognition it has. Whereas before the khukuri, a national symbol, was thought of as mediocre and treated with ambivalence. It is because of their efforts that H.I has a stellar reputaton for quality and integrity. It is because of their efforts that their kamis are some of the most well off Bishwakarmas in Nepal.

These are some of the reasons why H.I. charges a bit more, along with having a warranty to uphold. For years it was unconditional, but now due to greediness has been modified. It is still more warranty than you will get from the competition.

Again we may never know how Auntie could've made this deal right, as she wasnt given the chance. Instead our friend here decided to disrespect her in her own forum and ignoring any attempts asking him to stop, continues to do so.

 

[jayinhk]

I don't sleep with my Salyan but i do oil, talk & kiss him everyday before i go to sleep.Going to bed with the thought i have the baddest & thickest blade made makes me feel damn good.

Interesting--you treat your khukuri somewhat like a keris. In a way, they are similar since they both incorporate Hinduism in their design: the cho, fuller and handle grooves on the khukuri and the ganja and marriage of the wilah and sheath on a keris. Speaking of keris, I should really oil mine today.

 

[jayinhk]

Ryan M:

Your HI khukuri was made by a guy who was, up until recently, an apprentice. He's still got a ways to go, and others have already noted that his handles aren't the best. A common saying when learning to draw is "you've got about a million bad drawings in you, so you better start getting them out of your system now." Hand-forging a blade is definitely more of an art than it is a science. And HI does not charge a premium to have your blade made by a more experienced smith.

IMO all of Young Sher's khuks should be sold at a deep discount then--less than KH's regular offerings.


The "closest model" made by KH, is quite a bit smaller.

Wrong. KH's website only states blade lengths for khuks. You can have virtually any size handle length put on your khuk by their kamis. HI's 20" is a 14" blade with a 6" handle.

Especially these days, since Nepal is having something of a steel shortage.


HI kamis used to get their steel from India (and probably still do), which is one of the world's fastest growing economies. India also may well have the largest population in the world, but due to a lack of birth records in many parts of the country, nobody knows whether China or India takes the cake.

As far as the "10/10" rating goes, I've noticed Yangdu judges blades as heavy-duty users, not as show pieces or necessarily martial arts blades. If it looks and feels like it'll hold together for a lifetime of use, it's a 10/10. If a khukuri doesn't look or feel like that, the kamis will certainly hear about it and we'll probably never even know that it existed. Yangdu is Nepali born and raised, and that's really how most Nepalis will judge a khukuri when buying one for themselves. Having to epoxy and file a handle in a couple spots, and maybe rework the scabbard, isn't as big a deal to them as it may be to us Americans, who want everything to look like it was made by a machine.


My Sirupate feels just as capable of lasting a lifetime as the Kobra does: just with a little more finesse. Besides, the rating referred to the rig, not the blade. If I rated KH's rig on the same scale, it would be an 11/10.

And finally, HIs are generally known for being much thicker and heavier than most other brands, even other Nepali ones. Even though the Kobra is supposed to be a light model... well, honestly, from what I've seen, the only kami who can match the speed and agility that Kumar hammered into his khukuris, is Sgt. Khadka, and he isn't a regular employee (and Kumar left long ago). Sadly, I would have to agree that current production Kobras over 15" long, unless you can get the Sergeant to make you one, probably are not the best for martial arts (my Sgt. Khadka Chainpuri, however, is hands down the most amazing martial arts blade I've ever held. On the other hand, in all honestly the scabbard is almost purely decorative, and the karda and chakma look like they were made by a small child; on the other other hand, both of those problems are pretty well known about Sgt. Khadka's khukuris, and I bought that Chainpuri knowing about them). The info about Kobras on the website was written while Kumar was still making them.


The website needs an update then. It'll be interesting to see how my new Sirupate matches up to the Kobra.

I'm not trying to blame you or anything, but more thorough research may have turned up the above points before you bought the 20" Kobra, which may've helped you make a better purchasing decision (whether that decision would have been to buy a different size and/or model and/or kami of HI, or to buy a KH). You also probably should have been able to guess that a 20" long, 23 ounce blade won't be as agile as one that's 2" shorter and I'm guessing almost a half pound lighter.


5" shorter actually. I need to get the kitchen scale out to see if these khuks weigh what they're supposed to weigh.

Also, I do recommend some light wood cutting with both, by way of comparison. I've chopped through branches up to about 1.5" with a 15" Siru (not in one swing, of course!). It takes awhile with one that small and light, but your 20" Kobra is absolutely up to the task of light woodcutting.[/QUOTE]


I would have to do that in the Philippines in July. It is illegal to chop through branches in the jungle here because it is government protected land: we have some of the most amazing biodiversity in the world here, with new species being discovered all the time. There simply isn't any wood for me to chop through at my apartment, unless I start hacking up furniture.

