First off guys, sorry for not being able to post any reviews lately, we have been all caught up with Youtube and I finally got the time to sit down and write one.
I am gonna start off by saying that these knives are 100% handmade in Kathmandu Nepal. Kailash Blades was formed by Australian designer Andrew Lucas back in 2015. From what I've heard it was the result of a mutiny at KHHI because blacksmiths there were being laid off due to the implication of laser cutters. I first found out about these guys during my early days of knife searching (aka when you don't know shit about knives and you are looking for a full tang kukri with no taper and a 40mm spine thickness). I was looking at their knives for a while but eventually decided to get a cheaper Condor Kukri Machete because I didn't know if I was gonna be into knives for that long.
I WAS WRONG.
A few months after using the Condor I started to notice I needed something just a little bit thicker and I also needed some kydex. I turned my ass around and jumped at Kailash Blades asking if they had any designs similar to the kukri I had. Andrew shot me an email back with a sketch of the M43 Martial and I was sold. The guy is great with responses and he knows how to interpret what you want and get it to your door. I put in the request for an 8mm spine thickness with a distal taper, two tone rosewood handle, solid steel buttcap, mirror polish, and a kydex sheath. I waited around a month for it to arrive (Didn't feel too long as the team was keeping me updated with pictures) and when I got it I was astonished at the quality. Something about it just wants to make you scream. The kydex was great and the knife fitted in it perfectly. Fast forward to a week later and we began to review the knife for the Youtube video. We went out to the woods and started filming and it did everything we wanted it to do. We cut down a small tree, did some thin brush work, chopped into very dense dead (iron?) wood. No chips or any edge damage of course. It was fun to review and we gave the knife a 10/10 for its looks, performance, and sheath. However one thing I forgot to test was how well the sheath held up to extended hikes. A month later on a trip to North Dakota we did around an 8 mile hike. The knife worked perfectly and no sheath problems until the end of the hike on the way back. I was holding the kukri in my hand when I heard a sound and felt something slide off of my leg. I looked down and saw that the nuts and screws were missing from the sheath. I shrugged it off and threw all the pieces in my bag. Easy fix. When I got back from the hike I contacted Andrew and he told me that they were trying to get nylocks for the sheaths. A lightbulb popped in my brain and I ran to the local Ace Hardware and got everything I needed. I threw those on and did the hike again with no problems. Its a great all around knife and the great thing about it is it is one of their new production line models, meaning you can just go to kailashblades.com and go to the modern section and buy it.
Still to this day, which is around 2 months after I have received it, it has been the main knife I use and I have had no problems at all with it. The prices at Kailash may have risen but that small change in price is nothing compared to what these knives are actually worth. This knife is still a 10/10 and I highly recommend you go check them out and buy one. Whether it is your first knife or your last knife I guarantee it won't be the last one you buy from them.