For The New Khukuri Buyer
This post is for the purpose of briefly conveying what I've learned about buying a Khukuri during the last year. Whereas my words may be good for Himalayan Imports, they are not written for their benefit. This post is for the benefit of the new buyer.
Next time you want to buy a new truck or maybe a shotgun, call Ford or Remington and request that the president of the company or QC director personally inspect the truck or shotgun you want to buy. That kind of customer service is rarely available at most companies, large or small. However, its the way Himalayan Imports does business every day with every customer.
WHAT ABOUT QUALITY? Yangdu, the owner of Himalayan Imports, has been involved in Khukuri manufacturing, quality control and sales for nearly 30 years. She has had thousands of Khukuris pass through her hands. In spite of the large numbers, its widely accepted that Himalayan Imports sets the industry standard for quality control. This likely qualifies her as the world's foremost authority on Khukuris. So now, at Himalayan Imports, you have what you can't get at Ford, Chevy or Remington, and Browning, that being personal service by the head honcho. As I understand it, every khukuri sold by HI passes through Yandus hands for inspection before it's shipped to you. In addition, based on the stories I've read, it's unlikely that the owners of the other companies are inspecting each and every Khukuri shipped out of their facility.
WHAT ABOUT PRICE? I did my due diligence, and checked out every Khukuri seller I could find on the internet for about a year before buying. I arrived at the conclusion that better was better, and that there was no monetary incentive to buy a lesser knife from a lesser company. The price difference between HI and lesser companys disappears when you consider shipping fees and Yangdu's "Deal of the Day" discounts. In fact, some companies charged more for a lower quality knife. Compared to other hand made knives, Himalayan Import's khukuris are worth the full retail price listed. When you consider Deal of the Day theyre a bargain. From what I understand, buying from most other other companies is a crapshoot, and you never know what youre going to get for your dollar.
WHY SO MANY LOYAL CUSTOMERS? Simply put, the quality of the product, the business ethics, customer service and the personal relationships provided by Himalayan Imports are of the highest order and are unique in the industry. It appears to me that Yangdu is beloved, trusted and respected by her clientele. I havent found that at other companies, and most seem detached from their clientele.
MY PERSONAL HI EXPERIENCE: I have purchased one khukuri from Yangdu, and that was enough to witness how she does business. Prior to sale she described the knife as a "blem" due to a "hairline crack in the horn handle". When I received the knife I found a superficial scratch, there was no "hairline crack". So she overstated the blemish, rather than using the typical sales tactic of understating a flaw.
ON THE OTHER HAND THERE WAS SHIPPING DAMAGE: Upon arrival I discovered that the postal service had crushed one end of the box, which chipped the knifes handle. As Blem my knife was heavily discounted, and I understood that Blem sales were considered final. Yangdu hadnt damaged the knife so I didnt expect her to offer to replace it. I only emailed her to give her a heads-up on the postal services treatment of her shipments. She told me to return the khukuri and she'd replace it because it was damaged in route from Reno to my location. The point is that she was willing to replace a knife that she didnt damage, just so Id be happy. In the end, I couldnt part with the knife and repaired it myself.
HOW ABOUT YANGDOS ADVICE? Prior to buying the knife, I contacted her asking for advice. I told her my age, height, weight, physical condition and the intended use for the khukuri. She recommended a 15, 1 ½ LB Ang Khola. After that I watched a video on Youtube by an internationally respected knife expert named Cliff Stamp. He had a 18 2 LB Himalayan Imports AK and spoke highly of it. So naturally, I ignored Yangdu and bought an 18 2 LB AK. After watching his video again it dawned on me that Cliff appeared be a much bigger guy than I am. Again, I love the knife, but my next one will be shorter and lighter as she suggested. She knows what shes talking about, and if asked, will give her best shot at pointing you in the right direction.
MAKING A CHOICE: Currently as well as historically, Himalayan Imports has demonstrated great quality, great customer service, great prices, and they give sound advice. I believe that past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior. I went with Himalayan Imports and as you can tell Im glad I did.
"TEN MILLION COYOTES CAN'T BE WRONG, LAMB TASTES GOOD": Remember that old bumper-sticker? There's a reason so many people like doing business with HI. Most folks who own various brands of Khukuris will tell you that their HI khukuris are superior. It's safe to say that there are more satisfied customers on-line singing the praises of HI than any other single company. If the owner of another company is reading this, they're probably asking themselves, "Why don't my customers write posts like this". As a prospective buyer, you would be wise to ask your self the same question.
