Question for Pala: what's the story behind the junk Indian Khukuris?

Jim March

Jim March

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 7, 1998
Messages
3,022
For decades now I've seen various low-grade "kukris" that were just...horrible. Generally they're around 15" overall, the blades are invariably warped really bad, the twist is usually to the right. The sheaths are often decent but there's two small mutant stubs of metal that obviously represented some small functional blades of some unknown sort, what I now realize is supposed to be the Karda and Chakma. The edges on the main blades were generally not real sharp, often downright blunt.

They all had "India" stampings.

What puzzles me is that I figured they must be "leaf spring metallurgy" because of the twists; I figured they'd been inadequately pounded out flattish. But you say the Nepalese cheapos are old rails or other scrap.

I guess what I'm getting at is, why would anybody go to the trouble of hauling total junk halfway around the planet? It seems insane...who or what is dumb enough to create these nightmares in poor steel?

Jim
 
"Labor is zero". Ya, I'd be willing to believe that. Whatever poor souls whipped these horrors out were NOT happy people.

I don't care where you are in the world, basic human nature is to take pride in something handmade. Only someone totally downtrodden thumps out this sort of crap.

I've always been saddened seeing these suckers, realizing the potential of the design and just...shuddering that the execution was that poor. That's why Bill's (as I now realize, Pala's) operation caught my attention.

Jim
 
Jimji, India is a very poor country with a great many people. They do what they must to survive. I think that most of the khukuris that are made for export are made at Dehre Dun. They have hundreds of men pounding steel all day as fast as they can. They are not aiming for quality but for maximum production. The last I checked you could buy a khukuri at the factory for 3 USD -- it may be a little more today. When I upgrade my scabbards I will be paying 3 USD for the leather on the scabbard alone. This will give you some idea as to the difference.

But amazingly sometimes you can find one of these Indian khukuris that is pretty good and there are village kamis in India that make excellent khukuris.

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Pala (Kami Sherpa)
Owner, Himalayan Imports
http://members.aol.com/himimp/index.html
 
:
I have seen mny of these at the G & K shows here.I had one guy tell me one time that the crossed kukris on the scabbard was a Regimental Crest.
It may have been,but it looked just like the cheap 3/16" thick on I had at home.
I guess I am fortunate that I never saw any with any heft to them.If they would have been anywhere any goo thickness I surely would have thought the were real.
I know some of the Philipine Islands stuff "looks" prett good once in a while,but nothing like Kris Cutlery has.
Maybe next month.I will be looking with a closr eye and getting there early Sat. mornin before all the good stuff is gone.
smile.gif



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>>>>---¥vsa---->®
Cornbread ain't s'possed ta be sweet!....Dagnabit gurl,whut did they teach you way up north in ....;) hehehe.


 
All the junk Indian Khukuris I've ever seen (in California) had quite a bit of heft to 'em. Blade thickness at the beefiest part of the spine often runs over 1/4".

But they're warped and ugly and disgusting and...EWWWW!
frown.gif


They were just barely good enough that you could detect one hell of a good idea trying to peek out.

Jim
 
All the junk Indian ones I've seen on Vancouver Island have been badly warped, often with no edge. Poorly chrome plated and marked with small punch marks with "India" near the grip. Usually with little decorations inlayed into the handles.

Just scream "tacky tourist".
 
Namaste all!

Just a couple of days back I received a catalog from some company offering a "genuine Gurka khukuri" for $11.95! It was made in India and the ad said this is what the Gorkhalis carried. I laughed.

------------------
Pala (Kami Sherpa)
Owner, Himalayan Imports
http://members.aol.com/himimp/index.html
 
Jim.
My 1st one is a junk Indian Khukuri. I bought it for about RM60.00 (= US $15).
After I got the real thing (15" AK) from Pakcik Bill, I passed it to a friend because I don't want to litter it around!
When somebody never see the genuine one - of course he will praise the one in front of his eyes - even though it is only a junk!
 
The latest US Cav catalog I got has a khukuri they're selling as the genuine Indian Army Gurkha Regimental Kukri for about $25. It looks absolutely horrible - badly shaped panna butta handle, blade that is literally screaming to be thrown back to the scrapyard, karda and chakma with about an inch long stubs as handles, scabbard with a blob of uneven brass stuck on its tip ... It makes me shake my head in disgust to think that some first-time buyer will pick this up and form an opinion of all khukuris based on this one. Man! I'd like to have a word with whoever supplied these junks to US Cav!

- Sonam

[This message has been edited by gtkguy (edited 29 September 1999).]
 
Sonam, I've probably seen 4 or 5 thousand Gorkhas in my life and I have never seen one carry a khukuri such as those offered as "genuine Gurka issue" in various catalogs. What about you? I'm sure you've seen more Gorkhas than me. Ever see one carry such a khukuri?

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Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
http://members.aol.com/himimp/index.html
 
The U.S. Snail brought me an Atlanta Cutlery catalog today. "The only Kukri that is genuine issue to Gurkha regiments" (double sic) is on the cover.

Another quote: "The 12" blade is an impressive 1/4" thick ..."

You might think a professional satirist like me would be able to think of something sarcastic to say, but how could I say anything funnier than those quotes?

-Cougar Allen :{)
 
Uncle Bill, I've seen quite a few khukuris used by the Gorkhas, and even the beat-up ones which were used to clear fields, chop wood, hammer posts, kitchen-use, etc. were all solid pieces, even if they might be rough n' ugly lookin' as compared to the service khukuris carried in parades and inspections. These rough n' ready "general-use" khukuris were either older "retired" service khukuris, or something they brought back from their villages (a villager khukuri), or something that the regimental kami made for such purposes.

That's why when I first moved to the US, I was taken aback to find these ugly and weird khukuris being sold as genuine official-issue Indian Army Regimental kukris. Yes, I have seen such khukuris - being sold to gullible tourists who don't know any better. Never did I see such "official-issue" khukuris among the Gorkhas. If a Gorkhali were to be given such a khukuri, he'd probably toss it aside and say something like "Theek chhai-na" or "Ramro chhai-na" (Not correct/Not good).

- Sonam
 
Well, Sonam, I figure between the two of us we account for perhaps 10,000 Gorkhas without a single one carrying an "official Gurka kukri." Sounds like something is amiss.

------------------
Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
http://members.aol.com/himimp/index.html


[This message has been edited by Bill Martino (edited 30 September 1999).]
 
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