- Joined
- Mar 8, 1999
- Messages
- 1,760
In the past, a few people have commented that we don't have adequate quality control measures. Doing so has "released the hounds" from my office (my bad temper that sometimes rears it's ugly head - sorry about that!). These statements were not based on actual khukuris seen and used, but solely based upon conjecture about how we do business, and how our relationship with khukuri house is structured. Well, here are some interesting observations about the latest shipment. Remember, that quality is an evolutionary process.
1) Sheaths: quality has noticably improved, with thickness of leather and tighter stiching on the SN1 frogs. A few khukuris still come with flimsy frogs, and that discrepancy is noted for future shipments.
2) Ill-fitting sheaths used to be more of a problem - one that we used solve by doing a lot of "switch-outs" in the storeroom (some sheaths were either too tight or too loose). This last shipment had about 5% ill-fitting sheaths, which we luckily remedied by doing "switch-outs." The few khukuris that did end up as "loose-fits" will be either repaired using velcro or felt, or will be sold as blems in the next "blem" closout.
3) Blade quality: this is by far the best improvement we've seen. Particularly noteworthy is improvement on the Cheetlang, sirupatis, Angk Khola and Panawals. The WW hit it's mark during the last shipment and has stayed superb ever since. Service Number Ones could still use a little tweaking, but are still much improved upon from the early days.
4) Rust: We used to see rust on some of the blades we got (despite the heavy coat of pain-in-the-neck oil), and it was buffed out state-side using a buffing wheel in our office. Thank God that has stopped, as it was costing us a lot of man-hours fighting the red beast. There wasn't ONE SPOT OF RUST on this last shipment.
Note: the reason that khukuri quality levels rise independently based upon model type is that different shops that TB runs specialize in different styles of khukuris. Some shops "get it" more than others (the shop in back of TBs home is the best shop, and they always "get it."
). I wonder why!
Areas that we want to see change: we want the panawals sheaths to be shipped with steel tipped scabbards to match the steel hardware. We want to see ALL frogs thick, supple, and well-made (we're at about 90% right now).
Okay, so that's a window into how we work. I email suggestions to Lalit, who in turn briefs TB, who passes the info on to the bishwakarmas and sarkis.
And as for Lalit being simply a "dealer" - that's just not the case (and that's not a bad thing if you deal in quality merchandise). Sure, he owns two retail shops in Nepal that cater to both locals, tourists, and the nearby british transit camp (those of you who have been in his shops know well his "one price" policy). But Lalit is primarily a manufacturer, with TB as his partner and manufacturing director (to use purely western terms that I'm sure miss the mark a little bit). In fact, in Nepal, I only saw ONE other store, and quality was quite inferior (although they did have the "finger grip khukuri" which was an idea that I had to "borrow." The other khukuris sold in Nepal are primarily sold on the streets by vendors. These are the "cheap tourist junk" that we all have talked about in the past.
If anybody has ANY questions as to how khukuri making operates in Nepal, please ask here. If it's not a trade secret, I'll be glad to share with the group anything I know. Anything I don't know I'll forward to Lalit for an answer.
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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
1) Sheaths: quality has noticably improved, with thickness of leather and tighter stiching on the SN1 frogs. A few khukuris still come with flimsy frogs, and that discrepancy is noted for future shipments.
2) Ill-fitting sheaths used to be more of a problem - one that we used solve by doing a lot of "switch-outs" in the storeroom (some sheaths were either too tight or too loose). This last shipment had about 5% ill-fitting sheaths, which we luckily remedied by doing "switch-outs." The few khukuris that did end up as "loose-fits" will be either repaired using velcro or felt, or will be sold as blems in the next "blem" closout.
3) Blade quality: this is by far the best improvement we've seen. Particularly noteworthy is improvement on the Cheetlang, sirupatis, Angk Khola and Panawals. The WW hit it's mark during the last shipment and has stayed superb ever since. Service Number Ones could still use a little tweaking, but are still much improved upon from the early days.
4) Rust: We used to see rust on some of the blades we got (despite the heavy coat of pain-in-the-neck oil), and it was buffed out state-side using a buffing wheel in our office. Thank God that has stopped, as it was costing us a lot of man-hours fighting the red beast. There wasn't ONE SPOT OF RUST on this last shipment.
Note: the reason that khukuri quality levels rise independently based upon model type is that different shops that TB runs specialize in different styles of khukuris. Some shops "get it" more than others (the shop in back of TBs home is the best shop, and they always "get it."
Areas that we want to see change: we want the panawals sheaths to be shipped with steel tipped scabbards to match the steel hardware. We want to see ALL frogs thick, supple, and well-made (we're at about 90% right now).
Okay, so that's a window into how we work. I email suggestions to Lalit, who in turn briefs TB, who passes the info on to the bishwakarmas and sarkis.
And as for Lalit being simply a "dealer" - that's just not the case (and that's not a bad thing if you deal in quality merchandise). Sure, he owns two retail shops in Nepal that cater to both locals, tourists, and the nearby british transit camp (those of you who have been in his shops know well his "one price" policy). But Lalit is primarily a manufacturer, with TB as his partner and manufacturing director (to use purely western terms that I'm sure miss the mark a little bit). In fact, in Nepal, I only saw ONE other store, and quality was quite inferior (although they did have the "finger grip khukuri" which was an idea that I had to "borrow." The other khukuris sold in Nepal are primarily sold on the streets by vendors. These are the "cheap tourist junk" that we all have talked about in the past.
If anybody has ANY questions as to how khukuri making operates in Nepal, please ask here. If it's not a trade secret, I'll be glad to share with the group anything I know. Anything I don't know I'll forward to Lalit for an answer.
------------------
Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor