Hand-Forged Eagle Pommel Kukri/Khukuri, Configurable Build

A Hand-Forged Eagle Pommel Kukri/Khukuri, Built the Way You Want It

Choose the blade finish, the handle, the fittings, the scabbard colour, the chape and whether to add the karda and chakmak, then add your engraving — and we forge that exact khukuri. Every selection updates the preview on screen. There are 8,400 possible builds before personalisation, the widest choice on our builder, and each one is a piece our smiths in Kathmandu make routinely.

Underneath every combination is the same blade and the same signature: 10 inches of hand-forged 5160 spring steel in the forward-curving kukri/khukuri profile, on a full tang, finished at the butt with a hand-carved eagle head. Nothing else we make is carved like it, and the carving is cut by hand into whichever handle material you choose, so no two are identical.

Your Choices

Blade length and construction are fixed on this pattern. For anything outside these options, use our custom forge service.

The Carved Eagle Pommel

Carved pommels are an old strand of Nepali blade work. Ceremonial and presentation khukuris have long been finished with carved heads, floral work and inlay, and the skill sits with the same craftsmen who shape plain working grips — it is the same hand, taking longer. The eagle head at the butt of this khukuri comes out of that tradition even though the bird does not: it is our own design, cut freehand rather than moulded, pressed or machined.

Because the carving is freehand, the material changes the result. Rosewood takes the deepest, cleanest detail and is the standard build. Buffalo horn gives the most dramatic eagle, glossy black with the grain running through the head. Bone reads closest to ivory scrimshaw and is the most collector-facing. Whitewood gives the brightest, plainest bird. On the two-material grips, the pommel end takes the second material, so the eagle can stand in a contrasting colour from the rest of the handle. Small differences between one carving and the next are the point, not a flaw.

It also has a practical side. A flared, sculpted butt is what stops the hand sliding off a khukuri under a hard chop, and the eagle head does that job while looking like nothing else on a shelf.

Which Blade Finish Suits It?

Fittings, Scabbard and Chape

The fittings come in silver-tone, a bright white metal that stays bright longest, brass, warm gold and the classic partner for rosewood, copper, warmer and quickest to darken, or black, the quietest match for a black coated blade.

Every scabbard is a traditional dap: a carved wooden core shaped to the blade, wrapped in buffalo leather, in six colours. The chape is the metal tip that protects the end of the scabbard, and on this build it is optional — choose one of the four metals, or choose No for a plain leather tip, which is the simpler village look. Matching the chape to the fittings gives a unified, presentation finish; contrasting them, or leaving the chape off entirely, keeps the eye on the carved pommel.

Karda, Chakmak and Engraving

Choose Yes for the karda and chakmak and two companion pieces ride in pockets on the back of the scabbard. The karda is a small utility knife for fine work such as carving, skinning and food preparation. The chakmak is a blunt, hardened steel for burnishing and straightening the edge in the field. Choose No for a lighter, simpler carry.

The personalisation field takes a name, initials, a date or a short line, and you can upload a crest, an insignia, a logo or a photograph for us to reproduce. On a carved piece this matters: an eagle pommel with a name and a date on the blade is the version people buy for retirements, anniversaries and presentations.

Why This Khukuri Works

Standard Build Specification

Blade, handle and overall length are fixed on this pattern and do not change with your selections. Because every piece is hand-forged and every pommel hand-carved, small differences in the carving, the grain and the finish are normal and are part of what you are buying.

An Honest Note on This Khukuri

An honest note. Three things worth saying plainly. First, the eagle is carved freehand by the smith who makes your khukuri, so the one you receive will differ in small ways from the one in the photographs — sharper here, softer there. If you want an identical copy of a particular carving, we cannot promise it. Second, this is as much a presentation piece as a working blade: it will chop and clear like any 10-inch khukuri, but a carved pommel is worth protecting, and most owners keep it for lighter work and display. For a hard-use chopper, our configurable survival khukuri or Defender are better suited. Third, the silver-tone fittings are a bright white metal, not sterling silver, and 5160 is not stainless: keep the blade lightly oiled and the carving away from direct heat.

How Your Order Is Made

Caring for a Carved Khukuri

Wipe the blade dry after use and keep a light film of oil on the steel in storage. Do not leave the khukuri in its scabbard for long periods, because the leather and wooden core hold moisture against the steel. The carving needs its own attention: give a timber pommel a little oil once or twice a year, keep horn and bone away from radiators, direct sun and car interiors, and clean the detail with a soft dry brush rather than picking at it. When you sheathe the khukuri, put it in first and the karda and chakmak in last. Our kukri/khukuri maintenance guide covers sharpening and storage in more detail.

Shipping, Returns and Warranty

Every piece is prepared at the forge in seven to ten days, and shipping adds a further seven to ten days. Orders to the USA and Canada travel with FedEx; everywhere else ships on a DDP service, which means duties and taxes are settled before the parcel moves so there is nothing to pay on delivery. Every piece carries the Everest Forge manufacturer warranty against defects in forging and heat treatment. Because a configured khukuri is made to your specification, it falls outside our standard returns window except where the blade is faulty — full terms are on our shipping and returns page. Import rules on edged blades vary by country and are the buyer's responsibility to check before ordering.

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Questions About the Eagle Pommel Kukri/Khukuri