I had the pleasure of serving with 2 Bn of the Gurka regiment, Afghanistan, in 03-04. The Gurka are some tough soldiers who are professional to a man. Rumors abound about the knife, it is said that there is an annual requirement to draw blood which generally takes the form of taking a goat or chicken for a meal. The knife is anything but a ceremonial piece of kit. Gurka are well trained in all applications of this blade. At the end of that deployment they presented me with a Kukri in a very quiet and subdued gathering. No puffing of the chest or false bravado. This knife continues to be a prized possession. Lots of looks and discussion when I came back through US customs.
Carl....Check out a WW2 British Gurkha Soldier Named Lachhiman Gurung....I believe he was the last of his outfit that was fighting 200 Japanese soldiers....As they lobbed grandes into his trench Gurung threw them back...on the 3rd one his timing was off...it blew off 2 of his fingers, badly mangled his rt. hand, blew almost half of his face off, blinding his rt . eye....Gurung took his Khukuri Blade out, stuck it in the ground in front of him....YELLED OUT....Quote: No one will pass here today...then took his 303 British Lee Infield Rifle....And Said "Come Fight A Gurkha....When help arrived they found 31 Japanese bodies....Held them off with his Lt. Hand....Great marksmanship....I'd say...Ghurkas tough ...???? As a piece of rawhide....???? IN SPADES... !!!!!
My father-in-law served with Gurkha troops in Africa during WWll. The Gurkha"s would execute night raids against the Germans. He said the Gurkha's would bring back German ears to prove how many they killed.
Well done, sir. What an honour! I use one for chopping wood and debushing here in Namibia, and it’s the best. Hand made in Kathmandu from a lorry spring.
Khukuri is the national weapon of Nepal and it symbolizes the bravery and great history of Gurkha Army. Glad that you covered about it. Enjoyed watching this video. Namaste 🙏from Nepal 🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵.
My dad was a Gurkha, now retired at 64. We have two at home and he told me that the notch served this purpose : When you cut/slice (presumably yet sadly another person), blood is gonna flow down the sharp edge of the blade. The notch helps to keep that from reaching your gripping hand because the tip of it offers a point where the blood can drip without flowing down to the tang and handle. That way, you can continue to chop and slice without the blade slipping from your blood-covered hands.
The problem is that blood or any fluid isn't going to just be running down the edge. You have a lot of surface area aside from that sharp edge. I'm sorry but the whole blood dripping thing is a myth just as much as fullers being "blood grooves".
@@MrRDRII Oh, and you do, big guy? Let's hear your experience. Any time I've ever taken mine out hunting and wash it off after heavy use before sheathing, (followed up with an oily rag of course), I've never not had the water run down to my hand if I don't keep the tip down or perfectly horizontal. It doesn't take a genius to know a blade doesn't stay in a single direction in a fight. If you can move and strike without moving the blade, I'd like to see that fighting style. If blood doesn't even drip off the choil of my hunting knife, I have no reason to believe it will on a khukuri if you suddenly turn into Billy Badass. The burden of proof is on you and you can test it for yourself.
This sounds unbelievable but, it is true. During the Indo-Pak War of 1971 (Bangladesh Independence War) a unit of Ghurkas was inserted by helicopter behind Pakastani lines into an LZ that was found to be hot! The Ghurkas cleared the LZ for additional helo landings, primarily by using their kukris!
This story is also unbelivable, In 1982 war between Argentina vs British Empire (Falkland Island for Argentina is like The Bahamas of USA) Grukhas were fighting on British side, so british side dropped bunch of Gurkha warriors in Falkland Island and history said they cleared more then double number of enemies using Khukuri. Slashing them like radish. Even there is song about the story.
@@ThinkAboveAverage so the Falklands are kind of like the Bahamas where you wouldn't want to live there during the Summers because it's so damn hot and humid? The last time I was in the Bahamas it reminded me of Fort Lauderdale without air conditioning.🥵
Khukuri was like an extended hand or part of your body as it used to be carried around everywhere you go. It was your kitchen knife, your wood chopper, your protection while in the forest or on a long journey on foot. Its identity of Nepal more than mere weapon.
Close friend gifted me his 'kook' about 2 years ago, he died shortly after and it's one of my most cherished belongings... having a better understanding of its history, and why he loved them so much makes me appreciate it even more. Thank you so much!
During 1700s' unification of Nepal states, Gorkha soldiers were required to use KHUKURI instead of long sword. Long pointy tip swords which were then used World wide, makes the enemy soldier bleed to death while he is still conscious for days and nights. KHUKURI in the other hand when hits enemy soldiers' neck or head, he instantly loses consciousness and the cut made would bleed him to death in a peaceful manner. Thats why they preferred Khukuri to be used in battles
While serving in Viet Nam, I met an Australian who carried a kukri at all times. We naively asked him about his "knife". He pulled it out of it's sheath and let us handle it and comment about it, then, before he put it back in it's sheath, he put his right index finger in the " Cho"and and cut his finger, lioking to confirm he was bleeding. As he put the blade in the sheath, I asked him why he did that? He told me they will never put their kukri back in it's sheath without drawing blood. My ears got red as tomatos! He was all business. I was a mechanic, he wasn't!
I own several kukris. My father dealt in antique arms and armour. I remember he would never let prospective buyers draw a kukri from it's sheath without demonstrating how to do so because if you hold the sheath the wrong way you will cut yourself as you do so. I often wonder if this is the origin of the legend about drawing blood?
When I was with the reserves we had the Ghurkas here in Australia & hosted them as our guests. We exchanged gifts including Cricket Bats, pads & gloves, helmets. I was gifted a Kukri as the Officer In Charge with the 2 supportive knives. 30 years ago & I still have them.
Was that at Puckapunyal? We went up to Pucka for a weekend ex and came across some Gurkhas from Singapore. Tiny fellows buried under their giant packs, but with the hearts of Lions! One of the girls thought that we had been invaded, but she was a bit dippy! Mark from Melbourne Australia
@@markfryer9880 I was in 142 Signals. They were shown around all the Reserves Units & we ended up playing cricket with them. We knew they were heading home so organised gifts of cricket gear to take home. Very cheery blokes & we spoke of their fighting alongside the Brits / Aussies over WW II. One bloke a Vietnam Vet said they would have eliminated the VC in their network of tunnels, ate the snakes left as booby traps & still had time for tea (the drink). We met them at Holsworthy & were advised of the future visit.
I served for six years in the 2/4 Btn Royal Australian Regiment in the 80's we had two two month stints in the jungle per year amongst other exercises , they were the happiest most professional soldiers we ever worked with , superior night vision and physical fitness , Americans quite the opposite , mostly kids just wanting to get an educational grant .
@@mattfraser3452 Yes I found them just simple soldiers but very professional & devoted to their jobs. We went bush & they were intrigued in listening to the local elders who instructed us on the local vegetation uses. Have to agree about the US soldiers as my buddy's sons are in the National Guard & did a few tours in the Middle East. They were being paid VERY WELL & basically making dollars by the minute. They were put through university as well for free.
I've got several kooks of various sizes and types from 9 to 15 inch blades. I ordered them all from KHHI Nepal. They offer tons of customizable features and they are of impressive quality. I've always been fascinated by the kukri and the history of the Gurkhas.
I have the Jungle and larger McCoy from KHHI and they are great blades. I had to so some filing to smooth out the handle on the McCoy but other than that they have been bombproof. Unless someone is a professional knife fighter I am pretty confident I can put most anyone down quickly with my Kukri.
Try looking at Tora Khukuri's. They make superb ones and do replicas of many Khukuris right back to the GAK or longleaf Khukuri's. I am a collector and have around 82 now. I used to have 136 but traded some for some Paul Chen Katana's. Many of my Khukuris are original and have seen service in many wars. I have one from Monte casino for instance. It had belonged to a Captain in the Gurkha's and his son sold it on after his Father died. I used to have the history of many of them but a lot of the paperwork got lost in a move around 11 years ago. What makes the Khukuri so deadly in my opinion is the Gurkha soldier behind it!! They are natural martial artists and they don't really fear death. It is a high honour to die in battle. My Grandfather was with the Gurkhas in WWI in India. He was assigned a Nepali batman. He said they were ferociously loyal and very happy go lucky. But if you upset one it meant big trouble!! Gurkhas have been known to wager their left hand in a bet and chop it off with their Khukuri when they lost. A great book to read is "Better to die" which is about the 6th Gurkha rifles. Dave.
I was told by a friend who worked with the gurkhas in Burma and gave me his kurkri which was given to him by a Gurkha solider that the Cho was to allow blood to drip off the blade rather than run onto the hand and thus make the grip slip on future cuts.
I was told by a Nepali it is indeed for blood to drip of the blade. The Shiva trident I'm not sure of but I was told it symbolises the hoove of the Holy cow, the sacred animal in Hinduism. I was fortunate to buy a very old kukri from a Nepali blacksmith and he also made 7 traditional sickles I brought home as gifts. If anybody has the chance to visit Nepal. Please do not hesitate. You will have a great time!
My old friend and mentor was a Korean War vet. He was one of the Chosin Few serving with the Marines during the 1950 Chosin Reservoir situation. He said that there were these small, dark men who served under the British flag (he couldn't remember what they were called). He told of these men being sent out at night with nothing but their long curved knives and that they would show back up around daybreak. Bill said that whenever these guys went out that everybody had relatively easy going the next day---enemy positions deserted, or Chinese soldiers quivering in fear and trying to surrender. The Chinese would wake up and their foxhole-buddy would be lying there dead, throat slit (sometimes disemboweled for effect). Can you imagine the demoralizing effect this would have on the guy left alive; friend sleeping 6 inches away, dead in gruesome fashion, knowing that it easily could have been the other way around. Must've been terrifying. I wonder how well they slept that night or the night after that, etc. Bill said those guys were some bad little dudes...and that was coming from a guy who was a bad little dude himself, once upon a time. Thanks much for this content.
@@johndoe-vc1we Could be the case, but for conscripted, largely unprofessional soldiers that the north and Chinese used, I’m sure they just wanted to go home
People always make these out to be savage killer military knives, but actually if you're doing landscaping or pruning these are awesome (although you might get some looks). If you need to cut small limbs off a tree, or if you want to chop small saplings these work way better than a machete and they're easier to aim than a hatchet. Plus the blade being sharper and skinnier than a hatchet means you don't need to swing it as far or as hard as a hatchet. Which is super handy if you're in a tight area like if you're digging out a stump and you want to cut roots. It's faster than sawing and easier than the hatchet. Seriously, get a crappy kukri and add it to your garden shed.
I used mine for precisely that scant days ago. Fantastic tool for all manner of uses! Although it is odd to be carrying that across a neighborhood, yeah
Stumbled upon your channel. Well researched, informative and entertaining. Not a knife collector but I still enjoying the history connected to the blade.
What a great video! Covered a wide range of topics with a great degree of clarity in a very short amount of time. Thanks for taking the time to put out quality information for the knife world at large. Take care, Andrew and the team at Kailash
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! The Kukri is a very interesting blade with a fascinating history. I'll definitely be revisiting it in future! Kailash has a good reputation for quality blades. I'd be interested in talking with you guys sometime. I hope to see you around the channel again!
Kukri use spread to several counties in close proximity to Nepal. While many know that the tip and belly of the blade are useful for combat and more utilitarian tasks, the spine/back of the blade, the flat sides of the blade and pummel on the handle can be used for blunt trauma attacks as well.
Cho is for stopping the blood from blades to run in your hands. Bloods or tree saps make your hand slippery, thus the slit in the blade stops the liquids to reach the handle. Also, the cho can be used to determine the forge quality of the khukuri. If you balance the cho on the nail of your thumb, the khukuri should stand still and not drop or become heavy on one side.
@@slimjim7411 you clearly have never had blood profusely pouring into your hand while holding an implement, the commenter is Indeed correct that is the true purpose of the chot notch to run blood flow down off the blade away from the hand. I've seen very old film of kukri rifle soldiers explaining this.
isn't this knife popularised by the video game assassin's creed? not a gamer, just noticed kids buying them like crazy for the last decade. i clear land so i do a lot of chopping and make my own blades with mesquite wood grips. take a $24 marbles parang and compare it to a kukri and tell me which cuts deeper. knives are tools and shouldn't inspire.
