From what I understand the cut out near the handle is more of a leverage or pivot point for the knife. Kukri knives have 3 hardness levels, the tip is usually the hardest, mid section is medium hard and the spine is soft. Something about the design allows the kukri to be as efficient as it is. The blood thing seems to be more a made up thing.
Some of them are hardest at the belly, medium hardness at the tip and middle and softest to the back. Even at the back is much harder than the spine, the rear edge is supposed to be in the 40s rockwell and the spine in the 20s
It's primary purpose is structural. The "cho" provides strength at the thinnest (vertically) point of the blade and where it receives the most stress from impacts. It also evens out vibrations from impacts along the entire blade to provide better durability and dampens shocks to the hand. It's ancient genius. Obviously, there's also religious significance to the design, but I believe that was a later thing. This is the same information given by the smiths at Kailash Blades in Kathmandu.
You need to straighten your fingers on the hand holding the sheath or one day you're gonna cut them off!!! No fingers on the edge side of the sheath when drawing or sheathing ever!!! Super dangerous, and it's never a small injury when it happens and it does happen!!!
You sir are a legend, and some of the toughest guys I ve ever met and humble. The Khukri really is a do it all blade in the right hands. I really hope to visit Nepal some day.
@@r.a.wskillsadventuresandbu5571 Although I am an indian Gurkha, but I have relative's in Nepal and I have visited Nepal many times. please do go it's one of the best country in the world, specially it's culture and it's people are awesome and above of all its very economical.
The weird grove looking (cho) thing isn't ment for the blood to drip off, its where the harder edge meet the soft metal. Instead of having the dramatic difference in hardness, basically a spring so it can bend and have a little give when chopping. The 3 parts of the blade are the hard blade for cutting and chopping from the tip to the hinge (cho), the part above it is a medium hardness to support and transition to the spine of the blade which is the spring to the handle The kukri was never ment to be hard like normal blades, its ment to be soft and flexible like a spring with the impact of the blade to keep it from snap/crack the blade. It also helps with comfort of the shock/vibrations of an impact (just think of a wood vs metal baseball bat)
The Cho being a blood catch is nothing more than urban legend so to speak. That notch has a much more practical use from a metallurgical standpoint. It's a stress relief for the edge of the Kukri, because the edge is hard and the spine is dead soft!!!! Usually about 20 to 25 HRC, also I think it's funny that everyone shows the karda and says it's a small utility knife then never tests it and say I wonder if the Kukri will feather?!!!
Watch how you draw the knife, the sheath is basically two pieces of wood held other by paper this leather with no welt, very easy for the blade to slice through the leather and into your fingers.
@@r.a.wskillsadventuresandbu5571 dang that sucks I had never gotten one from the company you mentioned, but you should check out Kailash blades if you want damn fine quality!!! Torah is good so is Himalayan imports even though they can be spendy, also ex ghurka kukri house is good and so is KHHI
Haven't ever had a problem with hidden tang khukuri, although my NHZ khukuri (the 9" Nepalese Army model) did require repeening the tang when I recieved it. It is the cheapest khukuri I own and it is good to go!
Also the myth about the blood and the notch is just that myth!!! If you attacked an animal or person blood would also be running down the spine and sides onto the handle!!! From a metallurgical standpoint the kukri is differentially heat treated by a wide margin. We'll made kukris can have and edge that's zone hardened to about 60 HRC and graduate down to the thick fat spine at about 25 to 30 HRC and without that notch the blade would snap cause it allows the softer metal to flex on the back of the blade without flexing the edge or it'd break!!!
Hey mate, plenty of differentially hardened khukuris don’t have a cho (Notch) or have one of a different design. So it seems that the stress relief explanation doesn’t hold up; also, putting a notch at the narrowest point of the blade will give it more problems with impact stress rather than less
@@deathbyastonishment7930 I've been trying to dive into this myth and it's pretty hard to find information on it. I'm with you on this assessment and cannot see one reason why removing material would somehow help a transition from hard to soft steel. Not that any khukuri has had an issue with breaking at the kaudi, it still if anything looks like a stress riser.
