Karambit Discussion

rudukai13

Pro Internet User
Perhaps worth mentioning here,
As for tool use, I have given one of my karambits to my SO for her gardening purposes. She’s not into fighting or knives but seems to thinks the blade I gave her is perfect for harvesting veggies and slaying weeds.

I imagine it would be well adept for that task, considering karambits were originally agricultural implements and adapted for use in combat
 
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nyeti

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
I ve been training with Steve Tarani for twenty years now. I like Karambits, but I have the training time with an actual expert invested. Most folks do not really understand the true Karambit stuff and every knife with a ring is not a Karambit. I carry a fixed Strider when I am doing protective work. I love the Spyderco for its size and it works well. I also like the older 5-11 Tarani folders. I have a bunch of different ones, but they are for study and training. For jobs that require a lot of box opening, they are my favorite folder. Overall, minus serious training, a lot of folks don’t really understand how to use them and they are a liability, and a lot of folks making them have little understanding of proper use. For me the benefit is they work well for a small blade and doing what small blades are good for and they are damn hard to disarm or lose.
 

rudukai13

Pro Internet User
Although I can’t take credit for the specific design - Gavin was the one who made the above sketch - I did give him some specific parameters and explained the general concept of what I was looking for which he ran with and came back with what you see in the sketch. The general concept, blade length, the double edge, overall profile, inclusion of the finger ring, etc came from my specifications that stemmed from the specific purpose and capabilities that I wanted from the resulting blade. A lot of thought went into the specs and parameters that I asked him for and I’ll explain more of the thinking and intended purpose behind the design once I get the finished blade in hand
 
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Sudoku

Newbie
I’m not honestly sure if I would consider that a karambit of any sort, or if it would fall into a separate category of ring-handled daggers. Interesting question.

I suppose I’ve always thought of karambits as any defensive blade intended for use in a reverse grip with a curved handle and at least one ring around the index finger, with subsets being “traditional” karambits with a hawksbill blade (both folders and fixed) and “non-traditional,” which would include other blade shapes such as tanto, drop-point, etc. (also both folders and fixed). To be clear this is not meant to be a technical or historical definition, simply how I’ve categorized them personally.

By that definition I would argue your blade is more of a ringed dagger as it lacks the curved handle necessary to qualify as even a non-traditional karambit, at least for me personally. Although with the right edges sharpened I imagine the actual practical use of that type of dagger would be not unlike the use of a karambit with a similar blade shape

I agree with this. From what I've learned about this, if the blade is Not curved edge-wise and short, then it can't, by definition, be a karambit. The original Karambits were resourced from literal tiger claws, and then the designs using actual metal followed the same design, as the action of the blade was for Hooking, Slashing and Tearing, rather than Stabbing. They saw most claws and talons in predators in nature, and figured it was the best way. Personally, I'm not a fan of the finger through the ring, since it is easier than most people realize to permanently injure your a human finger/joint. Those bones are basically just floating there. I understand that the purpose is to reinforce the grip so you don't drop the blade, and as added leverage for a blade so short, but I'd go for a longer, straight blade with a well-designed handle, and a solid, firm grip with the trusty hand. The Roman empire was built with that, so why change what's not broken? Variety, novelty, the mysterious, sure, I can appreciate that. But don't forget 'knife pathways'. If you have to Arc the path of the blade, then you'll waste energy, time, and you will give yourself away. I suppose you could train with this in a way to minimize arcing, and its smaller size aids in concealment. It looks cool, and if it Is seen, it probably would do a number of confusion on the mind of an assailant, slowing them down or deterring them, but any knife would do the same thing, I assume. But this is, ideally, all only just speculation and war-gaming. It's Best to be Prepared, but never forget these three principles:

1) The Knife That Cuts You Is The Knife You Don't See, So Concealment Is Key (Don't show it off and if you must, Draw it Secretly)
2) The Best Strategy For Surviving A Knife Fight Is To Retreat
3) If You Didn't/Couldn't Retreat, And You Must Fight---You Will Get Cut/Stabbed/Slashed, And You'd Be Lucky To Survive Mostly Intact, So Strike First, Strike Fast, Strike Furiously, Intent Upon Cutting Open A Way/Opportunity For Escaping The Situation. (I'd add; Don't try to be Rambo/John Wick, don't be an idiot, you shouldn't have allowed yourself to get into that situation in the first place-Life is Not a Movie or a Video Game, and it's more valuable than anyone can comprehend)

Plan accordingly and best of luck!!
 
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