I was in Nepal recently on work and I was able to wrap up a whole 2 days early!
It was obvious to me then, that I would not be returning home earlier but would be staying over and hopefully getting my hands on a Authentic Made in Nepal Khukri.
So like everyone else I googled to find out about Khukri Manufacturers, there is a over load of information on the net, even our forum has some info about buying knives from Nepal. Keeping all the info in hand, I realized the key spot for Khukri's in Kathmandu was Thamel.
Thamel is like the Colaba Market of Mumbai, aimed at Tourist, bustling with vendors, resto bars & guesthouses. I was a bit apprehensive about going to a tourist trap to buy a Khukri, but all my research pointed me there. (It is the primary place to buy Khuk's in Nepal!)
Armed with Google Maps I set-off on the 1.2 Kms Walk from Lazimpat, where my Hotel was located to Thamel. The weather was awesome, it had snowed a few days ago and the air was chilly! But very enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed my walk.
The moment you enter Thamel, you cant miss how Touristy it is, Shops selling Souvenirs, Buddist Art, Clothes, Hiking & Mountaineering kit to every thing else in between are right there in the narrow lanes. While you can take a cab there, it is my serious recommendation to walk.
My First Stop was Ex-Gurkha Khukri House, seeing the forums abuzz with Pros & Cons, I decided to check things for myself. While HI (Himalyan-Imports.com) has a die hard fan following, I believe the Ex-Gurkha suffered from bad reviews of Arm Chair warriors. ( I did mail HI for a visit to their factory but did not hear back)
The thing was that before I could reach Ex-Gurkha, I was over whelmed with the number of Shops selling Khukri's! You are walking and walking and then BANG! Out of nowhere you will see this shop packed to the Brim with Khukri's! Now dont get me wrong almost every 2nd road side shop in Thamel is selling Khukris, and almost all of them will swear these are genuine antiques!!
However these were Khukri ONLY stores, once inside I was overwhelmed with the Khukris and the Khukri Like Objects which the stores had. Almost all the Khukris were made of Spring Steel. There were Zombie Killers, to Regimental Khukri's to inspired Karambits and Bowies! You name it they had it.
Sharp, Shiny, Matt Finish, Tactical it was all there.
Christmas had come early or late! Depends on how you look at it
Shop after Shop had similar stuff, and even in the off season, there was a bunch of Tourists, from China, Korea and other European countries, buying Khukri's.
Kothimoras to Sirupate's they were all the BEST! The Khukri sales man had been born, and I did not even know that this had happened
!! After the initial Euphoria had died down, I was able to examine the pieces more closely. My apprehensions about buying a Khukri from a Tourist Trap were becoming real. Most of the stuff was off balance and heavy! or it was fullered to the extent that it was a wall hanger. However the sales men, who by the way know very little about Khukri's, were busy selling their wares. Shops even have a log for you to have a WHACK at it, with your new purchase. Sure enough the knife's held up to the few blows, that were thrown at the log, but after questioning the shops on the heat treat, design, style and history, it was obvious that they were just dishing out BS to unsuspecting Tourists. If you are in Nepal, you would buy a Khuk as THE souvenir to take back from your Holidays. This demand was fueling the trade. Leading to the large number of Khukri Shops which had sprung up in Thamel.
It was a bit disappointing, shop after shop it was the same story, claims and crazy claims about their blades, to attitude about their knowledge and mastery of the Khukri! there were just interested in a quick sale! Anything goes (I can be whoever you want me to be
), This de-tour from my original plan, took a few hours! and I landed up at Ex-Gurkha at 4 PM. Now there are 2 Ex-Gurkha Shops in close proximity of each other. ( Will post photos) A long time salesman has now been made a partner in one shop and the other shop is manned by Vinod. Now Vinod, from the very word go, was different from all the other Khukri experts I met that day. While I waited to talk to him, he explained the difference between the sharp shiny Khuk's and practical Khuk's to a bunch of Chinese Tourists, sure enough he had a few easy sales, and all the Tourists left happy.
His honesty was a welcome break, from the clutter of the market, I was more relaxed and was able to examine quiet a few decent blades he had and his practical work horse Khukri's, which had been heat treated and tempered to take abuse. These practical Khuk's is available in three sizes, it has a large handle, and is an out and out chopper. He is very clear, there are wall hanger Khukri's and there are practical Khukri's and depending on what people wanted he sold them the Khuk most suited to their needs. His store clearly identifes, the wall Hangers as decorative Khukris.
We discussed Khukri's, Gorkha's, Gorkha Culture, the Khukri Trade and a whole lot of stuff in between, he also showed me a few genuine antique blades, and by the time I left at 7, I knew that Vinod was the go to guy in this market.
It had been a exciting day, and despite the weather it was Beer O Clock, I called it a day. Walked into one of Bars in Thamel and basically had a whale of a time, with some new friends ( Weather, Beer and a Whole lot Whisky, make it easy to make new friends, I guess??
)More to follow.....
.Neat and informative. I like practical blades over the decorative one. Have a medium size Khukri which I got from the last Gurkha of my factory when he retired & went back to Nepal for good.Must be 35+years old but still very sharp.Recently I cleaned it and planning to get the sheath a new leather wrapping. 
