2022 Mutiny Review

[Skyfish0]

Sharing another great transaction with Kailash Blades. My last purchase was in 2019 so it's been a minute.

Specs: 14" blade, Med. Rosewood handle. Standard grind. Satin finish. Customization: Military Dap

Order placed 2021/11/16. Arrived pristine 2022/02/10 which was fast considering the pandemic. Upon first inspection, the leaf blade shape has an excellent balance and feels like an extension of the arm. A far cry from the usual utility oriented khukuri. Having ordered from Kailash back in 2019, the option for different handle sizes is another welcome addition. My glove size is medium(~8.5” circumference hands) and the grip is perfect with and without gloves. A noticeable issue was the dry climate shrank the dap slightly. In the same shipment a gift Modern Service Issue was actually well fitted, however the dap from my 2019 HSI shared the same issue with the Mutiny's. It is a minor issue however, as I can shift the handle forwards and that locks in the blade securely. For a more permanent fix I may glue a piece of felt or leather around the throat of the dap.

Unfortunately on day three, the handle developed a minor crack, radiating out from the pommel nut. The dry climate played a major role and the pommel nut probably didn’t help. For comparison, my neglected HSI suffered minor shrinkage of the buffalo horn handle. However, no cracks developed despite zero maintenance; perhaps the buttplate puts the handle material under less stress from the peened tang. Were I to order another Mutiny, I would immediately start coating the handle with boiled linseed oil upon receipt. Alternatively I would opt for a polished over satin finish, or request the pommel nut to be swapped out with a buttplate. The crack was minor; some two-part epoxy and boiled linseed oil seems to have prevented further handle damage. A test few swings later on a 2x4 and trimming down a hardened ash stave, and the handle is fine. The edge stood up quite well, the heat treat is well executed. Fit and finish is excellent: Blade is straight, and there is excellent attention to detail from ‘tip to butt’.

Communication with Kailash customer service was stellar: They were quite accommodating in my request for a military dap. The .mil dap is highly adaptable and well-made: It readily attaches to belts and packs as the situation demands, and in my opinion should be an option for all the traditional khukuri. It definitely makes life easier when it comes to finding different ways to carry the khukuri. The pictures of the knives progress from start to finish was also quite enjoyable and added to the anticipation. In conclusion, this was another great buy; the attention to detail at Kailash Blades shows in their work and customer care. Overall another satisfied customer, will definitely buy again.

TL;DR
Sustains: Quality has remained consistent and is excellent. Excellent customer care.
Improves: The natural materials could be better stabilized, however access to tung oil or linseed oil is probably quite limited in Nepal.

Pics
(From Kailash Blades)Blades forged out.

The shoulders from the tang to blade transition appear rounded, which is a plus for durability.

Ease of attaching to different gear makes life easier.

Side by side w/ an older khukuri for size comparison. The handles on both fit my medium hands quite comfortably.

 

[Kailash Blades]

A noticeable issue was the dry climate shrank the dap slightly. In the same shipment a gift Modern Service Issue was actually well fitted, however the dap from my 2019 HSI shared the same issue with the Mutiny's. It is a minor issue however, as I can shift the handle forwards and that locks in the blade securely. For a more permanent fix I may glue a piece of felt or leather around the throat of the dap.

Unfortunately on day three, the handle developed a minor crack, radiating out from the pommel nut. The dry climate played a major role and the pommel nut probably didn’t help. For comparison, my neglected HSI suffered minor shrinkage of the buffalo horn handle. However, no cracks developed despite zero maintenance; perhaps the buttplate puts the handle material under less stress from the peened tang. Were I to order another Mutiny, I would immediately start coating the handle with boiled linseed oil upon receipt. Alternatively I would opt for a polished over satin finish, or request the pommel nut to be swapped out with a buttplate. The crack was minor; some two-part epoxy and boiled linseed oil seems to have prevented further handle damage...

The .mil dap is highly adaptable and well-made: It readily attaches to belts and packs as the situation demands, and in my opinion should be an option for all the traditional khukuri. It definitely makes life easier when it comes to finding different ways to carry the khukuri...

Thanks so much for the review! It's not common for us to get reviews from customers with a large time gap between samples and it's extremely valuable for us
Great to hear you're happy with the blade and that you think things are staying consistent, with improvements over time.

