Newb question about CS vs HI...

R

rockhouse

Joined
Jun 18, 2010
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Hey guys, i don't own any kurks but i have been curious about some things.
Why all the love for these HI blades? Setting traditional reasons aside, and focusing on performance, it seems to me that CS would put out a better kurk, as in better steel, handle, quality control, etc.
CS is making knives in a first-world factory with tighter requirements. Like i said, i don't know one way or another cause i don't own either....but am i wrong to think that CS would produce a more reliable kurk than HI?

Thanks for the responses.
 
Moving to the Cantina......

Why the Love?
These khukuri have something that a CS khukuri can never attain. A SOUL.
They are handcrafted in the traditional manner by craftmen who've learned the trade from their fathers and their fathers before them. This design originated in Nepal and is their national symbol. They have been making these khukuri the same way for hundreds of years and you just don't find better steel to make a khukuri or hard use knife out of than properly hardened 5160 spring steel. The san mai version of a khukuri is still no match for a traditional handmade khukuri and costs 3X as much, The CS model is not a true khukuri but a KLO.



Why the Loyalty?
Uncle Bill(RIP) and Auntie Yangdu are special. He was and she is one of the most honest and pleasant, down-to-earth people you could ever want to do business with. When you buy here and hang out long enough you become more like family than just a customer.
 
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So as a whole, the HI kurks will outlast the CS version in your opinion?

It's a hard pill to swallow to a layman like me that some metal-smiths in the mountains of Nepal are producing better products than a company like CS on a consistent basis.
 
That, and if you look around for information on Lynn Thompson you may find that he's not the sort of person you'd want to do business with.

That and I don't really like CS knives either.
 
I can guarantee you that H.I. khukuri will outlast and outchop a CS.
Take a look at some historical khukuri and tell me that you think a CS khukuri will still be usable after a 100 or so years.

Please... lets focus on the khukuri and not LT.
 
The steel in the HI khuks is 5160 (or something very close to it). Tough stuff. Tougher than 1095, holds an edge better than 1055. HI khuks are zone hardened, meaning the edge is hard while the spine is soft. They will take a very keen edge while being extremely strong. I would give the nod to HI over CS in the steel and heat treat.

The HI is a convex edge sabre grind. Good for chopping without binding in the wood. The CS is ground like a heavy duty machete, more suited to light, green vegetation. Again, I'd give the edge to the HI.

The HI handle works well with gloves or bare hands. The ring around the handle may be tradition but it helps to keep your hand in place. I don't think I'd want to try the rubber grip on the CS without gloves for any extended period of time. The HI relies on shape instead of texture to keep your hand where it's supposed to be.

I've never used a CS khuk, so I can't really compare them, but I have used an HI khuk for 6-7 years. They've never let me down. From a 25" siru to a 12" siru, a 15" AK, an 18" WWII. All the way down to the small straight blades and biltons. Differentially heat treated 5160 is one of the best steels for a heavy duty chopper. The handles may look funny but they work.

Give one a try. Pick up a blem in the 15"- 18" range on Yandu's Deal of the Day. Good chance it will be less money than a CS. Give it a good workout. I think you'll like it. And if you don't I bet you won't have much trouble finding somebody to take it off your hands.

Oh, and welcome.

Frank
 
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CS is in business to make money...just like any other. I don't know Lynn personally but he seems like a bad used car salesman to me. Leaving all loyalties, traditions, personal bias aside, if the HI kurk outperforms and outlasts the CS version the majority of the time, then i buy a HI product and then develop the relationship with the company/family.

My first priority is getting the best product for my hard-earned money.
 
Thanks for the specifics Silverfox. Like i said, i've never owned a kurk and i'm just trying to get the best i can.

So far HI owners seem to be loyal....which obviously means a great product.
 
Bill Martino never made a comparison between H.I. khuks and any other maker. Opinions offered by individuals are those individual's opinions. :)

Read through the years of threads and posts, rockhouse. Form your own opinion.

Be safe, no matter whom you purchase from.
 
rockhouse said:
CS is in business to make money...just like any other.
My first priority is getting the best product for my hard-earned money.
Click to expand...
The Almighty dollar is not what drives this company.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2607854&postcount=1
Do some research and i bet you will find that if you want the best quality khukuri, you've found the right place to buy.

ETA; Yes, This is my own opinion. But it is based on years of research and sweat. Each Khukuri maker fills it's own niche.
Some make good, some make....less good...and some make things that look like khukuri but arent really. :)
 
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Cold steel mhes some great stuff and I think for prouduction stuff they are more than fine

The Cs Kukri is made of decent steel but HI is useing good carbon steel and is differentialy heat treating the blade. it is a handforged KHukuri that is forged in a traditional way that is passed down not machined from a piece of stock and given one temper.

