Odd as FedEx has facilities in Nepal. I wonder why it enters the FedEx system in Dubai.

Mine went through Dubai and was delivered from Kailash to me within a week.

yep.

Mine is taking the world tour. Started in Nepal then Dubai, then Italy, Tennessee and now Oregon.
Interestingly apparently cleared customs in hours. I have had FedEx stuff sit for days before being cleared.

Here’s my Historical Service Issue compared to an older HI Ang Kohla.





The Service Issue has the acid washed finish which is ok.

It’s a lot lighter and feels much better in the hand than the HI. The Ang Khola is beast and feels obese compared to this blade.  I much prefer the thinner blade as it’s very easy to swing.  The balance is very nice and it feels better as a chopper than my bolo knife.

The Micarta  handle and kydex sheath are also excellent.

Sounds like an excellent outcome! Glad you're enjoying your mini, the 9" is a great size that I wish more people would go with. It seems like there's folks that are coming over from smaller knives where the 9" sounds obscenely big and other folks coming over from swords who think anything under 13" is a toy. In reality that kind of size is super handy, packable, manageable for small tasks while still being up for a bit of chopping.
Shipping can be extremely quick sometimes! Less than a week to the US is common if all goes well. Part of this is due to the lack of non express shipping options leaving Nepal, we can only ship things out speedily, even if the customer would prefer something a bit cheaper and slower.
Take care,
Andrew

Yep, Rock6 is right. With the very low quantities that come out of Nepal for international shipping our cargo agent uses an intermediary freight forwarder in dubai. For some destinations this is the only option we have available.

Micarta, brass and kydex on a HSI- I love this combo as it keeps the same colours as the standard issue blades but updates the materials and functionality. While I don't think the gurkhas will be receiving anything with micarta or kydex as standard issue yet I really hope they would.

Great to have a side by side comparison with the HI. This type of tankier blade is a lot of fun and done a great job in spreading the utility of khukuris in the west.
With that said though I think a bit more taper and thinner spine can make for a much better working blade, while still being plenty tough :)

Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash

This thread (and the Kailash Instagram page) have me absolutely Hooked... but the choices, AH!  So right now I'm torn between a Panawal or a M43 Martial, with the orange micarta, either one with an 11 inch blade.  I'm really digging the grip style and lighter weight of the Martial for just all around hacking stuff and random coolness (which is the only REAL reason I'd get one), but the more traditional model panawal looks pretty damn excellent as well.

Help me break out of my indecisiveness!

Get both!

Haha, I wish, my "random cool crap I can buy" funds are.... sparse.  The more I'm looking at their Instagram page though, the more I'm digging the m43 blade style.

The choices can be overwhelming, can't they?
I think if you don't have any particular hard usage requirements I think for a cool, fun to handle khukuri you'll be better served by the m43 martial. It's a lot of fun in hand and quite a sleek blade. If you're after something traditional that also has cool factor and great feel in hand consider the 11.5" HSI, the Pensioner or a 14/15.5" Mutiny.

Take care,
Andrew and the team at kailash.

I actually just sent a quote request for an 11 inch ANGKHOLA EK CHIRRA with a full tang and M43 style grip, can't wait to see what my options are!

So I just put in an order.  An 11 inch Ek Chirra, satin with steel hardware, full tang with an M43 type handle and orange miacarta scales.  I cannot WAIT.

Mine is done and should be here in the next two weeks.

Blade: A-/B+

Handle: C-/D+

Sheaths: B+/B

I think I'm going to need a file to re-contour the handle, as it's not terribly even and someone used a powertool to contour the wood scales to the tang and did it unevenly.  Probably should've gotten the rat tail tang version hidden under the handle materials.  Blade had some discoloration on arrival, despite being oiled and wrapped in plastic.

Looking forward to some pics...

The last thing I had delivered by FedEx (keep in mind it was all COTUS) went through several different states, including an overnight about 45 minutes from my house, before being sent back out of state and through 3 or 4 more before finally showing up 5 days late.  

FedEx is a giant $h!+show of just terrible ineffectiveness.  They don't have any real competition so they get to be as incompetent as possible and still profitable.  Whenever possible, avoid them like the plague.  Unfortunately, they are often the only option.

Here is an example of the Traditional MINI.
Wanted something that I could try to ECD at least around the homestead. Blade feels great in the hand. Kydex sheath is OK. Funny to see flat head screws. I am trying to set this up to carry at the small of my back.

Blade is sharp and seems to hold the edge well so far.

MiniBlade Length:7"
Blade Finish:Polished
Hardware:Brass
Handle Material:Black Micarta Wrap
Handle Length:Small (4.25")
Sheath:Kydex
Grind Type:Performance Grind

Additional Sheaths?:No

Overall, I am really happy with how it turned out.

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I really want one of these now! Awesome thread.

