After reading Gary's informative post (welcome to non-lurking, Gary!), I realized that maybe I drifted away from your question (?). Starting over, I still think it depends on what you expect. I think - just intellectually - that if you expect a kuhkuri, you should get the real McCoy, although from what I had read, the CS interpretations are very good sharps. And $50 sounds like a great price to me.<br><br>[Sidebar: Gary - "two annas", eh? <grin> - took me a second. CS "kukris" are carbon steel, not stainless - basically carbon spring steel. The alloy is similar enough to not matter - it is, as you point out, the differential heat treatement that may matter. I have made a few sharps myself and and they all are differentially tempered on pupose, each according to what its use is. None as complex as a kuhkuri, but it's one of several aspects to a truly custom tool, eh? Enjoyed your post - do tell more!]<br><br>As Gary pointed out, some users have written that the "pommel" or "flare" on the back of the various CS models abraids naked Westerners (soft?) hands. We found that a minor amount of wet sandpaper work solved the problem for us on the LTC - YMMV. Others have mentioned more handle "sting" than good quality genuine kuhkuris when using them as an axe (!!!) - but note that they honestly reported "sting" in even the best kuhkuris - just a matter of degree. Also related to axe-like chopping: it is my understanding that a genuine (handmade by a kami) kuhkuri usually has a convex edge that is less likely to stick in the wood when chopping than the "conventional" flat edge on CS "kukris". [J.T. - maybe that's why you had trouble getting an edge??? Shouldn't have to hone a kuhkuri often if the edge is re-shaped with the provided steel from what I've read]<br><br>Rather than reporting what I've read in my research, here's a link to Himalyan Imports, from which you can find the Kuhkuri FAQ, which is an absolutely fascinating read some evening. You can also find a few comparisons of CS kukri vs kami-made kuhkuris, although the comparisons tend to be mostly "used like an axe". <br><br>Some comparisons/evaluations are on-site and some link to discussions on Blade or Knife forums, IIRC. On those (less-biased???) forums, the consensus seems to be that CS has done a superb job of interpreting the knife into a quality low-cost tool mass produced by modern industrial methods - and that for a little bit more money, the genuine (quality) kami-made kuhkuris are "better" and thus perhaps a better value. Sorta like comparing a decent factory blade to a wowzer one-off custom job, IMHO - but the kuhkuris cost far less than they would if made by a Western knife maker.<br><br>Hope this helps! Gary sounds like an expert on kuhkuris - this is all I know about them.<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Scouter Tom<br><br>[url