There can only be one

[1361]

I found this place while poking around for info an a Kukri. I'd like to get one. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to knives/blades. It seems that Kailash Blades is pretty highly rated. Looking at the website, I've had as many as six different styles in my cart. I've narrowed it down to 3.
1. Angkhola Ek Chirra - 11"
2. Angkhola Dui Chirra - 13"
3. Mutiny - 14"
I'll likely rarely use this. It will probably just stay in my RV for use while camping. My intended use is for venturing out into the forest/mountains. Clearing the path so to speak. Having a substantial blade aids in giving me added confidence to venture in a little deeper. Maybe some light use around the camp when needed. The smaller and lighter 11" Ek Chirra seems like a good choice for this. That said, the larger 13" Dui Chirra is just beautiful and would handle the chore nicely I think. This is probably what I'll end up with. The 14" Mutiny is the lightest, and would probably be the best choice. It only comes with a rat tail tang and I'm just not sure about it's longevity. Although, I wouldn't be against trying it. The Mutany seems popular on here. Has anyone had handle problems?
I'd like to hear opinions on my three choices. Especially if you have first hand experience/knowledge with these.
My main questions are handle sizing, rust prevention and sheath choices.
Handle sizing. When I use the example here, I'm about 4". This puts me in the medium size. Would going to the large make the handle seem too big and less usable? Would a large size give me more flexibility or just make it seem less stable? My gut says to size up to a large, but if a med would work better, I'll do that. Any input from those who know?
Side note/question. Can I order the Scourge style handle with my three choices?
Rust prevention. I'd acid wash any blade I get. It says its the best corrosion resistant finish they have. What's the best way to store this in my rv to preserve it's finish and keep rust away? In sheath preferably. Leather seems like it would retain oil and would work best for this?
Sheath selection. I like the looks of the Dap style sheaths, but I question their long term durability. Kydex seem like the toughest. but leather seems like it might hold onto rust preventing oil the best. Any opinions here?

Can you help an under educated first time kukri buyer out please?

Kind regards
Dennis

 

[Kailash Blades]

Hey there Dennis!
It can definitely be intimidating to dive in. I think you'll find lots of people in this forum willing to chip in on their experiences with the mutiny in particular. THe ek and dui chirra are not quite as popular these days.

Let's start with clarifying some key points:

Rat tail vs full tang: We've not seen any difference in durability for rat tail vs full tang blades that are used for chopping, brush clearing, striking etc. Full tang blades are capable of hard prying and digging though and are more resilient when being struck on the handle with a baton (micarta only). Whether you need this utility in your blade should be the first decision you make and will then influence blade choice and length from there. If you don't need that utility then a rat tail will give you a lighter blade, a better chopping balance and likely a better feel in hand.

This decision can then help influence other decisions: If you're going full tang then the 11" ek chirra is probably better avoided. It's a relatively lightweight blade and with a heavy full tang handle the blade will be a bit handle heavy and and not quite chop how you expect a khukuri too. A scourge handle can be added to any of these blades but it's even heavier than a regular full tang handle. The 14" mutiny would likely need to be beefed up a touch to ensure nice blade presence to counter the hefty scourge handle. We also have a more streamlined scourge handle we use on some customs that trims a little weight (shorter guard, no exposed tang) that would be a better move in my view.

In order to split these models up further we need to know a little more about the kind of use this blade will be seeing and what tasks are the most important. It sounds to me like you're looking for a blade to blaze a trail through the scrub with? or is this something you're more going to have on hand as you pick your way through the woods to clear the odd obstacle or problem when necessary? What's the biggest diameter you'll be expecting to get through regularly? How much thin, flexible viney stuff will you be seeing? Will you have the space to swing a large blade? How long into the mountains will you be hiking?

Other questions:
- Handle sizing is very personal. I feel that there are a lot of advantages to having a reasonably snug and well fitting khukuri handle, but there are plenty out there that size up and still love their blades. If you don't have super meaty hands and don't plan on using big gloves frequently then the medium will be great I feel. The potential benefits of the smaller handle are lower weight, more dialed, passive retention that allows for a more relaxed grip and a more forwards weight. All good things. The risk is that the handle (particularly the buttcap) causes discomfort, hotspots etc. This is a concerning problem so I can understand the tendency for people to size up when not confident.
-I don't think the sheath makes much of a difference for rust prevention. If the blade is lightly oiled going in, it'll be lightly oiled coming out. I store my blades in sheath for space efficiency reasons and haven't found it to cause rusting issues. Just make sure it's cleaned of any gunk when it goes in for long storage.
-I think the long term durability of a dap depends on your environment and care. It's softwood, wrapped in (admittedly very durable) leather. But that means it doesn't like water or drying quickly and needs oiling etc. Western leather is more resistant to the elements and kydex again on a whole other level in this aspect.

Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash

 

[CapitalizedLiving]

I have a few khukuri including a full tang 11" Dui Chirra and I can confirm what Andrew says about full tang on the short blade... it's a lot of weight in the handle and isn't going to aid in performance. Maybe it's more durable but I'm not planning on running it over with a truck or using it to pry open a tank.

