Buying first Karambit, Need Advice

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Bulgar

Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2011
Messages
26
My friend has a cheap, no name folding karambit that I saw a little while back and since then I've really wanted to get one. Now I was doing some research and it seems like there is a very large price/quality gap when it comes to this style of knife. They are either very cheap (sub $20-$30) and low quality, or very expensive ($150+ for an Emerson) and high quality.

Now since this is my first Karambit, I don't exactly want to dish out close to $200 and not like it, so can anyone suggest me a quality folding Karambit in the sub-$100 range that is not something I'm going to seriously regret buying at some point?

Thanks in advance.
 
Mantis or Boker are in your price range.

You don't need the wave feature if you're just getting it to play around with (AND you really need training to use one effectively so you're essentially playing).
 
Last edited:
Point noted, however I don't intend on "playing" with it forever, I am a person that is a firm believer in buy once, cry once. But if lets say Mantis makes a fine blade, then I may just go with them. I just want a knife that I will be able to use later on, not just a training knife.
 
You'll need to find a trainer to invest the time and money in to get good use from it defensively. They're interesting knives to use.
 
Bulgar,

You don't list a location - is it legal for you to carry a fixed blade as opposed to a folder? For this sort of thing a fixed blade is often the preferred option, if it's an option at all.

For training possibilities see http://shivworks.com/ or http://www.tacticalarts.com/ , among other possibilities.

If you're going to spend a couple hundred on a production knife, consider investing that or a bit more in a custom - like one from http://bantangknives.com/wordpress/stupid-sharp-knives/small for example.
 
Honestly I much prefer a fixed blade, but I live in New Yorkistan where the knife laws (along with pretty much all other laws) are so spotty that I'm scared to carry a fixed around. Yeah thank you for the advice but that's a bit out of my price range haha.
 
From a structural standpoint, kerambit knives (and other extended-point knives) are prone to point breakage. That can be ameliorated somewhat by good steel and good design (a thick spine to the outer curvature of the blade); look at a cat's claw sometime, but also realize that cat's claws also break at the point. A thick blade design (like this traditional kerambit knife) really lowers that risk.

Kerambit_knife_and_sheath.jpg

Because its curve makes it almost a self-defense-only knife, point breakage is less of a concern than in a multi-use knife. But if you're planning on multi-using a kerambit (as a box-opener or box-cutter especially), you're really upping the likelihood of point breakage.

For that reason, I'd go (and have gone) with a great manufacturer and a life-long guarantee.

Legally, some locales (like mine) make the Wave feature illegal for a carry knife. Also, in some areas there exists a concept of a "threatening knife" vs a "non-threatening knife"; for example, pre-9/11 I was once forced to check a small pocket knife because its curved blade was considered "threatening" by security (so were knives with serrated blades). A kerambit knife would certainly qualify.
 
Last edited:
Well thank you for the input guys, still not quite sure what to get but it is certainly a start
 
Really the only way to decide is to handle it before you buy. You may have to go to a big gun or knife show to find what fits your hand.
 
His given location is "Eastern Massachusetts."
Click to expand...
Yup.

Interestingly, the airport that took away my knife was DFW. Logan had allowed it for carry-on--maybe not surprising given their later allowing box-cutters on 9/11-- but Dallas made me check it (which I could, as I was changing carriers and had collected my bag).
 
hso said:
I'm surprised that 5.11 has a higher MSRP for the Tarani fixed blade than the folder.
Click to expand...

Sounds like...price fixing. With any luck regulators will catch on and they'll be forced to fold.
 
Sounds like...price fixing. With any luck regulators will catch on and they'll be forced to fold.
Click to expand...

Just curious , but how is charging more for a fixed blade , than for a folder considered "price fixing" ?
 
5.11 obviously has the folding kerambit market locked up, but unless they cut the price on that fixed version, a competitor is sure to claw their way into the market. What a rip off.
 
Arrggghh

conwict said:
Sounds like...price fixing. With any luck regulators will catch on and they'll be forced to fold.
Click to expand...

Really?

Makin' my eyebrows knit, man.

I've gotta couple fixed blades that could use regulators, too. Then maybe I could make them fold.

 
5.11 obviously has the folding kerambit market locked up
Click to expand...

There are good alternatives for folding kerambits out there that have already been listed that make that overstatement difficult to accept. The kerambit market peaked 3 years ago and there just isn't the interest there used to be (probably because the enthusiasts found that it wasn't very useful as an EDC and that it wasn't easy to figure out how to use).
 
If you want a kerambit that is hell-for-stout, buy one from Himalayan Imports. You can find them over over on www dot bladeforums dot com.
My personal kerambit is a Himalayan Imports Kerambit C with buffalo horn handle scales` and buffalo leather sheath.
It is arguably, the toughest 'bit on the market. The false edge was easy to hone and the spine is nice and thick.
If you can break an HI kerambit, you've accomplished something.
Cbitwithbuffalohornhandle.jpg
[/IMG]
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
What knives have impressed you?
2
Replies
47
Views
4K
Joe Demko
J
3
  • Locked
Emerson Knife Reviews (CQC-7, Karambit, Commander)
Replies
1
Views
1K
Corndogg
C
B
  • Locked
Weapon Systems, Diversifying & Training?
Replies
16
Views
650
ShaiVong
S
B
  • Locked
Tarani Folding Karambit
Replies
6
Views
1K
Bonker
B
Zaydok Allen
  • Locked
Quality of Mid-Priced Knives
2 3 4
Replies
95
Views
6K
Sistema1927
Sistema1927
Back
Top