There's alway room for improvement. Suggestions and comments, please!

I like what Steven said about the wider and more curving traditional style. The 18th century model is like that. ---- Wonder how the old gorkhas kept the chakma & karda & khukuri secure in the scabbard? Maybe some kind of sap or something. ------Now here is another idea which is not far from tradition, ---a heavy canvas covered scabbard, --- "Rhino Horn" handle khukuri. ---I know it will not get by customs but what the heck. ----We need John Powell in here.

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:
We seem to have gotten the kardas and chakmas pretty much up to what the lengths should be that we think are correct sizes.

I would like to see them both be a bit harder like the 10" Kumar Karda.

I really do think it's a cultural difference as we are used to using the smaller knives and put more importance on them and the chakmas than the kamis and other Nepali people do.



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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

If you mix milk of magnesia with vodka and orange juice do you get a phillips screwdriver?

Khukuri FAQ


 
Suggestions;

1. Payment by credit card. If you added this option, it'd be disastrous for me; I'd be broke. Please consider it...

2. A price list on the website

3. A list of what's in stock

4. I collect tulwars. I'd love to learn how to fence with one, but I don't want to beat up on my 18th & 19th century examples. If the kamis would consider making one, I'd be very interested indeed.

 
Broken Arrow, you're absolutely right that the goal should be to get the "grindlines" as dead-perfect as on a classic Japanese piece. Now that they've got power grinding wheels this IS possible; a Mad Dog Panther is as clean as an old Katana and Kevin uses a bench-mounted powergrinder while holding the blade freehand.

Same tech the Kamis have now.

They just have to practice with grinders, and they need to physically see and handle an example of the quality level they need to strive for. That's being taken care of, Bill knows what I'm talking about.

I believe BirGhorka *should* branch out beyond Khukuris. The economics of what they're doing favors a higher average per-blade value because shipping and handling are identical for a $75 villager and a $300 "ultimate". HI shouldn't totally abandon the low end, because that's where new customers come from and HI's repeat biz is *excellent*.

Upshot: a small but steady stream of something worth $400 or so would be a welcome addition, serve as a "flagship product" and demonstration of ability and generate interest in the lower end goods too. The relative profit would be superb because Bill and the US crew would have to do only 1/4th the work as selling four $100 items, in terms of sales, inspection/cleanup, packing and shipping. Right now the flagship role is being handled by the extreme decorative pieces Bura does but...those aren't for all tastes.

The kamis are used to roles as "general purpose metalsmiths". In classic times they'd make farm implements, metal door hinges, bells, swords, spearheads, arrowheads, whatever. Make 'em "stick with khukuris" and they'll get bored out of their skulls
smile.gif
.

Jim
 
Put me down for the more graceful points and the clean, even grind lines. I also would like a chiruwa option for any blade of sufficient size for a full tang (say 12" and up), excepting, of course, intricately carved handles. Choice of handle material, as has been previously suggested, would be nice also. I would like it if the kamis would try to hide the seam of the brass fittings where they have been annealed--somewhere such as at the bottom edge of the blade for the bolster or back side of the scabbard chape.

I ordered an 18" Chiruwa WWII from Uncle Bill with a lot of custom features, such as silver fittings, and a mildly carved handle, so getting what I wanted wasn't a problem, but perhaps there should be an a la carte menu for custom features by blade size, with approximate prices (e.g., full tang, add $30 to any model marked with an " * ," Handle materials are: bone, $40, water buffalo, standard, etc.).


This is an idea for anyone who thinks the handles are too small: trace around your hand and send it to Uncle Bill so that he may give the tracings to the kamis. While they may not be able to read, they will certainly get an idea of average american hand size and design handles accordingly.
 
I agree about bulbous designs; traditional and hardworking they may be, but I prefer slimmer designs. However, you have slimmer designs already, so there's no need for improvement. To my aesthetic sensibilities, the Gelbu Special is the perfect and most beautiful khukuri. Indeed, perhaps the perfect and most beautiful knife. Make sure there are plenty of these, so I can get one when I have the cash laying around.

Veering from tradition, I've never been fond of the brass on the tip of the sheath. It looks busy to me. I don't know if you make any sheaths without them, but I would sure go for that.

Thanks for this opportunity to humbly offer suggestions, Uncle Bill. Your business attitude is one of the two reasons I have decided that I will purchase an HI khukuri. The other reason, of course, is the product.
 
I'll echo & expand on the call for more handle material choices. I'll also contradict myself at the same time.
smile.gif
As much as I am a big fan of natural handle materials (stag, bone, horn, etc.), I'd like to see some micarta handles added to the lineup -- before I get jumped on too much, I'm not talking just black. Coral micarta polishes up very nicely & looks very much like red ivory. White micarta requires extra care in finishing but, done right, looks like polished bone or ivory.