I worked with a couple of Gurkhas in Brunei. As a RM who was instructing SF candidates on Comms equipment and they were providing an enemy. I had an extremely good rapport with them, and was chuffed to receive a Kukri from them. It still remains a cherished reminder of the time I spent with them.
A fascinating video, congratulations as I have now subscribed to your channel. I met several Gurkhas while serving with the British Army in the seventies, they were ferociously loyal soldiers and a credit to their country and to the British Army.
best theory I've heard for the cho is actually to allow flex in the blade. The blade is traditionally edge quenched , the cho interrupts the hardened edge allowing the softer steel of the spine to flex allowing the shock of chopping to dissipate and not crack the hardened steel and thus fracturing the blade. I bought one for bush craft , I've had people try to put in down saying it's no more than a crow bar with and edge, I reply with ' Ya that's why I have it"
You can cut to the bone with a quick flick of the wrist more than that can take it off if you know what your doing lol. Some are guaranteed not to break eve when used as a pry bar.
@@DanSlotea It depends on the Nepali you talk to, others say it is to represent Mount Kailash, abode of Shiva. Personally, I think the theory that it allows the blade to flex without it cracking makes sense as the blade has differential quenching, the spine is softer than the blade.
I've had my Ka-Bar Kukri for almost 20 years. And I Iove it. Use it mostly for outdoor work. Pruning, trimming, etc. It can slice through a tree branch thick as my wrist, in one swipe. I'd hate to think what it could do, if forced into a defensive situation. Not bad for a $54.00 purchase. 👍
I got a Mark V and feel the same way, just one thing is different: I would feel very confident with this blade defending my home compared to some other blades. It's heavy and made in low quality, but it will do its job and it just feels right in the hand. I can't really explain it.
I love the khukuris of Nepal and own a Mk1 and MK2 made by Tora blades. Awesome blades and built to original military standards. I almost acquired a Heritage khukuri but as of yet haven't done so. I hear the maker also oil quenches his khukuri instead of the old water quench methods of the past. Thanks for the great information on the Khukuri and cho or as some also call the kaudi. I also heard it was for blood dripage stopping point.
Very cool! I wouldn't be surprised if he uses an oil quench. Oil is often the preferred quenchant for many types of steels. I suspect that water was used before for a couple reasons. First is it's easy to get. Second, water is a harsher and faster quench. That can be useful if you are working with steels that aren't as high quality. I've used it myself before to improve hardness on some troublesome steels. Thanks for commenting!
Hello, the cho is a blood drip to prevent it from reaching and compromising the user's grip. Much thanks for sharing your knowledge on beloved blades. Please keep it coming.
Kukris have differential hardened steel. The cutting edge is hard and the spine is softer. Hardened steel is more brittle than soft steel. Placed under cyclical tension, hard steel may develop fatigue cracks. When a continuous blade is used to chop, the cutting edge from the point of impact to the hilt will be under tension. The cho relieves stress in the cutting edge and concentrates the tension at the cho. The cho is deep enough so that the softer, more ductile, tougher metal outside of the edge hardening takes the edge. Kukris without a cho probably developed a fatigue crack at the location of the cho. This crack would have been filed out to prevent further propagation. At some point the cho was put in at manufacture to prevent the crack rather than repairing it.
A khukuri blade is actually zone hardened. Mainly the belly of the blade is hardened. The notch or Cho has religious significance as it it supposed to replicate the sword of the God Shiva who carried a Trident. The Cho is also there to stop blood reaching the handle of the Khukuri. Blood drips off the point of the Cho and doesn't reach the handle making it sticky or slippery. The Khukuri blades are heated in small charcoal pits and forged on mushroom shaped anvils banged into the ground. Many blades are hollow forged. They are zone hardened and quenched with water from a teapot. Dave.
Highly recommend Himilayan Imports as well - I’m a bit of a collector and let’s just say their differential heat treat and workmanship is excellent in my experience. (Gelbu Special is probably my favourite) Fantastic versatile tools - if I could only own one tool it would be a kukri.
Thank for lettingme know! I definitely want to expand my collection. I only have the Mk2 clone shown in the video. I have a lot of forest out back to clean up, and a Kukri would be ideal.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Check out Kailash blades. They have a great range of traditional and modern designs, and use a modern normalisation / tempering / oil quench techniques.
@@bek0hmsford I’ll second that, I did a lot of research on Kukuri makers before purchase, Kailash Blades seemed to be highly respected, more so than the rest. Let’s just say I was not disappointed!😁The fittings are done to a high standard, all nicely flush with no gaps. It takes a beautiful edge, indeed, it sliced paper when it came. It keeps the edge really well. I was very impressed!
My Dad Faught in WW2 in the NZEF and had a Gurka contingent they were with ,they were in a forest area with Germans probing the Line all the time,and Dad and another were posted as security on the Graveyard shift pitch black out ,he said he just felt a very light touch on his corporal stripes on his arm and then a toothy white grin from one of the Gurkas who was a patrol holding his knife close to Dads throat ,Gurka said to Dad you all good you a Kiwi, if you were the hun (German) Id have your head and laughed ,Dad said he heard nothing of his approach and Dad was a good deer stalker back home ,that story fasinated me and now i have a OG Kukri,its the AR15 of Knives ,multipurpose multi use
One of my Uncles who Served also came home to NZ with a Kukri .In 1960,he drew it part way out of it's sheath and he described why and how it was to handled . I am sure he and my other uncles would be appalled with the mess NZ has become under the horse.
@@Mercmad yip same with my Dad he would be disgusted by the bitch, he was old school working class ,union guy labour supporter ,how they have moved from where they were. to this woke sustainable BS,gotta get her gone
I bought a kukri online about 20 years ago. Learned about them from a Filipino - American guy I trained Eskrima with. I forget the website that I bought it on, it had a very active forum where all kinds of discussions were held. Many of the most enthusiastic buyers of these knives were American farmers, they appreciated the utilitarian nature of the blades, and the handmade craftsmanship. I'm just a suburban homeowner, but mine chops better than any hatchet I've ever used. "Uncle Bill" was the name of the importer, if memory serves.
I have two kukris that my father brought back from the Pacific theater after WWII. I didn't get them until I was an adult and long after he was gone (he died when I was a baby), so I know next to nothing about them. I'm grateful for this discussion. Any idea how I can find out about these particular knives?
Glad you enjoyed the video! My recommendation is to go talk with an appraiser. You can find them at the better auction houses. They should be able to provide you information on the blades, not just potential value.
I acquired a Thai Enep a few years ago. These are almost identical to the Kuhkri but without the choe.They vary in length depending on their intended use, (light brush and cane for the shorter blades, up to heavy brush and small trees for the longer blades). Drawings from the time of Queen Suriyothai (early 1500's) show what appears to be Kuhkri / Enep of both single and two handed varieties. There even appears to be a very long handled version that could be wielded from the back of an elephant.
I recently ordered a 6" blade khukri with a full, flat tang and blade/hand guard for bushcraft & camping. It's also a formidable defense tool as demonstrated by a buddy who's a former Royal Marine Commando
I have been to the HQ for the gurkha in Nepal, it tells the history of the people and the changes to their traditional blade, to the one they are now famous for. 😁 And a people full of so much courage.
Crazy, I had been thinking of getting one for a while after seeing them years ago on team fortress 2. I finally got some birthday money and am surprised to see such an in depth evaluation released so recently. Keep up the good work!
I bought a cold steel Kukri machete two years ago for 12 bucks and it’s been my favorite camping tool ever since. I still carry a hand axe with me but for the most part the machete has been doing most of the work. Definitely a great design
Practically speaking, the most logical intention behind the "cho" is stress relief. The notch occurs at precisely the point on the blade which experiences the highest degree of stress from impact, not to mention the portion of the blade where the differentially hardened edge terminates and the significantly softer and thinner tang begins. It is my personal opinion that the "cho" does basically three things. 1) provides structural support to help mitigate bending/snapping of the blade (particularly on khukries with partial, "rat-tail" tangs) by preserving some of the material to reinforce that joint and using a shape to (theoretically) redirect shock stress into the "tine"/spiky protrusion. 2) serves as a heat sink/buffer so that during the process of edge quenching, the rapidly decreasing temperature does not transfer as readily through the steel and harden the tang, making it brittle. 3) reduces felt vibration to the hand (theoretically) as I explained at the end of function #1, by reshaping the flow of vibration through the steel and adding the tine to prevent introducing a structural point of weakness when filing in the notch. I love hearing all the mystical legends people trade around about the famous 'kukri notch' and it's fun every time I hear a new one, but I honestly believe it has a long forgotten practical engineering purpose, especially given the nature of the low quality materials they would have had to use way back when.
Nice presentation, I met many Gurkha's as their barracks was next to ours, talking to them they thought of the Kukri as a field knife, with combat as a secondary role. It was a heavy chopping blade and it could remove a head or arm as easily as cutting a branch off a tree for firewood. I envied the Gurkhas, as a British soldier all we had was a soft steel bayonet that was rarely issued, and your clasp knife which had a blade that would bend if you looked at it too hard.
I got a Mark V and it was dirt cheap (about 20x cheaper than the most expensive item in my collection and I'm not a high-end collector). Of all the blades I've collected, this is the one I've used the most. Thus, despite the low quality, it was a good investment. I really like the fact that unlike most collectible blades it doesn't only come with a sheath, but a small companion knife. That blade I've used a lot. It is just the right size for all sorts of tasks and when I need a heavy-duty blade, I got the Kukri itself. It really hits like an ax. However, the thick blade is not ideal for some targets. If I wanted to make a Kukri optimized as a weapon, I'd probably make it half as thick at the business end. It would still have more than enough mass to literally disarm opponents...
I am not an authority but I have heard (according to Nepalese knife makers) that the Cho represents a cow's hoof, a sacred animal. All I really know is that Kuhkris are incredible blades !!
Exchanged a nice Fairbairn-Sykes for a Kukri from a Sergeant in Queens Gurkha Engineers during Telic 2. That kukri remains my all-time favourite blade -- still sharp, perfectly balanced. The entire Brigade of Gurkas -- and their peer regiments India and Singapore -- are some of the most cheerful, polite, dutiful (and absolutely lethal) military personnel in the world.
Very cool! Kukri's are some of my favorite blades. I do like the F-S blades though as well. I have a video on them if you haven't seen it yet. Thanks for commenting!
I think it goes without saying that it is very easy to be polite and cheerful when one is one of the the most badass warriors on the planet, kukhris or otherwise. This veteran salutes the Ghurkas!
The Khukuri's notch is religious. It is supposed to replicate the sword of chivva (Don't know if I spelt that right) which was actually a trident. The notch also stopped blood running down onto the handle. I own Khukuri's from modern Tora's to before the Indian uprising. It was initially a general purpose agricultural tool used in the fields. The handles are incredibly strond being attached to the tang by Laha. Even through tang capped handles are glued with laha as well. I have about 80 Khukuri's all. Dave.
I bought a cheap Cold Steel kukri for Bush work and for that it workd fine. It was cheap and I wouldn't cry if I chipped the blade or scratched the finish. I keep it under thr rear sear co.oartment in my truck as a road tool. The forward weight is very beneficial in hacking and chopping needs. Very much an effective brush tool.
That was most likely the khukuri machete model...thin, expoxy painted black. The CS Ghurkha khukuri is an entirely different animal and at its thickest point of the spine is 5/16 of an inch. There were also older versions that were in between the two extremes. The CS Machetes were made in south Africa. They are tough hardworking outdoor tools in their own right. Sadly I do not expect this to continue as CS was sold by Lynn Thompson to GSM outdoors. From this point on I look to Tora Blades and Himalayan Imports for khukuri
My go-to backpack blade for bowhunting here in Hawaii. Love the weight-forward design for brush work. Saw an old Filipino man completely skin and break down a wild boar with one. I keep a file tucked in the sheath for tune-ups. Mines a basic Cold-Steel model. I filed the flare off the heel of the top of the handle to prevent blistering, while leaving the bottom flare for grip. Cheap and very effective compared to a cane-knife or machete.
I live on the brushy side of the Washington Cascades. Have had a Cold Steel kukri fora years as a bush knife for my forays into the woods. With it, I can do almost any task at hand, from clearing brush, to shelter building, to cleaning salmon.
