This traditional Camp Khukuri crafted by Ex Ghurka Khukuri House is a practical-minded Khukuri in a rural Nepalese style. It has a blade of 5160 high carbon steel that has been left largely unpolished to make it resistant to rust. It has been differentially hardened when tempered to create a blade that can better maintain a sharp, hard edge and can resist breakage by having a softer, shock-absorbing body. The edge has a hardness of 58-60 HRC, the body has a hardness of 45-46 HRC, and the spine has a hardness of 22-25 HRC. The blade has been etched on both sides along the spine.
The grip is of carved rosewood. It has a bolster and a small pommel cap of brass. The companion scabbard is traditionally crafted from carved pinewood and Laha tree gum glue. It has been overlaid with a layer of reddened water buffalo leather. The scabbard has an integrated belt loop and two back compartments for the traditional small Karda cutting knife and the Chakmak Kukri sharpening tool. These have blades of high carbon steel and grips of carved rosewood.
The people of Nepal, particularly in rural areas, will use Kukris like this for clearing brush in the manner of a machete. The Khukuri is not just a fighting blade, but a working blade. Though this has all the form and function necessary to make it an excellent fighting blade as any other Kukri, well able to fiercely chop as befits the Kukri.
In rural Nepal, a boy, upon reaching manhood will be given a Kukri and upon his death it will be buried with him, as it is believed that the Khukuri left behind will vanquish the demons and sins of the deceased.
Charles A. –
well made, well weighted, good buy. I have been eyeing this for months and finally got it. I didn’t pay for the sharpening service and it came incredibly sharp right out of the box. The sheath has a bit of a break in period where it isn’t very smooth, but after a few days of use in the woods, it was perfect. It made short work of any machete work that I needed to do, it could chop through moderately sized branches as well (4-6 inches in diameter) with only a little work. I was using it for a bit of wood working and accidentally swung the blade into my driveway and the concrete had a minimal effect on the edge. It hangs on a belt well and is of strong construction. The Karda and Chakmak are a little hard to remove from their place in the sheath but that’s only a minor issue. With shipping it was $63 and I can honestly say that there isn’t a better knife on the internet that you can buy for only $63. As always the KOA staff was helpful and the shipping fast. Thank you very much. I am well satisfied with this blade.
Adrian E. –
Excellent Value When I got this blade my first thought was “How could this only cost me $60?” It is a beautiful blade with good chopping ability and very agile in the hand. Out of the box I thought I felt a tiny bit of blade play, but it was so minimal that my mind could have been playing tricks on me since it was one of my initial concerns for the price point. It is a bit too light to chop down anything with more than a 4 inch diameter but good for its size. I’ve only had one opportunity to cut with it and it did the job just find. This good easily be priced well over $100 and I’d still be satisfied. But good thing it’s not c:
PolioFactory (verified owner) –
Excellent Kukri. It’s more nimble than it’s specifications make it seem and it comes sharp enough to cleanly cut paper. Mine fit in the scabbard easily. The two small “knives” are a nice addition, although I will never use them, they seem able to do what they’re meant for. The handle is comfortable and the entire kukri and scabbard seem to be properly and stoutly crafted.
Shane (verified owner) –
It’s everything I wanted. Light in the hand. Strong. It came paper cutting sharp (even without Kult of Athena’s sharpening service). The scabbard fits well. And I love the style of it. I appreciate that it doesn’t look particularly threatening , or warlike, and it blends well with my clothes. I can walk around with it camping on a friends property and feel casual. It makes it comfortable. It also chops brush and bamboo very well.
Charles A. –
It’s Charles A. again:
I’ve had this thing for over 6 years and it’s still great. No rust. Everything is still tight. I’ve had to sharpen it a few times, but that’s to be expected after years of use and abuse. Sheath is still in good shape too. Probably one of my beak knife purchases ever.
Robby (verified owner) –
So I’ve had mine for about a year. If I’m being honest, I got it and immediately put it into storage as i just had no use for it at the time. Recently, i moved into a new house and have been using it for utility purposes, clearing some brush and i broke down an old box spring with it. Granted, breaking down a box spring was probably too hard on it. I suspect it would even be too hard on a good axe, but it has to be said that i got some nics in the blade and some edge rolling. Thats not the reason for the 4 stars however. I really want to give this kukri 5 stars, as the weight and balance are fantastic. However, the fit and finish are just atrocious. lots of left over epoxy where the ferrel meets the blade, and the whole blade has a twist in it. I’m not sure if i accidently got sent a munitions grade or if its just a one off. Thankfully, the twist isn’t bad enough to affect the performance and it is still perfectly usable. The karda is, if i give it the benefit of doubt, butter knife sharp, and both karda and chakmak have similar fit and finish issues. Honestly for the price and can excuse everything but the twist in the blade. Overall, its a fantastic workhorse of a knife but there are enough issues that i felt i couldn’t give it a full 5 star.