A rough Finite Element model shows that the Cho can reduce stress in a blade

[JayGoliath]

if the cho has any effect on the vibration of the handle, or the energy transfered back into the hand.

Howard,

Could the cho have reduced the vibration in this case? but you will have chiruwa tang, stick and partial tang.
Also, wood, horn, rubber or micarta might serve as different medium to transfer the shock gradually.

 

[Howard Wallace]

My friend Ron Hood brought his "Hoodlum" knife to market shortly before he died. It has similarities to a khukuri in that it is in the same size range and has a forward canted blade. The flat tang has a hole cut in it (that you can not see in pictures because the hole is covered by the handle slabs.) Ron experimented with the size and shape of the hole with the objective in mind of minimizing handle vibration and energy returned to the hand.

It is partly the late Mr. Hood's work that makes me wonder if any similar empirical experimentation with the cho and its size and location could be in the history of the khukuri.