While I realize that micarta would probably have to be imported into Nepal, adding to the initial cost of goods, I don't think the overall impact on cost would be that significant. In fact, when you consider the number of khuks that are deeply discounted & classified as blems due to handle cracks & chips, its use might actually allow for a greater overall return w/o the necessity of unit price increases.

Another option I'd like would be the addition of silver mounted models. The Kothimoda is beautiful but I can't imagine my ever taking one into the field. My khuks are users & I'm not looking for additional adornments. What I would like is to see silver used in place of brass as an option on some "standard" models. I could be wrong but, with silver prices fairly low, I don't see too much of a price increase resulting.

I know, Bill
wink.gif
-- the horror of more SKUs -- but you did ask.
biggrin.gif


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Cheers,

--+Brian+--

aka Dagda the Insatiable, Member of the Terrible Ironic HORDE
"I may be goin' to hell in a bucket, Babe, but at least I'm enjoyin' the ride."
 
Frank, I'd be willing to bet that the brass caps on the bottoms of the sheaths are "hiding" the knots and crossover points on the leather.

In other words, without the cap you'd get a nasty ugly spot...and if they tried to not do the ugly, a major part of the sheath's structure would be shot.

Bill can probably confirm that but...betcha I'm right
smile.gif
. If so, stick with tradition on this point...

Jim
 
I too would like to see a wider range of handle materials available. I would also like to see some thick, heavy duty buttcaps for the utility models. (Ang Kholas and such)

Mike
 
Uncle Bill- Careful! With all this digesting you're doing I'd hate to see you get indigestion! Another suggestion: Some kind of heavy, durable fabric sheath covering like canvas or Nylon for your lower end villagers.
Always a pleasure Uncle Bill,
Sutcliffe
 
Still digesting. I'll have to sort all this out this weekend when I have more free time. We are overloaded at present. Got in two parcels and we are trying to get back orders shipped. I don't have time to even post what we got -- but most of it will be gone by Monday anyway so why bother.

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Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ

 
bcaffery/Brian:

There's a knife supply company at the top of the page in the rotating ads. It carries RED buffalo horn. The cost from shipping it to the US, turning around and shipping it to Nepal is probably prohibitive.

However, finding out where it comes from ( in India most likely, ) and buying it there, and then shipping directly to Nepal by ground, could bring in in much cheaper. How much customs would charge? Probably far less than if bought, shipped to US, then on to Nepal.

I am against micarta. In the Kothimoda thread I go into one reason, that ( for me ) brass and non-natural materials don't seem to conduct the soul of the blade as do once living things like horn or wood. This may not happen with others at all. But there's a couple more even better reasons.

First, the 400% tax plus $10 per kilo air freight.

Second, and this may not be a problem, but is micarta toxic to the lungs? I went through barely staying off oxygen a while back, and not being able to breath is bad, Bad, BAD!
We don't want to cause black lung for the kamis. If it's not toxic snd can be gotten into Nepal without paying ungodly taxes, fine. If I don't want micarta, then I'll ask for wood or horn or bone.

Exotic woods, especially if stabilized are another possibility.

[This message has been edited by Rusty (edited 01-14-2000).]
 
Jim, I bet you're right. Perhaps some sort of matte black for the sheath end cap. I realize that means something other than brass, which means a hassle...

Ah, what the hey
smile.gif
 
Anytime we depart from the norm it's a hassle! Special orders always give the kamis and sarkis problems, too. It is so difficult to deal with people on the other side of the world in a different language -- especially when most of them don't read and write.

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Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ

 
An optional leather strap on scabbard at the center of its spine will help holding the scabbard safer and tighter when unsheathing, and also prevent from holding wrong sidecfor me at least. It doesn't have to be sewed on the scabbard but can be a frog extension. I know it's no difficult job for amateurs to do it themselves if needed, and may look like a walking circle for an expert. But it will also help additional variety of carrying in the field like hunging it horizontally from belt.

Having Gelbu Special a symmetrical design to make an HI smatchet sounds nice to me now, but I'm not sure I could hold the idea after I receive my GS that will deny me any modification/change by its perfection of design and balance. Oh, I'm drifting into wish list againc

Will sending hand stamps of ours to Uncle Bill then to kamis help to resize or reconsider the standard handle sizes? Traditional handle seems ideal to Nepali standard size of hands and they have no clue how it should be in US market except one example of Uncle Bill's, but I'm afraid kamis think Uncle Bill is an exception than a standard.

No serious suggestion: a cho capable of opening bottle caps. One more trouble for future archaeologist about cho's meaning!

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\(^o^)/ Mizutani Satoshi \(^o^)/
 
KIT BLADES!!!!!
Fulltang/full slab, hidden/rat tail tangs, hilts/pommels, sheaths, etc...
I also like the smatchet idea.
-Redleg out.

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"Blessed is the Lord my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle..." excerpted from Psalms 144.
 
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