Whos your Favorite Kami

S

Silverthorn

Joined
Apr 24, 2011
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Between everyone here who owns a HI knife there is a huge wealth of experience with all the Kami that HI use.

So I am asking for a general consensus of who you like and why, because I am looking to have a couple custom made, and would love to get feed back on who I should ask for.

I know that any Kami that HI is willing to use is going to create a great knife, just wondering if there are 1 or 2 Kami that really stand out to everyone.

I am looking to have a custom M43, and a custom Villager Farm knife, and maybe a custom Pen or YCS.

Thanks in advance for the help folks.
 
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I only own 2 HI knives,so my experience isn't up to that of others,however,I really like my AK bowie made by Bhakta. Flawless metalwork-near perfect symmetry and very good hafting.
 
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I've had good luck with customs by letting Yangdu know what I want, and trusting to the HI administration on the Nepal side to match the job with the appropriate craftsman.
 
Bura!

But since he's not working anymore. . .

I have nice pieces from Dil and Vim, and one other (I forget the kami, I'll look him up later), but Tirtha seems to be the heir apparent right now to Bura, both for the fine work, and his mastery of the little things, almost unnoticeable, that make for ideal balance and usability.
 
@ Cpl,

I have actually been leaning towards Tirtha because his knives have gotten rave reviews and even the accessories look like he puts extra care and attention to detail into them.
I need to find out when special orders will be rolling again.

Anyone else with exp sound off, I am always eager to hear from people who know what they are talking about.
 
P.S.

I will post my ideas for the "custom" part of the knives and ask what you guys think soon.
 
Well, I don't have a huge collection to sample from, but I can offer my experience. I have two Tirtha khuks, a WWII and M-43. I love both. They are built for use, but are not overbuilt. I think he is extremely capable. He is likely my "favorite". I have three Murali khuks and they're awesome. His (my) CAK feels incredibly nimble and easy to use, but he no longer seems to work much. He has TB, but if we're lucky he'll show up again. I recently acquired a Hanuman Especial by Rajkumar and am thrilled with his work. Really thrilled. Judging from this one khuk I can only say he has a good eye for detail and a good hand for feel, of course it has not and will not see real use. It's a looker;). My B-43 (chiruwa Bhojpuri/non-Malla Malla/big cho ringed handle M-43:D) was made by Shaila, who may still be around, is awesome. It has a wonderful feel. The curve of the blade and handle is near perfection to my novice eye and hand. If it was 26ish oz. instead of 36 oz., it would likely be my hands down favorite. I'd love to see him do an M-43 of the proper proportions. I also have two Dil khuks IIRC. They're small, but well done. I agree with Howard, that HI wil likely give the order to whomever they feel is best. They've been doing this for a while;). It is highly unlikely you'll have a complaint. And sometimes the new guy you've never heard of knocks everyone's socks off! There must have been a time long ago when someone said, "I've never heard or this Bura guy! Are you sure he's OK?":). Good luck and please post up your ideas and reviews.
 
I have a CAK from Rajkumar and it's awesome in every way. Whoever makes it, I'm sure it will be of the highest quality, visually and performance wise. Having said that, I have seen a number of impressive pieces lately by Tirtha. That DOTD 19" Malla by Tirtha blew me away!
 
For me, personally, there have only been two instances where I, upon opening the box and holding the blade, automatically said to myself "Yep, this is awesome". Both khuks were made by Vim Kami.

All the other HI blades I have received I may have taken longer to like (or just didn't), but whether by luck or not, Vim just seemed to make exactly what I liked. Many other kamis new and old like Tirtha, Shaila, Sher (the tiger), Sgt Khadka and of course Royal Kami Bura have made great blades as well, but they do not elicit the same response from me as a blade from Vim does.
 
