Please straighten me out. Thanks.

Walking Man

Walking Man

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3 -- Beautiful 18" 2 pound AK by Kumar. Chiruwa horn handle with finger grooves. Designed for a lefty but I could use it and I'm right handed. Perfect rig. $75 and high on the scale of UBBBs.

That is my first Khukri..... It's a special (special pricing, that is, I think). From what I understand UBBBs (please let me know what that stands for) is part of the "lower class" of khukris, right? That is, the working man's Khuk, not less functional, just less pretty.
Okay, what I'm really trying to ask is what do you get with each level of knife? Do they all come with sheaths and those miniknives (can't remember the name, sorry) or not?
Also, which khuks are covered by Bill's guarantee, and if not, which ones are?
 
Hi, Walking Man.

Welcome to the forum.

UBBB = Uncle Bill's Best Buy.

They are posted almost every weekday, except when Bill is out of town. They can be either blems (blemished khuks), or a product that Uncle Bill feels he has too many of.

If they are blems, he will list exactly what the blemish. Usually, it is a problem with the handle, especially the horn, which tends to develop hairline (mostly cosmetic) cracks, easily fixed with superglue.

Sometimes there is a small problem with the sheath.

And sometimes, Bill can't figure out why they are blems, but his wife Yangdu said they are, so they are.

I have over 30 khuks, all purchased since Oct. 2002, and all of them posted to this forum as blems or overstocks.

Love them all and have not had a problem with them that I didn't cause myself.

As far as I know, everything posted here has the usual HI unconditional warranty. To be really sure though, call or email Uncle Bill.

Hope you enjoy the khuk. If you even slightly like it (and you wouldn't have bought it otherwise), it ain't gonna be your last. The little darlings are addictive. As a first one, it's a great choice. Never tried one with finger grooves. Please let us know how you like it.
 
UBBBs = Uncle Bill's Bargain Buys.
They are the non-blem khukuris that get sold on the forum at reduced prices. The Chiruwa with finger grooves models are only available on the forum so far.
If Uncle Bill says it's a perfect rig, you can bank on it.
Unless he mentioned it, it should come with the sheath, chakma and karda.
If an item is a blem, he will mention it in detail. Usually it's a small crack in the horn handle that can be fixed with epoxy or superglue. If it has any blemishes, it will surely be mentioned in his description.
 
Originally posted by Walking Man .....Designed for a lefty .......Perfect rig. $75 and high on the scale of UBBBs.
Click to expand...
Best buy because of amazing low price
(check HI sale website for price of a plain Chiruwa AK)
for a non-blem khuk, full kit.
I'd guess because there's not much call for a Left-handed khuk.
Let us know how you like it once you get to use it.
Welcome.
 
It will be so beautiful you will marvel at the craftsmanship, so well balanced it's utility will seem effortless, so "at-one" with your hand that you will question whether to put it down, or just walk around holding it.

It definitely IS NOT a workingman's rough tool, but rather a perfectly finished product of masters of the art. You did not settle on less, you opted for more.

You got it.

Congratulations, and welcome.
 
I guess these other guys have pretty well covered it for you. About the warranty, as I understand it, it's there unless specific mention is made to the contrary. I don't believe UBBB's are necesarily lower in quality or finish, just sometimes he's in a generous mood. Oh, and you're going to love that knife. I just got one of those, it's amazing. I had to filework the finger grooves to open them up, but now it fits my hand like a glove. Enjoy yours, it's sure to be a beauty.
 
Okay, I give, what's the difference between a Karda and a Chakma?
BTW, I know I read somewhere about some Khuk's being Villager's knives..... High quality but Not Pretty also, and low on price. Or is my mind just telling me stories? (no, that doesn't happen very often :) )
 
Karda: Small utility knife.
Chakma: Burnishing tool that is used to realign the edge of the khukuri during use.

Basically the Karda has an edge and the Chakma is left blunt. It's often difficult in small pictures to tell which is which they are so similar in shape.

About the villagers, they are offered very infrequently. The actual villagers are khukuris made by village kamis, similar to Old West blacksmiths in that they serve the metalworking needs of an entire village. HI buys some of the khuks they produce and sells them at a much lower price than the standard HIs. Some owners like theirs better than the standard models because they are roughly finished but extremely tough and functional. When I say rough, I mean they usually have grind marks and forging scale left on the blades. They are users to the highest degree though. I've seen them described as the ugliest knife you'll ever love. The villager style khuks are produced at the HI factory by their own kamis, but finished much more roughly than the standard models. There haven't been too many of these made that I'm aware of, although I think they are a great idea and would like to pick one up myself someday.

Also, I just wanted to say, very eloquently put Kismet. I think you absolutely nailed the essence of a UBBB.
 
Welcome to the cantina, Walking Man. The AK, in my opinion, is one of the best you can get.
 
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