Description
Nobody is particularly sure when the first Full Tang or Panawal khukuri was made or where it originated.
One school of thought said that it originated in the mid 19th century, as a result of increasing British Colonial influence within nepal, while others suppose the Panawal may have arisen earlier as a result of influence from neighbouring full tang indopersian or even japanese blades. These blades had been made with full or partial riveted tangs for hundreds of years prior to the british military adoption of the technqiue.
The most prominent Panawal khukuri is the mk2, which was produced en masse in multiple countries starting in 1915, with the added durability of the full tang handle proving popular enough to have the blade continue production until at least the mid 40’s. The Panawal Khukuri rose to prominence again in recent years after khukuris began to become popular overseas as heavy duty choppers, with the full tang handle ensuring that the entire blade could hold up to the same kind of extended rough use as the blades could. For this reason we’ve chosen not to use the mk2 pattern as the blade for our panawal (though easily available through our custom section) and instead have used a modern service issue style pattern instead. This blade is stout and powerful and with its slightly thicker primary and secondary grind, can handle the most abuse of any of our traditional blades. The profile also works well over a range of different lengths.
We offer this blade style in a very wide range of sizes all with varying spine thicknesses and tapers to maximise their performance for their general range of use.
The 11″ blade is what we think is the most versatile size and makes for an ideal hard use all rounder khukuri. The smaller size helps compensate for the extra weight and stops the blade from being fatiguing as an all day worker while making it a bit more manageable for finer tasks.
The 9″ blade is a more compact and lightweight option that trades a bit of chopping power for more controllability and ease of use for finer work around camp. It also features a slightly thinner spine for a bit more cutting performance for bushcraft tasks and food prep. This is a popular size for people coming over from western fixed blades and looking for a beastlier version of what they’re currently using that’s more bombproof and has more chopping power.
The 13″ blade takes a step away from finer camp tasks and prioritises chopping power, reach and fun. It can be a bit more fatiguing for extended periods of use but is a great option for larger and more powerful users.
The 15″ is too big to be convenient for a lot of common bushcraft and carving techniques but makes up for it with exceptional chopping performance, particularly against very stable and sturdy objects like large saplings, very thick branches and logs. Expect a powerful and uncompromising chopper against solid targets that’s less controllable and much more fatiguing for brush clearing unless in the hands of a particularly large and strong person.
Finally the 17″ is the big boy. We’re into ork chopper territory here. If you’re a very large and strong individual you may be able to push this into some other roles, but for the rest of us this is good at taking a big hard thing and making it into two smaller things. Not very good at anything else. A replacement for a mid sized axe with a bit more versatility and a lot more cool factor.
9″: 7mm thick spine at bolster, 550g
11″: (optimal, standard length), 8mm thick spine at bolster, 600g
13″: 8mm thick spine at bolster, 680g
15″: 7mm thick spine at bolster, 760g
17″: 7mm thick spine at bolster, 870g
Our largest handle as standard for the most grip versatility and choice of added leverage/counterbalance.
The Panawal is the hardest working, toughest and roughest traditional blade that Kailash has to offer. Take a well executed, annealed and tapered full tang handle, a time tested blade pattern and Kailash’s superior differential oil quenching and tempering process and you’ve got a knife that is borderline indestructible.
It’ll break you before you break it.
Before Purchase, please read through our Options Info page as well as Warranty and Factory Seconds for information on all the different options and grind types we offer and how they affect the level of warranty you’ll receive.