Who made my M43?

[glock_556]

Thanks!

 

[cul4u01]

That looks like Sher the tiger. Can another confirm?

 

[ndoghouse]

I say Sher as well.

 

[glock_556]

What do all of the different markings mean?

 

[Bawanna]

There's actually Sher and a helper on that one, two marks. The funny little marks are their names? in devangari. The UB on the other side is in memory of departed Uncle Bill who started HI.

Usually there are other markings on that side that say Himalayan imports or BirGorka, can't remember which.

Some folks smarter than I, (ok that would be everybody) will be along and tell you real good stuf.

 

[Karda]

There are four Devngari and one English marks on all of HI Khukuris and Swords.

I Knife maker's intinital.

2 Knife maker's personal sign. Each Knife maker has different sign.

3 Star is a mark designating Himalayan Imports Knife makers.

4 UB designates Uncle Bill. When Uncle Bill last visited with the Kami's he asked them to mark all the Knives with UB after he passed on.

5 HI logo is for Himalayan imports company.

Your Khukuri is indeed made by Sher (The Tiger). "Sher" is the Nepali word for Tiger.

1st pic.... Devangari initials "hee" and "ee" phonetically representing "H" and "I".
2nd pic...Kami initials in Devangari. "SB" for Sher Bishwakarma. Sher Kamis half sun with rays kami mark. 4 ray sun, like new mexico, representing HI knifemakers.
3rd pic...same as 1st
4th pic.... English script "UB" representing Uncle Bill Martino. All khukuri are marked this way in his honor since his passing in 2005.

 

[cul4u01]

I was gonna try to answer your last question, but Karda beat me to it.

Besides, I wasn't 100% sure, and I was right. Karda is "THE MAN" when it comes to this stuff.

 

[glock_556]

Thanks to everyone for the help. Are Sher's blades known for their quality or are they any more desirable than any other makers?

 

[Dirtbiker]

Sher makes an excellent heavy duty blade. I've always received a great blade from him.

 

[Scara]

Thanks to everyone for the help. Are Sher's blades known for their quality or are they any more desirable than any other makers?

All the kami make good blades. A few make better blades than others, for example I think Bura is the Royal Kami and makes fantastic blades. But a lot of it comes down to each kami's style. Some make fast, thinner blades, while others make monsters that will survive Armageddon. So a number of people have preferences among the kami, but the kami all do excellent work.

 

[cul4u01]

All the kami make good blades. A few make better blades than others, for example I think Bura is the Royal Kami and makes fantastic blades. But a lot of it comes down to each kami's style. Some make fast, thinner blades, while others make monsters that will survive Armageddon. So a number of people have preferences among the kami, but the kami all do excellent work.

Sher is known to generally overbuild his khukuris, but all kamis are excellent, some just excel in certain aspects.

 

[Scara]

Sher is known to generally overbuild his khukuris, but all kamis are excellent, some just excel in certain aspects.

Wasn't there a list of kami and their particular style or idiosyncrasies at some point?

 

[davidf99]

Sher makes an excellent heavy duty blade. I've always received a great blade from him.

I agree on both counts. I've never seen a Sher blade that wasn't top quality, even by HI's high standards. Although Sher is known for massively built blades, he also does a great job on the lightweight fighters.

Here's a comparison between his heavyweights and his lightweights.

UBE 18" OAL, 33 oz, villager finish:

View attachment 473360

View attachment 473361

Chainpuri 18" OAL, 16 oz, villager finish:

View attachment 473362

View attachment 473363

And for good measure, a single-fuller Chitlangi, 18.5" OAL, 22 oz:

View attachment 473364