The Kukri is my favorite blade. A family member had a few growing up. I just bought a Vosteed Nightshade because of how much I love the blade shape and usefulness. Best investment I’ve made in a long time.
I have two Nepalese army issue versions from 1980. one pristine, and the other has been a gardening and utility tool for those years. Both are solid. To me, what's distinctive about the blades is that they are wedge-shaped (in cross-section), with a thick spine to support the blade, and though the horn handles are uncomfortable, they are the most durable tools I've found.
I was hoping you would also talk about the Falcata, the closest one to the Kukri, even closer than the Kopis, especially the early type of Falcata. The Falcata was the sword that truly scared the Romans. One of the most powerful military forces.
Unfortunately time constraints prevented me from going into more detail on the origin theories for the Kukri. The falcata is definitely a strong contender for influencing the Kukri. I decided to focus on the Kopis instead because the Falcata itself is thought to be a descendant of the Kopis in turn. I'm planning on digging into the falcata itself in future. Thanks for commenting and I hope to see you around the channel again!
@Meganeura* - I read an account of a Roman officer having surgery related to a wound received by a falcatta. The man had to have his helmet surgically removed. Can you imagine?!
I have been using Machete's, Hatchet's and Axes for many decades in the north woods of the Midwest USA. After years of use of many different types and designs I have a Kabar Kukri on both my Tractor and UTV. The best bush utility cutting tool I've ever used. A good full sized Axe and the Kabar Kukri will handle any cutting, chopping job I come across while doing chores on my property. Along with a good chainsaw it's something I use every day.
At least one khukuri is kept in Nepali household. My parents allowed me to use one when I was about 8 or 9 years old. It's very handy when we cut meat in city area, not to mention how useful it is in rural areas. I never knew it had many versions and Verity. For me it was like how long or big is the khukuri that was it.
I own of these antiques that was a gift. I am going to gift it to my nephew. I wanted to provide some background, and this knocks it out of the park. You are a gentleman and scholar. New sub.
I carried a Kukri through my deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, it was a very useful tool and also a great back up weapon if needed in hand to hand combat. I also spent a few months with an Airborne Gurkha platoon that was attached to us in Afghanistan. Fearless tough soldiers.
Awesome video! I got really into kukris many years back. In particular, the regional differences interested me. When I finally decided to order one from Nepal, I considered the many varieties and settled on the Chainpur style. It has a longer, more narrow, but very thick blade and the cho is a hoofprint stamped clear through the blade, making a complete hole rather than a notch. The one I had made has a very wide grind on a 15" blade that's just 2" wide at the belly and just shy of 1/2" thick on the spine and has ornate brass inlays along the fuller. The handle is full tang black water buffalo horn (Which I think they stopped exporting since then, or the US stopped importing it) with brass-wrapped pins and decorative filing around the finger ring and even has a decorated pommel cap. The karda and chakmak match the style, as well. Easily one of my most treasured belongings and trusted knives. Thank you for teaching me all sorts of history that I didn't know about my favorite knife!
Very cool! I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and I hope to see you on the channel again! I'll have a video on the Fairbairn Sykes knife out soon which served alongside the Kukri during WW2 in the British forces.
Thanks for sharing the history of my favorite knife design. I was amazed at how much more effective the kukri design is than a typical machete. It seems that as the blade strikes a target, its slanted angle backed by it’s thicker backside actually penetrates deeper than a machete by slicing and hacking, as opposed to a machete’s straight flat hack. Extremely functional!
Thanks for reviewing our national weapon of nepal...regarding about the NOTCH or kaudi main function is to prevent blood getting on user,s hand while in cutting.so that it doesn't make slippery hands..
A friend was given a kukri during his years in SE Asia right after Pol Pot, and told that traditionally to become a Gurkha, one had to be able to cut the head off of an ox in one stroke. And yes, they absolutely terrified the Germans there in WW2.
my grandfather was gifted one after the second world war but no one really seems to know why, It now has prized possession status in my house, although the sheath looks different to those in your upload. Thank you for the information
Glad you enjoyed the video. Typically the British patterns had a leather sheath very similar to mine, but there are of course exceptions. Thanks for sharing!
Khukri has been also traditionally used by Gahrwalis (Garhwal Rifles) and Kumaonis (Kumaon Regiments) from Indian state of Uttrakhand. (Neighboring Nepal, in fact Uttrakhand was part of Nepal for a while before Britishers arrived.) It's part of religious ceremonies (like carried by groom in wedding, sacrifices etc ) as well and could still be found in most families.
Cho is designed to lock other sharp weapons during fight. If you are blocking a blow with a Kukri then the opponents sharp weapons tend to slip towards your hand and can cut off your limbs. Chos' sudden drop creates a block and can lock opponents sharp weapon in that hole and then Kukri has opportunity to counter blow.
Knives are not defensive. You will always get cut regardless of design if you chose to engage in a knife fight. The odds of getting cut go up if you’re an unwilling participant Basically, the cho has no defensive value
In 3:10 I think you didn't have idea of cho (notch), so our grandfathers and father used to tell us that cho is to block the blood getting on up to the grip. So whenever you decapitate the head of enemy then blood drains from the tip towards the grip side so that middle vertical one from notch collects the blood and drop it on ground so it prevent from loosening the grip. That is the main reason why still our Nepali Brothers and Sisters have cho in every khukuri.
I may be wrong but I've heard the story of the "kaura or kaudi" in khukri is present to prevent the blood from reaching the grip or the handle during battle. Without the notch on the blade, blood makes the handle very slippery hence being ineffective in slashing and cutting. It may or may not be true, but hearing it from my grandparents was fascinating to me.
Interesting things happened as I searched for a "real" Kukri online. All of a sudden this video was in my feed. Never seen your channel before, but admit I'm both impressed and entertained; thus I'm just now a new sub. I have been doing some research and am now quite puzzled. Looking at the Kukri seller you recommended it appears their blades are of a uniform heat treat at about 58 HRC and no mention as to type of steel. Everything I've found before this new revelation, seems to point to differential heat treating depending on the portion of the blade concerned. I'm using the experience's of a noted woodsman to base my ideas upon, he's had the same Kukri for ages now and it still is his favorite. Thus my quandary. Which path do I take? So now what I thought was an imminent purchase has become another quagmire, trapped within the paralysis of analysis. I'm not a wealthy person, so would prefer to buy this "best" Kukri only once; my life has had more than one disappointment trying to obtain a good Kukri. Since every seller has claimed theirs is the best going and I can never seem to find anything like unbiased owner reviews, I've been buying more conventional knives and hatchets over my lifetime. Considering my age and health as of late, I need to lighten my pack load a little; one tool to do both jobs being ideal and a Kukri seems like the answer. Any thoughts?
Glad to see you here and thanks for reaching out. My recommendation is to shoot a message to Heritage Knives via Facebook or e-mail. He is pretty responsive and you can get answers from him directly. Does he have the best Kukri? I don't know. I'd have to have tried every Kukri. I can attest to Heritage Knives knowledge of Kukris, and that often is linked to to a superior craftsman. The two places I keep hearing good things about are Heritage Knives and Tora Knives. Another possibility is to hit up a custom bladesmith and have it made exactly how you want. Generally differential hardening is better, and it's traditional on Kukri's.
Do you want a "real" kukri? Search ebay offers from traders in old antique kukris. The quality of the new ones is questionable, despite the intent of using this video as a commercial add to certain factory.
Kukri's are great utility blades. I've been using them for most of my life. Truthfully, for garden work, I find a Ka-bar kukri machete works a treat and doesn't harm any of my better blades. The more traditional models are great to train with as they are short enough so that you can swing them with vigor and have a good chance of not damaging the walls or furniture. The kukri is a great blade, but what made and makes them so deadly is the people wielding them. The Gurkas are fearsome and to be respected.
At the age of 19-20, my father served along side of Gurkas in Italy (WW2). Yes... I'm old. He carried a large Case Bowie, (I still have it). They bonded, dispite some language barrier, showing each other's knives. The Germans were terrified of the Gurkas, and for good reason. They would go out behind enemy lines at night, by 2s, with just a light stick (bamboo) to feel for trip wires, and their Kukuris. Finding 2 sleeping Germans in a foxhole, they would silently kill one, but leave the other untouched. When morning came, the lucky one would awaken to see his buddy's severed head facing him on the ground. Very effective psychological warfare. (Think scene in the Godfather movie, with the horse head, but it's your buddy's head. 50/50 It could have been you). My father, and many others, at night, would hear nothing, then realize a large sharp blade was touching their throat from left to right. (The edge curve is perfect for this.) GIs were trained to stay very still. The Gurka would hold the knife there, while feeling the surface of the helmet, the web belt, and sometimes the leggings. (German helmets were smooth. Belt and boots were leather. America's helmets were stippled, belts were canvas). Gurkas were doing their job. They killed many Germans in the dark this way. Sometimes the Gurka would say, "OK Joe", then vanish into the night. One quiet night, in a village, my father was leaning against a court wall, reading Reader's Digest, by moonlight. Suddenly, he realized he was being cheched by a Gurka. He stayed still. Then the Gurka vanished, with my father still leaning against the wall. He turned both ways... Gone. He never could figure how that happened. I would guess another Gurka lowered the one from above, on the wall, then quietly pulled him back up??? When they were taking a new town, and the shooting was still on, the Gurkas would sometimes start playing soccer in one of the courts. GIs had to duck and cover, behind the same court walls, but the German snipers wouldn't shoot at the Gurkas. They rightly feared reprisals that night. And these were SS, Herman Goring Div paratroopers. Best/toughest in the world. Once, my father gave a young Gurka a government pen, that were freely given to GIs. The boy was so impressed/humbled, with the gift, that he asked my father what he would like. "Pistols" , Dad said. "I like pistols". (He had 5 on him later, when he was hit). Didn't see the Gurka boy again for a couple weeks, until he entered a room and saw something move under the bed. Dad drew his 45 and cautiously lifted the blanket. It was the Gurka boy. He dove under there, afraid to face Dad, because the villa, about 5 miles behind German lines, no longer had the 4-5 pistols he meant to bring back to him. (Germans like souvenirs too). The boy lost face. Turns out he brought back 4 prisoners instead. A segment and an officer included. They were too terrified to try an escape after they saw what this "boy's" Kukuri did to the other 2. Father forgave him. (They may have been wanting to surrender anyway, and this was their chance. Their own guys would shoot them for trying, or even talking about it).
Awesome story, thanks for sharing! Top comment of the day. I hadn't heard about the Gurkhas doing night raids like that, I'll have to look into that. One of those crazy things in history that make it interesting. As for his Bowie, I have a video on the Bowie knife as well in case you haven't seen it already. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
I heard a very similar story from a former British officer in command of a Gurka detachment during the WWII action in Greece. At night, the Gurkas would silently slip into fortified German bill boxes, cut the throats of every second German soldier asleep in bunk beds, take their ears as trophies and then vanish back into the night. This British officer never fathomed how the Gurkas so easily penetrated these fortifications and created so much havoc on the Germans. One dark, moonless night awaiting the return of a Gurka detachment, he said he felt something like a soft wind caressing the back of his helmet. Then, he heard a low, soft voice from behind: "it's OK, Johnny, no worry", as the Krukri was withdrawn from his throat.
@@swingbelly Exactly. What stealth/courage! Allies in Italy paid 50¢ bounty on every pair of ears turned in by Gurkas. Then they started finding dead Americans with missing ears. There was no evidence of Gurkas even killing them. They were normal casualties, killed by artillery, snipers, etc. "Why waste them?", I guess. Horrible for morale. Problem was solved when they required two German epaulettes to go along with each pair of ears. Tough neighborhood...
@@bobsmoot2392 Hey Bob. I heard other stories about the Gurkas from the same British officer. Apparently, they had 2 engaging (bad?) habits during their off duty time; drinking and gambling. They would get "pissed" but could then immediately report for duty at a moment's notice. Damn, now that's stamina! They would gamble using the bags of severed ears they had collected and when those ran out, they would gamble away their monthly army pay. Maybe one of their comrades got rich in ears and pay, but stayed in the army. Again, stamina. They didn't seem to care about materialism. The pride of each Gurka was being a member of the British Army, on the front lines in battle! It is my understanding that the Gurkas have been awarded more Victoria Crosses and other high military honours than any of the other British regiments, combined. Now, that is stamina! These guys are dedicated, "mean bastards" that one does not want to oppose on the battlefield. Thankfully, Gurka regiments continue to serve in the British Army!
