Please help me identify the kami (yes, again...)

K

Korbin

Joined
Jun 14, 2009
Messages
51
Hello everyone.

This might be one of the most common threads here, the "please help identify kami" one.
First - I am not such a lazy mxxxxxxxxxxr that would open a new thread instead of looking it up first. From what I gathered, there is no sticky with the UPDATED, GATHERED kami marks for Himalayan Imports (that would help a lot of people like myself...).

Before posting, I looked up on the web ( http://www.himalayan-imports.com/kami.html#kami-mark-guide , http://www.novarata.net/files/files/KamiSignsMarks.pdf , http://www.novarata.net/files/files/NewKamiKey2.pdf - just to give you some examples ) but I couldn't say for sure what the kami that made my kukri is/was.

So, here I come here, asking all those who have the knowledge to help me identify the bladesmith that made my 16.5 inch Chiruwa Ang Khola (when I bought it - 11 Dec. 2016 - I asked Mrs. Yangdu for this info, but she didn't answered, and I didn't insisted...) :















I already mentioned the blade was bought at the end of 2016, but I don't know if it is an old or new stock.
So, is it Kesar Lal, Durba, Vim, or another kami ?
 
Korbin said:
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That looks like the mark of Anil.


From another thread:

Dane M said:
x989UEf.jpg
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... and Yangdu's response was:
"This is Keshar Lal's son Anil's mark."
 
Thank you very much, sir. (She didn't answered in the email, that was my statement... And, to be clear, not because she ignored that on purpose, but I really think she does have a LOT more customers to deal with in one day that I have people to talk to :) ).
 
Pretty sure it's Anil. I just got a blade made by Anil, and I have the same mark and Devangari above the mark as well.
 
Thank you !

P.S. : Can someone who really uses his kukri (made by the same kami) share some info about how is his heat treatment ? (as I understand, Kesar Lal's HT was exceptional, same with Bura's...what about Anil's HT ?)
 
Thats a beautiful CAK you got there. Looks bombproof, how heavy is it if you don't mind me asking?

Poor Yangdu, I bet she gets flooded with e-mails for her beautiful Khuk's every day....I'm guilty of adding to this...she does an amazing job though handling it being a mostly one woman show.
 
A Aleous : Falling into the trap of being conceited/proud/arrogant, the CAK I have is aprox. 1000 grams without the sheath (1200 with it). On the website, it is listed as 1.75 pounds (that would be 793.7866475 grams, yet my measurement differs). Mine is quite heavy. I did not used it yet (and I don't think I will ever), but it feels like it really is bomb proof.

I really love it. To me, it is the closest thing I have that relates to swords I saw in museums, with all the small imperfections. It is not perfect - in a good way. It was 235+ USD (shipping + taxes from USA to Romania), but I don't regret buying it. YET...I want another one, but from ________ my CAK is 11 inch, the Panawal Dotted is 10 inch, with the same geometry. One is 195 USD plus shipping & taxes, the other is 60 USD + shipping & taxes. FROM PICTURES, I don't see a huge difference between them.

The only reason to buy the Panawal Dotted would be to preserve the HI Chiruwa Ang Khola. I really need a working blade and I die to try the kukri design :) .

And yes, Mrs. Yangdu is to be admired ; so many people being proud of owning a Himalayan Imports blade, and having such a cult-following hoards of fans is not something that is just a coincidence. She is a wonderful person to get in contact with, and she does a fine job at - as you said - being mostly a one woman show.

cul4u01 cul4u01 : We really need pics :D

P.S. : Sorry if my grammar is not perfect, english is not my native language and I havent't wrote/spoken it for the last (at least) 17 years...
 
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Korbin, I took the liberty of editing your post a bit. This is Yangdu's showroom so we pretty much don't advertise for other makers.
Pictures may look similar but using side by side you'll find the reason for the price difference. The adage you get what you pay for applies here. I suggest watching the daily deals, there are some tremendous values.
Shipping to Romania you have to be wise I reckon. Maybe order multiples or find friends to help split the shipping cost alone. Shipping is bad enough even within the US now days, over seas is expensive.
 
Korbin said:
A Aleous : Falling into the trap of being conceited/proud/arrogant, the CAK I have is aprox. 1000 grams without the sheath (1200 with it). On the website, it is listed as 1.75 pounds (that would be 793.7866475 grams, yet my measurement differs). Mine is quite heavy. I did not used it yet (and I don't think I will ever), but it feels like it really is bomb proof.