Best bet for the notch is it stops you getting your forefinger on the blade, oops. I have an old 4-inch sheath knife with a similar notch for that purpose, but without the traditional spike. British Gurkhas wear the sheath vertically at the back. Drawing is two hands. One turns the sheath so the back of the blade is toward the body. The other draws the blade with the edge away from you. If you draw it blade towards you, it is curved and you're going to need the field dressings. I have a very, very similar sheath (Bhojpur, Eastern Nepal?), you may notice a small loop at the bottom to allow fastening to the leg with the sheath mounted at your side. Sadly the loops are very stiff thin leather, probably brittle and need something better in use. That khukuri is only 8-in but hand forged high carbon steel british army pattern (No.1 finish), but at 525g it is more hand axe than "that is not a knife".
You are friendly and advised not to have the hand around the sheath while drawing the knife. This wrong technique will one day bite you terribly as others have painful experiences before. Some have lost fingers doing so. There are educational videos out there to show how to properly draw a Kukri correctly.
Nice video, friend. You went pretty fast with out any explanation on the draw so i do want step up to point out: The wood sheath is solid, but the kukri has been known to cut theough that seam staight away into fingers and tendens. It takes practice to go without thinking: you have to press the knife back, rubbing the spine on the back of the sheath on the draw to keep that edge away from the glued seam. Oh, and never wrap your fingers around the sheath. Pinch grip the back and sides. Never wrap your fingers when removing the kukri from its sheath. Just a bit more serious than a garand thumb if youre not careful 😳 Again, great vid keep up the good work!
Love your video! When you feel like an upgrade, Let me know. I design Khukuri for the Nepalese houses and being a lefty as well i tend to design ambidextrous scabbards. would be willing to send you a piece from one of the Master smiths. Just let me know. Cheers mate.
the notch can be used to clean sinew, shave twigs, help skin and butcher animals , and also hold twine wrapped around to extend the handle. Punji sticks etc. People seem to focus on its use as a weapon too much. I think they should look at it similar to a knife, axe, hatchet or bow or machete. I would imagine that everyone who could afford one, carried one if they were a farmer , hunter , butcher or woodsman. The spot where the notch is , may aswel be part of the handle without affecting the blade. One of the advantages of the notch is that you can extend the handle with twine or even cloth or leather lace and secured very easily because of the notch. Its also at the weakest spot. It wouldnt be there if not important. I think letting the metal flex rather than break is a good one. The fact that its as near to the thumb as possible, indicates (to me) that the thumb was involved in one use ; ie ; stripping sinew or twigs, wood. Using the thumb to hold the sinew/wood and pull it through would be ideal. Id say it had multiple uses and advantages. And the notch also had. I favour the "twine" idea the most; the handle is quite short, and it looks almost designed to allow the grip to be extended. The idea of it having some unknown lost religious meaning is nonsense. Its a touch odd that engineers have not worked it out -- maybe the mystery adds to the Gurkha hype
Awesome! Im in Quebec and ran acrossed that dame Kukri on amazon and youtubed the name. Your vid came up though and I clicked in it by chance. Daggone it you had the kukri I was looking at! Still holding up well??
@@Wildwestwrangler Please make a comparison video of both. It would be great to see eastern traditional khukuri being pitted against western modern khukuri.
The cut out has nothing to do with blood that's a wives tale. The best I've come up with is it's religious significance. If you think not prove me wrong. It's easy to prove the blood nonsense
Try the Nepali word "khukuri"rather than the Hindi "kukri", these words are phonetic rendering, pronounced as written. Except by the six Indian Gorkha Regiments (noticed the spelling change there), the blade is not used in India, indeed it is illegal to carry one in India (nor a sword etc).
From what I understand the cut out near the handle is more of a leverage or pivot point for the knife. Kukri knives have 3 hardness levels, the tip is usually the hardest, mid section is medium hard and the spine is soft. Something about the design allows the kukri to be as efficient as it is. The blood thing seems to be more a made up thing.
Some of them are hardest at the belly, medium hardness at the tip and middle and softest to the back. Even at the back is much harder than the spine, the rear edge is supposed to be in the 40s rockwell and the spine in the 20s
It's primary purpose is structural. The "cho" provides strength at the thinnest (vertically) point of the blade and where it receives the most stress from impacts. It also evens out vibrations from impacts along the entire blade to provide better durability and dampens shocks to the hand.
It's ancient genius.
Obviously, there's also religious significance to the design, but I believe that was a later thing. This is the same information given by the smiths at Kailash Blades in Kathmandu.
You need to straighten your fingers on the hand holding the sheath or one day you're gonna cut them off!!! No fingers on the edge side of the sheath when drawing or sheathing ever!!! Super dangerous, and it's never a small injury when it happens and it does happen!!!