The function of the cho is to relive stress caused by the edge quench. It allows relief of the stress caused when the hard edge cools and contracts faster than the slower cooling back of the blade.
My dad always had one. He brought his back from here s time in Burma. It was used for gardening jobs after the war. He never discussed what he did with it during.
Very interesting thanks 👍. I have hand forged a kukri, and before I started, I thought getting the bend right would be difficult. In fact while narrowing the steel in the bend zone with a sledge hammer, the blade automatically took the curve without me needing to do anything else. Since, I have thought the kukri started when a smith couldn't be bothered to keep straightening his blades and just left the natural curve 😁
This channel and the slingshot channel (Joerg something), I really like. Knives are really interesting, their history included, and Its always fun to learn the uniqueness and ingenuity of each one. Thanks for educating me. I just learned of this channel 20 minutes ago and I can already tell its amazing.
Gurkhas are brave mercenaries like the Wagner group and shall fight for anyone who pays them. More than 1000 unarmed Sikhs peacefully protesting against british colonial rule were massacred by machine gun weilding Gurkha soldiers under orders of Gen Dyer in 1919 at Jallianwalah Bagh. Probably that is the only battle won by Gurkha against Sikhs. As of now gurkha are called bahadur (brave) in Punjab and are much sought as domestic help and watchmen
Hi there, could you do a piece on rigging (sailor's) knives? The one with a sheep's foot blade, a marlin spike, shackle key and other features in a folding knife like a can/bottle opener, flat-head bit on one end and the lanyard hoop or metal hoop.
My own theory about that notch is based on my profession. I'm an architectural draftsman. In the past you had to design wooden windows with a notch along the sill, in the bottom, to stop water from sliding to the wall. This notch or canal cuts the water flow and make it drip before it touches the wall. The physics in the kukri would be the same, but instead of water, it would be blood. I like your videos, well informed, well researched, no nonsense. I don't have a large knife collection but I have studied a lot about them and collected since almost 30 years. Additionally, my dad was a hunter abd and I was around his own knives from birth, my mom and dad used good knives for their everyday life before I was able to remember. Subscribed.
Sorry to tell you this theory has been discredit since long time ago. The blood does not flow in a kukri in such quantities, and not only from the edge. Old military kukris have hollow blades, like big fullers, where blood is concentrated, so it can run freely to the hilt. Which usually it never happens to soak the hand of the soldier. Anyway, those theories don't explain the elaborate forms of the cho. A simple spanish notch could do the job.
My father used to work with an ex Gurkha who when asked to bring his kukri would always say yes but if they wanted to see the blade he would have to cut their finger before sheathing it. My father asked if this was true and he said not really but it reduces the number of people pestering him to bring it into work.
One of my all time favorite designs, I have quite a few that see hard service in bush crafting and trail blazing. I also use my Mora pattern knives and a Seax quite frequently as well. Great content Sir!⚔️
I have seen old black and white film of the Nepalese Kurka soldiers explaining that the chot angular notch in the base of the edge side of the weapon purpose was to disrupt the flow of the blood from pouring down into the users hand in battle.
I have a traditional Nepalese Kukri. It is not as large as typical ghurka blades so was probably more ceremonial or just used as an everyday tool. It has a water buffalo leather sheath with the traditional pointed finish. The actual knife has stains on it. My grandad required the blade over 25 years ago as he worked in India and took a week's holiday in Nepal, hiring a motorbike and traversing steep mountain passes from Kathmandu and the surrounding areas. Pretty cool he got it off a monk.
I was told it was used for a discipline procedure amongst Grukha soldiers so to speak. The rule was supposed to be "This does not come out unless it is to be used right now, This blade WILL taste blood before it rests" the way it was described, and that the soldier was trained he had to prick his finger with that spike in the choil you describe every time he pulled it out. Or maybe its BS who knows.
Really well done, just to give additional context of the bigger kukris used for ritualistic purposes: Gurkha regiments do buffalo sacrifices (yes they are also hindu, though considered lower caste by brahmins) during Kalratri (seventh of 9 days of Navratri celebrations) and a second one the following day. It is considered a sign of good luck for the regiment if the soldier responsible for the sacrifice can severe the head of buffalo with a single strike. Usually they pick the biggest guy for this and they use a ceremonial kukri that is much larger than normal sized kukris. If the soldier fails to do this, apparently this is rare, the soldier's face is smeared with the blood of the buffalo to take away any evil that may befall the regiment. They may also use a goat instead but a buffalo is preferred.
With due respect, your comment on hindu caste is very ignorant and wrong. For your info Gurkha is a loose term to denote a mountain person from Nepal. Gurkhas can be Brahmins, Kshatriya etc. They can be Hindus or Buddhist. I request you to refrain from making uneducated comments. I will repeat again, there are Gurkha Brahmins. Gurkha is a hill person from Nepal, it is NOT a caste. So your comment about they are considered lower caste is uncalled for and wrong.
Mine was made in 1914 and has a ivory handle with a silver inlay and 1 small skinning knife in the leather and wood sheath ,the hi carbon steel is still polished but has a blackened tint from age ,I bought it at a gun show back in the early 90’s and is one of my favorite pieces in my collection
You can find that shape blade all over Indonesia and at every market wet market in the Philippines, there general name is bolo: they vary in length and shape depend on the task and from area to area.
I've been reading "The Dresden Files" (well listening to the audio books)! A primary character in the book series uses 2 Kukri as his weapons of choice when fighting close quarters. They sounded fascinating, I see now that they are!
I understood the Cho serves as a "flex point" (strain relief) for the blade to prevent it from breaking at what is arguably the thinnest part of the blade when chopping.
the cutout at the base of the blade is probably to reduce stress and vibrations along the hardened cutting edge making it more comfortable to use and less likely to shatter when striking things. similar to the cutouts in some circular saw blades.
The cho is for stripping vines, and nocking them when bundling crops, and stretching the vines/twine tight. It also assists in the twisting of fiber/vines into heavier twines and ropes.
There is also the machaira as well. Both are decedents of the kopis and might have been involved with the evolution of the Kukri. But unfortunately, I can only squeeze so much into a 10 minute video.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Of course. Maybe you can make a video about the Falcata in the future. I discovered your channel today, but I would love to learn what you think about that design. Thanks for the content.
We can actually confirm that the ancient Egyptians had been trading with the Indian subcontinent for centuries using the red Sea and Indian Ocean. By the end of the Ptolymeic dynasty in Egypt trade with India had become less frequent than in earlier history, under the romans trad with India via the red sea was one of the main driving forces of the roman economy, Egypt would become the personal province of the emperor as it made up approximately a third of the wealth of the entire empire.
That thing in the kukri u refering as cho or smt is to prevent the blood drip to the handle to avoid slipping, it helps the blood drop and not reach the wielder's hand
3:20 I heard was the purpose of the notch was to relieve tension on the blade during the cut . Similar blades without it tend to crack near the handle . I think the point was to allow some flex to counter the angle in the blade ..... if I understood what the documentary was claiming .
From what I’ve learned the Cho is used kind of as a runoff point if it’s used as a weapon. The Cho helps bl**d run off to avoid your hand getting wet and thus keeping the grip dry and strong
The smasest one carda is also for burn fire rubing with white ston called dalsing dhunga bro so If you have one khukuri you can survirv on antirtica 8:548:55
![The LEGENDARY KABAR WW2 Fighting Knife [What You NEED to Know!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/6kEYm61ChJg/mqdefault.jpg)
![The LEGENDARY KABAR WW2 Fighting Knife [What You NEED to Know!]](/img/tr.png)
I had the pleasure of serving with 2 Bn of the Gurka regiment, Afghanistan, in 03-04. The Gurka are some tough soldiers who are professional to a man. Rumors abound about the knife, it is said that there is an annual requirement to draw blood which generally takes the form of taking a goat or chicken for a meal. The knife is anything but a ceremonial piece of kit. Gurka are well trained in all applications of this blade. At the end of that deployment they presented me with a Kukri in a very quiet and subdued gathering. No puffing of the chest or false bravado. This knife continues to be a prized possession. Lots of looks and discussion when I came back through US customs.
Carl....Check out a WW2 British Gurkha Soldier
Named Lachhiman Gurung....I believe he was the last of his outfit that was fighting 200 Japanese soldiers....As they lobbed grandes into his trench Gurung threw them back...on the 3rd one his timing was off...it blew off 2 of his fingers, badly mangled his rt. hand, blew almost half of his face off, blinding his rt . eye....Gurung took his Khukuri Blade out, stuck it in the ground in front of him....YELLED OUT....Quote: No one will pass here today...then took his 303 British Lee Infield Rifle....And Said "Come Fight A Gurkha....When help arrived they found 31
Japanese bodies....Held them off with his Lt. Hand....Great marksmanship....I'd say...Ghurkas tough ...???? As a piece of rawhide....???? IN SPADES... !!!!!
I’m glad you appreciate how an honour that was…
My father-in-law served with Gurkha troops in Africa during WWll. The Gurkha"s would execute night raids against the Germans. He said the Gurkha's would bring back German ears to prove how many they killed.
Well done, sir. What an honour! I use one for chopping wood and debushing here in Namibia, and it’s the best. Hand made in Kathmandu from a lorry spring.
Shit bro. Leave some pussy for the rest of us..
Khukuri is the national weapon of Nepal and it symbolizes the bravery and great history of Gurkha Army. Glad that you covered about it. Enjoyed watching this video. Namaste 🙏from Nepal 🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video and I hope to see you around the channel again!
JAI MAHAKAALI AYO GURKHALI
JAI MAHAKAALI AYO GURKHALI
JAI MAHAKAALI AYO GURKHALI
JAI MAHAKAALI AYO GURKHALI
My dad was a Gurkha, now retired at 64. We have two at home and he told me that the notch served this purpose : When you cut/slice (presumably yet sadly another person), blood is gonna flow down the sharp edge of the blade. The notch helps to keep that from reaching your gripping hand because the tip of it offers a point where the blood can drip without flowing down to the tang and handle. That way, you can continue to chop and slice without the blade slipping from your blood-covered hands.
I heard on UA-cam another Gurkha officer say the same thing about allowing the blood to drip away from the handle.
The problem is that blood or any fluid isn't going to just be running down the edge. You have a lot of surface area aside from that sharp edge. I'm sorry but the whole blood dripping thing is a myth just as much as fullers being "blood grooves".
@@billmelater6470you have no experience fighting with one so sit down.
@@MrRDRII Oh, and you do, big guy? Let's hear your experience.
Any time I've ever taken mine out hunting and wash it off after heavy use before sheathing, (followed up with an oily rag of course), I've never not had the water run down to my hand if I don't keep the tip down or perfectly horizontal.
It doesn't take a genius to know a blade doesn't stay in a single direction in a fight. If you can move and strike without moving the blade, I'd like to see that fighting style.
If blood doesn't even drip off the choil of my hunting knife, I have no reason to believe it will on a khukuri if you suddenly turn into Billy Badass.
The burden of proof is on you and you can test it for yourself.
@@billmelater6470 neither of us have ever fought with one, so we wouldn’t know. Maybe the guy who had fought with one would know 🤣🤣🤣 Professor
This sounds unbelievable but, it is true. During the Indo-Pak War of 1971 (Bangladesh Independence War) a unit of Ghurkas was inserted by helicopter behind Pakastani lines into an LZ that was found to be hot! The Ghurkas cleared the LZ for additional helo landings, primarily by using their kukris!
Lots of unbelievable but true stories like that.
This story is also unbelivable, In 1982 war between Argentina vs British Empire (Falkland Island for Argentina is like The Bahamas of USA) Grukhas were fighting on British side, so british side dropped bunch of Gurkha warriors in Falkland Island and history said they cleared more then double number of enemies using Khukuri. Slashing them like radish. Even there is song about the story.
@@ThinkAboveAverage so the Falklands are kind of like the Bahamas where you wouldn't want to live there during the Summers because it's so damn hot and humid? The last time I was in the Bahamas it reminded me of Fort Lauderdale without air conditioning.🥵
@@ThinkAboveAverageyeah and the reason behind nepalese people are banned to enter in argentina
@@ningmadorje1809 LMAO ,nervous are they ?
