Cracks at the cho: PICTURES ON Pg 3

SkagSig40

SkagSig40

Joined
Feb 1, 2001
Messages
2,671
Just curious if anyone has seen first hand of read about cracks forming in the cho and causing problems? I have bought over 100 HI khuks since the early 1990's and almost all of them have very slight cracks in the base of the cho on one side or both and were there when the blades were made. I have used some of mine heavily and these cracks never grew that I know of or caused a blade failure. Just wondering if this has been discussed at all? I have been out of the khukuri market for a long time and have not kept up!

By the way what happened to Bura, Sanu, Kesar, Sher etc? They were the first to make their blades IIRC. Also what happened to Vim? He make the last khukuri I bought back in 2007 I think. I don't recognize any of the current Kamis. Who is the current top maker these days? Thanks for all the info!
 
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A photo of the cracks would be nice. If you could take a few pictures of the cracks, it would make it easier to analyze.
 
I don't really have any but could probably get some. Almost every khuk I have seen(which is hundreds) have had these at the base of the cho. It is very common.
 
SkagSig40 said:
Just curious if anyone has seen first hand of read about cracks forming in the cho and causing problems? I have bought over 100 HI khuks since the early 1990's and almost all of them have very slight cracks in the base of the cho on one side or both and were there when the blades were made. I have used some of mine heavily and these cracks never grew that I know of or caused a blade failure. Just wondering if this has been discussed at all? I have been out of the khukuri market for a long time and have not kept up!

By the way what happened to Bura, Sanu, Kesar, Sher etc? They were the first to make their blades IIRC. Also what happened to Vim? He make the last khukuri I bought back in 2007 I think. I don't recognize any of the current Kamis. Who is the current top maker these days? Thanks for all the info!
Click to expand...

I have quite a few khukuris, almost all of them from HI, and none of them have cracks in the base of the cho. At least I've never noticed any, and I look pretty closely when I receive a knife. That includes some blades made as far back as 2000, but none before that.

I believe Vim is still making blades for HI. Sher left Nepal for a few years, returned to HI last year, and apparently has left again. Kumar also left Nepal, but he returned last year and is at HI now, making great blades. Bura retired for health reasons, but I think he is serving as a consultant to current kamis.

Of the currently active HI kamis, my personal favorites are Kumar, Purna and lachhu (whom I believe trained under Bura). Purna is a very experienced kami who came to HI within the past year and has greatly distinguished himself.
 
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Bura no longer work at HI for health reasons and is retired.
Sher last I heard went to India to find other work.
Kumar and Yuvraj (Sher's brothers) are now working.
Sanu no longer works at HI? Dont know why? Sure was good tho.
Vim?
Keshar Lal still works at HI as far as I know.
Lachhu Dont know when he started but stil there.
Bhakta-?
Rajkumar -gone to another job making jewelry I think.

New Kamis as of 7/22/2015:
Purna, Padam, Thamar and Ganga are new and all excellent Kamis with the quality and creativity of the best.
Somebody correct me if I forgot or mess up the Kami status. Things may have changed after the quake?
Oh Theres Hari Kami making swords and another that is not actually Kami caste but has "honorary" Kami status?______________ (ill fill this in later)

Welcome back to the forums. Ive never seen any cracks in my cho? Pics please.
 
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I note you simply say generic khukuri and fail to mention HI in same statement and then ask after kamis....correction...you DO state hundreds cracked....wow.

I am sure someone somewhere has cracked one, but news of cracked chos is conspicuous by its almost total absence on this forum.

It would be helpful if you would specify which of the hundreds you have owned were HI, and how many of those were cracked in comparison to others...and naturally ANY photo from ANY time of a cracked HI product would be good to see....that being one taken in the very brief time it would be in your possession before being exchanged for one with no questions asked and which was not cracked nor ever would be.

Personally i have never seen an HI khukuri cracked at the cho, not once...am sure a search of the forum might turn up some....perhaps batoned for some strange reason (who batons an axe?) while handle resting on solid surface and spine struck back over unsupported area....meanwhile a search of the forum would indicate you personally owned all the cracked ones ever produced....i have seen rough filing of chos but never a crack.

I can certainly see where cheaper knives might be cracked and probably from forging after cho cut out...
 
