Kailash Khukuri Review Megathread!

CapitalizedLiving said:
I'll drop one last review in here just because. These are my Regent Long Knives…

https://imgur.com/TKTcNJi

https://imgur.com/f7DmsXx

This is Kailash's best kept secret. It's thick and solid but with excellent tapering and grinds, giving it a heavy use feel with finer task capabilities.

I've had these for several years and use them all the time. They easily chop wood and cut small branches, butcher game, slice/chop food, and do all your basic bushcrafty stuff (drilling, planing, whittling, carving, shaving both wood and your face, etc etc). It wouldn't be a good choice for a dedicated kitchen knife but for anything else it's pretty much the best option I've found.

The only real issue, if you could call it one, is the blade tip doesn't hit as hard as a wider blade, of course. This is mildly annoying and partly precipitated the khukuri order I reviewed above. But this is inherent in the design and with the broad applicability you get with one of these, I would say anyone who wants or needs a chopper-style knife should try one. They are really quite different than anything else on the market, and that's saying a lot considering the absolute flood of products today.

The very presence of these makes the Bhura almost a novelty item, but I wanted to try it out anyway, even if I know it's not going to get the air time that the Long Knives will.
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Lovely knives, I am a little jealous. I was wondering, did you order with custom micarta scales? Also the heel looks different on both knives, did you customise this too?
 
It's complex :)

-Historically the grinds were left up the smiths to interpret as they desired for the tasks stated in the options description. We found though that this was differing between smiths and blades a fair bit though and wanted to make sure that there was a bit more consistency in the ways these options performed.

-Around the start of 2023 we moved to standardise the geometry a bit more. This is tricky as the standard measures of geometry (edge angle, edge thickness, grind angle) don't really match up well to the full convex grinds and at times complex upper grinds that we do. Furthermore freehand grinding with wheels makes it hard to implement any formalisations of grinds while actually grinding them. Instead we moved to using laser cut 3d gauges that I whipped up in CAD. The blades can be dropped into these gauges and depending on how the light shines through the sides it lets you know if the edge geometry needs to be made thinner or has been ground too thin etc. Through my CAD files I can produce a dimension for the apex angle of these various grinds. However in reality this angle doesn't really exist. It's the imagined tangent angle where two arc meet. It isn't something that's feasible for us to verify on actual blades or reproduce with a good deal of confidence or consistency. These profile gauges help us to hit the silhouette for the general edge shape decently which is a big upgrade for consistency.

-In the last year though we found that our work to control and refine edge geometry was in many cases being overshadowed by the impacts of the geometry above it. For example we could produce a mutiny and a panawal with the same performance grind silhouette at the edge. The mutiny would cut very well but the taller/thicker upper bevel or upper grind would add a level of cutting resistance to the panawal which stopped it from matching up to the performance expected of a performance grind.

What to do? We could expand the scope of what a performance grind means (blended bevel, restrict thickness of upper grind) but this would mean that some of these blades would look radically different to the usual versions- particularly a problem on traditional and historical blades which would be the ones mostly impacted by these changes. It would also make it hard to write descriptions for the blades. A panawal is a big beefy blade, but with a performance grind it's not anymore? How do you communicate an understanding of these technical details to a customer? We're already putting a lot of complexity and info load on our customers.

Instead we decided to trim the options that fitted least from all the blades. HD not available on some of our leanest, slipperiest blades (that aren't really built for it in the spine and upper grind) and performance not available on our chunkiest monkeys. Keeps things simple for the customer and it also helps to focus our blades a bit which in a way makes the whole lineup more diverse. Not everything is a do everything blade that can be made however you want- there are some blades that exist at the extremes and carve our their own performance niches. In future maybe we'll pivot and handle things differently- maybe we'll scrap the whole thing and just give certain blades certain warranty levels innately.

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C Chandra These blades were ordered a few years apart- with the right long knife being when we were in our earlier days of manufacturing. In that period of time patterns had a tendency to be interpreted a little loosely and would often drift a touch as new sheet metal patterns were traced from older ones. Running changes were also made by smiths that weren't picked up on and sometimes they would continue making it in this way for a period of time- like this plunge line.
The left blade is how they've consistently been made for some time now and is generally more accurate to the pattern, including the plunge line.

