Yangdu is after me to post this.

[Bill Martino]

As usual, Yangdu was right and I was wrong.

There is only one Sgt. Karka. Career Nepal Army with a little shop of his own where he and a few other kamis tinker around. He took a six month leave from Army when we started BirGorkha and was instrumental in getting the shop up and running. Pala could have never done it alone so I have a soft spot for Karka. I think one of his kamis got a piece of steel that was never intended to be a khukuri but made one out of it anyway.

 

[Nasty]

Comment on "...would it have failed...yes...years..."

Considering that extreme effort had to be made to break it, I honestly don't see how it *ever* would have failed in regular daily use. I'm not disputing the potential for failure...but my gosh...sideways in a vise, smashing it with a hammer (and Dan isn't a little wimp like I am), what would the next level of test been? A torch? C-4 explosive? Det cord? Drive over it with a tank? We're talking about a tool that sees 95% of it's life simply cutting, light chopping, draw knife uses, digging weeds and so on.

I'd be willing to bet that the knife would have outlived 3-4 new handles easily...and by then, just through a lifetime or two of being resharpened, that cracked area would have been ground past.

I can't think of many modern knives that would match that...and for what? Less than $100???

Khukris rock! (well, maybe not the cute lion headed ones anyway)

 

[BruiseLeee]

...but I've been seriously considering going through a car door with a chiruwa AK.

Make sure you wear some hand protection. I don't want to read a post saying, "I cut off my hands with my chiruwa AK". Wildmanh came close to typing with bloody stumps once, and that was enough gore for a few years. I'll let everyone know when I'm in the mood for some more gory accident stories.

 

[stevomiller]

Arty, all though there might be some "cold shuts" in some of the blades ( this could happen during changes in cross section forging ~especially hammering edgewise on a narrow billet), UB calls 'em "fold lines", none of these blades are "folded" as in laminated steel aka damascus. Not that it matters, just wanted to make sure there wasn't any confusion.

adios,
stevo

 

[Tohatchi NM]

Nothing is indestructible. Heck, if you let something just sit around long enough, it will desintegrate into subatomic particles. Granted, "long" in this case is longer than the age of the universe. That may sound absurd, but I consider the HI warranty roughly equivalent. Yes, you can think of a way to break an HI khuk. BUT you either have to be trying hard, or be really, really stupid. HI products perform knife-like tasks - specifically cutting various non-crystalline materials - very well. That's more than just not breaking. If I beat a piece of wood with a baseball bat, it probably won't break, but it probably won't get the job done either. The materials, production methods, and design all come together to give you a product that will perform it's intended function very well, for a very long time.

Point two - compared to "knife companies" and even American makers, kamis have very little control over their steel supply. They have very little knowledge of the steel type or composition - even using leaf springs from one particular make of vehicle, I imagine there's considerable differences in composition when compared to a sheet of some "branded" steel like S30V, A2, etc. etc. Also, the previous use of the steel could have created invisible flaws or inhomogeneous regions that won't really show up until use. Finally, there's a huge difference in reproducibility between a computer-controlled heat treating oven and a guy with a kettle of water. It's amazing that they have the experience to overcome these issues and make blades that are so durable. (granted, the thick blades do offer a larger maragin of safety for heavy uses, but that solution presents other challenges).

To cut to the chase - in the last few years, there have been a handful of khuk fatalities (to the blades, not their uses), and an assortment of mishaps. I respect the HI warranty, but take it with a grain of salt. Most khuks will outlive me and remain useful for my children, grandchildren, and beyond. But occasionally a bad apple sneaks in. HI has the integrity to replace the stutters with a blade that will work as promised. So test your blades thoroughly and enjoy using them hard.

rant off