need some advice

W

WVHILLS

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Hello, I know absolutely nothing about Khukris and I am looking to purchase a good "HARD USE" Khukri for my friend. I would like it to be around 13 to 15 inches long and have an unpolished look. I would also like it to be pretty thick and have full tang construction. I have looked at Himalayan Imports and Khukris House and I like the look of the KH-Max (Xtreme) from Khukri house. Are these two makers of similiar quality? Thanks
 
Really leaning towards the Chiruwa Ang Khola from HI. How long does it usually take to arrive after ordering? do they keep knives in stock or does it have to be made?
 
HI is going to come in better in fit, finish, and warranty. With Yangdu running things here stateside, you can be sure that you have a knife that is not only of great quality, but should anything ever arise you will be taken care of. You won't have to ship it back over seas or anything. Just a quick little 2-3 trip to Reno, NV.

It sounds like you are looking for what HI calls a "villager" model. They generally come in a little rougher in the handle region (great for do-it-yourself wood finishers, and not at all hard to do) with a satin blade finish. They typically are the through peened tang style of construction which is almost as unbreakable and the slab tang (called Chiruwa). However, my advice to you would to be to shoot Yangdu an email at himimp@aol.com. She'll be more than happy to let you know what she has in stock:thumbup:

Oh, and welcome to the forum!:D
 
HI keeps a large number of khuks in stock for the most part. Since Yangdu receives shipments in a sort of bulk way, they have to make sure that she is stocked on what she might sell the most of. The 16.5" Chiruwa is a pretty big seller. Usually, you are looking from 3-4 days delivery time from order date. She is FAST:D!
 
WVHills?

I know you wanted a full-tang...but decades of use have shown that the thick rat-tail, crocodile-tail, kangaroo-tail---whatever---that runs through the handle and is peened at the end is virtually fool-proof, and lighter, with less (some say) vibration from impact.

I've never had a problem to speak of.

One AK I used snapped after two years plus of use, Yangdu OFFERED to replace it. Can't beat that.

Good luck. Have fun shopping.
 
thanks for the advice gunz, did a search on HI's site for the villager model and nothing came up, is it under a certain category?
 
Hey Hills? You want to try one out? You aren't too far from me. I could mail you one to try and you could mail it back after you'd tried it.:thumbup:
 
Kismet said:
WVHills?

I know you wanted a full-tang...but decades of use have shown that the thick rat-tail, crocodile-tail, kangaroo-tail---whatever---that runs through the handle and is peened at the end is virtually fool-proof, and lighter, with less (some say) vibration from impact.

I've never had a problem to speak of.

One AK I used snapped after two years plus of use, Yangdu OFFERED to replace it. Can't beat that.

Good luck. Have fun shopping.
Click to expand...

So the full tang isn't the way to go with Khukris? Does the Chiruwa have a rat tail construction? I really like it so I will probably purchase it regardless. Thanks for the help:thumbup:
 
The villager is something that is not an "all the time" offering. As you read up on HI, Nepal, the kamis (bladesmiths), you'll find that some interesting things just sort of show up in the shipments. Yangdu will often put these up on the Deal of the Day. A couple times a week, give or take, she'll post up some real bargains:D Or, you could just send her an email and ask her what she has in stock. She really is accommodating and a pleasure to do business with.

...I'm still not sure how Kis broke that khuk. Some say it is because he is 15' tall and broad as an oak and travels from town to town feasting on livestock and wooing farmers' daughters:D
 
Hi there WVHills,
I have a 12" Ang Khola(AK), through tang,(more like a possum tail, not skinny like a rat-tail), that is peened over at the pommel, I have been trimming hardwood posts for decorative ceiling veega's and this thing is a small beast. My wife also has a 12" (AK) and she uses it for all her yard work, including making natural fencing from hard-hard driftwood and it is also a beast. I also have a 18" Chirua Ang Khola(CAK) and it is able to lop small maples,oak and ash in my tree trimming duties. It's a tiger of a tank, nigh indestructible. It is a project blade I was given by my wife, with a small seperation of one handle scale, as I want to replace the handle material,(from black water buffalo horn to either Bocote or an antler crown), but it just won't break, my arms might...it won't. And even the new shiny ones take on a nice patina with use and cleaning with some abrasive pads.

Best o' luck on your choice, you can't go wrong here and shipping has always been lightening fast for us,

mark
 
hollowdweller said:
Hey Hills? You want to try one out? You aren't too far from me. I could mail you one to try and you could mail it back after you'd tried it.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Thanks Hollowdweller, I just might take you up on that offer:thumbup: going to the gym right now I'll get back to you on that:D
 
Watch the Forum for Deal of the Day to get a villager. Refresh the page often, have an email ready to go, they go fast. Also I wouldn't worry about the hidden tang. My horn handled 15" AK is 3/8" thick. I don't think I could break it if it were 440C or AUS8. But 5160 is seriously tough stuff. If you could break it without a cheater bar you could probably tear a log in half with your hands and wouldn't need a chopper. Even the "little" khuks are tough, my 12" siru is still 5/16" thick. Pretty stout for a "little" blade. Just my two bits but I wouldn't worry about the tang.

Frank
 
WVHILLS said:
Thanks Hollowdweller, I just might take you up on that offer:thumbup: going to the gym right now I'll get back to you on that:D
Click to expand...

Let me know and I'll give you my email and you can send me your addy or I think you said you were going to Marshall might be able to send it down to Huntington w/my God Dau.
 
KH has some fine looking Khukuri's( i almost bought a panawal before finding H.I.), but as SG stated the HI khuks come in better in fit and finish. Not to mention the nicer selection. AND as anyone here will attest to : Himalayan Imports lifetime warranty on blades AND handles and Yangdu's Premier 1st class service make these khukuris unbeatable in every category......Hands Down!


WELCOME TO THE FORUM!
 
HI 15" AK,Vilager finish. Yangdu may have one in stock. e-mail her.
Coustomer service from Yangdu is SECOND TO NONE. And her service is provided from Nevada.
I believe KH is out of country for all warentee and service.
 
I thought you might like to know, If you order the Chiruwa Ang Khola, you will need to wait for a shipment from nepal, but from what you have said it seems like it is just what you are looking for. You would need to wait about a month though.
~Kenny
 
So far all my HI Khukuris are hidden tang and I have no fear of them breaking.

I think if something were to break, the wood or horn handle material would break before that substantially thick tang would break. There's where I think the chiruwa style handle would have the advantage; the handle material would be far less likely to ever fail in that configuration.



I have seen pics of folks' HI khukuris where they took the original handle off for replacement and if I recall correctly, the tang were about 2/3 the width of the blade at the bolster!
 
IMO you're right, the handle will break long before the tang will. Which is most of the reason I bought all but one of mine as a Chiruwa style. Plus, If I ever wanted or needed to, I could more easily replace that kind of handle with the skills I have.

Re: shipping time.
IMO, it's well worth it to order what you really want, and wait the 3 weeks to a month. I did that with my first. I ordered exactly what I wanted, and although I've ordered several more from deals of the day and such, that first one is still my favorite and sees the vast majority of the use I give mine.
 
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