The quality of "Khukuri House", my impressions (long)...

Thanks for talking to us, Bob.
I'm glad everything is being taken care of.
As you can see, we enjoy khukuris and all things khukurish. Our forum is a place of free speech, though I don't think any of us want to see HI forum as a place one thinks of when considereing a bad review of another's products. As you can see, we were very careful in our handling of this matter.

I did not want to rush to any conclusions, that is not our interest here. I'm certainly not going to judge your company by the unfortunate example of only a few khuks, especially considering they are cosmetic variences and do not neccesarily reflect upon the useability of the tool.

I don't want to see our level of communication on this forum, be it of professional matters, another company's products, or our personal stories and characters to ever be a rush to judgement.
NOT here, NOT any time.

Congratulations on a job well done all around, Sir.

As it is all's well that ends well, and I hear the wild turkeys outside my window calling, I'm heading for my first cup of coffee.

I will write my fellow mods and the supermods and see if we can't move this thread to Review.

Thank you Bob Robillard and all for being good guys.


munk
 
I actually do use the chakma, too...

In fact, after getting in the habit of using one for a few passes every .5 hour or so of work with my kuks, I also ran one over The Soldier's Knife after chipping away at some oak for 15 minutes.

John
 
As I mentioned above, I feel that Mr. Robillard has been a very decent person to deal with. My post mentioned how Mr. Robillard offered to make things right, after I informed him of what "I" felt were obvious defects in the knives.
Bob later told me that he had taken a closer look at some of the other knives that "Khukuri House" had sent him and agreed with me about my issues (as he had stated above). This in itself says a lot about him, he is simply a decent person.
Though I initially declined his offer to send the knives back, a few days later I did accept to do just that and we are currently in that process now.

I may have higher expectations then some, maybe even then most as to the visual qualities of a knife, but this is why I will forever say that I understand and accept that opinions will vary.

My visual review of these two KH knives are honest ones. They are simply "my impressions" and I would not expect for everyone to agree with them. That is where I say........ "I respect the other's views".

If by sharing my views and photos it causes KH to take a closer and harder look at what they are sending out, then this seemingly insignificant review may actually do some good. Bob himself has said that he will now be taking a harder look at what he gets from KH. This is already a very positive step. It will mean that, even if KH does not look a little harder, Mr. Robillard will. He, as the main ebay dealer for them now, will have much leverage over them. He will most likely put some friendly pressure on them to be more careful and consistant in all aspects of their Quality Control.

The original post in this thread shares "my" impressions of these two KH knives. It also gives "my" opinion as to whether or not they seem to be worth buying, based on the two specimens that I received and based on my opinions.
Though I was not happy with the quality level of these two KH knives, I have nothing at all negative to say about Bob (Mr. Robillard).

Again, he's simply a Good person.
 
This thread has been moved from Himalayan Imports to Review, the appropriate place for it.



Thanks,
munk
 
Thanks for taking the time to share your impressions with us. The close-up photos were especially helpful. Please post again with your impressions of the replacement products.

The small cracks wouldn't bother me, depending on the products' prices of course. The large crack that appears to go completely through the blade would concern me, and I'd be disappointed in the handle on chakma.

Since you're interested in collecting Khukris of various makers, you might consider one of the Atlanta Cutlery antiques that are currently available. It appears their selection is dwindling, but they still have Longleaf and "Bhojpure" models from the 1800s.

0401124_d_000.jpg


Best Wishes,
Bob
 
Bob W said:
Thanks for taking the time to share your impressions with us. The close-up photos were especially helpful. Please post again with your impressions of the replacement products.

The small cracks wouldn't bother me, depending on the products' prices of course. The large crack that appears to go completely through the blade would concern me, and I'd be disappointed in the handle on chakma.

Since you're interested in collecting Khukris of various makers, you might consider one of the Atlanta Cutlery antiques that are currently available. It appears their selection is dwindling, but they still have Longleaf and "Bhojpure" models from the 1800s.

0401124_d_000.jpg


Best Wishes,
Bob
Click to expand...


Thank you. I will not be getting Khukuri House replacements, I instead opted for a full refund.
Bob, (Mr. Robillard of Khukuri House USA), completely came through. He not only sent me a full refund (which included my original shipping charges), but also sent me money to cover return shipping.
As I had expressed earlier, though I was not impressed with the product, Mr. Robillard's customer service was top notch.
I "may" purchase Khukuri House products in the future to have something that represents them in my newly started collection, but I will most likely wait a while before I make that decision.
I "will" share my "visual impressions" of the knives that I order and receive for this new collection of mine, but will most likely limit to posting them on the "Knifeforum's" khukuri forum.
I again thank you for your response, which proved to me that at least some folks appreciate an honest "visual review" of a product. Before reading your response, I was honestly thinking of maybe scrapping the whole idea of posting these "visual reviews".
It takes quite a while for a layman like myself to write up such a review and to then couple the review with carefully taken photos. It's my way of sharing my impressions. To then have people look down on such a review because it did not include running the knife/knives through the mill (function testing), well, I just feel it squeezes out collector folks like myself that regard quality to be more than a one sided coin. I love to read performance reviews on modern made knives, they actually help me in deciding what may be worth looking in to (for my own purchases).
You see, I look at the other side of the khukuri coin to be their visual qualities. Even so, I find little on knife forums (any knife forum) that specifically shares much in the visual aspects/qualities of these knives. I tried to offer some of that in this review, and find that it mostly received a cold welcome.