Khukuri was like an extended hand or part of your body as it used to be carried around everywhere you go. It was your kitchen knife, your wood chopper, your protection while in the forest or on a long journey on foot. Its identity of Nepal more than mere weapon.
Yes .actually kukri not weapon.that they use for daily live equipment.
@@aswaltan8962its khukuri not kukri at first.its a all rounder.mainly used in war back then by our ancestors
Kukhuri is the nepali term for kukri but today also in Nepal in colloquial speaking everyone says kukri.
@@sandipgiri7685 for me South asean people. we call that khukuri are parang gurkha.
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Close friend gifted me his 'kook' about 2 years ago, he died shortly after and it's one of my most cherished belongings... having a better understanding of its history, and why he loved them so much makes me appreciate it even more. Thank you so much!
During 1700s' unification of Nepal states, Gorkha soldiers were required to use KHUKURI instead of long sword.
Long pointy tip swords which were then used World wide, makes the enemy soldier bleed to death while he is still conscious for days and nights. KHUKURI in the other hand when hits enemy soldiers' neck or head, he instantly loses consciousness and the cut made would bleed him to death in a peaceful manner.
Thats why they preferred Khukuri to be used in battles
Sorry to hear that, he must've been a good person and someone fun to be around! ❤
While serving in Viet Nam, I met an Australian who carried a kukri at all times.
We naively asked him about his "knife".
He pulled it out of it's sheath and let us handle it and comment about it, then, before he put it back in it's sheath, he put his right index finger in the " Cho"and and cut his finger, lioking to confirm he was bleeding.
As he put the blade in the sheath, I asked him why he did that?
He told me they will never put their kukri back in it's sheath without drawing blood.
My ears got red as tomatos!
He was all business.
I was a mechanic, he wasn't!
Thanks for sharing your story!
This is the same story I heard from my employer in 1973. Sending love. Go truckers and railway workers. Cleveland
I own several kukris. My father dealt in antique arms and armour. I remember he would never let prospective buyers draw a kukri from it's sheath without demonstrating how to do so because if you hold the sheath the wrong way you will cut yourself as you do so.
I often wonder if this is the origin of the legend about drawing blood?
People who are very serious practitioners of iaido or kendo or those with an unbroken samurai lineage also have this tradition.
*just as the Fremen do not put their own crysknife back without drawing blood first... serious business indeed*
When I was with the reserves we had the Ghurkas here in Australia & hosted them as our guests. We exchanged gifts including Cricket Bats, pads & gloves, helmets. I was gifted a Kukri as the Officer In Charge with the 2 supportive knives. 30 years ago & I still have them.
Very cool! Were they Kothimoras?
Was that at Puckapunyal? We went up to Pucka for a weekend ex and came across some Gurkhas from Singapore. Tiny fellows buried under their giant packs, but with the hearts of Lions! One of the girls thought that we had been invaded, but she was a bit dippy!
Mark from Melbourne Australia
@@markfryer9880 I was in 142 Signals. They were shown around all the Reserves Units & we ended up playing cricket with them. We knew they were heading home so organised gifts of cricket gear to take home. Very cheery blokes & we spoke of their fighting alongside the Brits / Aussies over WW II.
One bloke a Vietnam Vet said they would have eliminated the VC in their network of tunnels, ate the snakes left as booby traps & still had time for tea (the drink). We met them at Holsworthy & were advised of the future visit.
I served for six years in the 2/4 Btn Royal Australian Regiment in the 80's we had two two month stints in the jungle per year amongst other exercises , they were the happiest most professional soldiers we ever worked with , superior night vision and physical fitness , Americans quite the opposite , mostly kids just wanting to get an educational grant .
@@mattfraser3452 Yes I found them just simple soldiers but very professional & devoted to their jobs. We went bush & they were intrigued in listening to the local elders who instructed us on the local vegetation uses.
Have to agree about the US soldiers as my buddy's sons are in the National Guard & did a few tours in the Middle East. They were being paid VERY WELL & basically making dollars by the minute. They were put through university as well for free.
I've got several kooks of various sizes and types from 9 to 15 inch blades. I ordered them all from KHHI Nepal. They offer tons of customizable features and they are of impressive quality. I've always been fascinated by the kukri and the history of the Gurkhas.
I hope you enjoyed the video! I'll be sure to check out KHHI Nepal!
thx !
I have the Jungle and larger McCoy from KHHI and they are great blades. I had to so some filing to smooth out the handle on the McCoy but other than that they have been bombproof. Unless someone is a professional knife fighter I am pretty confident I can put most anyone down quickly with my Kukri.
Try looking at Tora Khukuri's. They make superb ones and do replicas of many Khukuris right back to the GAK or longleaf Khukuri's. I am a collector and have around 82 now. I used to have 136 but traded some for some Paul Chen Katana's. Many of my Khukuris are original and have seen service in many wars. I have one from Monte casino for instance. It had belonged to a Captain in the Gurkha's and his son sold it on after his Father died. I used to have the history of many of them but a lot of the paperwork got lost in a move around 11 years ago. What makes the Khukuri so deadly in my opinion is the Gurkha soldier behind it!! They are natural martial artists and they don't really fear death. It is a high honour to die in battle. My Grandfather was with the Gurkhas in WWI in India. He was assigned a Nepali batman. He said they were ferociously loyal and very happy go lucky. But if you upset one it meant big trouble!! Gurkhas have been known to wager their left hand in a bet and chop it off with their Khukuri when they lost. A great book to read is "Better to die" which is about the 6th Gurkha rifles.
Dave.
I was told by a friend who worked with the gurkhas in Burma and gave me his kurkri which was given to him by a Gurkha solider that the Cho was to allow blood to drip off the blade rather than run onto the hand and thus make the grip slip on future cuts.
Thanks for sharing!
I’ve heard the same. 👍🏼
Yes...this is true. The notch or Cho, is also to represent the sword of Shiva. A female god who carried a trident.
Dave.
I was told by a Nepali it is indeed for blood to drip of the blade. The Shiva trident I'm not sure of but I was told it symbolises the hoove of the Holy cow, the sacred animal in Hinduism.
I was fortunate to buy a very old kukri from a Nepali blacksmith and he also made 7 traditional sickles I brought home as gifts.
If anybody has the chance to visit Nepal. Please do not hesitate. You will have a great time!
@@davesheppard8797 Shiva is usually described as male, if I remember. If the cho represents a female Hindu diety it might be Kali
My old friend and mentor was a Korean War vet. He was one of the Chosin Few serving with the Marines during the 1950 Chosin Reservoir situation. He said that there were these small, dark men who served under the British flag (he couldn't remember what they were called). He told of these men being sent out at night with nothing but their long curved knives and that they would show back up around daybreak. Bill said that whenever these guys went out that everybody had relatively easy going the next day---enemy positions deserted, or Chinese soldiers quivering in fear and trying to surrender. The Chinese would wake up and their foxhole-buddy would be lying there dead, throat slit (sometimes disemboweled for effect). Can you imagine the demoralizing effect this would have on the guy left alive; friend sleeping 6 inches away, dead in gruesome fashion, knowing that it easily could have been the other way around. Must've been terrifying. I wonder how well they slept that night or the night after that, etc. Bill said those guys were some bad little dudes...and that was coming from a guy who was a bad little dude himself, once upon a time. Thanks much for this content.
Very cool story! I've heard very similar accounts from subscribers about their family members in Italy in WW2. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
My father was a marine at the frozen chosin as well, with the same reverence for these warriors, and similar stories. Semper fi.
Surprised it didn't have the opposite effect. If you lost your buddy that way you'd be more determined to fight those that killed him?
@@johndoe-vc1we Could be the case, but for conscripted, largely unprofessional soldiers that the north and Chinese used, I’m sure they just wanted to go home
@@edwardal7980 yes agreed
People always make these out to be savage killer military knives, but actually if you're doing landscaping or pruning these are awesome (although you might get some looks). If you need to cut small limbs off a tree, or if you want to chop small saplings these work way better than a machete and they're easier to aim than a hatchet. Plus the blade being sharper and skinnier than a hatchet means you don't need to swing it as far or as hard as a hatchet. Which is super handy if you're in a tight area like if you're digging out a stump and you want to cut roots. It's faster than sawing and easier than the hatchet. Seriously, get a crappy kukri and add it to your garden shed.
I used mine for precisely that scant days ago. Fantastic tool for all manner of uses! Although it is odd to be carrying that across a neighborhood, yeah
Stumbled upon your channel. Well researched, informative and entertaining. Not a knife collector but I still enjoying the history connected to the blade.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video and hope to see you around the channel again!
What a great video! Covered a wide range of topics with a great degree of clarity in a very short amount of time. Thanks for taking the time to put out quality information for the knife world at large.
Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! The Kukri is a very interesting blade with a fascinating history. I'll definitely be revisiting it in future! Kailash has a good reputation for quality blades. I'd be interested in talking with you guys sometime. I hope to see you around the channel again!
I have a kukri I carry in my truck. I was researching an EDC knife and came across them a couple years ago. Bought one and love it.
They are rugged, useful, and cool knives!
Kukri use spread to several counties in close proximity to Nepal. While many know that the tip and belly of the blade are useful for combat and more utilitarian tasks, the spine/back of the blade, the flat sides of the blade and pummel on the handle can be used for blunt trauma attacks as well.
khukuri, not kukri
Cho is for stopping the blood from blades to run in your hands. Bloods or tree saps make your hand slippery, thus the slit in the blade stops the liquids to reach the handle.
Also, the cho can be used to determine the forge quality of the khukuri. If you balance the cho on the nail of your thumb, the khukuri should stand still and not drop or become heavy on one side.
Thanks for commenting!
Blood is not slick it's sticky so are most tree saps.
That makes more sense now why there's a cho there... thanks
@@slimjim7411 you clearly have never had blood profusely pouring into your hand while holding an implement, the commenter is Indeed correct that is the true purpose of the chot notch to run blood flow down off the blade away from the hand. I've seen very old film of kukri rifle soldiers explaining this.
@@slimjim7411 blood is very slippery
Thank you for this video. The kukri/khukuri, is the most courage inspiring knife ever forged.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I did my best to represent it faithfully.
isn't this knife popularised by the video game assassin's creed? not a gamer, just noticed kids buying them like crazy for the last decade.
i clear land so i do a lot of chopping and make my own blades with mesquite wood grips. take a $24 marbles parang and compare it to a kukri and tell me which cuts deeper.
knives are tools and shouldn't inspire.
I worked with a couple of Gurkhas in Brunei. As a RM who was instructing SF candidates on Comms equipment and they were providing an enemy. I had an extremely good rapport with them, and was chuffed to receive a Kukri from them. It still remains a cherished reminder of the time I spent with them.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing!
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel You’re most welcome.
Great channel, with interesting and informative content.
Well done, sir.
I'm glad you enjoyed! I hope to see you around the channel again!
A fascinating video, congratulations as I have now subscribed to your channel. I met several Gurkhas while serving with the British Army in the seventies, they were ferociously loyal soldiers and a credit to their country and to the British Army.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video and I look forward to seeing you on the channel again!
best theory I've heard for the cho is actually to allow flex in the blade. The blade is traditionally edge quenched , the cho interrupts the hardened edge allowing the softer steel of the spine to flex allowing the shock of chopping to dissipate and not crack the hardened steel and thus fracturing the blade. I bought one for bush craft , I've had people try to put in down saying it's no more than a crow bar with and edge, I reply with ' Ya that's why I have it"
You can cut to the bone with a quick flick of the wrist more than that can take it off if you know what your doing lol. Some are guaranteed not to break eve when used as a pry bar.
It's to stop blood from flowing down the blade onto the handle making it slippery. That's what the nepalese are saying..
@@DanSlotea It depends on the Nepali you talk to, others say it is to represent Mount Kailash, abode of Shiva. Personally, I think the theory that it allows the blade to flex without it cracking makes sense as the blade has differential quenching, the spine is softer than the blade.
@@Mat-kr1nf the notch has sharp corners. That's where metal cracks first
@@wheelietime7062 look at da flick ov da wrist 🤣🤣
I've had my Ka-Bar Kukri for almost 20 years. And I Iove it.
