Why is HI better than the rest?

R

Radrunner

Joined
Mar 6, 2006
Messages
234
Ahh! I'm a heathen for mentioning [another company's] name, i Know ;)

I just stumbled on there website, and i'll state the obviouse: their prices are far, far lower than HI's. So i have a few questions....

1) KH lists their knives by blade size, whereas HI lists size by overall length. To make a valued comparison, could someone tell me what the usual blade length is on...say... a 15" AK?
2) What is it that makes HI so much better? Is it the lifetime warranty, the quality of the knives, the materials used, the skills of the Kami's?
3) I havn't really seen any positive press on KH in this forum, and i know there's a biased, and I know Yangdu and all the Kami's are incredible people.... but what is it about KH that makes them somewhat resented (competition aside)?

Have no fear, i'm not going over to the dark side and purchasing from KH or anything here, i just want to know what it is that sets HI apart and above the rest :)
 
You can buy KH knife-like-objects on E-bay. I think the going price only a few bucks, and you pay more for it with shipping than the actual price of the knife.

I have handeled some of the KH stuff and I felt like I would be buying a $50 samurai sword. It is about the same quality.

Ask around about HI knives, do the research to figure out what style suits whatever you are going to use the knife for. Then either buy it, or get to know some forumites and they might loan you one for a few weeks. (The people and their stories is what keeps me around here, there is something about this forum that attracts the fruit of the earth.)

With one knife, you will see why that the majority of business HI does is with repeat customers.

Mark this as your warning, for one knife is all it takes to catch the HIKV (Himalayan Imports Knife Virus.) You will become a repeat customer. They ARE that good.
 
Some KH are supposedly really good. Some aren't.

The thing with their stuff, far as I know is if it is messed up or you break it you're stuck.

The thing about HI besides the good karma of helping the Nepalese, is their iron clad guarantee. Most other khuk places it's either impossible or extremely expensive to return broken khuks, and ALL khuks will break at times.

With HI you can send it back in and in a flash you get a new one. So in the long run you are better off buying your users from them:thumbup:
 
Radrunner,
You *think* by it being "cheap" that you will USE it more.. but I've found the Reverse is true.

with knives/swords i've found when you buy Cheap.. you end up getting wall hangers = something that'll break on you.

For a User.. you want something you can Depend on and/or has a Warranty.. or at the very Least won't fly apart while you're using it and break a window or hurt someone.

In the end it's your choice though.. all i can say is there is a LOT of Junk out there!
 
Haha, thanks all for the feedback. however have no fear, i'm not ignorant ;) I've been forum trolling HI for about a year... i jsut havn't found a kuk yet. As it is i stumbled on KH quite by accident today, and just wanted to see what people have to say. Keep the feedback cmming :)
 
Close...so I thought to help put the right focus on it according to the content.

Also had to touch to correct the problem I created. Hope it fills your need.

ps: HI *rocks*
 
the search function is your best friend :)
it was mine 4-5 months ago :D :thumbup:
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i have 68 HI khuk/khuk related blades... and i only have 8 KH khuk/khuk related blades :rolleyes:
need i say more? :D

EDIT: imo, fit and finish is much better with HI (i will not go into much detail on the forum but feel free to drop me an email or do a search for more info) + lifetime warranty/distributor is in the US (warranty does not apply to second hand khuks) + customer service that is second to none + customer that is second to none + customer service that is second to none... what more can you ask for?

ohhh did i mention customer service is second to none? :)
 
Radrunner said:
68 HI Khuks? So your the one that buys all the YBB so the rest of us can't get them!
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nah... my sharking days have slowed down very much.
i originally planned on only getting one... one became two and then 2 became 6. :foot:

well after getting 6 i thought i was set (one for almost everyday of the week or every occasion) wrong, Wrong, WRONG!!!

6 became 8... then 10 and so on and so on and so on.....
i have no idea how i ended up with 68?!?!?! :eek: :foot: :o :rolleyes:

68 really isnt that bad... considering there is a member on this board that had a section of their house collapse due to the weight of khukuris
*cough* n *cough* o *couch* r *cough* m *cough*

happy HIKV :thumbup:

EDIT: ohhh and i wouldnt say HI is better than the rest (that can be a bit controversial)
lets just say HI is preferred :) my suggestion would be to buy a few of each... and you be your own judge :cool:
 
ive looked at other websites and found that with s/h the cost is high on an iffy quality khuk.i would rather go with good quality(this is true on all my knife purchases).
 
It's hard to generalize about a company. I have a few khuks from a few companies and I like them all. What makes HI stand out is the community here that supports it. You have an incredible person like Yangdu that is a real part of discussions. Also, there are many here that review the khuks, commisserate and congratulate each other on what they've done with them. I've never seen such a place as the HI forum. All other differences aside, having real-time testers, designers and users together talking everyday is priceless. My opinion.
DanR
 
I can't speak about the other company in question, but I'll be quite interested to see if HI takes up HD's suggestion that they emulate the Bonecutter. HI quality combined with this design... (heads spins)
 
Go to the HI web sight and look under FAQ. Scroll down to Testing a Khukuri. If you read it it will teach you how to QC and invite you to let the tool fail you or prove its self. That tells me they want you satisfied with there product.

If it dose not 'pass the test' you will get one that dose. That PROVES they want you happy with there product.

Thats enough for me.
 
As a khuk newb and (until this moment) HI lurker, I can't offer too many deep insights here. But I do know this: break a CAK, and you get two free! :eek:
 
When you factor in the shipping charges with KH, the pricing is not really any better(cheaper). They ship direct from out of country, if I am not mistaken.

The KH service is nothing, compared to HI in my opinion.
 
lizzardbone said:
When you factor in the shipping charges with KH, the pricing is not really any better(cheaper). They ship direct from out of country, if I am not mistaken.

The KH service is nothing, compared to HI in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Their service is alright, and they're nice people. That being said, if you intend on sending it back for repairs or replacement, your looking at 90$ shipping fee's there and back, if not more.

Having stock and a representative in country is worth a great deal as far as general service availability is concerned.


HI's fit and finish is consistently better across the board on all major models, and the people you deal with are closer, in physical and personal terms. HI also puts out a wider variety of models - again, all with better general fit and finish.
 
Many of my first NKH, and then I bought several KH later. Then I found HI.

I have two KH that are just stunning quality, really excellent knives that were superbly put together and were priced extremely fairly; even with full boat shipping they were bargains by any standard. But then I have a bunch more that are just so-so. OK tools, and sometimes neat variants, but not the same overall quality of HI.

HI shipping is free, so even if an HI WWII costs more than a KH equivalent you will save $ in the long run, as the HI knife will be tougher, better made and IMO last a lot longer. Having an unconditional warranty doesn't hurt. :thumbup:

Norm
 
I read on the HI website to try shaving steel- it worked, even on a piece of hardened steel!! Shaved it like a carrot.
Then they told me I couldn't break the CAK I ordered. I humbly admit they were right about that too. I tried!
Add to that this forum's community, that share wonderful insightswith each other- that puts HI above board in my opinion.
Besides I found a competetor that was twice the price and didn't appear to be half the quality.
 
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