Description
Designer: Mahesh BishaKarma
Blade: 16″
Handle: 5.25″
Spine Thickness at Bolster: 9mm
Total Weight: 1091g
Rakchas (RAHK-Chahs): A Nepalese Demon.
While Mahesh is the most recent smith to join our team he has spent time at many different houses and has picked up a lot of unique skills along the way. In this blade he was eager to establish just how many tricks he has up his sleeve- leading to a very interesting blade that’s loaded up with challenges. First of all he’s gone with a large and imposing blade profile by every conceivable dimension. 16″ long with one of the broadest khukuri bellies we’ve seen- all made out of a very chunky 9mm of steel. Aside from giving this blade an arresting heft in hand it also helps intensify the most prominent feature of the blade- the fullering. Many of our traditional blades feature fullering that helps save weight, add rigidity or redistribute mass but they’re a feature that are very close to smiths hearts- a sign of skill behind the grinder. In this instance the thick steel allows for a very deep, dramatic and complex arrangement of fullers that is as much art as it is anything else. A fleur-de-lis cho as seen on some antique indian khukuris gives yet more flair while bringing in a historical touch. For a thick and large knife like this Mahesh thinks that the durability of a western leather/kydex sheath is the best choice, but all options are available.
An extremely unique feature is the handle which is made out of 3 pieces of metal sheet. The main grip portion is hammered, rolled and formed to shape then the seam is soldered to form a tube. This is then capped at both ends to give a rigid, solid 3d structure before being filled with resin and getting peened into place with a decorative star shaped cap. If this wasn’t challenging enough the handle also features finger indexing and contouring- once polished up the work that goes into such a thing is irrefutable. Aside from being beautiful, the resultant handle is very tough and resistant to impact, won’t chip like traditional materials and also reinforces the tang providing a construction that’s nearly as tough as full tang. This is a great match with the tanky spec of the blade and the beefy main bevel. While it won’t slice a tomato as well as a Regent it’s a rough and tough blade that can handle an absolute beating. Chopping, batoning, demolition, digging and prying are where this knife feels completely at home. It’s a heavy blade even taking its length into account but that offers a lot of power when chopping from the shoulder and mucking about hitting thing you probably shouldn’t. It’s a stunning blade to look at and could also make it into your collection as a purely ornamental piece or an example of the skills in craftsmanship that this particular smith has. Just handling the blade is impressive- the heft will have the jaws of non-knife people on the floor.
The Nepali name Rakchas (Demon) is an obvious fit. This is a blade that’s powerful, intimidating and exotic. Compared to the other blades in our traditional lineup it’s borderline unearhtly. It’s a bit of a paradox really- it’s a knife that’s been built to beat on but is almost too pretty to hurt. Either way- if it lives out its days as a backyard beater or never even takes a bite out of a piece of wood it’ll be guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
For more information on Mahesh check our Us page.
Before Purchase, please read through our section on Warranty and Factory Seconds for information on the different grind types, tang options and how they affect the level of warranty we offer.