I love my 14" Mutiny but it's a fighter for sure, I COULD take it in the woods but if I'm both clearing brush and splitting wood I'd go for one of the Angkhola models. It's simply too long and too light to really apply as an all-rounder, in my own opinion.

The 13" Dui Chirra is going to be massive and not easy to pack or carry on your person, and would be overkill for most civilian applications.

So I'd say go with Option #1, in stick tang. The large handle should be fine and won't be too cumbersome given the weight and balance, and would give you extra room for when you're wearing heavy gloves or when your hand is sliding around due to fatigue or moisture.

 

[Bill_Melater]

Like Andrew said, some people like the long handles, others like myself, do not. My hand size is pretty much the same as yours (holding a ruler firm the meat of my hand goes down to 4") and on my recent order (Pensioner and Falo) I got long handles and I prefer the medium to the point where I will likely order another Pensioner. To me, having that handle flare up under your hand really helps lock things in place so I don't fell like I have to hold on as tightly. I did some practice swings for this and while I can say gloves helped with the long handle, I still felt better with the medium. I tried with a Mechanix glove and an insulated deerskin glove on a long handle pensioner and a 14" medium handled sirupate which is actually my smallest handled khukuri. I'm a huge fan of the traditional handle with the flare and ring. The flare is functional and can't do any good if it's too far from your hand, in my opinion.

As for rust, just be sure to keep the blades well oiled and you should be fine. I usually keep mine in the dap sheath with a healthy coating of Ballistol for storage. I'm not sure if one option is more prone to moisture retention but I notice the leather sheath tends to take oil off the blade more than the dap but, I'll let a longer term user of that sheath style speak to that. Otherwise, I like having a dap for tradition and storage but I prefer the western style for carrying after getting my first one.

There's a lot of great reviews on this forum. If you have the time, give them a read even if they aren't exactly what you're looking for. I've found other topics tend to answer questions you might have or ones you maybe never thought of.

 

[1361]

Thanks for the responses. I've spent way too much time reading about Khukuris and Kailash Blades.
I feel like I should change this title to "There can only be TWO". I'm heavily leaning towards a 9.5" and 11.5" HSI's. Built to identical specs for a matching set look. The lighter weight and more control seem like a perfect place for me to start. That said, I might do something similar with a couple Panawal's in 9" and a 11". I realize I'd be trading the control, flick-ability and weight advantage for more handle customization offered with full tangs. I'd like some form or variation of an M43 Martial, Plain Jane Bowie and/or Scourge.
This presents me with another bridge that needs crossing. How exactly would these be used? As I age, I realize, I'm not going out cutting paths through over grown areas. The most I'd likely ever see is clearing away few branches that have fallen/grown across a trail. These would mostly be used for camping. Western style camping in an RV. Light use with camp set up/take down, clearing of things in the way and cooking duties would probably be all they're ever used for. Rarely if ever seeing hard/prolonged use. More often being used as conversation pieces. I'm no collector, but the reality is, these will see little use. More heirloom type knives.
This brings me to another bridge to cross, blade finish. I'm not a fan of the satin or raw finish. It really comes down to polished or acid washed. The majority of blades I saw were polished. This makes for an exceptional looking knife. I also saw quite a few older blades that had a polished finish with small rust spots. Yet, I never saw a blade that was clearly identified as acid washed. Whatever I get will no doubt be neglected by a collector's standards. I would like to have the added corrosion resistance. What would be the maintenance difference between the two? Would I be able to keep a polished blade nice and shiny with a simple washing and wipe down with an oiled cloth? Would the acid wash hold up better with the same wash and oil wipe? Usage scratching. I imagine they would add character to an acid wash finish. These seem like they'd be more of an issue on polished blades. Are light scratches easy enough to polish out?
Can someone show me pictures of both new and used acid washed blades?
I'd also like to add some small something to id them as a set. Perhaps some small marking on the blade, something uncommon on the handles. Maybe some small modification to blade shape like here. Something to personalize these and make them mine. Any ideas?

 

[Bill_Melater]

I've accepted that I could never settle on 1, let alone 2. I have a go-to, but it really is more of a question of optimization in a given context.

I can't speak much to camp tasks and brush clearing without going heavily into personal preferences but rust prevention is pretty standard. The two sides are that a polished surface won't retain moisture like a rougher surface but it also won't retain oil which will be your best preventative measure, especially if you don't want to keep an eye on them. I read a lot of hype about how rust prone carbon steels are but in my experience, so long as you keep them decently oiled, it really hasn't been a big deal but a fair big of that has to do with the climate you're in. It's pretty mild most of the year where I live and I had a polished blade I didn't check for a couple years and it was fine but the risk was there. Just be sure not to put a dirty blade back in the sheath you plan to store it in.