Glad to hear you like the military dap- it wouldn't be hard to offer it for our traditional blades, but we haven't seen that much demand for it yet. For customers who need to carry on webbing they typically go with kydex. Are there wider utilities and advantages to this loop style that I'm overlooking? If so please let me know and I'll look into things.

I'm a month into a nepal stay currently and have noticed that there's a small amount of cracking that occurs on the nepal side of things after shaping but prior to finishing. With this in mind I think that while humidity change definitely plays a part potentially a superior solution is for us to saturate our handles in oil here prior to finishing and shipping. You're right that tung oil/ linseed oil is not really available here- however we've recently managed to secure a source of large amounts of mineral oil and should be able to do a soak here. While this doesn't polymerise nice and hard like BLO it should be much better at penetrating the handles fully and addressing the core issue. If at a later stage a customer wants to do a BLO finish they can wash and soap the handle and keep the mineral oily nourished interior and have the sturdier BLO topcoat.

I think the mutiny style buttcap isn't the culprit so much as the tang is- creating a hole in the wood from where these cracks can propagate. The original mutiny is in fact a partial tang but historical partial tang handles haven't been spared from such issues. Buttcaps may not help with preventing cracking from this process but they certainly help hide it. They definitely help a lot for preventing cipping and cracking from impacts though. We'll soon be releasing a traditional blade that's a hard worker with no buttcap and offering a full buttcap as a website option for those with durability concerns. This same solution we're thinking of applying to out salyani, mutiny and mk1 models as well.

The dap shrinkage/fit problem is something we're continuously faced with and have tried many solutions without much luck. If we provide a very tight fit from factory and the sheath later shrinks it's rendered useless. If we provide a toleranced fit that allows for some shrinkage it's usually fine, but i some situations it doesn't shrink leading to a rattley fit. Potentially the solution here is again stabilisation. The wood used for daps is very light and porous and it could potentially be loaded with oil quite easily. Whether it will fix the problem a prove a long term solution remains to be seen- we'll give it a crack and keep you updated.

Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash

 

[Skyfish0]

Thank you for taking the time to provide invaluable information on the subject: I agree 100% with your assessment on all points. I was thinking perhaps a polished surface might lower the porosity of the wood handle, which hopefully leads to a more controlled rate of shrinkage. At any rate, all I can say is Kailash Blades definitely hasn't been resting on their laurels.

I wish I had time back in 2019 to post a review on the HSI. It was forged by Tilak Bahadur Biswakarma I believe(maker's mark was a crescent with a dot). The khukuri was about as close to perfection as a handmade khukuri could possibly attain. The temper line was visible despite the blade being satin finished. Will definitely like to write up a review once I have the time to thoroughly put it through its paces.

For customers who need to carry on webbing they typically go with kydex. Are there wider utilities and advantages to this loop style that I'm overlooking? If so please let me know and I'll look into things.

I have zero knowledge of the Kailash kydex sheaths, however the loops on the military dap can be looped through PALS webbing. From a cost/performance perspective I find the military dap to be more than sufficient in a field environment as well. Additionally the leather cover of the dap has a reduced noise signature when banged against things. Wrapping cloth around kydex could probably accomplish the same. I am definitely interested in a kydex sheath for a future order.

 

[meboz]

I was thinking moleskin tape/patches would probably be really good at helping adjust the traditional sheaths' fitment.
It's a widely available (in US at least) artificial "leather" that is usually meant for adjusting footwear to help pad or smooth hotspots.
I have some... might give it a try to adjust some sheaths a little.