Just got my first "in progress" pictures!!  I have an 11" Ek Chirra w/a full tang, "Martial" grip style and a baak in the shop now, in the queue for grind.  Looking great, I'm already thinking of my next blade and I don't even have these yet!

Blades shipped yesterday, really excellent turn around time from order.  Will post pics upon arrival!

Looks like I'm getting a package from Nepal soon...  

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Looks great.  

Excited to see the pics when you get it!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXCyHGBuglZ/

This thing is fantastic.  FAR above expectations... the entire experience in them working with me on setting up my specs, ordering, status updates, and shipping were just incredible.  I got notification of prep for shipping on the 29th and received TODAY.  Crazy sharp, way lighter than I expected.  11 inch Ek Chirra, full tang w/ orange micarta scales.  the tang tapers nicely to cut a bit of weight, the fuller is wide and leaves a pile of meat up on the edge.  LOVE the big belly.  

It's freaking neat.

I got a package from DHL today.    I wonder what's inside?  Should I make this into a safe thread?  

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OK, let's open it up...

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Looks like some kind of mummified oblong object wrapped in heavy craft paper.  Lets probe further..

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Oh, look...

@kailashblades
All right, time to get serious.  The knife - it's a 14" sirupati with a polished blade, rat tail tang, and standard edge grind, large buffalo horn handle with brass fittings, and the western style buffalo leather sheath.

My assessment so far:
- The blade is nicely ground, straight, and very sharp.  The finish is what I would call 'bright' polish; it is not quite 'mirror' polish and you can see faint, uniform grind marks on the blade.  Note - I didn't remove all the oil from the blade when I took the pics, so the finish appears slightly duller than it is. The uniformity of the grind marks is a good thing, IMO.  The edge is about as sharp as some of my kitchen knives.
- The handle is nicely curved and the oval profile, prominent center ridge, and big flare at the back really keep your hand nicely indexed.  If you have pretty big hands (I can palm a basketball) or plan to wear gloves when using this blade, then you'll find the large handle very comfortable.  The large handle also allows you to change the point of balance in your hand a little by changing your grip position.  Visually, the buffalo horn is stunning.  It's medium and light gray striped on one side, ane mostly light-medium gray on the other.   What you can't see in the pics is that it's slightly iridescent when you rotate it under the light.  My only critiques are there are some small imperfections where the handle joins up to the brass fittings and the grip grooves slightly deviate from perfectly parallel.  That's getting nitpicky given that these are handmade using simple tools.  
- The scabbard leather is heavy and the rivets are solidly and consistently attached.  The stitching is not perfectly straight, and there are some small variations in the stitch length.  I'm getting nitpicky again.  The leather is probably hard to work with.  The scabbard holds the knife securely with either of the two snaps.  It appears to be durable enough to outlive me.
- The knife weighs about 540 grams, so the weights listed on the website are representative of their products.  The point of balance is about 4" in front of the handle (see blue arrow in pic).  The blade feels quick and whippy in the hand.  The handle feels like it weighs nothing and isn't slippery.  Pity the weather is supposed to be bad the next few days.  I want to go chop some stuff with this very nice knife.

OK - here are the pics.  

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Nice! Glad to hear we hit the nail on the head. The m43 martial handle swap is a pretty common custom request nowadays. We don't mind doing at all but I feel it's a sign that we should improve some of our modern offerings so people don't have to take the semi custom route. For the last few years we've been putting a lot of focus on upping our traditional game and it's been paying off a lot in terms of upping our quality and giving us design insights into how to optimise these blades. Maybe it's time to pivot back to  updating our modern blades for a while :)

Thanks for the rundown of your first impressions and feedback. Glad to hear you're happy with the blade overall- I think once you get a chance to put it through it's paces it'll cement itself as a favourite :)

-I hear you on the small grind marks under the polish. I have a trip planned early 2022 and hopefully I can help clear these up. Currently there's quite a jump in grits between sanding wheels and buffing wheel, so an intermediate step might be ideal. Will also help t provide a neater and more uniform satin finish also.

-Due to laws against the use of cow products (sacred animal) in nepal, the leather we work with is from local water buffalo. While it's definitely tough and makes for a rugged sheath it can be a lot tougher to carve, tool and sew than tool leather found in the west. In future we'd love to work with a local leather factory to see if we can develop a leather that's both more supple and more capable of tooling. Even being able to do some simple basket weave embossing would elevate these sheaths a lot aesthetically.

Very nice! I need to get my second Kailash on order after the first of the year...planned to get one with a Kydex sheath...those look great.

ROCK6

Same here, going to place another order for a larger blade.

ETA.
Just ordered one.

Product Panawal  1
Blade Length: 13"
Blade Finish: Raw
Hardware: Steel
Handle Material: Desert Camo Micarta Wrap Scales
Handle Length: Small (4.25")
Sheath: Kydex
Grind Type: Performance Grind
Additional Sheaths?: No

Caught up on this entire thread.  I have a feeling my wallet is about to get lighter.

