Hand-Forged Kukri Khukuri, Double Edge

No. A kukri — khukuri, in the other common spelling, and we use both because both are correct — is single-edged by definition, and its thick unsharpened spine is not an omission. It is the reason the blade works. This one carries a ground back edge, which makes it a fantasy interpretation rather than a traditional Nepali blade, and we would rather open with that than let 276 traditional kukris and khukuris on this site imply otherwise.

What it is: a deeply recurved 12 inch blade with a sharpened back, a substantial polished steel bolster, a timber grip and a steel pommel, on an 18.5 inch knife. It is a striking object and it is not the blade our smiths have been making for generations. If the traditional article is what you want, start at our traditional kukris and khukuris.

Three things, and they are the reason no traditional kukri or khukuri has one. First, MASS AND STIFFNESS: a kukri's spine is thick precisely because that is where the metal does the most good on a chopping blade, and grinding it away takes steel out of the part that resists bending under a hard stroke.

Second, THE THUMB. On a working khukuri you put a thumb or the heel of your hand on the spine for control on fine cuts, and to guide the blade when you choke up on it. You cannot do that on an edge. Third, BATONING AND PALMING: a thick spine is something you can strike with a stick to drive the blade through wood, and something you can push on with a flat palm. A back edge removes all three uses at once. None of that matters on a wall piece. All of it matters on a knife you work with, and it is why the single-edged build is free on request.

Yes, at no extra cost, and if you intend to use the knife rather than display it, that is the build we would make you. The same blade profile with an unsharpened spine gives you back the mass, the thumb placement and the ability to baton, and it loses you nothing except the look.

Say so in the order note. While you are there, it is worth deciding whether you want the spine left thick and square in the traditional manner or given a rounded finish — both are free, and the square spine is the one you can actually strike.

No. It is cowhide with a crocodile pattern embossed into the grain, and we say so on every page where the texture appears rather than letting photographs imply otherwise. The leather underneath is ordinary good-quality cowhide and the pattern is pressed into it under heat.

The quick test on anyone's photographs: genuine crocodile scales vary across a hide and never repeat, while an embossed pattern repeats on a regular pitch because it comes off a plate. There is also a practical advantage nobody mentions — genuine crocodile and alligator are CITES-listed and need permits to cross borders, while embossed cowhide ships anywhere. We do not supply the real thing, for that reason among others.

1,170 grams, and this is the figure to know before you order. A traditional kukri or khukuri with a 12 inch blade runs somewhere between 600 and 900 grams. This is 30 to 95 per cent above that depending which end you measure against, and it is heavier per inch of blade than anything else we make — including our own heavy choppers.

Part of that is the hilt: a substantial steel bolster and a steel pommel on a 6.5 inch handle is a lot of metal behind your hand, and it pulls the balance back in a way a traditional horn-and-wood khukuri does not. Part of it is simply thick stock. If you want something closer to a working weight, ask for thinner stock and we will tell you honestly what it costs in robustness. On this design it costs very little, because the blade is not being asked to do a chopper's job.

The standard build carries a 12 inch blade and a 6.5 inch handle, 18.5 inches overall. That is a default rather than a fixed specification — everything we make is forged after the order, so the dimensions are yours to set.

Twelve inches is a sensible size for this shape: long enough for the recurve to read properly, short enough to handle in one hand without the weight punishing you. Longer exaggerates both the look and the weight. Shorter, around 9 or 10 inches, makes a considerably handier knife and is worth considering if you actually want to carry it.

A timber grip with a polished steel bolster at the blade and a steel pommel cap. The bolster is the substantial part: a panelled block with an inset frame, flaring into a hooked quillon below and a smaller one above, which is where most of the visual weight of the hilt sits.

Grip material and colour are both selectable at no extra cost — horn is the traditional material on a khukuri and is available, as are rosewood, bone, micarta and leather over timber. We will match the sheath to whatever you choose.

Yes, both the main edge and the back edge sharpened and ready to use, unless you tell us otherwise. On a recurved blade the belly does most of the cutting and that is where the main edge is finished most carefully.

Unsharpened builds are free, for display or for an awkward import, and on a piece bought for its silhouette an unsharpened build loses you very little. A stage combat build — rebated edge, rounded tip — is also available at the same price. Note that a second sharpened edge changes how a blade is classified in some jurisdictions regardless of length, which is worth checking before you order.

5160 high-carbon spring steel, which we use across the whole range. The blade is forged to shape, quenched, and then tempered back by hand as a separate operation afterwards. Those two steps are distinct and the second is what matters: quenching alone leaves a blade hard and brittle, and tempering trades a little hardness for toughness.

It matters more than usual on a recurved blade with a ground back, because the blade is narrowest through the waist of the recurve and that is where the load concentrates on a hard stroke. 5160 is not stainless, rusts if left damp, and takes and keeps an edge far better than any stainless we could sensibly forge. We do not make pattern-welded or laminated blades at all, by choice.

Closer to the hand than a traditional khukuri of the same blade length, because of the steel in the hilt. A working kukri puts nearly all its mass forward into the belly, which is what makes it chop above its weight. This one does not, quite, and the difference is noticeable if you have handled both.

We do not publish a single point-of-balance figure, because hand-forged work varies and a number an inch out is worse than none. Ask before dispatch and we will measure the actual knife we are sending you, from the bolster, and send you the figure.

A leather sheath cut to the curve of the blade, with a crocodile pattern embossed into the face, contrast stitching, a brass-studded retaining strap over the bolster and a steel ring at the tip. Cowhide, embossed — see the fourth question above.

It is built to this outline rather than to a pattern, which matters on a recurved blade: a sheath cut for a straight or single-curved knife will not take one that waists in the middle and bellies out again. Colour, stitching and carry arrangement are all yours to specify.

Nothing is held in stock. Every blade is forged after the order arrives, which is why the edge arrangement, the dimensions, the grip material and the sheath are all free to change — there is no standard version already made. Standard builds dispatch in 2 to 3 business days; genuinely custom work runs 4 to 6 weeks depending on the queue.

It ships sheathed and braced in a rigid carton, by DHL or FedEx with tracking, typically 7 to 14 business days from Kathmandu. Import duty and local taxes are the buyer's responsibility and vary by country.