VCB
This post is for the purpose of briefly conveying what I've learned about buying a Khukuri during the last year. Whereas my words may be good for Himalayan Imports, they are not written for their benefit. This post is for the benefit of the new buyer.
Next time you want to buy a new truck or maybe a shotgun, call Ford or Remington and request that the president of the company or QC director personally inspect the truck or shotgun you want to buy. That kind of customer service is rarely available at most companies, large or small. However, its the way Himalayan Imports does business every day with every customer.
WHAT ABOUT QUALITY? Yangdu, the owner of Himalayan Imports, has been involved in Khukuri manufacturing, quality control and sales for nearly 30 years. She has had thousands of Khukuris pass through her hands. In spite of the large numbers, its widely accepted that Himalayan Imports sets the industry standard for quality control. This likely qualifies her as the world's foremost authority on Khukuris. So now, at Himalayan Imports, you have what you can't get at Ford, Chevy or Remington, and Browning, that being personal service by the head honcho. As I understand it, every khukuri sold by HI passes through Yandus hands for inspection before it's shipped to you. In addition, based on the stories I've read, it's unlikely that the owners of the other companies are inspecting each and every Khukuri shipped out of their facility.
WHAT ABOUT PRICE? I did my due diligence, and checked out every Khukuri seller I could find on the internet for about a year before buying. I arrived at the conclusion that better was better, and that there was no monetary incentive to buy a lesser knife from a lesser company. The price difference between HI and lesser companys disappears when you consider shipping fees and Yangdu's "Deal of the Day" discounts. In fact, some companies charged more for a lower quality knife. Compared to other hand made knives, Himalayan Import's khukuris are worth the full retail price listed. When you consider Deal of the Day theyre a bargain. From what I understand, buying from most other other companies is a crapshoot, and you never know what youre going to get for your dollar.
WHY SO MANY LOYAL CUSTOMERS? Simply put, the quality of the product, the business ethics, customer service and the personal relationships provided by Himalayan Imports are of the highest order and are unique in the industry. It appears to me that Yangdu is beloved, trusted and respected by her clientele. I havent found that at other companies, and most seem detached from their clientele.
MY PERSONAL HI EXPERIENCE: I have purchased one khukuri from Yangdu, and that was enough to witness how she does business. Prior to sale she described the knife as a "blem" due to a "hairline crack in the horn handle". When I received the knife I found a superficial scratch, there was no "hairline crack". So she overstated the blemish, rather than using the typical sales tactic of understating a flaw.
ON THE OTHER HAND THERE WAS SHIPPING DAMAGE: Upon arrival I discovered that the postal service had crushed one end of the box, which chipped the knifes handle. As Blem my knife was heavily discounted, and I understood that Blem sales were considered final. Yangdu hadnt damaged the knife so I didnt expect her to offer to replace it. I only emailed her to give her a heads-up on the postal services treatment of her shipments. She told me to return the khukuri and she'd replace it because it was damaged in route from Reno to my location. The point is that she was willing to replace a knife that she didnt damage, just so Id be happy. In the end, I couldnt part with the knife and repaired it myself.
HOW ABOUT YANGDOS ADVICE? Prior to buying the knife, I contacted her asking for advice. I told her my age, height, weight, physical condition and the intended use for the khukuri. She recommended a 15, 1 ½ LB Ang Khola. After that I watched a video on Youtube by an internationally respected knife expert named Cliff Stamp. He had a 18 2 LB Himalayan Imports AK and spoke highly of it. So naturally, I ignored Yangdu and bought an 18 2 LB AK. After watching his video again it dawned on me that Cliff appeared be a much bigger guy than I am. Again, I love the knife, but my next one will be shorter and lighter as she suggested. She knows what shes talking about, and if asked, will give her best shot at pointing you in the right direction.
MAKING A CHOICE: Currently as well as historically, Himalayan Imports has demonstrated great quality, great customer service, great prices, and they give sound advice. I believe that past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior. I went with Himalayan Imports and as you can tell Im glad I did.
"TEN MILLION COYOTES CAN'T BE WRONG, LAMB TASTES GOOD": Remember that old bumper-sticker? There's a reason so many people like doing business with HI. Most folks who own various brands of Khukuris will tell you that their HI khukuris are superior. It's safe to say that there are more satisfied customers on-line singing the praises of HI than any other single company. If the owner of another company is reading this, they're probably asking themselves, "Why don't my customers write posts like this". As a prospective buyer, you would be wise to ask your self the same question.
VCB
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