 

[jayinhk]

Karda:

If you look at our competitor you will see that it has 16 people on the KH site alone. From the CEO to the lady who serves them Tea upon request, not counting the Kami's and sarki's of course, tending to that business. They have several brick and mortar stores(and Staff). They Buy or contract from Aruns all over Nepal and India to serve everything from your basic tourist junk to quality khukuri at a premium price.


If you compare Birgorkha to the KH production facility pictured on their website, the KH kamis look to be much better off. I wonder just how well Aunty is living out in Reno at the prices she charges.

H.I. on the other hand is staffed by approximately 6 people, not including kami's and sarki's. It has one website, one shop and only one Yangdu servicing our little community here at BFc as well as international orders. She does all the tasks for this business, ranging from answering questions, taking orders, filling them, packaging them and then shipping them. She does this while providing us World class service as well as enjoyable interaction. H.I. pays its Kami's a higher wage with premiums for high quality work.


Do we really know if the higher wage part is true?

Over the Years I have seen H.I. sell khukuri basically at cost or even raffled/given away to tend to the needs of its shop employees and their families. Ranging from buying medicine for the sickly, medical procedures for the injured. School tuition for the children, All out of it's own pocket. Pala even once cared for Bura in his own home. hell.... H.I. and this forum has even sent an untouchable Kami's son to Medical school.


Again, we have been told that is the case. "Basically at cost" would be a lot less than $120 for a Sirupate, believe me. More like $5 before shipping.

With H.I. it has never been about the money, It has been about walking the Dharma path and about friendship. Giving back to Nepal and it's people. Making sure the right and good thing is done, taking precedence over the profitable one.
In short. If you look around enough you will find that H.I. and Khukuri house used to have a relationship long ago. And you would also learn that if it were not for Uncle Bill, Yangdu and Palas trailblazing efforts in bringing high quality khukuri to the world market via magazine reviews, the internet and various forums KH would possibly still be selling tourist khukuri and gurkha supplies out of their shops on the terai. It is because of their trailblazing effort and eye for quality that the khukuri has gained the worldwide recognition it has. Whereas before the khukuri, a national symbol, was thought of as mediocre and treated with ambivalence. It is because of their efforts that H.I has a stellar reputaton for quality and integrity. It is because of their efforts that their kamis are some of the most well off Bishwakarmas in Nepal.


That's all well and good, but for $120 I expected a substantially better khuk than I got from the competition for less than $80, not worse quality for a lot more money.

These are some of the reasons why H.I. charges a bit more, along with having a warranty to uphold. For years it was unconditional, but now due to greediness has been modified. It is still more warranty than you will get from the competition.


How is no warranty more than I would get from the competition?

Again we may never know how Auntie could've made this deal right, as she wasnt given the chance. Instead our friend here decided to disrespect her in her own forum and ignoring any attempts asking him to stop, continues to do so.

How am I disrespecting her? I'm comparing two blades that were produced by two companies. Nothing personal against Aunty at all. Unfortunately, I don't see how she could have made it right short of me shipping it back for a refund. I'd still be out at least $40.

 

[warty]

Honestly, these mods talk of locking this one? I would have deleted the darn thing quite some time ago.

You accused me of saying yo were a "shill" for KH at one point JayHK, well back then I thought of you as a guy who simply had an axe to grind and was grinding it. No doubt I asked for some pix, but I never asked for a page of pix that were basically an ad for KH. I asked for pix of the problems with you Himalayan Imports blade, not a comparison of a "blem" to a full priced competitor's blade or blades. Saying the prices are about equal really isn't fair either. I don't see buying something that is advertised as having issues and something advertised as brand new and perfect as equal, even if the cost the same.

Finally, since it is also clear you aren't really doing anything more than being superficially pleasant to see how far you can push this thread, I can freely ask you this...

Is there a great big mall near your home? Is it missing its ninja? LOL

 

[jayinhk]

warty: Honestly, these mods talk of locking this one? I would have deleted the darn thing quite some time ago.

You accused me of saying yo were a "shill" for KH at one point JayHK, well back then I thought of you as a guy who simply had an axe to grind and was grinding it. No doubt I asked for some pix, but I never asked for a page of pix that were basically an ad for KH. I asked for pix of the problems with you Himalayan Imports blade, not a comparison of a "blem" to a full priced competitor's blade or blades. Saying the prices are about equal really isn't fair either. I don't see buying something that is advertised as having issues and something advertised as brand new and perfect as equal, even if the cost the same.