Very true. I saw what he did it's only a matter of time. He will lose a finger or worse.
I'm a Gurkha and I know the power of khukri. The best bushcraft blade ever.
You sir are a legend, and some of the toughest guys I ve ever met and humble. The Khukri really is a do it all blade in the right hands. I really hope to visit Nepal some day.
@@r.a.wskillsadventuresandbu5571 Although I am an indian Gurkha, but I have relative's in Nepal and I have visited Nepal many times. please do go it's one of the best country in the world, specially it's culture and it's people are awesome and above of all its very economical.
@@anilthapa5631 I would still love to see where you are from as well. Fantastic region with tons of history.
@@r.a.wskillsadventuresandbu5571 yeh sure. You are most welcome. My no ( india) 6395102795.
just discovered your channel, already love it
Thanks buddy I am glad you enjoy it.
2:31 I allways used those as throwing knifes
The weird grove looking (cho) thing isn't ment for the blood to drip off, its where the harder edge meet the soft metal. Instead of having the dramatic difference in hardness, basically a spring so it can bend and have a little give when chopping.
The 3 parts of the blade are the hard blade for cutting and chopping from the tip to the hinge (cho), the part above it is a medium hardness to support and transition to the spine of the blade which is the spring to the handle
The kukri was never ment to be hard like normal blades, its ment to be soft and flexible like a spring with the impact of the blade to keep it from snap/crack the blade. It also helps with comfort of the shock/vibrations of an impact (just think of a wood vs metal baseball bat)
Has there actually been any testing done on that? I keep seeing it repeated everywhere but can't find anything to substantiate it.
The Cho being a blood catch is nothing more than urban legend so to speak. That notch has a much more practical use from a metallurgical standpoint. It's a stress relief for the edge of the Kukri, because the edge is hard and the spine is dead soft!!!! Usually about 20 to 25 HRC, also I think it's funny that everyone shows the karda and says it's a small utility knife then never tests it and say I wonder if the Kukri will feather?!!!
Watch how you draw the knife, the sheath is basically two pieces of wood held other by paper this leather with no welt, very easy for the blade to slice through the leather and into your fingers.
Thank you, that kukri didnt last long and got sent back.
@@r.a.wskillsadventuresandbu5571 dang that sucks I had never gotten one from the company you mentioned, but you should check out Kailash blades if you want damn fine quality!!! Torah is good so is Himalayan imports even though they can be spendy, also ex ghurka kukri house is good and so is KHHI
Best weapon
Haven't ever had a problem with hidden tang khukuri, although my NHZ khukuri (the 9" Nepalese Army model) did require repeening the tang when I recieved it. It is the cheapest khukuri I own and it is good to go!
I'm a lefty too
Nice toy Nick. 👍
Also the myth about the blood and the notch is just that myth!!! If you attacked an animal or person blood would also be running down the spine and sides onto the handle!!! From a metallurgical standpoint the kukri is differentially heat treated by a wide margin. We'll made kukris can have and edge that's zone hardened to about 60 HRC and graduate down to the thick fat spine at about 25 to 30 HRC and without that notch the blade would snap cause it allows the softer metal to flex on the back of the blade without flexing the edge or it'd break!!!
Hey mate, plenty of differentially hardened khukuris don’t have a cho (Notch) or have one of a different design. So it seems that the stress relief explanation doesn’t hold up; also, putting a notch at the narrowest point of the blade will give it more problems with impact stress rather than less
@@deathbyastonishment7930 I've been trying to dive into this myth and it's pretty hard to find information on it. I'm with you on this assessment and cannot see one reason why removing material would somehow help a transition from hard to soft steel. Not that any khukuri has had an issue with breaking at the kaudi, it still if anything looks like a stress riser.
@@billmelater6470 I’m afraid the truth is just unsatisfying in this case, they are probably symbolic.
👍👍👍
Do you know of "The Book of Sloid", you used a technique straight from it.
Best bet for the notch is it stops you getting your forefinger on the blade, oops. I have an old 4-inch sheath knife with a similar notch for that purpose, but without the traditional spike.
British Gurkhas wear the sheath vertically at the back. Drawing is two hands. One turns the sheath so the back of the blade is toward the body. The other draws the blade with the edge away from you. If you draw it blade towards you, it is curved and you're going to need the field dressings.
