Let's be sure we're talking about the same thing: the hammer grip is a grip with the knife at a right angle to your fist. This grip is only really good for swinging something like a hammer.
Now, if you lay the knife across your palm at about a 45' angle forward, that's a natural grip. Moving your thumb to reinforce behind the blade is saber. I'll show the first two with my fingers open, so anyone unfamiliar can see how the blade orientation changes.
I hope it's clear now that the hammer grip is not a useful grip for most knives or situations. The exception would be something like a HAK or push knives, which are specifically designed to only be held one way.
John
I worded that poorly...sorry! Sometimes I know what I want to say but don't always say it as well as it sounds in my head! I didn't mean the hammer grip in particular, but more in general terms. I don't have any experience using a hammer grip other than using a hammer.
With a standard straight-edged folder I use several styles of grip depending on the utility work I do, all in a forward position, usually where I use my thumb for added control if there is a ramp or spine serrations to get good traction. I never hold it in a reverse position.
But in the case of my karambit, I carry for and draw to hold it in a particular reverse position, like this:
My belief is that using this grip may mean a loss in terms of distance and ease of movement, but the knife's design when combined with this grip benefits me with grip retention. Specifically, my pointer finger goes through the ring. If my hand is cut, and momentarily loses grip, I still could maintain control because I have a stronger finger through that ring. My pinky finger would be through the ring with a standard forward grip, which is much, much, much weaker than my pointer finger.
But if I take this reverse grip and apply it to another knife like a standard straight-edged folder (without a looped ring as seen with most karambits), do you think changing to a different grip style would take more advantage of this different knife's characteristics? Or would you say using one base grip has greater advantage?
I've read some accounts that seem to advocate a specific style of knife without a specific single preferred grip, where as others advocate a specific style of grip used with any knife, where as others a specific type of knife with a specific type of grip without deviation. I carry a straight edged EDC folder on me always. I don't always carry a karambit. This thread got me thinking about how I use the two knives in such a radically different way and what would happen if I needed to use one for the other's purpose.