Use it mostly for outdoor work. Pruning, trimming, etc.
It can slice through a tree branch thick as my wrist, in one swipe.
I'd hate to think what it could do,
if forced into a defensive situation.
Not bad for a $54.00 purchase. 👍
I got a Mark V and feel the same way, just one thing is different: I would feel very confident with this blade defending my home compared to some other blades. It's heavy and made in low quality, but it will do its job and it just feels right in the hand. I can't really explain it.
@@edi9892
Oh, you explain it just fine.
It's a blade you can trust
with your life.
I love the khukuris of Nepal and own a Mk1 and MK2 made by Tora blades. Awesome blades and built to original military standards. I almost acquired a Heritage khukuri but as of yet haven't done so. I hear the maker also oil quenches his khukuri instead of the old water quench methods of the past. Thanks for the great information on the Khukuri and cho or as some also call the kaudi. I also heard it was for blood dripage stopping point.
Very cool! I wouldn't be surprised if he uses an oil quench. Oil is often the preferred quenchant for many types of steels. I suspect that water was used before for a couple reasons. First is it's easy to get. Second, water is a harsher and faster quench. That can be useful if you are working with steels that aren't as high quality. I've used it myself before to improve hardness on some troublesome steels. Thanks for commenting!
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Have you tried using brine for quenching? (or 'super quench' ?).
Hello, the cho is a blood drip to prevent it from reaching and compromising the user's grip. Much thanks for sharing your knowledge on beloved blades. Please keep it coming.
Kukris have differential hardened steel. The cutting edge is hard and the spine is softer. Hardened steel is more brittle than soft steel. Placed under cyclical tension, hard steel may develop fatigue cracks. When a continuous blade is used to chop, the cutting edge from the point of impact to the hilt will be under tension. The cho relieves stress in the cutting edge and concentrates the tension at the cho. The cho is deep enough so that the softer, more ductile, tougher metal outside of the edge hardening takes the edge. Kukris without a cho probably developed a fatigue crack at the location of the cho. This crack would have been filed out to prevent further propagation. At some point the cho was put in at manufacture to prevent the crack rather than repairing it.
Thanks for sharing!
Best explanation I have heard yet.
Wow. I had assumed it was there to act as a hilt to stop cordage from skinning your knuckles, but this makes way more sense.
Someone who actually knows the answer!
A khukuri blade is actually zone hardened. Mainly the belly of the blade is hardened. The notch or Cho has religious significance as it it supposed to replicate the sword of the God Shiva who carried a Trident. The Cho is also there to stop blood reaching the handle of the Khukuri. Blood drips off the point of the Cho and doesn't reach the handle making it sticky or slippery. The Khukuri blades are heated in small charcoal pits and forged on mushroom shaped anvils banged into the ground. Many blades are hollow forged. They are zone hardened and quenched with water from a teapot.
Dave.
Highly recommend Himilayan Imports as well - I’m a bit of a collector and let’s just say their differential heat treat and workmanship is excellent in my experience. (Gelbu Special is probably my favourite)
Fantastic versatile tools - if I could only own one tool it would be a kukri.
Thank for lettingme know! I definitely want to expand my collection. I only have the Mk2 clone shown in the video. I have a lot of forest out back to clean up, and a Kukri would be ideal.
I love my mini ak bowie! ua-cam.com/users/shorts1hjzVkNxQro?feature=share
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Check out Kailash blades. They have a great range of traditional and modern designs, and use a modern normalisation / tempering / oil quench techniques.
@@bek0hmsford I’ll second that, I did a lot of research on Kukuri makers before purchase, Kailash Blades seemed to be highly respected, more so than the rest. Let’s just say I was not disappointed!😁The fittings are done to a high standard, all nicely flush with no gaps. It takes a beautiful edge, indeed, it sliced paper when it came. It keeps the edge really well. I was very impressed!
I’ve been wanting a Himalayan Imports blade for the LONGEST!!
My Dad Faught in WW2 in the NZEF and had a Gurka contingent they were with ,they were in a forest area with Germans probing the Line all the time,and Dad and another were posted as security on the Graveyard shift pitch black out ,he said he just felt a very light touch on his corporal stripes on his arm and then a toothy white grin from one of the Gurkas who was a patrol holding his knife close to Dads throat ,Gurka said to Dad you all good you a Kiwi, if you were the hun (German) Id have your head and laughed ,Dad said he heard nothing of his approach and Dad was a good deer stalker back home ,that story fasinated me and now i have a OG Kukri,its the AR15 of Knives ,multipurpose multi use
Awesome story! thanks for sharing!
One of my Uncles who Served also came home to NZ with a Kukri .In 1960,he drew it part way out of it's sheath and he described why and how it was to handled . I am sure he and my other uncles would be appalled with the mess NZ has become under the horse.
@@Mercmad yip same with my Dad he would be disgusted by the bitch, he was old school working class ,union guy labour supporter ,how they have moved from where they were. to this woke sustainable BS,gotta get her gone
0
I bought a kukri online about 20 years ago. Learned about them from a Filipino - American guy I trained Eskrima with. I forget the website that I bought it on, it had a very active forum where all kinds of discussions were held. Many of the most enthusiastic buyers of these knives were American farmers, they appreciated the utilitarian nature of the blades, and the handmade craftsmanship. I'm just a suburban homeowner, but mine chops better than any hatchet I've ever used. "Uncle Bill" was the name of the importer, if memory serves.
I'm thinking I need to pick up a "hard use" kukri for the woods out back myself. I'll have to check out that importer.
The name of the company is Himalayan Imports
The Greek Kopis is mentioned but another blade style similar to the Khukuri is the Iberian Falcata.
That is another theory as well.
I have two kukris that my father brought back from the Pacific theater after WWII. I didn't get them until I was an adult and long after he was gone (he died when I was a baby), so I know next to nothing about them. I'm grateful for this discussion. Any idea how I can find out about these particular knives?
Glad you enjoyed the video! My recommendation is to go talk with an appraiser. You can find them at the better auction houses. They should be able to provide you information on the blades, not just potential value.
I acquired a Thai Enep a few years ago. These are almost identical to the Kuhkri but without the choe.They vary in length depending on their intended use, (light brush and cane for the shorter blades, up to heavy brush and small trees for the longer blades). Drawings from the time of Queen Suriyothai (early 1500's) show what appears to be Kuhkri / Enep of both single and two handed varieties. There even appears to be a very long handled version that could be wielded from the back of an elephant.
I'll have to check it out!
I recently ordered a 6" blade khukri with a full, flat tang and blade/hand guard for bushcraft & camping. It's also a formidable defense tool as demonstrated by a buddy who's a former Royal Marine Commando
Very nice!
I have been to the HQ for the gurkha in Nepal, it tells the history of the people and the changes to their traditional blade, to the one they are now famous for. 😁 And a people full of so much courage.
Very cool!
There are such nice people, lots of sandbag stories from the vets too lol.
Choke in the khukuri is to prevent blood from reaching handle to prevent slipping off from hand
Thanks for sharing!
Crazy, I had been thinking of getting one for a while after seeing them years ago on team fortress 2. I finally got some birthday money and am surprised to see such an in depth evaluation released so recently. Keep up the good work!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Have fun picking out your new Kukri!
I bought a cold steel Kukri machete two years ago for 12 bucks and it’s been my favorite camping tool ever since. I still carry a hand axe with me but for the most part the machete has been doing most of the work. Definitely a great design
They are definitely beasts!
Very nice video! The kukri is a beautiful knife for chores & for military use...the Gurkhas are good men; loyal & fierce fighters...thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Practically speaking, the most logical intention behind the "cho" is stress relief. The notch occurs at precisely the point on the blade which experiences the highest degree of stress from impact, not to mention the portion of the blade where the differentially hardened edge terminates and the significantly softer and thinner tang begins. It is my personal opinion that the "cho" does basically three things. 1) provides structural support to help mitigate bending/snapping of the blade (particularly on khukries with partial, "rat-tail" tangs) by preserving some of the material to reinforce that joint and using a shape to (theoretically) redirect shock stress into the "tine"/spiky protrusion. 2) serves as a heat sink/buffer so that during the process of edge quenching, the rapidly decreasing temperature does not transfer as readily through the steel and harden the tang, making it brittle. 3) reduces felt vibration to the hand (theoretically) as I explained at the end of function #1, by reshaping the flow of vibration through the steel and adding the tine to prevent introducing a structural point of weakness when filing in the notch. I love hearing all the mystical legends people trade around about the famous 'kukri notch' and it's fun every time I hear a new one, but I honestly believe it has a long forgotten practical engineering purpose, especially given the nature of the low quality materials they would have had to use way back when.
A well written and insightful response. Thank-you for sharing!
stumbled upon your channel and loved the historical breakdown on this knife
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I hope to see you around the channel again!
Nice presentation, I met many Gurkha's as their barracks was next to ours, talking to them they thought of the Kukri as a field knife, with combat as a secondary role. It was a heavy chopping blade and it could remove a head or arm as easily as cutting a branch off a tree for firewood. I envied the Gurkhas, as a British soldier all we had was a soft steel bayonet that was rarely issued, and your clasp knife which had a blade that would bend if you looked at it too hard.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Unfortunately a lot of military issued knives are pretty terrible.
I got a Mark V and it was dirt cheap (about 20x cheaper than the most expensive item in my collection and I'm not a high-end collector). Of all the blades I've collected, this is the one I've used the most. Thus, despite the low quality, it was a good investment. I really like the fact that unlike most collectible blades it doesn't only come with a sheath, but a small companion knife. That blade I've used a lot. It is just the right size for all sorts of tasks and when I need a heavy-duty blade, I got the Kukri itself. It really hits like an ax. However, the thick blade is not ideal for some targets. If I wanted to make a Kukri optimized as a weapon, I'd probably make it half as thick at the business end. It would still have more than enough mass to literally disarm opponents...
Thanks for sharing!
I am not an authority but I have heard (according to Nepalese knife makers) that the Cho represents a cow's hoof, a sacred animal. All I really know is that Kuhkris are incredible blades !!
They are very cool blades! Thanks for commenting!
Yeah there are several reasons who know which is the true meaning anymore.
It's to stop blood from flowing down the blade onto the handle making it slippery. That's what the nepalese are also saying..
Exchanged a nice Fairbairn-Sykes for a Kukri from a Sergeant in Queens Gurkha Engineers during Telic 2. That kukri remains my all-time favourite blade -- still sharp, perfectly balanced. The entire Brigade of Gurkas -- and their peer regiments India and Singapore -- are some of the most cheerful, polite, dutiful (and absolutely lethal) military personnel in the world.
Very cool! Kukri's are some of my favorite blades. I do like the F-S blades though as well. I have a video on them if you haven't seen it yet. Thanks for commenting!
I think it goes without saying that it is very easy to be polite and cheerful when one is one of the the most badass warriors on the planet, kukhris or otherwise. This veteran salutes the Ghurkas!
The Khukuri's notch is religious. It is supposed to replicate the sword of chivva (Don't know if I spelt that right) which was actually a trident. The notch also stopped blood running down onto the handle. I own Khukuri's from modern Tora's to before the Indian uprising. It was initially a general purpose agricultural tool used in the fields. The handles are incredibly strond being attached to the tang by Laha. Even through tang capped handles are glued with laha as well. I have about 80 Khukuri's all.
Dave.
Thanks for sharing!
I bought a cheap Cold Steel kukri for Bush work and for that it workd fine. It was cheap and I wouldn't cry if I chipped the blade or scratched the finish. I keep it under thr rear sear co.oartment in my truck as a road tool. The forward weight is very beneficial in hacking and chopping needs. Very much an effective brush tool.
Don't be fooled by the low price of Cold Steel knives, their higher grade knives and San Mai blades are really well made.
I had one of those. Frigging indestructible!