I have a very, very similar sheath (Bhojpur, Eastern Nepal?), you may notice a small loop at the bottom to allow fastening to the leg with the sheath mounted at your side. Sadly the loops are very stiff thin leather, probably brittle and need something better in use. That khukuri is only 8-in but hand forged high carbon steel british army pattern (No.1 finish), but at 525g it is more hand axe than "that is not a knife".
Awesome thank you for your insight the Gurkhas are fantastic guys and I hope to get to Nepal one day and purchase one from the source.
I can't pick your accent. Gower Swansea? Or maybe Cornwall? Newport? Or you've travelled England and Wales a bit.
I m originally from Chepstow Wales, my accent is a little all over the place though. Thank you for watching.
You are friendly and advised not to have the hand around the sheath while drawing the knife. This wrong technique will one day bite you terribly as others have painful experiences before. Some have lost fingers doing so. There are educational videos out there to show how to properly draw a Kukri correctly.
Nice video, friend.
You went pretty fast with out any explanation on the draw so i do want step up to point out:
The wood sheath is solid, but the kukri has been known to cut theough that seam staight away into fingers and tendens.
It takes practice to go without thinking: you have to press the knife back, rubbing the spine on the back of the sheath on the draw to keep that edge away from the glued seam.
Oh, and never wrap your fingers around the sheath. Pinch grip the back and sides. Never wrap your fingers when removing the kukri from its sheath.
Just a bit more serious than a garand thumb if youre not careful 😳
Again, great vid keep up the good work!
Thank you for your information I never thought of that.
Love your video! When you feel like an upgrade, Let me know. I design Khukuri for the Nepalese houses and being a lefty as well i tend to design ambidextrous scabbards. would be willing to send you a piece from one of the Master smiths. Just let me know. Cheers mate.
the notch can be used to clean sinew, shave twigs, help skin and butcher animals , and also hold twine wrapped around to extend the handle.
Punji sticks etc.
People seem to focus on its use as a weapon too much.
I think they should look at it similar to a knife, axe, hatchet or bow or machete.
I would imagine that everyone who could afford one, carried one if they were a farmer , hunter , butcher or woodsman.
The spot where the notch is , may aswel be part of the handle without affecting the blade.
One of the advantages of the notch is that you can extend the handle with twine or even cloth or leather lace
and secured very easily because of the notch.
Its also at the weakest spot. It wouldnt be there if not important. I think letting the metal flex rather than break is a good one.
The fact that its as near to the thumb as possible, indicates (to me) that the thumb was involved in one use ; ie ; stripping sinew or twigs, wood.
Using the thumb to hold the sinew/wood and pull it through would be ideal.
Id say it had multiple uses and advantages. And the notch also had.
I favour the "twine" idea the most; the handle is quite short, and it looks almost designed to allow the grip to be extended.
The idea of it having some unknown lost religious meaning is nonsense.
Its a touch odd that engineers have not worked it out -- maybe the mystery adds to the Gurkha hype
Awesome! Im in Quebec and ran acrossed that dame Kukri on amazon and youtubed the name. Your vid came up though and I clicked in it by chance. Daggone it you had the kukri I was looking at! Still holding up well??
modern skramsax 👍
Is this a full tang Kukri? I'd be a little leary using a rat tail or hidden tang kukri this way-John in Texas
That kukri had a rat tail tang, my newer one (condor kukri) is full tang.
@@r.a.wskillsadventuresandbu5571 I have a full Tang aka panawhal kukri and I have the condor K-tac kukri love them both!!!
@@Wildwestwrangler Please make a comparison video of both. It would be great to see eastern traditional khukuri being pitted against western modern khukuri.
Okay we all know what the first best knife is but what is the second best
bowie
Harbor Freight survival knife. #1
The cut out has nothing to do with blood that's a wives tale. The best I've come up with is it's religious significance. If you think not prove me wrong. It's easy to prove the blood nonsense
I guess I do make quite a cameraman a neck lol I had a great time filming it!!!!
Try the Nepali word "khukuri"rather than the Hindi "kukri", these words are phonetic rendering, pronounced as written.
Except by the six Indian Gorkha Regiments (noticed the spelling change there), the blade is not used in India, indeed it is illegal to carry one in India (nor a sword etc).
Indian Army's and Gurkha Battalions and Assam Rifles use Khukuri. But it's illegal to carry one around.
Cookery
Jesus... we know