I don't have experience with the acid wash finish but with my satin, raw or polished blades, they will be scuffed with every use and in many cases "stained" and an oily rag is not enough to shine it up again. A simple scrub pad will clean it up but any polished finish will have to be re-polished if you want the parade ready finish back. I've never re-polished any of my blades but the scuffs don't bother me.

 

[Kailash Blades]

For this lighter duty camp context I think the 11.5" HSI is not a bad choice. It's light, easy to use, capable of brush clearing while having decent cutting performance.
The panawal is more of a heavy duty beater khukuri and with that comes a reduction in cutting performance. It would be most notable in cooking duties for you. This blade excels at hard chopping, batoning and prying. If these aren't of interest then consider something leaner.

I think that a plain jane could be a great choice also- it's a great cutter and will handle food prep, carving, chopping through small branches and will baton and pry well. Could pair well with the HSI for a pretty varied and capable combo.
The regent long knife is similar to the plain jane but a bit longer and with a more classic and simple handle. It's not as handy for carving but it will give better chopping power and also better brush clearing due to the length. It's a versatile and very capable camp knife- my personal favourite modern blade in our lineup.

I would recommend getting some blades that are at different ends of the performance spectrum to give you the widest set of capabilities with minimal functional overlap. You'll have a more fun and varied user experience also.
For personalisation we can do matching finishes, hardware handle materials etc. We could do a custom micarta colour combo to tie the pair together. We can also do laser/electrochemical engraving of a name, logo etc. Plenty of other little changes we can make to match them. Pattern changes will be expensive and potentially compromise utility.

Acid washed blades are very clearly identifieable. If you google acid wash kailash blades you will find many indentified examples.
Here Are Three.
For worn examples I can only think of 2 examples. Both are regent long knives. One is on our product page for the regent long knife (non shiny example). This one has seen a lot of use and is a complex and dark patina now. Washing and reoiling will get it here eventually.

If you want a finish that will change and develop with use get the acid wash. If you want a finish which you can bring back to looking brand new (with fine abrasives, polish and elbow grease) get polished.

Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash

 

[1361]

I'm warming up to the idea of a Regent Long Knife. Perhaps a Regent Khukuri as well for my matching set idea? The blade shape of the Regent Khukuri looks similar to a Scourge Anniversary. I like it. Could these be made with a combination of the Plain Jane and M43 handles? I like the larger index finger protection of the Plain Jane. Something with smaller finger grooves or like the more streamlined / traditional middle section of the m43. I also like the more rounded end of the Regent. It would be nice to do all this and keep the large-ish heavy front bolster. Would this even be possible?
If I had this engraved, would it be visible with an acid wash? ॐ भैरवाय नमः I hope that is in a traditional Nepalese script. Oṁ bhairavā namaḥ is what I want in Nepalese Script. Is this kind of Script engraving possible?

 

[Kailash Blades]

The team don't have any Devanagari letter punches so if you'd like that engraved it will need to be done externally either by a hand carving craftsman (slower, expensive) or laser engraving (cheaper, quicker).

The index finger protection on the regent long knife is actually much more prominent than the m43 martial or plain jane- the heel acts as a guard and goes down quite far.
While the handle you're describing for the regent khukuri is possible it's too involved for the current level of custom operations that we're open for right now. If you'd like we can extend the heel of the regent khukuri down further to give a bit of extra finger protection but it's actually pretty prominent already- a bit moreso than on the m43 martial.

 

[1361]

Thanks for putting up with all of my questions.
If I go with a Regent Long Knife and Khukuri with steel hardware, would the "plate brass bolster at the front" Still stay brass or would this be changed to steal as well?
I'm also considering a Plain Janne Bowie with a Scourge Anniversary. Would reducing the front finger guard on the Scourge handle to be more like that of the Plain Jane be do-able? I'd also like to include the extended tang of the Scourge handle onto the Plain Jane. Would these 2 modifications be possible or would this be too involved as well?

Thanks again for enduring my questions and for providing me with informed direction.

Kind regards
Dennis

 

[Kailash Blades]

Hey there Dennis-
If you choose steel hardware then the bolster at the front will be steel. It will change to match whatever material you choose. We already have some patterns with a reduced finger guard for the scourge so this is doable. The plain jane handle shape won't work with the extended tang of the same shape as the scourge's as the handle itself is a different shape. In this situation I'd ask what purpose the extended tang needs to serve and potentially we could find an alternate solution or tang extension that can solve the problem.

 

[1361]

My thinking is that the extended tang on the Plain Jane could work for light hitting/tapping with the butt. Even just a mm or two would do it. That said, it's not an issue.
What's the best way to order with these small changes? Should I just order on the website and put some comments in the notes? Should we switch to email for the details?

 

[Kailash Blades]

I think if you want to hammer things in it could be better to swap to a butt plate rather than an extended tang. Our extended tangs are more of a defensive option rather than utilitarian. Alternatively I've often had success with hammering with the back of the spine (thicker than the extended tang) or more frequently the side of the blade- the knife will be just fine.