That was most likely the khukuri machete model...thin, expoxy painted black. The CS Ghurkha khukuri is an entirely different animal and at its thickest point of the spine is 5/16 of an inch. There were also older versions that were in between the two extremes. The CS Machetes were made in south Africa. They are tough hardworking outdoor tools in their own right. Sadly I do not expect this to continue as CS was sold by Lynn Thompson to GSM outdoors. From this point on I look to Tora Blades and Himalayan Imports for khukuri
I have a Cold Steel kukri that was made by the special projects and is a collector knife sells for $400-$500
My go-to backpack blade for bowhunting here in Hawaii. Love the weight-forward design for brush work. Saw an old Filipino man completely skin and break down a wild boar with one. I keep a file tucked in the sheath for tune-ups. Mines a basic Cold-Steel model. I filed the flare off the heel of the top of the handle to prevent blistering, while leaving the bottom flare for grip. Cheap and very effective compared to a cane-knife or machete.
I live on the brushy side of the Washington Cascades. Have had a Cold Steel kukri fora years as a bush knife for my forays into the woods. With it, I can do almost any task at hand, from clearing brush, to shelter building, to cleaning salmon.
The Kukri is my favorite blade. A family member had a few growing up. I just bought a Vosteed Nightshade because of how much I love the blade shape and usefulness. Best investment I’ve made in a long time.
Very nice! I need one for general use around my place. I don't want to beat up the one in this video too much.
I have two Nepalese army issue versions from 1980. one pristine, and the other has been a gardening and utility tool for those years. Both are solid. To me, what's distinctive about the blades is that they are wedge-shaped (in cross-section), with a thick spine to support the blade, and though the horn handles are uncomfortable, they are the most durable tools I've found.
Very cool! Thank-you for sharing!
Your videos make my look at my wepons in a new way and i love it. Worth my subscription keep up the good work!
I was hoping you would also talk about the Falcata, the closest one to the Kukri, even closer than the Kopis, especially the early type of Falcata.
The Falcata was the sword that truly scared the Romans. One of the most powerful military forces.
Unfortunately time constraints prevented me from going into more detail on the origin theories for the Kukri. The falcata is definitely a strong contender for influencing the Kukri. I decided to focus on the Kopis instead because the Falcata itself is thought to be a descendant of the Kopis in turn. I'm planning on digging into the falcata itself in future. Thanks for commenting and I hope to see you around the channel again!
@Meganeura* - I read an account of a Roman officer having surgery related to a wound received by a falcatta. The man had to have his helmet surgically removed. Can you imagine?!
I have been using Machete's, Hatchet's and Axes for many decades in the north woods of the Midwest USA. After years of use of many different types and designs I have a Kabar Kukri on both my Tractor and UTV. The best bush utility cutting tool I've ever used. A good full sized Axe and the Kabar Kukri will handle any cutting, chopping job I come across while doing chores on my property. Along with a good chainsaw it's something I use every day.
They are rugged and versatile knives! Thanks for sharing!
At least one khukuri is kept in Nepali household. My parents allowed me to use one when I was about 8 or 9 years old. It's very handy when we cut meat in city area, not to mention how useful it is in rural areas. I never knew it had many versions and Verity. For me it was like how long or big is the khukuri that was it.
Thanks for sharing!
Same!
I have several, the model you displayed, as well as the Ka Bar and Sog models. Love them all. Thank you for the video.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for commenting and I hope to see you around the channel again!
I own of these antiques that was a gift. I am going to gift it to my nephew. I wanted to provide some background, and this knocks it out of the park. You are a gentleman and scholar. New sub.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video and thank-you for your support!
I carried a Kukri through my deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, it was a very useful tool and also a great back up weapon if needed in hand to hand combat. I also spent a few months with an Airborne Gurkha platoon that was attached to us in Afghanistan. Fearless tough soldiers.
Very nice! I've only heard good things about the Gurkhas in all the stories I've seen.
HOOAH!!
Awesome video! I got really into kukris many years back. In particular, the regional differences interested me. When I finally decided to order one from Nepal, I considered the many varieties and settled on the Chainpur style. It has a longer, more narrow, but very thick blade and the cho is a hoofprint stamped clear through the blade, making a complete hole rather than a notch. The one I had made has a very wide grind on a 15" blade that's just 2" wide at the belly and just shy of 1/2" thick on the spine and has ornate brass inlays along the fuller. The handle is full tang black water buffalo horn (Which I think they stopped exporting since then, or the US stopped importing it) with brass-wrapped pins and decorative filing around the finger ring and even has a decorated pommel cap. The karda and chakmak match the style, as well. Easily one of my most treasured belongings and trusted knives. Thank you for teaching me all sorts of history that I didn't know about my favorite knife!
Very cool! I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and I hope to see you on the channel again! I'll have a video on the Fairbairn Sykes knife out soon which served alongside the Kukri during WW2 in the British forces.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Sweet! Can't wait.
Thanks for sharing the history of my favorite knife design. I was amazed at how much more effective the kukri design is than a typical machete. It seems that as the blade strikes a target, its slanted angle backed by it’s thicker backside actually penetrates deeper than a machete by slicing and hacking, as opposed to a machete’s straight flat hack. Extremely functional!
Glad you enjoyed the video!
Thanks for reviewing our national weapon of nepal...regarding about the NOTCH or kaudi main function is to prevent blood getting on user,s hand while in cutting.so that it doesn't make slippery hands..
A friend was given a kukri during his years in SE Asia right after Pol Pot, and told that traditionally to become a Gurkha, one had to be able to cut the head off of an ox in one stroke. And yes, they absolutely terrified the Germans there in WW2.
That was quite good, I am a bladesmith of no repute and have a slightly unique appreciation of the knowledge you share. Thank you.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video and I hope to see you around the channel again!
3:14 5:38 The notch there so during combat blood drips down the notch instead of coming down to the handle making the handle slippery .
Thanks for sharing!
my grandfather was gifted one after the second world war but no one really seems to know why, It now has prized possession status in my house, although the sheath looks different to those in your upload. Thank you for the information
Glad you enjoyed the video. Typically the British patterns had a leather sheath very similar to mine, but there are of course exceptions. Thanks for sharing!
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel I could email photos of it to see if you had any other information on it? that would be amazing.
Khukri has been also traditionally used by Gahrwalis (Garhwal Rifles) and Kumaonis (Kumaon Regiments) from Indian state of Uttrakhand. (Neighboring Nepal, in fact Uttrakhand was part of Nepal for a while before Britishers arrived.)
It's part of religious ceremonies (like carried by groom in wedding, sacrifices etc ) as well and could still be found in most families.
Thanks for sharing!
Uttarakhand wasn't part of Nepal, but was annexed by the Gurkha kingdom for a few years prior to the arrival of british
Khukuri is a tool used by Khas people. Aryan tribe from Kashmir to darjeeling are Khas.
Cho is designed to lock other sharp weapons during fight. If you are blocking a blow with a Kukri then the opponents sharp weapons tend to slip towards your hand and can cut off your limbs. Chos' sudden drop creates a block and can lock opponents sharp weapon in that hole and then Kukri has opportunity to counter blow.
Absolutely
Knives are not defensive. You will always get cut regardless of design if you chose to engage in a knife fight.
The odds of getting cut go up if you’re an unwilling participant
Basically, the cho has no defensive value
In 3:10 I think you didn't have idea of cho (notch), so our grandfathers and father used to tell us that cho is to block the blood getting on up to the grip. So whenever you decapitate the head of enemy then blood drains from the tip towards the grip side so that middle vertical one from notch collects the blood and drop it on ground so it prevent from loosening the grip. That is the main reason why still our Nepali Brothers and Sisters have cho in every khukuri.
Thanks for commenting and I hope to see you around the channel again!
I may be wrong but I've heard the story of the "kaura or kaudi" in khukri is present to prevent the blood from reaching the grip or the handle during battle. Without the notch on the blade, blood makes the handle very slippery hence being ineffective in slashing and cutting. It may or may not be true, but hearing it from my grandparents was fascinating to me.
Interesting things happened as I searched for a "real" Kukri online. All of a sudden this video was in my feed. Never seen your channel before, but admit I'm both impressed and entertained; thus I'm just now a new sub. I have been doing some research and am now quite puzzled. Looking at the Kukri seller you recommended it appears their blades are of a uniform heat treat at about 58 HRC and no mention as to type of steel. Everything I've found before this new revelation, seems to point to differential heat treating depending on the portion of the blade concerned. I'm using the experience's of a noted woodsman to base my ideas upon, he's had the same Kukri for ages now and it still is his favorite. Thus my quandary. Which path do I take?
So now what I thought was an imminent purchase has become another quagmire, trapped within the paralysis of analysis. I'm not a wealthy person, so would prefer to buy this "best" Kukri only once; my life has had more than one disappointment trying to obtain a good Kukri. Since every seller has claimed theirs is the best going and I can never seem to find anything like unbiased owner reviews, I've been buying more conventional knives and hatchets over my lifetime. Considering my age and health as of late, I need to lighten my pack load a little; one tool to do both jobs being ideal and a Kukri seems like the answer. Any thoughts?
Glad to see you here and thanks for reaching out. My recommendation is to shoot a message to Heritage Knives via Facebook or e-mail. He is pretty responsive and you can get answers from him directly. Does he have the best Kukri? I don't know. I'd have to have tried every Kukri. I can attest to Heritage Knives knowledge of Kukris, and that often is linked to to a superior craftsman. The two places I keep hearing good things about are Heritage Knives and Tora Knives. Another possibility is to hit up a custom bladesmith and have it made exactly how you want. Generally differential hardening is better, and it's traditional on Kukri's.
Do you want a "real" kukri? Search ebay offers from traders in old antique kukris. The quality of the new ones is questionable, despite the intent of using this video as a commercial add to certain factory.
Most traditional khukuri are made from 5160 steel. differentially heat treated to 58-60 Rc.
Kukri's are great utility blades. I've been using them for most of my life. Truthfully, for garden work, I find a Ka-bar kukri machete works a treat and doesn't harm any of my better blades. The more traditional models are great to train with as they are short enough so that you can swing them with vigor and have a good chance of not damaging the walls or furniture. The kukri is a great blade, but what made and makes them so deadly is the people wielding them. The Gurkas are fearsome and to be respected.
Thanks for sharing!
At the age of 19-20, my father served along side of Gurkas in Italy (WW2). Yes... I'm old. He carried a large Case Bowie, (I still have it). They bonded, dispite some language barrier, showing each other's knives.
The Germans were terrified of the Gurkas, and for good reason. They would go out behind enemy lines at night, by 2s, with just a light stick (bamboo) to feel for trip wires, and their Kukuris. Finding 2 sleeping Germans in a foxhole, they would silently kill one, but leave the other untouched. When morning came, the lucky one would awaken to see his buddy's severed head facing him on the ground. Very effective psychological warfare. (Think scene in the Godfather movie, with the horse head, but it's your buddy's head. 50/50 It could have been you).
My father, and many others, at night, would hear nothing, then realize a large sharp blade was touching their throat from left to right. (The edge curve is perfect for this.) GIs were trained to stay very still. The Gurka would hold the knife there, while feeling the surface of the helmet, the web belt, and sometimes the leggings. (German helmets were smooth. Belt and boots were leather. America's helmets were stippled, belts were canvas). Gurkas were doing their job. They killed many Germans in the dark this way. Sometimes the Gurka would say, "OK Joe", then vanish into the night.
One quiet night, in a village, my father was leaning against a court wall, reading Reader's Digest, by moonlight. Suddenly, he realized he was being cheched by a Gurka. He stayed still. Then the Gurka vanished, with my father still leaning against the wall. He turned both ways... Gone. He never could figure how that happened. I would guess another Gurka lowered the one from above, on the wall, then quietly pulled him back up???
When they were taking a new town, and the shooting was still on, the Gurkas would sometimes start playing soccer in one of the courts. GIs had to duck and cover, behind the same court walls, but the German snipers wouldn't shoot at the Gurkas. They rightly feared reprisals that night.
And these were SS, Herman Goring Div paratroopers. Best/toughest in the world.
Once, my father gave a young Gurka a government pen, that were freely given to GIs. The boy was so impressed/humbled, with the gift, that he asked my father what he would like. "Pistols" , Dad said. "I like pistols". (He had 5 on him later, when he was hit). Didn't see the Gurka boy again for a couple weeks, until he entered a room and saw something move under the bed. Dad drew his 45 and cautiously lifted the blanket. It was the Gurka boy. He dove under there, afraid to face Dad, because the villa, about 5 miles behind German lines, no longer had the 4-5 pistols he meant to bring back to him. (Germans like souvenirs too). The boy lost face.
