Buying first Karambit, Need Advice

[ArfinGreebly]

Punnage

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

Really?

Makin' my eyebrows knit, man.

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

Just bad puns guys... a bunch of bad puns.

Yes, I got that (see my equally bad comeback above), and I'm sure hso got it too.

Sorry if my appreciation of your punning was unclear.

I'll do better next time.

 

[conw]

Now that I've shot this thread to hell, are you going to BLADE Arfin? How 'bout HSO? I live nearby now... we should hang out if so.

 

[hso]

AG is at 10 o'clock on the map from Atlanta and about 2k miles away. Note likely that he'll make the trek.

I should be there, but I'll be in the KnifeRights booth most of the time. You're more than welcome to hang out there.

 

[jahwarrior]

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.

I've bought (and sold) a few production karambits over the years. The absolute worst of the lot was the Mantis folder. It's cheap steel, and the handles are to sharp for actual use.

I've had an Emerson, a Spyderco, and a few others. The only one I still have, and carry regularly, is the folder from 5.11 Tactical. I have one of the earlier versions, the Journeyman's model. It's razor sharp, and takes an edge pretty easily. The ring is also sizeable, which is nice for guys with big fingers, or using with gloves. I use it at work all the time.

Training is important, although I don't see the need for specialized training. The karambit is kind of an "instinctual" knife; it lends itself well to natural movements, like clawing and ripping, with a pull stroke.

 

[Owen Sparks]

Something tells me that the price listed for the one piece 5.11 version is a typo.

Could it be $14.99 rather than $149.99?

A one piece knife should cost a fraction of the price of a folder.
I bought a similar one piece Buck from Wally World for about $12 about a year ago.

 

[JTW Jr.]

Could it be $14.99 rather than $149.99?

Never priced S30v blade steel have you ?

 

[hso]

$14.99

I assumed it was a facetious question.

 

[mdauben]

A one piece knife should cost a fraction of the price of a folder.

From the 5.11 website:

• Folder = 2.87 blade length, 1/8 blade thickness
• Fixed = 6.5 fixed blade length, 3/16 blade thickness

This could easily explain the difference. Also, $150 for a 6 inch, high end production knife is far from excessive.

 

[AStone]

Well, I found this thread while having a brief side discussion about kerambits in one of my other threads (short 'chete).

So, I searched the archives, and this one came up.
It started a long time ago, but looks to be still active even by mods in 2012,
and at least hasn't been closed, so ... here goes.

I've had kerambit on my mind for a few years. I probably have no business with one because I have zero training with one (or any knife training at all), and am not interested at 61 in becoming a knife fighter. (But then, even I was 31, after reading this forum, I'd still not be interested in becoming a "knife fighter", after reading some advice like "Never go to a knife fight without a gun", etc.)

Still, there's something about kerambits that intrigues me. Being a biologist, they just seem so primal --- clawlike (which I'm sure is part of the motivation for the design). This feels like one of those cases of "even if I'm not going to use it, I want one". And that's rare for me; I'm not much of a collector of anything.

And in terms of a knife that I might carry for SD (and I really don't; I'm a kubotan and short stick guy for non-firearm SD), this looks like a more appealing choice for me than a straight blade. I can't rationally justify why; it's more an intuition, and is probably related to my biological interest in claws.

So, for better or worse, I want one.

I've read this thread, and will read it again, but I noticed that my current favorite (if I was going to buy one today it'd be this one) kerambit hasn't been mentioned: the Ontario Ranger EOD. Here's another page about it with better image.

Any opinions about it?

And two specific questions:

1) What is the purpose of the serrations (for lack of better descriptor) on the top of the blade just in front of the handle? (PS: Oh, this video gives me the idea, I guess. Makes sense.)

2) Any idea what "EOD" stands for in the name?

Also, I'd like to read some opinions about this statement made in March by Jahwarrior:

Training is important, although I don't see the need for specialized training. The karambit is kind of an "instinctual" knife; it lends itself well to natural movements, like clawing and ripping, with a pull stroke.

 

[JShirley]

Explosive Ordinance Disposal= bomb squad. Not sure why Justin named it that.

I'll let you know how I like mine, but if you wanted a dedicated defensive knife to keep on you, you personally should probably consider the Manix 2 XL. I have another coming in the same package.

 

[AStone]

Thanks, John.

And, that's an interesting recommendation on the Manix 2 XL. As you probably know, my EDC is the Manix 2 (regular, not XL) that you recommended to me two years ago (this month, I think). Love it.

And I can see the similarity to the kerambit, but do you think it's superior to the kerambit as a SD knife, or is it that the Manix 2 will just be a more generalist blade, doing more things than just a kerambit would (I can see that the kerambit is not a versatile as an EDC, but curious about the SD issue).

Also, I'm not quite sure from above: did you order a Manix 2 XL, or an Ontario kerambit, or both?

Both would be nice, of course.

 

[kBob]

Seeing these fancy named hook bills reminds me of my Mom. She used to carry a "common folding pocket knife" in the form of a long bolster "barlow" Hawk Bill when out and about some forty years ago. Blade almost resembled a tool used for cutting carpet or flooring tile like an elderly black man I knew used to carry....incase he got a job installing flooring.

I seem to recall seeing Mom's knife in a candy dish in her bedroom last Christmas. Bet it still cuts.

Don't think it used $149 steel........

-kBob

 

[JShirley]

Both. It was an expensive package.

No, my suggestion to you was based solely on defensive potential. Most folding knives are rightly a nearly-last choice for SD. The XL, on the other hand, is just about into "folding fighter" territory. At the same time, it still looks less aggressive than a kerambit. Tactical Wholesalers had the XL priced within dollars of what I usually see the 2 at.

 

[AStone]

Got it. That sounds very reasonable. I've bookmarked the 2XL (though Tactical Wholesalers appears to be out of them;
It's ok, not in my budget now, anyway, but I won't be surprised if I wind up with one someday ).

I think this also relates to why I'm so attracted to the kerambits: in a way,
the Manix 2's that I like so much have that feel to them, even with a less aggressive blade ... no 'hook' to speak of.

And it's interesting that you recommend the 2XL. Last night, after I finished exploring kerambits on line- especially that Ontario - just before sleep, I pulled out my Manix 2 and gripped it reverse grip like a kerambit and thought, you know, I don't need a kerambit: this would work. (But I can definitely see the 2XL would work better.)

Still, like I said above, there's just something about that kerambit that says,
"Even if you don't need me, you need me."

 

[AStone]

Kerambit cons

Found and read this article (scroll down) while cooking and eating dinner.

Opinions?

 

[JTW Jr.]

ahhh old blowhard Lynn Thompson, he slammed the K-bit for years , then showed his true colors and had one of his overseas junk shops produce one for his Marketing & Distribution Company ( sorry , refuse to call CS a Knife Company, since they dont make a thing ).

 

[AStone]

Thanks, JTW. I saw LT's name on that article, and had to wonder since he now produces one. And I can't disagree re his company. Seems more about marketing than quality. I own none of their products, and probably won't.

But to come back to the article for a second, because each argument must stand or fall on its own regardless of author: are the criticisms justified or just smoke and mirrors?

PS: I trust your opinion since Hso referred to you as an "esteemed colleague".