Khukri

A couple of weeks ago I lost my folding knife, so I have been on the lookout for a nice little knife since then. Fortunately I stumbled over Himalayan Imports, an outfit that imports Khukris from Nepal, taking care to pay the local smiths a fair price.

The Khukri (also spelled Kukri, khukuri, etc...) is a traditional Nepalese knife used both as a tool and a weapon. It is best known in the west as the knife of the Ghurka fighters.

The one I bought here is a miniature version, intended as a letter opener, but it will do quite nicely as a small utility knife for me. Like all "real" khukris it is forged from the leaf suspension springs of trucks. That means it is made of high-carbon steel: very tough, but not stainless, so I will have to take care to avoid rust. The sheath is made of wood and buffalo hide. The blade is ten centimeters long, and 1.8 cm wide at it's widest point.