Turns out he brought back 4 prisoners instead. A segment and an officer included. They were too terrified to try an escape after they saw what this "boy's" Kukuri did to the other 2.
Father forgave him.
(They may have been wanting to surrender anyway, and this was their chance. Their own guys would shoot them for trying, or even talking about it).
Awesome story, thanks for sharing! Top comment of the day. I hadn't heard about the Gurkhas doing night raids like that, I'll have to look into that. One of those crazy things in history that make it interesting. As for his Bowie, I have a video on the Bowie knife as well in case you haven't seen it already. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
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I enjoyed it very much.
Your presentation was just excellent.
I heard a very similar story from a former British officer in command of a Gurka detachment during the WWII action in Greece. At night, the Gurkas would silently slip into fortified German bill boxes, cut the throats of every second German soldier asleep in bunk beds, take their ears as trophies and then vanish back into the night. This British officer never fathomed how the Gurkas so easily penetrated these fortifications and created so much havoc on the Germans. One dark, moonless night awaiting the return of a Gurka detachment, he said he felt something like a soft wind caressing the back of his helmet. Then, he heard a low, soft voice from behind: "it's OK, Johnny, no worry", as the Krukri was withdrawn from his throat.
@@swingbelly
Exactly. What stealth/courage! Allies in Italy paid 50¢ bounty on every pair of ears turned in by Gurkas. Then they started finding dead Americans with missing ears. There was no evidence of Gurkas even killing them. They were normal casualties, killed by artillery, snipers, etc. "Why waste them?", I guess. Horrible for morale. Problem was solved when they required two German epaulettes to go along with each pair of ears. Tough neighborhood...
@@bobsmoot2392 Hey Bob. I heard other stories about the Gurkas from the same British officer. Apparently, they had 2 engaging (bad?) habits during their off duty time; drinking and gambling. They would get "pissed" but could then immediately report for duty at a moment's notice. Damn, now that's stamina! They would gamble using the bags of severed ears they had collected and when those ran out, they would gamble away their monthly army pay. Maybe one of their comrades got rich in ears and pay, but stayed in the army. Again, stamina. They didn't seem to care about materialism. The pride of each Gurka was being a member of the British Army, on the front lines in battle! It is my understanding that the Gurkas have been awarded more Victoria Crosses and other high military honours than any of the other British regiments, combined. Now, that is stamina! These guys are dedicated, "mean bastards" that one does not want to oppose on the battlefield. Thankfully, Gurka regiments continue to serve in the British Army!
The function of the cho is to relive stress caused by the edge quench. It allows relief of the stress caused when the hard edge cools and contracts faster than the slower cooling back of the blade.
Thanks for commenting! I hope to see you around the channel again!
My dad always had one. He brought his back from here s time in Burma. It was used for gardening jobs after the war. He never discussed what he did with it during.
Just posted the same thing, except I never knew where he got it. He did his national service in the fifties.
Very interesting thanks 👍. I have hand forged a kukri, and before I started, I thought getting the bend right would be difficult. In fact while narrowing the steel in the bend zone with a sledge hammer, the blade automatically took the curve without me needing to do anything else. Since, I have thought the kukri started when a smith couldn't be bothered to keep straightening his blades and just left the natural curve 😁
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Fits with the theory of Phil, the ancient Nepalese Smith!
This channel and the slingshot channel (Joerg something), I really like. Knives are really interesting, their history included, and Its always fun to learn the uniqueness and ingenuity of each one. Thanks for educating me.
I just learned of this channel 20 minutes ago and I can already tell its amazing.
Thank-you for your support! I'll have to check out the slingshot channel, I'm intrigued. I look forwards to seeing you around the channel!
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel jörg sprave he is German the Chanel is nice the slingshot Chanel
Jeorg Sprave - legend!
As an ex Australian Military man l was giving one of these beautiful weapons that saw service in the 2nd World War. It is my honour that l have one.
Very cool! Mk2 or Mk3?
Gurkhas are brave mercenaries like the Wagner group and shall fight for anyone who pays them. More than 1000 unarmed Sikhs peacefully protesting against british colonial rule were massacred by machine gun weilding Gurkha soldiers under orders of Gen Dyer in 1919 at Jallianwalah Bagh. Probably that is the only battle won by Gurkha against Sikhs. As of now gurkha are called bahadur (brave) in Punjab and are much sought as domestic help and watchmen
Great video! Thanks for putting this together.
My pleasure! Be sure to check out the other videos in this series!
Hi there, could you do a piece on rigging (sailor's) knives? The one with a sheep's foot blade, a marlin spike, shackle key and other features in a folding knife like a can/bottle opener, flat-head bit on one end and the lanyard hoop or metal hoop.
Noted! I believe a couple other people have asked for that knife already!
My own theory about that notch is based on my profession. I'm an architectural draftsman. In the past you had to design wooden windows with a notch along the sill, in the bottom, to stop water from sliding to the wall. This notch or canal cuts the water flow and make it drip before it touches the wall. The physics in the kukri would be the same, but instead of water, it would be blood. I like your videos, well informed, well researched, no nonsense. I don't have a large knife collection but I have studied a lot about them and collected since almost 30 years. Additionally, my dad was a hunter abd and I was around his own knives from birth, my mom and dad used good knives for their everyday life before I was able to remember. Subscribed.
Thanks for sharing! I'm glad you enjoy my videos, and thank-you for your support!
Sorry to tell you this theory has been discredit since long time ago. The blood does not flow in a kukri in such quantities, and not only from the edge. Old military kukris have hollow blades, like big fullers, where blood is concentrated, so it can run freely to the hilt. Which usually it never happens to soak the hand of the soldier. Anyway, those theories don't explain the elaborate forms of the cho. A simple spanish notch could do the job.
My father used to work with an ex Gurkha who when asked to bring his kukri would always say yes but if they wanted to see the blade he would have to cut their finger before sheathing it. My father asked if this was true and he said not really but it reduces the number of people pestering him to bring it into work.
Very cool story, thanks for sharing!
One of my all time favorite designs, I have quite a few that see hard service in bush crafting and trail blazing. I also use my Mora pattern knives and a Seax quite frequently as well. Great content Sir!⚔️
Very cool! I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope to see you around the channel again!
I have seen old black and white film of the Nepalese Kurka soldiers explaining that the chot angular notch in the base of the edge side of the weapon purpose was to disrupt the flow of the blood from pouring down into the users hand in battle.
Thanks for sharing!
I have a traditional Nepalese Kukri. It is not as large as typical ghurka blades so was probably more ceremonial or just used as an everyday tool. It has a water buffalo leather sheath with the traditional pointed finish. The actual knife has stains on it. My grandad required the blade over 25 years ago as he worked in India and took a week's holiday in Nepal, hiring a motorbike and traversing steep mountain passes from Kathmandu and the surrounding areas. Pretty cool he got it off a monk.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing!
I was told it was used for a discipline procedure amongst Grukha soldiers so to speak. The rule was supposed to be "This does not come out unless it is to be used right now, This blade WILL taste blood before it rests" the way it was described, and that the soldier was trained he had to prick his finger with that spike in the choil you describe every time he pulled it out. Or maybe its BS who knows.
Thanks for sharing!
That is true for Punjabi Kripans. Haven't seen Nepali's do that
Really well done, just to give additional context of the bigger kukris used for ritualistic purposes:
Gurkha regiments do buffalo sacrifices (yes they are also hindu, though considered lower caste by brahmins) during Kalratri (seventh of 9 days of Navratri celebrations) and a second one the following day. It is considered a sign of good luck for the regiment if the soldier responsible for the sacrifice can severe the head of buffalo with a single strike. Usually they pick the biggest guy for this and they use a ceremonial kukri that is much larger than normal sized kukris. If the soldier fails to do this, apparently this is rare, the soldier's face is smeared with the blood of the buffalo to take away any evil that may befall the regiment. They may also use a goat instead but a buffalo is preferred.
Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for sharing your knowledge!
With due respect, your comment on hindu caste is very ignorant and wrong. For your info Gurkha is a loose term to denote a mountain person from Nepal. Gurkhas can be Brahmins, Kshatriya etc. They can be Hindus or Buddhist. I request you to refrain from making uneducated comments. I will repeat again, there are Gurkha Brahmins. Gurkha is a hill person from Nepal, it is NOT a caste. So your comment about they are considered lower caste is uncalled for and wrong.
Mine was made in 1914 and has a ivory handle with a silver inlay and 1 small skinning knife in the leather and wood sheath ,the hi carbon steel is still polished but has a blackened tint from age ,I bought it at a gun show back in the early 90’s and is one of my favorite pieces in my collection
Very cool!
The small knife usually two is for ear removal
Picked one up from Atlanta Cutlery. Excellent historical piece. Gifted it to my pal and he loves it
As a surveyor, I found it a great brush knife.
I'm thinking I'm going to pick another for myself for working in the woods out back for that reason.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel check out kailashblades
You can find that shape blade all over Indonesia and at every market wet market in the Philippines, there general name is bolo: they vary in length and shape depend on the task and from area to area.
Bolo is a slightly different shape Kukhri are older than Indonesia
I've been reading "The Dresden Files" (well listening to the audio books)! A primary character in the book series uses 2 Kukri as his weapons of choice when fighting close quarters. They sounded fascinating, I see now that they are!
Good ol' Thomas... I'm a big Jim Butcher fan.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel, yeah, Thomas rocks! Makes me want a Kukri for my own to go with my USN MK2 my dad gave me!
I understood the Cho serves as a "flex point" (strain relief) for the blade to prevent it from breaking at what is arguably the thinnest part of the blade when chopping.
the cutout at the base of the blade is probably to reduce stress and vibrations along the hardened cutting edge making it more comfortable to use and less likely to shatter when striking things. similar to the cutouts in some circular saw blades.
The cho is for stripping vines, and nocking them when bundling crops, and stretching the vines/twine tight. It also assists in the twisting of fiber/vines into heavier twines and ropes.
Thanks for sharing!
Makes sense , a survival tool as well.
Have a look at an pre-Roman Iberian Falcata...
There is also the machaira as well. Both are decedents of the kopis and might have been involved with the evolution of the Kukri. But unfortunately, I can only squeeze so much into a 10 minute video.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Of course. Maybe you can make a video about the Falcata in the future. I discovered your channel today, but I would love to learn what you think about that design. Thanks for the content.
A Nepalese guy told me the cho (sp?) was for pulling nails. He demonstrated this pulling some staples on a fence he was repairing.
Thanks for sharing!
It has multiple used of course.
Great Video, what is the 2nd knife mentioned after the Karambit ? Thanks.
Excellent presentation. I found this very informative. Thank you. :-) Peace, Stiletto :-)
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I hope to see you around the channel again!
We can actually confirm that the ancient Egyptians had been trading with the Indian subcontinent for centuries using the red Sea and Indian Ocean.
By the end of the Ptolymeic dynasty in Egypt trade with India had become less frequent than in earlier history, under the romans trad with India via the red sea was one of the main driving forces of the roman economy, Egypt would become the personal province of the emperor as it made up approximately a third of the wealth of the entire empire.
All of this leads to another theory that the Khopesh is the original ancestor of the Kukri. Thanks for sharing!
absolute bullshitt
Who makes the beautiful Ginunting that you show in the video?
That would be Mickey Yurco. You can find his stuff on Facebook and Instagram. Awesome knife maker.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel
I'm friends with him on Facebook actually.
That thing in the kukri u refering as cho or smt is to prevent the blood drip to the handle to avoid slipping, it helps the blood drop and not reach the wielder's hand
3:20 I heard was the purpose of the notch was to relieve tension on the blade during the cut . Similar blades without it tend to crack near the handle . I think the point was to allow some flex to counter the angle in the blade ..... if I understood what the documentary was claiming .
Thanks for sharing!
From what I’ve learned the Cho is used kind of as a runoff point if it’s used as a weapon. The Cho helps bl**d run off to avoid your hand getting wet and thus keeping the grip dry and strong
Thanks for sharing!
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel no problem
The smasest one carda is also for burn fire rubing with white ston called dalsing dhunga bro so
If you have one khukuri you can survirv on antirtica 8:54 8:55
My grandfather brought one back from Burma, where he served in WWII. I’ll have to look at it more closely!
Very cool! Let me know what you identify it as!