I've just been going over my collection with a 10X loop. Not one cracked cho to be seen.
I've had well over 500 HI khukuri come thru my hands....and I do check every blade thoroughly.
I'm not saying it doesn't happen or exist, I just don't think it's as prevalent as the original post would make it sound.
 
ndoghouse said:
Bura no longer work at HI for health reasons and is retired.
Sher last I heard went to India to find other work.
Kumar and Yuvraj (Sher's brothers) are now working.
Sanu no longer works at HI? Dont know why? Sure was good tho.
Vim?
Keshar Lal still works at HI as far as I know.
Lachhu Dont know when he started but stil there.
Bhakta-?
Rajkumar -gone to another job making jewelry I think.
New Kamis Purna, Padam and Thamar are new and all excellent Kamis with the quality and creativity of the best.
Somebody correct me if I forgot or mess up the Kami status. Things may have changed after the quake?
Oh Theres Hari making swords and another that is not actually Kami caste but has "honorary" Kami status?______________ (ill fill this in later)

Welcome back to the forums. Ive never seen any cracks in my cho? Pics please.
Click to expand...

Left out Ganga.
 
Karda said:
I've just been going over my collection with a 10X loop. Not one cracked cho to be seen.
I've had well over 500 HI khukuri come thru my hands....and I do check every blade thoroughly.
I'm not saying it doesn't happen or exist, I just don't think it's as prevalent as the original post would make it sound.
Click to expand...

I agree with all of these statements concerning a crack near the cho. I've never seen one, and none of my HI khukuris have it. Granted I've only been collecting for about 2 years, and they are only from HI. I have use a 10X loop as well from my jeweler friend, and cannot find any cracks or imperfections near the cho. If you have pics, I would love to see them, maybe I am not looking in the correct place.
 
Thanks to give me another reason to revisit my humble collection(*). The only crack I saw was the reflection of my own in the mirror finish.

Since none of the other and most credible forumites noticed this issue.

yoda-without-pics-this-thread-is-useless-BWVHSx_zpsf4c01222.jpg

I tried to take the most unforgiving pictures

Side A - Do you see any cracks? I don't
ChoSideA.jpg


Side B - do you see any cracks? I don`t.
ChoSideB.jpg


:confused:

Full size link
http://images51.fotki.com/v299/fileEoSG/e5d3b/2/1343482/9537974/ChoSideA.jpg
http://images43.fotki.com/v60/filebJI9/e5d3b/2/1343482/9537974/ChoSideB.jpg

(*) http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1305997-Hikv-2013-2015
 
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It's a pretty rare place for a khuk to fail, in my experience. It usually takes a bit of haste with the teapot at the wrong time resulting in a hardened area where it should be left soft. I would wager that if the blade doesn't fail there within the first 100 chops, it'll last several lifetimes of hard work.
I've not gone over the dozens in my collection, but I've never had a failure be it at the cho or anywhere else.
 
Every time i use one of my khukuris, the tip falls off but i keep them and take no photos and then Marvin the Martian threatens me with the illudium Q36 explosive space modulator......anybody else have this problem?

That is about how much sense the first post seems to make, or he sold known cracked knives to others, or holds the world record in returns to HI....or he kept them all and can provide photos of 100 cracked blades....

Testing is always indicated for any handmade/forged/heat treated blade before trusting, even a Randall where Gary simply states "these things happen" as he replaces a knife....but they are rare there and rare here....
 
SkagSig40 said:
Just curious if anyone has seen first hand of read about cracks forming in the cho and causing problems? I have bought over 100 HI khuks since the early 1990's and almost all of them have very slight cracks in the base of the cho on one side or both and were there when the blades were made.
Click to expand...

Seems as if this has become a bigger problem for you than it was when you asked about it in 2003: "I have several dozen H.I. khuks and most of them have cracks in the blades at the cho, one crack on each side where the cho is cut."
:confused:
 
I only have a modest collection consisting of 20 HI kukris, 5 HI knives, and 5 HI swords. I have used a few of the kukris rather extensively.

None of my kukris have cracks. I haven't put most of them to the test yet, but the 15 KLUVK, 15 AK, 17.5 ASTK, and DBUVK have seen hard use. I broke apart a rock hard oak table with the KLUVK... It didn't miss a beat and destroyed the table. It was still very sharp too, I was surprised by how little the edge was effected.

I have cut more than a few tameshigiri mats, broom handles inside pool noodles, heck I even cut through the corner of a 55 gallon steel drum with my HI wajisaki (by accident)... I over swung using one hand and hit the corner of the drum. It left a pretty deep and wide cut in the metal... The blade's edge was just fine, it didn't roll or deform. I did scratch the mirror polish, but I was surprised to see how resilient the 5160 steel is.

I am not calling him a liar, he could be mad man with a kukri with the ability to chew threw them like they were potato chips. Pictures speak a thousand words.
 
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Dirtbiker said:
Whoops, that's what I get for not paying attention.
Click to expand...

I would say, judging by what Berkley quickly dug up and posted above, that the entire thread is not worthy of attention, or further comment, and certainly no more wasted time looking over knives or posting photos......the poster claims to have gone from a collection of several dozen to now 100 cracked knives.....there is something i think cracked here, but not the knives.
 
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