 

[Pointshoot777]

S Skyfish0 I wonder if you’d mind sharing where you’re located (in general terms) please? Are you in a desert climate? I’m in a semi
arid climate that originally had lots of sage brush but has been transformed to irrigated cropland. It can get pretty dry humidity wise
here in the summer. So, I’m
very interested in the cracking issues mentioned in your review.
Thanks

 

[Skyfish0]

S Skyfish0 I wonder if you’d mind sharing where you’re located (in general terms) please? Are you in a desert climate? I’m in a semi
arid climate that originally had lots of sage brush but has been transformed to irrigated cropland. It can get pretty dry humidity wise
here in the summer. So, I’m
very interested in the cracking issues mentioned in your review.
Thanks

US Southwest, an hour and a half drive away from a desert. I think the extreme difference in climate from Nepal led to rapid shrinkage, thus resulting in the crack. In retrospect I probably should have kept the oil soaked plastic wrap on the khukuri longer for it to acclimate.
The two buffalo horn handled Kailash khukuri have held up well, and this is the first rosewood handled khukuri I purchased from Kailash, so it's just a sample of one. I've ordered a couple more khukuri with rosewood handles from Kailash and will try the BLO treatment.

 

[Pointshoot777]

S Skyfish0 thanks for your reply. I used to live in Arizona. Its not as dry a climate where I am now, but the precautions you mentioned seem like a very good idea.

 

[HJA]

Nice review. Mutiny is a great design IMO, agree with the extension of the arm thing. Probably since it's so light. Any reason other than $ y'all aren't considering stacked leather or micarta to avoid the climate issues? I suppose you need the more expensive sheath at that point too, and you lose the classic aesthetic, which at least to me is fairly appealing in a khukuri.

We'll soon be releasing a traditional blade that's a hard worker with no buttcap and offering a full buttcap as a website option for those with durability concerns

 

[Skyfish0]

S Skyfish0 thanks for your reply. I used to live in Arizona. Its not as dry a climate where I am now, but the precautions you mentioned seem like a very good idea.

Glad to be of service. I've owned wood handled gardening implements and knives with different countries of origin, and this is the first a wood handle has cracked on me. I've taken a desert ironwood handled knife out to the desert for a month and it survived more or less in the same shape. I can only speculate the wood may have been recently harvested or it had an adverse reaction to the airplane ride. I've a layman's knowledge of woodworking, so I assume wood is most dimensionally stable when it has been treated with oils/resins or when it has been dried*.

Nice review. Mutiny is a great design IMO, agree with the extension of the arm thing. Probably since it's so light. Any reason other than $ y'all aren't considering stacked leather or micarta to avoid the climate issues? I suppose you need the more expensive sheath at that point too, and you lose the classic aesthetic, which at least to me is fairly appealing in a khukuri.

Cost definitely played a part; but mostly since the traditional wood, metal and leather combination is timeless. If I went for a micarta handle I'd be tempted to add a full tang handle and kydex sheath; definitely something I'd like to go for in the future.


*IIRC historically, longbow staves were seasoned for a year before being worked on.

 

[Kailash Blades]

...I was thinking perhaps a polished surface might lower the porosity of the wood handle, which hopefully leads to a more controlled rate of shrinkage...

I wish I had time back in 2019 to post a review on the HSI. It was forged by Tilak Bahadur Biswakarma I believe(maker's mark was a crescent with a dot). The khukuri was about as close to perfection as a handmade khukuri could possibly attain. The temper line was visible despite the blade being satin finished. Will definitely like to write up a review once I have the time to thoroughly put it through its paces.

I have zero knowledge of the Kailash kydex sheaths, however the loops on the military dap can be looped through PALS webbing. From a cost/performance perspective I find the military dap to be more than sufficient in a field environment as well. Additionally the leather cover of the dap has a reduced noise signature when banged against things...

I think a closed pore finish would definitely help with a lower shrinkage rate. In a way though any polished blade we ship already has its pores closed and lightly waxed and these handles aren't immune to cracking- I think a more thorough solution is required. Regarding drying time, this is notoriously difficult to control in nepal as standard for seasoning is very inconsistent. For the last few years we've been buying a backlog of wood for 2 or more years then seasoning it in house- this has helped quite a lot and given us a repuation as having a lower cracking rate than other houses, but still hasn't eradicated the issue.

Tilak was an incredible smith- I first worked with him at KHHI in 2014 and his skill level and attitude was always extremely impressive. Unfortunately since that point he ran into some pretty serious issues with the law and landed himself in jail for a decent stint. We don't know his current whereabouts but he may be back in his hometown of Dharan working as a smith there.

Gotcha- I'll have a lookinto this utility and see if it's worth bringing over into our other sheaths and making an option across all blades.