I'm glad you respect the right to free speech. The prices aren't equal--the full priced KH cost me about 50% less than HI's blem. that's 66% of the price of the blemished HI Kobra. The pics were to illustrate what I was getting for less money (and what I wasn't getting for more money, although I hoped the HI quality would make it worth the extra expense).

Finally, since it is also clear you aren't really doing anything more than being superficially pleasant to see how far you can push this thread, I can freely ask you this...

Is there a great big mall near your home? Is it missing its ninja? LOL



I'm just being me. As to the mall part: why yes. I'll be back on duty later tonight.

 

[Duzzy]

Snip.

I will be moving forward without animosity towards anyone; as none was present before, I feel none should be present after. YMMV

I've already made my offer, whether you choose to take it or leave it is up to you.

In reality, the only response warranted from you would be this:

"I made choice I thought most appropriate, I'm sorry you disagree. However, I stand by my decision as I feel it is what is best for Auntie and HI."

If you felt that I personally affronted you, you could have also asked for a cessation and an apology. These little digs in your posts are losing you ground in my eyes, and if you were in any way officially associated with HI I would no longer be a customer.

As a side note, I believe in what HI is doing. I do not believe that any of the issues I've had ever warranted sending anything back. The few issues I have had Auntie has been marvelous about. However, I also believe it is dishonest to sugar coat things. I call things as I see them, and I choose to spend my money where and how I see fit. I would not want someone to read my glowing review, go and buy something on my word, and then be disappointed in it.

You have two choices. You can either look and see if anything I say is of merit, and if so learn from it. Or, you can dismiss it. Frankly I'm disinterested at this point because you're behavior has made it quite clear that a discussion with you is wasting my time.

I'm sincerely trying my best to be professional, and sincere. Whether it comes across that way I don't know. I offered an apology for the actions I know were in the wrong, but beyond that there isn't much I can do because I don't feel like the courtesy I'm trying to extend is being extended back.

 

[jayinhk]

Duzzy: I think your posts are remarkably well written and that you're capable of thinking for yourself, so you have my respect.

I understand HI means a great deal to Karda, but I believe he is being less than impartial as a result of his emotional ties. I don't think I'll be buying another HI until and unless I feel I'd be getting my money's worth. I believe HI is capable of producing a more refined khuk than KH, but it will take some work. For now, as far as Sirupates go, KH is my choice. We'll see how their 21" stacks up against the 20" Kobra in a month or so.

 

[warty]

I'm glad you respect the right to free speech.

You don't have the right to free speech on a private forum. Something you should really understand.

You are being allowed to speak, nothing more. As I said, I would have deleted the thread once the page of pictures appeared. When you abuse this so called right and go to the point of advertising for a competitor, then you have crossed a line I would have felt was cause for removal.

I am not saying ban you. Please do not think this is what I am saying. I am saying you know exactly what you are doing and even if you think you have us fooled, you don't. Perhaps some but certainly not any of those members who have been down this road before with other folks like yourself.

Now it is your turn for a snappy rejoinder.
I will let it fall on someone else's eyes as I am sure the last word is very important to you. :yawn:

 

[jayinhk]

warty: You don't have the right to free speech on a private forum. Something you should really understand.

Oh, no, I realize that. I have the right to speak my mind in general, however, so if the mods want to silence me because they don't like me stating my opinion, so be it. I'll repost this thread elsewhere.


You are being allowed to speak, nothing more. As I said, I would have deleted the thread once the page of pictures appeared. When you abuse this so called right and go to the point of advertising for a competitor, then you have crossed a line I would have felt was cause for removal.
[/B]

I wasn't advertising, just comparing the two, and there were some things about the HI I liked more than the KH. Ultimately, it is up the buyer to decide where to buy their khuks.

I am not saying ban you. Please do not think this is what I am saying. I am saying you know exactly what you are doing and even if you think you have us fooled, you don't. Perhaps some but certainly not any of those members who have been down this road before with other folks like yourself.


Um ok. I'm comparing two khuks.

Now it is your turn for a snappy rejoinder.
I will let it fall on someone else's eyes as I am sure the last word is very important to you. :yawn:

I don't care if you don't read my response. I wish you well no matter what your opinion of me is.

 

[Karda]

I wonder just how well Aunty is living out in Reno at the prices she charges.

This is the last straw. Your 15 minutes of fame are over, You can be a customer or not i dont care.
Thread locked. Persist and you will be asked to leave.