I really love it. To me, it is the closest thing I have that relates to swords I saw in museums, with all the small imperfections. It is not perfect - in a good way. It was 235+ USD (shipping + taxes from USA to Romania), but I don't regret buying it. YET...I want another one, but from ________ my CAK is 11 inch, the Panawal Dotted is 10 inch, with the same geometry. One is 195 USD plus shipping & taxes, the other is 60 USD + shipping & taxes. FROM PICTURES, I don't see a huge difference between them.

The only reason to buy the Panawal Dotted would be to preserve the HI Chiruwa Ang Khola. I really need a working blade and I die to try the kukri design :) .

And yes, Mrs. Yangdu is to be admired ; so many people being proud of owning a Himalayan Imports blade, and having such a cult-following hoards of fans is not something that is just a coincidence. She is a wonderful person to get in contact with, and she does a fine job at - as you said - being mostly a one woman show.

cul4u01 cul4u01 : We really need pics :D

P.S. : Sorry if my grammar is not perfect, english is not my native language and I havent't wrote/spoken it for the last (at least) 17 years...
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Your English is more than fine, a lot finer than most American English speakers on the net these days it seems anyway. While I do not believe mentioning a different manufacturer is advertising Bawanna is correct, this is Lady Yangdu's showroom so we must adhere to the forums rules even if they are a little strict at times. This is Himalayan Imports forum and is Yangdu's very well deserved little slice of the internet.

As it stands I do know who you are talking about so if you would like to start a thread about them in the main General forum I can give you more information about them while keeping our respects to HI and Yangdu.

You have a very fine Khukuri there, museum/art grade to be sure. Himalayan Imports no doubt make the best quality Khukuri, trust me on this, I have tried khukuri from the four main manufacturer's and even at full price they are more than worth the expense being the best you can buy.

Also if you compare direct website prices yes Himalayan Imports prices do seem quite high and are probably the highest priced around but HI has something the others don't, the Deal of the Day or DOD. Yangdu sells nothing less than perfection from her website so if anything comes in to her hands that is anything less than perfect she gives major discounts on them on the Deal of the day. These Blems and sometimes slightly used Khuks sell at insane prices that could kick any competitor's prices around the football field. They can quite literally be insane and the adherents to this forum get the sweet fruits of it. She also sometimes sells non blems at incredible prices too, that is why when something sells on the DOD we call it sharked, because DOD posts incur a feeding frenzy.
 
It's only called sharked if a person emails for it and doesn't make a post saying they did so.
It's certainly not required to do so but it's nice to let other know it's spoken for and not to bother Yangdu with another inquiry, although sometimes it's for the best as she sometimes has more than one and will let you have it for the same price.

We're all winners here.

I don't know what you mean by General Forum but we're prefer not to mention those other places here or in the Cantina.
Its come up before several times and only brings heart ache and negativity.

If you want the best Khukri's this is the place, if you will accept also rans, shop around, they are out there.
 
Bawanna said:
It's only called sharked if a person emails for it and doesn't make a post saying they did so.
It's certainly not required to do so but it's nice to let other know it's spoken for and not to bother Yangdu with another inquiry, although sometimes it's for the best as she sometimes has more than one and will let you have it for the same price.

We're all winners here.

I don't know what you mean by General Forum but we're prefer not to mention those other places here or in the Cantina.
Its come up before several times and only brings heart ache and negativity.

If you want the best Khukri's this is the place, if you will accept also rans, shop around, they are out there.
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Whoops sorry, got my definition wrong. Bawanna is the expert here. :)

Sorry I meant the Bladeforums General Knife Discussion forum, I should have clarified.

It's also true what Bawanna says it's very nice to let others know your are going to buy something on DoD with an EMS post, common courtesy that helps those interested and Yangdu from more work. But also like he said Yangdu does sometimes perform miracles and has something just as good even if you missed out on the initial DoD.

Best Khukuri for sure but sorry what are rans?
 
Also rans- posers, cheap imitations, fakes.

I'm no expert, there are many here but sadly I'm not one of them.

I like to think of myself as Yangdu's bodyguard but the position isn't official either.
 
Bawanna said:
Also rans- posers, cheap imitations, fakes.

I'm no expert, there are many here but sadly I'm not one of them.

I like to think of myself as Yangdu's bodyguard but the position isn't official either.
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Bawanna can you help me if this is a legitimate HI knife? This is the only one I bought of EBay. All my other purchases was from Yangdu!
I will post several photos.
Thank you
I'm having the worst time uploading photos today!
 
Bawanna Bawanna : It was not my intention to promote another maker, I was just explaining my reasoning. I do not want to break any forum rule - please accept my apologies if I did so.

A Aleous : Thank you for the kind words. As stated, I want to buy another cheaper kukri just to protect/conserve my CAK that I love. I found out that, for me, the CAK style is best (love the weight, shape, fuller, traditional-style handle, width...). The other blade/maker I mentioned as a cheaper alternative of the same shape - but I don't expect it to be of the same quality (there is a reason my first kukri is a HI, isn't it ?).