My specs are posted above. Making some progress.


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Been putting off getting a Nepalese khukri for some time. Looks like it's time to go ahead and do it.

Edit: ordered.

Modern Service Issue× 1
Blade Length: 9.5"
Blade Finish: Satin
Hardware: Brass $9
Handle Material: Indian Rosewood
Handle Length: Medium (4.75")
Sheath: Traditional Dap
Grind Type: Standard Grind
Additional Sheaths?: No

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So roughly 3 months. I ha an HI kukri that I love, but I could branch out. Give us your thoughts.

Ironically, the way I heard of kukri knives was reading Dracula when I was 13.

@kailashblades

i'm deciding between a 13" Panawal or a M43 Martial.

pros/cons for each?

would get steel hardware, satin finish, orange micarta handles, and kydex sheath for either.  

TIA.

@Deussne

Very nice! Any chance you've done any work with it? Thoughts and impressions? Mine is similar, but going for a polished blade...


Tough call; Traditional (Panawal) vs. Modern (M43 Martial). The M43 is going to be lighter with a more modern handle. I finally dropped my order for the Panawal:

Panawal
Blade Length:13"
Blade Finish:Polished
Hardware:Steel
Handle Material:Black Micarta Scales
Handle Length:Large (5.25")
Sheath:Kydex (plus a Traditional Drop)
Grind Type:Standard Grind

ROCK6

Sorry for the delayed reply here- I hadn't got any notifications about this thread. I'm sure you've made a decision by now but for future referenceif anyone else is interested:
Thee are very different blades- the m43 is a light in terms of both grams and hand feel and is well suited to martial arts and lighter brushwork. The panawal on the otherhand is a lot beefier and is a hard use workhorse designed to stand up to very rough prying, digging, batoning etc. Naturally it's also had a few tradeoffs as far as the weight and cutting efficiency go.
Without further information about what kind of work you're looking for I'd suggest the panawal. It's ultimately a more versatile blade and you're gunna have a lot of fun with it regardless. the m43 on the other hand could be a bit light for certain applications and is a bit more niche.

As an aside I was recently informed of a thread in this forum where people were discussing some negative experiences they'd had with us. I've had a deep earch but can't find it anywhere. If someone could provide a link it'd be a great help- maybe I can offer some reassurance, support or help with finding a resolution.

Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash

I ordered a Sirupate:
12-inch blade, acid wash finish, rat tail tang, performance grind
medium handle size with Indian Rosewood
copper hardware
Salyani-rubbed leather sheath/dap

I also ordered a semi-custom socket bowie.

I'll report back in 2+ months when they arrive.

It's been a slightly longer wait, which I anticipated, but my panawal 13" is finally finished and getting shipped!


Kalish blades has had some supply setbacks and illnesses to deal with...I think we can all understand those challenges.


@kailashblades

Other than supply delays that have impacted us all, and knowing one of your primary kami was sick, you've been communicating quite well. My experience (now two of your khukuris) has been positive; you have a good website to inform on options, reasonable pricing for custom made khukuris, and good communications...keep up the good work and I applaud your efforts to address any negative experiences.

ROCK6

did not need, but wanted :)

Modern Service Issue   1
Blade Length: 10.5
Blade Finish: Polished
Hardware: Steel
Handle Material: Indian Rosewood
Handle Length: Medium (4.75")
Sheath: Kydex, Kydex Colour: Army Green
Grind Type: Standard Grind


can't wait.

Talk about quick to the draw! Gone ahead and ordered one of our new coloured kydex sheaths before we've even announced the new option :)

It's great to hear that you think we're doing an okay job at communication. It's been a tricky time but we're stronger now that we're out the other end. I can't seem to setup preferences to get emailed when I get sent a DM so there is likely to be a pretty poor reply time there. If you need to get in touch I should be able to reply within 1-2 days at [email protected]
Hope your blades continue to treat you well going forward :)

Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash

Have a H.I. by Burra that I would like to get a kydex sheath made for her, who is making these kydex sheaths ?

A friend had a custom saber-style blade made by these folks and recommended them. He recommended the HSI, so I bought one. Horn handle, brass hardware, satin blade, rubbed leather sheath.

I have almost no idea what any of that actually means, but it seems like a fun adventure.

We make our kydex in our workshop in Nepal. with the cost of shipping to and from Nepal it'll likely be cheaper to get it made locally. If they use our images as reference a local maker should be able to replicate the main sheath pretty well :)

Haha- I'm sure you'll end up loving it. The build souns like it'll be on the traditional side and quite beautiful.
there's some resourced to help explain our different options here if you need: https://kailashblades.com/options-info/
Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash

Just received pictures of my order post forging and grinding. I asked them about changing the blade from satin to polished and they said no problem. I just paid the difference.

Should be a magnificent looking thing with the polished blade, brass fixtures and horn handle.

are they ever made with a full tang?