Your post, as well as some of the others above, prove that not all people find this type of visual review as being worthless :)

Thank you again.
 
I sincerely hope you continue to write your "impressions" of the knives you purchase. The writing was clear and the photos backed up what you wrote.

I write quicky-reviews of some of my knife orders, with the simple objective of informing potential buyers what to expect. I'll leave hard-core performance reviews up to others.

Best Wishes,
-Bob
 
My brother recently purchased a chitlange from kukrihouse and provided this to me as a gift for Xmas-what a gift! I could find no flaws and the forging and grinds of the 12 inch blade are well-formed. The balance is incredible, it feels alive in the hand. The polish is like a mirror, and with a kiss from a diamond stone it shaves hair. The horn handle is long, with no cracks or blemishes. I can't wait to have it in the woods just to see what it can do, though I hate to hurt the finish. It is a work of art...
I have used a kukri of one sort or another for 10-12 years and they have served me well. My other is a HI british army with only a 9 inch blade but it bites and chops with a fury. I have the highest respect for the kamis who create these blades and their skills are most apparent not just when looking at one, but in their use. I have many, many knives and will not have one unless it can boast a razor edge. Both kukris are capable of this. Of all the tools I have used over the years, from bowies, machetes, axes, etc. the kukri has beaten all of them hands down. If I only had one knife to take with me to the mountains, a kukri would be it. I feel that these knives, after using them for some time, have their own personality. Like any tool, it is the user and not the tool that determines how well a job is done. A kukri won't slice tomatoes that well, but that's what a kitchen knife is for. As far as ch opping goes, the kukri will always be my favorite. It is okay to collect knives, but who can have something sharp around and not see how it cuts? The more a person uses them, the more they will grow on you. I hope this helps. I can say one thing, I have kukris from both HI and Kukrihouse-both of which I would trust my life with. No plastic, no rubber, no bull. They are handmade, strong, and both made extremely well. Once you handle one, chop with one, build a fire with one or whatever-I feel with their use you will not be disappointed. Just my two cents...
 
JimmyJimenez
Your experience is regrettable, but did you do your research in advance?
I've seen a dozen or so Khukiris in my time, and I've never seen one without some blemishes as you describe. These are primitive implements, constructed under primitive conditions.

See:
http://www.himalayan-imports.com/shop2c - kami sherpa and kami.jpg

http://www.himalayan-imports.com/bir gorkha - 2.jpg

http://www.himalayan-imports.com/billasakami.jpg

Another thing to keep in mind is some materials (bone, horn, wood), unless stabilized, are prone to crack when subjected to different climates. These materials originate from humid climates, and formed to fit and secured under stress in humid climates. So even if you get your hands on an authentic perfect specimen, you may discover in time that the handles may develop cracks due to drier ambient conditions where you live. This doesn't mean it's sub-standard, just that you inadvertently have subjected it to extremely different conditions.

My $.02.

TT2Toes
 
I'm a little surprised this thread is still getting new life into it. Mr Jimenez has not been seen for quite a few weeks, but has taken the time to appear in a another Knife forum where he's stated he was poorly recieved here in HI where we were defensive and not objective. He left shortly after one of his threads were removed into a more general knife discussion venue.

My impresson of JJ is that he had an agenda and the kind of threads he posted while here briefly support this. What that agenda is I could not say, only observe that he was apparently easily offended and looked for offense.

I think KH is probably a decent company. Any handmade items, particularly in modest price ranges, are going to be less than CMC perfect.



munk
 
"I think KH is probably a decent company. Any handmade items, particularly in modest price ranges, are going to be less than CMC perfect."
- MUNK

I so totally agree, dude! Hey, from what I read? Most average models cost anywhere between $20 - $30 a piece at the place of origin, if not less? So I woudn't even begin to compare what most of these 3rd world workshops produce with the perfection arising from the use of hi-tech machinary. But this is not to say that basic machining skills aren't present in these traditional type workshops. Nepal is after all an improvished nation with political woes. And it wouldn't be fair to compare the finishes found on their cutlery/metalwork products. As I believe each individual blade there is handfinished to the best of the ability of each workshop hand with what basic tools available at an affordable production cost. An honest hard days work, for a low basic wage. Way I see it, that a fair deal wouldn't you say?
 
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