Bura for his ability to do both thin, light true Nepalese model as well as thick and burly ones for larger hands.
Sargeant Khadka for his super sharp and aggressive profiles - Samsher and Super CAK
Kumar- For his enigmatic Kobra
Rajkumar - great artist who churned out better pieces each day- Bhanduk
Murali - hidden gem- One of my treasured khuk is curve-handled ASTK
Sanu- For making such a scary knife-UBE
Sherpa Kami - for making a full tang Gelbu with ergonomic walnut handle.
 
All 5 of the HI blades I own so far have been made by Rajkumar. All 5 are works of art - 4 of which I will never part with, they are just too special to let go.
4 more "special order" Khuks should be arriving here today or tomorrow. They should give me something to make a comparison with.
But for right now, Rajkumar is definitely my favorite.
 
For years, Kumar crafted the most blades that flat out spoke to me. I was really bummed when he left. I have to say that of the current kamis, Tirtha seems to make the most Kumar-ish blade. I can't wait to get more of his work.
 
Custom M43 tentative specs;

13 1/2 inch blade
4 1/2 inches of grip-able handle, so not counting the swell below the grip.
3 1/2 inch diameter handle
1/3 inch thick at the spine
White steel fittings, villager finish blade
Fuller and distal taper to reduce weight and improve point of balance
If possible bolts not rivets for the scales, and no metal cap on the sheath tip
Ironwood grips if possible, if not then a dark hardwood
Matching accessory tools, like the ones on the recent Tirtha white bone handled YCS
Full tang with a lanyard hole added, no sharp points on the butt-plate/swell

Weight is what it is, it will come in pretty much where I want it based on the design I think.

What do you guys think ?
 
Silverthorn said:
Custom M43 tentative specs;

13 1/2 inch blade
4 1/2 inches of grip-able handle, so not counting the swell below the grip.
3 1/2 inch diameter handle
1/3 inch thick at the spine
White steel fittings, villager finish blade
Fuller and distal taper to reduce weight and improve point of balance
If possible bolts not rivets for the scales, and no metal cap on the sheath tip
Ironwood grips if possible, if not then a dark hardwood
Matching accessory tools, like the ones on the recent Tirtha white bone handled YCS
Full tang with a lanyard hole added, no sharp points on the butt-plate/swell

Weight is what it is, it will come in pretty much where I want it based on the design I think.

What do you guys think ?
Click to expand...

Silverthorn, your specs resemble my B-43 in general. The blade is 13 3/4" and the handle is 5" including bolster, IIRC. This khuk has a sweet taper from stem to stern. But, it weighs 36 oz. due to it's spine widening from the bolster, where it's thinner, to about 3/8" at the shoulder before it tapers down. The handle is ringed, not smooth like an M-43, but feels incredible. If the blade was tapered from the bolster as you mention, it would likely be perfection in my eyes. I had HI (Tirtha) put a lanyard hole on my M-43, so that's no problem. Here's a pic of my B-43. I believe your design would have a similiar profile. Take care.

B43handlemod009.jpg
 
Silverthorn said:
Custom M43 tentative specs; ... What do you guys think ?
Click to expand...

Communicating detailed specs across the language and cultural barriers has been a problem in the past. It used to frustrate Bill to no end. Life-size wood models seem one way around the problem.
 
Workin it out with Yangdu as we speak maybe my Custom M43 will be sharp enough to get its own name heh.
Getting a matching Villager farm knife also, lookin to be a Tirtha set.

I am super excited.
 
My one and only M-43 is a Sher the Tiger-built model, and from what I've read, this kukhuri is very much in keeping with his blade-making style. It's not the prettiest, or lightest, M-43 ever built, but it's anvil-tough...

M-43kukhuri006.jpg


M-43kukhuri007.jpg


DSC00021.jpg


DSC00022.jpg


M-43kukhuri001.jpg



A few pics...
 
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So far Bura is my fav kami :)
I don't have any khuk made by any new Kamis so I don't have any say on them :eek:

mohd
 
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