Which Kikri is the better one?

[Crayola]

I was thinking of kukris the other day and I thought of an awesome question to ask the forumites. I drool over the CS Ghurka kukri, but some of the "real" kukri's from HI look great too. So I was wondering which kukris are the best (CS, HI, Ghurka House, whatever.) I have read articles of "traditional" kukris that hack up tree limbs nicely, but I hear that you can develop a loose butcap very quickly and that the edge out of the box can be crappy. I love the look of Cold Steel's Ghurka kukri, but I wonder whether the price, easily 3 times higher than other kukris, is worth the money! Better steel for sure, but it is also much harder. You can file a new kukri sharp, but this won't work for a CS kukri. Wjat do you think? Anyone ever get a chance to try out both in the field/testing? I wanted to ask here instead of any of the kukri pages to get an objective answer. Looking forward to your responses!

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"Come What May..."

 

[Normark]

Hi Crayola....

I have taken in both a CS Kukri Light and a "Real" Kukri on trade, from a friend who imports them from Nepal....

I must say that the "real" kukri is Not a GH or HI blade, so I can't comment on those, and in no way should this reflect either of those brands....

After carefully looking over my "real" kukri from Nepal,, I've come to the conclusion that it would be extremely Unsafe to use because of the tang has been peened over onto a piece of thin brass. Great looker,, but not a field knife in any way.

The CD kukri is solidly fixed to the Tang and should make a wicked field knife.

I would take a Cold Steel Kukri any day. Seems to be a well made blade.

Please keep in mind that I have Never held a GH or HI Kukri,, but from what I've heard, they are fantastic blades for sure...

ttyle Eric...

I much prefer

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[Cliff Stamp]

Crayola :

So I was wondering which kukris are the best (CS, HI, Ghurka House, whatever.)

I have looked at a couple of khukuris from Gurkha House and they cannot handle the level of stress that the HI ones can without being functionally damaged. However it seems that Craig has been taking steps to improve his product as the second khukuri I had was significantly better than the first.

As for CS, I have not looked at their khukuris but have at their fixed blades (Trailmaster and Recon Scout) which are made out of the same steel as their khukuris. The blades are brittle and weak. I have chipped them out on bone, bent the tip of the Trailmaster and later snapped 7 cm off of it. The grips are also abrasive and insecure and degrade quickly over time with heavy use.

As for warrenties, HI and GH have unconditional ones, CS has a limited time one which only covers materials and manufacturing and warns against doing pretty much everything they hype their blades can do.

Will Kwan has used all three khukuris you may want to drop him an email.

-Cliff

 

[Chiro75]

I have seen and used all three you mentioned, and I own several HI, and one GH. I would go with HI. The loose buttcap is nothing. A squirt of epoxy and the problem is olved forever. Normark is right, that the buttcaps are typically hollow and the tang is peened over them, but the handles are attached like there's no tomorrow, so with an HI or GH khukuri, the buttcap serves only as a finishing touch to the end of the handle, not to actually hold the handle on. My vote over all of them is Himalayan Imports. Great products, great people, 100% service oriented. The best.

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[The Magician]

Someone I think maybe it was cliff stamp did A comparison, and as I recall the HI khukuri outchopped the CS because the CS had A thinner blade that would stick in the wood. Check out HI website and look for the links, They have been tested and compared to several knives. I reccomend the HI hands down over any other khukuri.JMO, Brian

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Bteel :

Someone I think maybe it was cliff stamp did A comparison, and as I recall the HI khukuri outchopped the CS because the CS had A thinner blade that would stick in the wood.

That was Will Kwan.

-Cliff


[This message has been edited by Cliff Stamp (edited 03-09-2000).]

 

[Crayola]

Thanks for all of the great info- and especially the tone. I didn't want any politics at all, just good info. After all, A kukri is not a kukri is not a kukri! Bladeforums is awesome!!!

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"Come What May..."

 

[Johan]

I have a genuine Ghurka kukri that chops great, but the handle is less than comfortable-but I really liked the blade. Solution? The WWIII from GH. A Nepalese blade with micarta handles and kydex sheath. The best of both worlds. Unfortunately it is a limited run (about 40) and most (if not all) are spoken for. Hopefully I'll have mine sometime in May. The CS are good, but I'm not a fan of kraton handles, so much so I won't buy a karton handled knife any more.