Also, there's a reason for asking about Anil kami's heat treatment, as I read (from other sources I don't remember right now) that the HT on the ...other maker have a brittle edge.
 
Bawanna Bawanna : I think of you as an HI expert and Miss Yangdu's bodyguard and think you do an exemplary job at both.

K Korbin : Your more than welcome but all I did was speak the truth. Also I have never known or heard of any HI Kami producing brittle blade edges, have faith in the lauded HI quality my good sir, you will not be disappointed. Again if you want to converse about cheaper alternatives or other makers please make a thread in the General Knife forum and I would happily discuss it with you in high detail.

Just remember if you are vigilant and a bit lucky you can get your more affordable kukri from HI themselves via DoD though if it was me I would still have trouble using even a HI Blem over my other alternative Khukuri just due to the fact I prize my HI Khuks over the others, that HI finish is so damn nice you just don't want to mess it up. HI is the best quality for sure and I love my very small collection of them.
 
George Azar said:
Bawanna can you help me if this is a legitimate HI knife? This is the only one I bought of EBay. All my other purchases was from Yangdu!
I will post several photos.
Thank you
I'm having the worst time uploading photos today!
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Start a post in the Cantina and I or someone wiser than I (most everybody else) should be able to help you. If it has a kami mark it's most likely HI. Or a UB on the right side.
We're not allowed to mention that auction site either so just post the pics, no links, no mention of the auction site and don't mention the inferior makers either..
These are forum rules, not necessarily my own so don't maim the messenger.
 
Korbin said:
Bawanna Bawanna : It was not my intention to promote another maker, I was just explaining my reasoning. I do not want to break any forum rule - please accept my apologies if I did so.

A Aleous : Thank you for the kind words. As stated, I want to buy another cheaper kukri just to protect/conserve my CAK that I love. I found out that, for me, the CAK style is best (love the weight, shape, fuller, traditional-style handle, width...). The other blade/maker I mentioned as a cheaper alternative of the same shape - but I don't expect it to be of the same quality (there is a reason my first kukri is a HI, isn't it ?).

Also, there's a reason for asking about Anil kami's heat treatment, as I read (from other sources I don't remember right now) that the HT on the ...other maker have a brittle edge.
Click to expand...

since you've asked twice without getting a reply, I will give my 2 cents on the HI heat treatment.

It is differentially zone-hardened, with the sweet spot in the belly being the hardest. The tip and recurve are softer. They're water quenched by hand which is exceptionally difficult to do properly however, due to the great tradition and skill of the kami they're all perfect... I think they know exactly how to make knives for the uses they are designed for and match edge geometry and hardness to model and intended use.
 
I have this Hanuman Ang Khola that I bought somewhere else tha at HI. It has the Kami mark of Kumar on the right side with other marks. Nothing on the left side. It has all 6 pieces with items the sheath with typical frog has in the place of it 2 buttons on the front with leather straps that wrap around it. It doesn't have the U.B. Stamped on it!
I bought a recent one from Yangdu that, of course, has all the right marks.
Can you tell me if the the first knife I mentioned is legitimate?
I've tried to post photos but an error comes up.
Thank you for the help!
 
George Azar said:
I have this Hanuman Ang Khola that I bought somewhere else tha at HI. It has the Kami mark of Kumar on the right side with other marks. Nothing on the left side. It has all 6 pieces with items the sheath with typical frog has in the place of it 2 buttons on the front with leather straps that wrap around it. It doesn't have the U.B. Stamped on it!
I bought a recent one from Yangdu that, of course, has all the right marks.
Can you tell me if the the first knife I mentioned is legitimate?
I've tried to post photos but an error comes up.
Thank you for the help!
Click to expand...

It sounds like the real thing. I don't think any of the other Nepal khukuri companies put kami marks on their blades, let alone one that would look like Kumar's mark. The lack of "U.B." and the kami mark on the right side suggest that it is an older blade. It was only after Uncle Bill passed away (in 2004 or 2005) that the "U.B." was added to HI blades in his memory.

Also, the wraparound leather straps is an older type of frog, most often seen on military issue khukuris, but also on some of the older HI blades.

Following is an example of something similar. It's a BAS model (15.5" OAL, 22 oz) by Kumar with his marking on the right side. Also, the "KM" is typical of Kumar's earlier blades. The sheath has a pair of leather straps, though not quite the same as yours, I think.

BAS15.5in-Kumar22oz-for-Dave-01.jpg

Please post a picture when you can. You have to use the "Upload a File" button in the lower right area of the Reply window.
 
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