Thanks for the welcome!<br><br>Thank you for the nice comments, but I wouldn't call myself an expert. I think the real experts are the Nepalese who carry these things around daily (and use them for everything from building houses to preparing food and defending themselves). I have used a variety of khuks on many trips out in the boonies though, and I have been sold on their utilitarian value for quite some time. There is also quality about a great blade handmade by a true master that is very difficult to put into words. The kamis say that a good khukuri will teach you how to use it to it's best advantage, and I think there is certainly something to this. <br><br>Himalayan Imports is the company I was refering to in my previous post: IMO their khuks are amazing value for money when you consider you are buying a craftsman quality blade for a very reasonable price. The American agent Bill Martino is also a great guy to deal with, he offers a pretty amazing guarantee on his khuks. They might cost a little more than the CS khuks, but you will get a lot more for your money (and one day a work of art to pass down to your kids).<br><br>You are right about the CS khuk being carbon rather than stainless, sorry to get my facts wrong. I do think the zone tempering is a very big deal though. Yes, the best khuks do have a convex edge, and once they are sharp they are very easy to maintain in the field. With a convex edge they are much less likely to stick in whatever you are cutting. For those interested, there is a "how to sharpen your khukuri" area on the HI web site.<br><br>Cheers,<br><br>Gary.