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[johnniet]

If you are really interested in a production khukuri, you should consider the Becker Machax. KnifeOutlet has some in stock from the original BK&T for about $90; they are coated vs. rust, and made from 0170-6 steel
(believed to be the same mix as Carbon V).
They also have very nice polymer handles and Kydex sheaths. So for what I see, same or better quality as Cold Steel khukuris at a lower price!
You should also know that
(1) they also have a modified version called the Brute, designed to work like a khukuri but look more like a regular knife (also slightly heavier);
(2) although the old BK&T is out of business,
Camillus will be taking over the production of many of these models (check in the Camillus forum to see the excitement over this!)

HOWEVER: you absolutely cannot go wrong with Himalayan Imports. They are hand-made and differentially tempered, so the edge is super-hard while the rest of the blade absorbs the impact without shock or snapping. The steel is 5160 -- slightly simpler than Carbon V or 0170-6 -- but almost perfect for the intended application (especially in the hands of a good custom maker such as the HI kamis).

And since you used the word "drool" when talking about the CS khukuri blade, I assume that part of your interest in khuks is the "cool" appeal that they have. I must say that to me, it's hard to think of anything "cooler" than an attractive, world-class tool being handmade by mountain blacksmiths on the other side of the planet, using many traditional styles and techniques AND guaranteeing first-world 21st century custom-quality product. Check out the HI forum and see why so many people get addicted.

 

[Yvsa]

:
Crayola I am prejudiced in the khukuris I buy and have 13 of the H.I. khukuri's in many shapes and sizes includeng the H.I. Ang Khola Bowie which at 7/16" thick is probably the toughest Bowie knife on the planet. The only other khukuri I would purchase is some of the old knives that go back before the World Wars.
They aren't suited much to American hands as the people there are smaller and the handles reflect that.

You won't file a "real" khukuri sharp as the sweet spot of the blade is to hard for a file.
On most of mine a new quality file will just barely cut the edge along that part. The tips are left softer as well as the part of the blade nearest the cho. That helps with the type of work they are designed for.
In Nepal the khukuri is used for everything from building a new outhouse to digging potatoes in the fields.
Some where around 1,500 years of use by the people in that part of the world prove to me that they know what knives are about.

The problem with many of the "real" Nepalese khukuri's are that they are made for the tourist trade. Most tourists will pick up the pretty shiney knife and leave the ugly tough village model that will work set.
This is what has led to the belief that khukuris aren't very good knives.

Just my .35 cents.

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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

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[Craig Gottlieb]

There is so much in this thread that I'd like to speak to, but I'll only concentrate on some things that caught my eye.

I must say that the "real" kukri is Not a GH or HI blade, so I can't comment on those

Actually, that is factually incorrect. If you'll look at both the HI and my GH site, you'll see pictures of both Bill and our khukuris being made - the real way. No offense taken at the above statement, but these khukuris are as real as you'll ever get.

The problem with many of the "real" Nepalese khukuri's are that they are made for the tourist trade.

Yvsa couldn't have said it better - the perception of what a real khukuri is has been scued (spelling?) in the past due to the flood of cheap indian and even Nepali tourist imports that can't even be called "Khukuris" but more appropriately, khukuri-shaped pieces of metal. If you can sense my bitterness about these tourist models, it's because that is the perception that makes it difficult for real khukuris to be taken seriously by the uninitiated (everybody's seen the cheap tourist stuff).

As for the qualitative difference between HI, GH, and CS, I'll make two comments. First, CS is a factory spec knife. Until our WWIIIs hit the market, there is no "inbetween" khukuri that balances hand-crafted character and quality with made-to-factory-specs detail that comes out of a US factory (there are still about two WWIIIs available).

Second, regarding our quality. Here's what one discriminating customer has recently said on this forum:

I own a number of khuks and none, regardless of price, is better crafted than that particular AK.

That khukuri is characteristic of the khukuris we sell. Our early models were tested against khukuris far heavier and thicker, and performed beyond expectation. Of course, I am biased to our product

, so pick up a copy of Tactical Knives next month or the month after, and see what Ron Hood has to say.

One thing is certain: khukuris in any form have their purpose. Whether it's value per ounce, made-to-factory-specs, authenticity . . . there is a khukuri out there for you - probably more than one!

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
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[Normark]

Hi Graig...

I think you may have taken my statement about "Real" outof context...

What I meant to say was my "Real" Kukri from Nepal as opposed to my CS Kukri...

I didn't mean to say that your blades were not "real",, and I'm sorry I didn't make that a little more clear...

ttyle Eric....



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Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel
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