I think the micarta in the picture is not custom but just what our forest camo looked like in full tang at this time- we have swapped between a few fabrics due to lack of availability over the years.

Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash
 
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Thanks for the explanation! That actually clears up a lot.

Personally, I wouldn't want the blades to be something they aren't. I'm just fascinated by the effects of the different blade geometries the more I get a feel for the differences. I appreciate that push for consistency within a given blade and grind type which makes it easier to know what you're getting and/or make recommendations.

With the way you explained things, a bit of railroading in the offerings does help to choose something fit for purpose. I think it's enough that custom requests can be made if they really want them.
 
Absolutely- we can make just about whatever by custom request, so I think limiting the scope of what's presented as a standard option somewhat can help point the average customer in the right direction.
Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash
 
Can you mashup aspects of two blades? For example, can I have the Regent Bowie with a Plain Jane Bowie handle but still retain the S guard? I own a Regent Long Knife and the handle is incredibly comfortable and secure. However, I feel the contouring of the Plain Jane's handle would be more beneficial for what I intend to use the blade for. Just curious.
 
Generally we can accommodate blade/handle swaps without needing to go full custom. This is because they often don't involve the need to make a new sheet metal pattern and for those that do need custom combo patterns we may have already made them. This combo is a little complex with the guard but we could likely do it for you. Profile changes are tricky and generally require new patterns to be made (blade outline, handle outline). However we can do contouring changes as semi custom changes no problem. For example a dui chirra pattern but given a mutiny's grind style. Or as may interest you in this enquiry- a regent bowie handle with the "coke bottle" scale contouring of the plain jane, scourge etc.
 
I was wondering how much would it cost to carve the flower pattern on handles, like the one salyani, on other knives. I have seen a picture of carved micarta handle on a Salyani on your FB. The pictures aren't very clear, but it does not look as intricate as the ones done in wood. Does micarta make it more difficult to do carvings like these?
 
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Hey there Chandra
Our salyani handle carving costs are subject to change as they're done externally but adding it to a blade adds about 30 usd. Yes, with our micarta (more like terotuf) it's more difficult to get crisp lines and engraving in there. While it's a very strong and tough handle material the general structure of the material is a lot coarser and less dense than rosewood and especially horn. Regular western phenolic resin based micarta would carve and polish better but there are toughness and handle feel tradeoffs as well.
 
So I made another purchase! I ordered my Plain Jane Bowie finally. Went with all the options I wanted. Orange micarta handle, acid wash hamon blade, performance grind unchartered swedge. Super excited. Also ordered a 3.5 inch Bhura. Also an acid wash blade but stacked leather handle and a performance grind. These are specifically meant for my camping bag/just in case bag. Super stoked to receive two more pieces from them and cannot wait to have the Plain Jane specifically. It was the first knife that truly caught my eye when I first discovered their site.
 
Thanks a bunch for the support!
I think the plain jane has been a sleeper for some time now and it's great to see it get some time in the sun- I'm sure you'll be very happy with it and the bhura :)
Would love to hear your thoughts on the blade once you get your hands on them too.
Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash
 
Kailash Blades said:
Thanks a bunch for the support!
I think the plain jane has been a sleeper for some time now and it's great to see it get some time in the sun- I'm sure you'll be very happy with it and the bhura :)
Would love to hear your thoughts on the blade once you get your hands on them too.
Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash
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I absolutely will sir! I've been wanting it and now pulled the trigger! Especially excited to try the other two handle materials, micarta and leather! And also especially excited for the acid wash on them! I've seen examples, and cannot wait! You're work is always top notch and you can feel the care that went into each piece! I wish for years of continued success and improvements for you and your team.
 
Thanks so much for the kind words Phil :)
The guys do a beautiful job on the acid wash but do note that it can wear off pretty rapidly in woodwork. It's probably best approached as a display finish or the foundation for a user created patina of your own.
I think you'll love the leather and micarta too!
 
