I am in the market for a kukri knife as a general do-it-all survival tool. I am actually quite familiar with kukris having lived in Nepal for two years two decades ago, but I am not looking for a traditional polished knife.

I am looking for something small-to-medium-size as kukris go, with a matte or unpolished finish. I don't need the traditional accessory knives but I would need a rugged sheath. I know that some of the US kukri importers have come and gone in recent years.

Does anyone have any recent experience with vendors and knives like this that they'd like to share? Thanks!

himalayan import has one of the best service/product in the market.

bladeforum subforum with deal of the day:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=739

or their store:
http://www.himalayan-imports.com/

shipping from reno, us so it might take a bit of time getting to you in morocco but I have purchased from them and the service was always fast.

Here you go....


http://www.coldsteel.com/kukrimachetes.html

I bought the kabar kukri through amazon for about $45 and am quite happy with it. It's a serious tool. The sheath is leather, and serviceable.

There are at least two vendors on amazon with free shipping, if you have amazon prime.

Since you seem to be based in Morocco right now it might be convenient to order one from Tora. They're based in the UK and while I have not yet personally handled any of their products they have been recommended to me by people I trust when it comes to kukris.

http://www.torablades.com/

Anyway, how is life over in Rabat? It's been some years since I travelled around those parts (pre-9/11), interesting place to stop by for a while.

Thanks all for the comments. I have been doing some surfing and the "raw" (unpolished) series at Khukuri House looks pretty interesting. Anyone have any experience with their products or service?

Thanks for the thoughts, Tom L, but while I am based in Morocco it's much easier and cheaper for me to get my mail via the USA (I am posted overseas with the State Department).

I have only been in Morocco for about a month but I am generally impressed in that while there is a long way to go in terms of development (high unemployment, high illiteracy, etc.) it seems to be a country on the move. The political freedoms are a relative breath of fresh air for the region.

No. Having said that however, I did receive one as a gift and it hasn't left the bookcase. Here's why:

The handle is carved in such a way (with a ridge in the grip and the flare at the hilt) that I'm pretty sure it'll blister me up when the knife is used with a chopping motion. That's entirely speculation on my part, and some reshaping would fix this, but that's more time and effort than I want to invest.

The sheath is of mediocre quality - the leather is barely acceptable and the stitching loose enough that I wouldn't expect to have the knife more than a day or two if I were crashing through the brush with it on my pack or belt. Regardless, a month of heavy use or a season of moderate use would be its demise. (Unless you happen to be using it in Morocco, perhaps?)

But it sure does look nice in the bookcase with all the other spearpoints and such.

I have one.

Well worth the $15 I paid... add some grip-tape to the handle and a good blade for utility work!

Cold Steel. Absolutely. End of discussion.