The HI stuff like any truly handmade stuff has soul if ya know what I mean if ya don't ya don't. Like a hand foorged Bowie or handforged Japanese blade.


As for performance if you handle one of these things they are not 1/4 inch stoch they are spined up to .50 and have distel taper . So IMHO when ity comes to performance the HI's win real easy.
 
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and there is one other thing do you really want to pay $650 dollars for a san mai khukuri like object when you can have the real thing for $200 or less that will last at least a couple of lifetimes no cs will thats for sure.
 
We all were in your position at one time or another rockhouse.
(although, i myself never even considered CS because i'm a traditional sorta guy and wanted the real deal.)
You are more than welcome to research the subject and ask around.
We'll be here when you decide.
 
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Let me put it this way: I loooove my CS sk5 gurkha (san mai is similar enough but pricy! And I EDC CS large folders like the rajah and espada L and XL), but it cannot compare to a traditional kuk, and specifically any of my HI kuks, in "feeling". Purely subjective, but you will know it as soon as you hold them side by side. It's like finding a soulmate compared to just hooking up. Well, a few soulmates really as one is not enough and they all have a unique, handmade beauty in contrast to the cookie-cutter machined knives. That stuff may not be necessary in your mind but I think you will be pleasantly surprised. HI steel can fail due to a rare hardening problem but all knives do and the warranty is unmatched. Spring steel is a very popular choice by makers of user-knives, cheap and reliable.
 
Just a real quick point here Rockhouse, I love the CS Rajah I, II, Spartan, AK47, Voyagers and Recon 1's I carry them whenever the situation is applicable with that in mind I have an M43 thats cleared an entire yard of desert scrub oak (tough stuff) and carry my chunk munk religously like it was a sin not to whenever I am out in the bush.

Himalayan Imports Kamis make practical tough tools with a heart and soul forged in fire by professionals; that you can bet your life on.
 
I own a CS "Ghurka Kukri" and I will tell you for certain any HI Khukuri will out chop and out perform it. I haven't had my CS GK out since I purchased my first HI product and I am not sure why I have even kept it. The CS blade is as thin as a Tamang blade from HI and that means it will bite deep and all but it lacks the weight and momentum needed to make chopping easy. The CS Blade has none of the differential balance qualities the various different types of Khukries that HI sell have, the blade is of uniform balance and not tipped forward like a traditional Khukuri...

Finally, you brought money into this so I will mention that for the same money as you spend on the CS SK-5 blade, you can get yourself the ASTK-V I have in the picture with it (on top)... for the San Mai version you could get yourself several. Finally CS makes assembly line knives. Himalayan Imports blades are handmade, custom blades. Each one is hand hammered by the kamis and then each scabbard is hand made by the sarki specifically for that blade. You pay extra for this sort of thing usually, imagine getting a custom, hand forged blade and custom sheath for $150? That is what you get when you buy from Himalayan Imports and I honestly can't see why you would do anything else once you understand this fact.

Comparison shot, HI-ASTK-V, CS SK-5 GK, HI-Tamang
main.php


The spines of the blades... same order
main.php
 
Welcome to the Forum rockhouse and I see that you've had good response to your question. The only thing that I would like to add come from a post waaay back in the Archives. A guy had access to a particular type of x-ray device that the company he worked for used to check quality control of their product. He brought in his HI khukuri and put it in the machine to see what he could see. The result was that there were no voids in the steel. The kamis hammering during the forging process had ensured that there were none in the finished product. I thought that was interesting since these blades began their forming from Mercedes truck springs.

Anyway, good to have you aboard. Now go out and get you a khuk.

Rick

edit-the post was titled "Porosity in a blade" with a Last Post date of 8/23/99. They could find no porosity in his 18" AK.
 
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A guy had access to a particular type of x-ray device that the company he worked for used to check quality control of their product. He brought in his HI khukuri and put it in the machine to see what he could see. The result was that there were no voids in the steel. The kamis hammering during the forging process had ensured that there were none in the finished product. I thought that was interesting since these blades began their forming from Mercedes truck springs.
Click to expand...


** http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125589**

THAT'S IT. GAME OVER.

We have a winner.:thumbup:
 
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I read that topic a long time ago and forgot about it....kinda amazing isnt it?
 
Especially amazing when he and his boss kept turning the machine up until they eventually saw some porosity which the boss said "...would qualify as none." Then the quick mention of a custom Bowie that wasn't forged and probably made from a blank (a la CS?).
 
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