To Cho, or not to Cho....

T

TheManiot

Joined
Mar 24, 2014
Messages
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Hey guys! I'm really new here so I had a question. I've heard that the Cho stops blood from dripping onto the handle. Is that the case? I also read that it has only religious significance and no practical usage..

Anyway, if it has only religious significance and no practical use I was thinking of trying to order one without.
 
TheManiot said:
Hey guys! I'm really new here so I had a question. I've heard that the Cho stops blood from dripping onto the handle. Is that the case? I also read that it has only religious significance and no practical usage..

Anyway, if it has only religious significance and no practical use I was thinking of trying to order one without.
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I've heard both those stories too, I've heard some say it's forgotten why they put it on there over time.

As far as ordering one without, I don't think that's gonna happen. I think there is strong belief on the religious significance even if they can't remember what it is.

Just my guess here, nothing more. You can certainly ask Auntie, she and she alone would know the answer.
 
Bawanna said:
I've heard both those stories too, I've heard some say it's forgotten why they put it on there over time.

As far as ordering one without, I don't think that's gonna happen. I think there is strong belief on the religious significance even if they can't remember what it is.

Just my guess here, nothing more. You can certainly ask Auntie, she and she alone would know the answer.
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Ditto
 
I read of a very religious fellow actually filing the cho off and praying over the khukri that any blessings to heathen gods be removed from it. That seems insane to me, but if it's really a problem you could go that route.
 
blue lander said:
I read of a very religious fellow actually filing the cho off and praying over the khukri that any blessings to heathen gods be removed from it. That seems insane to me, but if it's really a problem you could go that route.
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I would hate to do that to something that a craftsman has put a lot of hard work into and would prefer to just get it without the Cho unless the cho actually stops blood from seeping down to the grip. The Cho looks good too..

Though I can appreciate the reason why the person may have filed it down though due to conflicting religious beliefs.
 
TheManiot said:
unless the cho actually stops blood from seeping down to the grip.
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I just don't see a situation where this would matter too much anyways. Unless you're chopping off heads in battle or something. If you're skinning an animal you're bound to get your hands dirty either way.
 
philllll said:
I just don't see a situation where this would matter too much anyways. Unless you're chopping off heads in battle or something. If you're skinning an animal you're bound to get your hands dirty either way.
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Thank you for the point. It matters to me because I'd like to keep chopping off heads in battle as an option as it is being strapped to my INCH bag or belt in case of a serious situation requiring me to do so.
 
TheManiot said:
Thank you for the point. It matters to me because I'd like to keep chopping off heads in battle as an option as it is being strapped to my INCH bag or belt in case of a serious situation requiring me to do so.
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Oh well then definitely keep the cho:D
 
If you're hitting live stuff with a big blade, there's gonna be hydraulic fluid ;) everywhere. Not just on the khuk...I don't think the cho's gonna help.image.jpg
Closed chos are an option-either chitlange/gelbu special style or the ones in the pic. The one with the horn handle is old, too-not a recent style of cho.
 
J W Bensinger said:
If you're hitting live stuff with a big blade, there's gonna be hydraulic fluid ;) everywhere. Not just on the khuk...I don't think the cho's gonna help.View attachment 426292
Closed chos are an option-either chitlange/gelbu special style or the ones in the pic. The one with the horn handle is old, too-not a recent style of cho.
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Awesome, so maybe no cho it is.
 
Someone crunched the numbers and found that the cho can actually reduce the stress in the blade, effectively making the blade stronger:


Hepkat said:
...I don't know if this has been discussed before, but from reading material on the HI website I got the impression that the Cho cutout just above the handle of the khukuri is traditional and it's purpose is more or less lost to history.

I had a hunch that it could actually have a structural benefit, as the extremely narrow cross-section of the blade edge can cause stress concentration. The cho can move the stress to the thicker areas of the blade, reducing the maximum stress in the blade.

This morning I ran some Finite Element Simulations and saw that the Cho can reduce the maximum stress in the blade by ONE THIRD.

...
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from http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/879315-A-rough-Finite-Element-model-shows-that-the-Cho-can-reduce-stress-in-a-blade
 
Steve, that is very cool. Never heard that.
Did they look at the chitlange and eye-of-the-dove styles, or just the open?
 
J W Bensinger said:
...Did they look at the chitlange and eye-of-the-dove styles, or just the open?
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The analysis looked at the open cho. If the "cutouts" of the cho are not rounded enough, then the stress at the top of the cho can be as much as at the edge with no cho (but at least the cho brings the highest stresses up to a thicker part of the blade).

Some details from the analysis:

viewer


viewer


The study results document:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxoZXBrYXRmZWF8Z3g6MzUyOGQ0MTZhODVmOTkxNQ
 
Steve Tall said:
The analysis looked at the open cho. If the "cutouts" of the cho are not rounded enough, then the stress at the top of the cho can be as much as at the edge with no cho (but at least the cho brings the highest stresses up to a thicker part of the blade).

Some details from the analysis:

viewer


viewer


The study results document:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxoZXBrYXRmZWF8Z3g6MzUyOGQ0MTZhODVmOTkxNQ
Click to expand...
Thank you for posting that. Can you tell me please, will the open Cho stop blood from dripping down on the hand like the one with the tail?
 
I can't find the link but I think I recall somebody testing the blood theory with some fluid of a similar viscosity as blood. As I recall, the cho didn't do much as far as stopping the blood.

If this is a big concern, wouldn't a knife with a crossguard be more effective?
 
Or just wear gloves.

Butchers wear gloves and aprons. Blood will spray because of your impact with the blade, hence butchers who work with dead animals.

The Cho might also help prevent a blade slipping down along your blade and slicing your fingers. I wouldn't be surprised if more battle-oriented kukris have a larger Cho to work as a minor crossguard.

However, I have to ask and please don't take this too personally: are you sure you are having realistic expectations of combat and weapon use? Because if you are most concerned with blood dripping down the blade, you may want to re-evaluate your priorities and skills.
 
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