Kailash Blades said:
Thanks so much for the kind words Phil :)
The guys do a beautiful job on the acid wash but do note that it can wear off pretty rapidly in woodwork. It's probably best approached as a display finish or the foundation for a user created patina of your own.
I think you'll love the leather and micarta too!
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I like the look, and it helps because I love watching the patterns in the patina that the Regent Long Knife is taking on as a kitchen duty knife! You all made it out of 80CRV2 for me, and it is taking an incredibly beautiful patina. Helps protect against rust. Here's the Long Knife. Regent Long Knife patina pictures don't do it justice. Almost has an oil can finish patina. It's got reds, blues, tiny bit of green and blue. It's gorgeous!
 
Kitchen knives always get such a cool patina!
It's gotta be the weird acids and juices in the food but it's always more colourful and interesting than what you get on woodworking knives.
 
Earlier in the month I received a 14" Mutiny and a Pensioner and had a chance to take them out to see what they could do. Again, I hope these images show up!

It's actually my 2nd Pensioner. The first had the long handle (identical everything else) and I have to say the medium length just feels perfect for me. I've also got to say I'm really coming around to the micarta. Despite being made by different makers (Mandip for the first, and Bikram for this one) the blades are identical aside from minor touches.

The Mutiny is a first for me and it feels like I had initially expected the 14" Sirupate to feel. The mutiny was more of a fun buy for me but I have to admit it did better than I expected. Despite an extensive previous post pitting it against the Pensioner, I was still surprised how good of a chopper it was. While both will do the job, the Mutiny's weight and balance makes it very controllable when dealing with thin spindly brush but if I know I'm going to more chopping, I'd have to bring something with a handle that fills my hand more.

Despite what I put them through on some dry wood, both remain paper slicing sharp. At some point I'd like to pit the Mk1 against the Pensioner.

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Woah those are some incredibly nice looking photos! Would it be alright if we shared them on social media?
I love how these particular blades look with satin finishing and a modern handle material- it really matches and has a timeless classy look to it.
I hear you on the mutiny handle not being ad hand filling as other blades. It's a common trend across narrower khukuri blades historically I feel. Definitely helps for an integrated aesthetic and also with twirly, tricky hand motions but yeah a little bit of extra beef wouldn't go astray in hard chopping either.
Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kaialsh
 
Kailash Blades said:
Woah those are some incredibly nice looking photos! Would it be alright if we shared them on social media?
I love how these particular blades look with satin finishing and a modern handle material- it really matches and has a timeless classy look to it.
I hear you on the mutiny handle not being ad hand filling as other blades. It's a common trend across narrower khukuri blades historically I feel. Definitely helps for an integrated aesthetic and also with twirly, tricky hand motions but yeah a little bit of extra beef wouldn't go astray in hard chopping either.
Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kaialsh
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Anything I post you are absolutely free to use and share.

I always thought the black and silver look had a classiness to it. Just the right amount of flash IMO. But, ever since I saw you mention it somewhere, I've been thinking about how that brown micarta too. Is that something available on request or is it not typically on hand?

In all fairness, the thin handle works really well with thick and/or insulated gloves where a fatter handle would make things worse. Give and take I suppose. Personally, I appreciate the adherence to the traditional design.

The Falo also followed me out there and got at least one decent photo of it despite the lighting issues. Forgot to include it. It won't zip through light brush like the other two but really shined when chopping thicker branches or logs which is to be expected
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Bill_Melater said:
Anything I post you are absolutely free to use and share.

I always thought the black and silver look had a classiness to it. Just the right amount of flash IMO. But, ever since I saw you mention it somewhere, I've been thinking about how that brown micarta too. Is that something available on request or is it not typically on hand?

In all fairness, the thin handle works really well with thick and/or insulated gloves where a fatter handle would make things worse. Give and take I suppose. Personally, I appreciate the adherence to the traditional design.

The Falo also followed me out there and got at least one decent photo of it despite the lighting issues. Forgot to include it. It won't zip through light brush like the other two but really shined when chopping thicker branches or logs which is to be expected
WI8L78X.png
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Gorgeous photos of your collection!

I absolutely love my Falo! I was surprised at just how much of a chopper this is as opposed to brush clearer as you stated. I love the ruggedness of the grind as it is very robust and can stand up to some abuse. Even with the standard grind that I went with.

Meanwhile, I'm sure forging is set to begin on my most recent order in a week or 2. My patience is always rewarded!
 
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