I was thinking moleskin tape/patches would probably be really good at helping adjust the traditional sheaths' fitment.
It's a widely available (in US at least) artificial "leather" that is usually meant for adjusting footwear to help pad or smooth hotspots.
I have some... might give it a try to adjust some sheaths a little.

An interesting suggestiong! I'd love tos ee how it goes. I've heard of some antique sheaths being found with polished horn spacers at the throat to apply fine even pressure with very low friction. I think in these situations they're applied after the sheath has been made and is quite old rather than being fitted new.

Nice review. Mutiny is a great design IMO, agree with the extension of the arm thing. Probably since it's so light. Any reason other than $ y'all aren't considering stacked leather or micarta to avoid the climate issues? I suppose you need the more expensive sheath at that point too, and you lose the classic aesthetic, which at least to me is fairly appealing in a khukuri.

For many people the traditional aesthetic and historical/cultural vibe of the khukuri is of primary importance. While our modern handle materials and sheaths are a solution for those who have function and durability as number one priority it would be good if we could provide greater consistency and performance for this other portion of our customer base as well. Even if this mineral oil solution doesn't work we'll keep pushing onwards to provide a solution.

 

[meboz]

An interesting suggestiong! I'd love tos ee how it goes. I've heard of some antique sheaths being found with polished horn spacers at the throat to apply fine even pressure with very low friction. I think in these situations they're applied after the sheath has been made and is quite old rather than being fitted new.

The horn piece is interesting... I have adhesive teflon sheets that I use for replacing slider feet on computer mice. I am curious if that would be durable enough to last in a sheath for adding some low friction pressure.

I tried using moleskin padding on a Bhura that was slightly loose and an HSI that could slip out if I turned upside down.
I was surprised at how well it worked and how little I needed to add.
The moleskin I use is just a generic Walmart version. Basically a very thin self adhesive felt.
I used a bamboo skewer and basic placement tweezers to help place and set the moleskin.
The Bhura was slightly more tricky to get the self-adhesive moleskin strip in place before sticking it down, but it still wasn't that hard to maneuver into position.

I would probably want to dye it (or likely... black sharpie marker "dye" it) in the future.

I'm definitely feeling like moleskin and sharpie are going to be my go-to sheath adjustment method now. It worked out much better than I expected.
I guess we'll see how well it lasts, but I'm not sure I care... it was so easy to put in.

 

[Grizzly3]

With China so close, you would think that tung oil would be available. But, even if you could source it, it takes a long time to dry. I wonder what trees they are using for this rose wood. I've heard that Brazilian rose wood, back when you could still find it, is actually naturally oily and because of that, it resists absorbing oil finishes. Many just polish it. Rose wood has become sort of a generic term for many woods. Many craftsmen have found that they are allergic to many beautiful rosewoods.
I have mineral oil here at home for my cutting boards. It seems that at least every month, the surface goes dry and needs another application. I would think in time, (months?) that mineral oil application to the handles will need to be replenished with something. I recently found a product called Casey's Amazing Tung Oil. I've used it on some kitchen knives I redid for a grandson, and also a dry old wood walking cane. It gives a nice warm look to the wood and darkens it some. From what I've heard, it provides a better finish then BLO. But, all finishes of oil need to be oiled and rubbed for the life of the wood. There is an old schedule of something like, once every day for a week, and so on as the years go by. From what I've read, you want many layers of tung oil built up over time for the best protection and to prevent drying. It is 50% tung oil and 50% Citrus to aid drying time. Straight tung oil probably gives a better finish, but it takes forever to dry. Some have also been using this product to finish decorative wood bowls they make. Avoid most tung oil finishes in the stores. From what I hear, you're lucky if there is any tung oil even in them.

Anyway, Andrew is still helping me decide which of the many models they make to order. Decisions, decisions.

Craig

 

[Kailash Blades]

The rosewood we use is Dalbergia Sissou- North Indian Rosewood. Though we're looking into other local hardwoods to see if there are any suitable or beautiful options.
While mineral oil isn't the highest performing oil in terms of protection or durability it has 2 features which make it ideal for our needs. It is quite thin, which helps it to soak into material to provide dimensional stability rather than just external protection and it also can be easily washed off the surface if a customer wants to use another finish- no solvents or heat required.
Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash