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A Better 'Bit
- Thread starter Karda
- Start date
Dadburn it! I was trying NOT to make it confusing.
:foot:
I believe you mean the Redesign A?
Ok folks...
Each of the photochop drawing plates shows two K'Bits. The Original and the Redesign. Each plate has a letter A,B,C, ....the last post has two different plates D and E at the top of the drawing.
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I've found, after buying a few karambits myself, the 1" hole seems to be just about perfect for me. In post #20 (redesign "E"), you might want to make the angle from the outside diameter of the hole and the inner curve of the handle less severe. It appears to be less than 90 degrees right now. This angle was acceptable in your first illustration (redesign "A").
Yeah the 1 inch hole is fine for me too. but i wanted to go about 1 1/4 inche approx. to accomodate larger fingers.
It really doesnt effect the grip at all if its larger. It makes it easier to put your finger thru, and theres less chance of breaking your finger should the K'bit get twisted outta your hand somehow.
More like this?
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I voted E, but hadn't seen "F" yet. F is the better choice.
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Me too! Very nice work and a really great improvement Karda!!!!:thumbup:
.
Thank you Yvsa !! Your input means alot to me!!
Dan also gave me some input in the poll thread, but i'm still not sure about making this a totally dedicated fighter and i still am partial to Redesign F.
I guess I'm gonna haveta [try to] sleep on this one....:yawn:
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Actually, the 1 1/4 inch hole makes for less control and more oscillation of the blade in extensions and retractions, absent having fingers much thicker than mine. I have worked with karambits with this, larger, diameter inner retention ring, and can make them work, but they are not optimal for me or most of the students that I have taught. A larger hole diameter would make it a deal breaker for me. After all, it is easier to dremel out a retention ring to the correct diameter for larger fingers than it is to "add steel" to fit smaller fingers correctly.
After years of use, training, and teaching the karambit, I have also never found an advantage in a "looser" or larger ring when it comes to prevention of being disarmed while using a karambit or lessening of the potential for injury to the fingers while being disarmed. Of course, disarming someone who really knows how to use a karambit is pretty much a losing proposition for most who would try it, absent using a khukuri or other large blade and simply taking the karambit wielding hand off at the wrist or elbow.
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KaliGman.. that's a good point. If we are talking extended grip control of the karambit, having a larger hole does make the karambit wobbly and unstable. That's why I like the 1-inch hole with my small sized karambits. But, you might need to do some tests with gloves or larger fingers just to find what you like with this particular design.
That said, I think you are on the right track with this design improvement. However, how difficult will it be for HI kamis to make? I know they do amazing work, but will it increase time and costs significantly?
That said, I think you are on the right track with this design improvement. However, how difficult will it be for HI kamis to make? I know they do amazing work, but will it increase time and costs significantly?
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Weird... my post disappeared on me. What I said earlier was that A-C are decent, but the others are too extreme. They just look too wacky for me. What I would buy in a heartbeat would be an Ultimate Fighter Kerambit. Now that would be sweet!
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Actually, I've worked with "khukuri" blade type karambits before, and karambits that have much longer blades than this one. I have found that the longer and heavier the karambit is, the more significant the loss of control of the blade with a large retention ring. Any gloves I wear are very thin (due to needing to be able to work with firearms and other gear in my law enforcement work) and do not cause the need for a larger ring. Doing more advanced karambit movements and extensions and retractions while wearing heavy gloves is a no-go anyway, due to too much loss of finger and hand coordination. Since I don't lose fine motor skills in real combat (at least not yet), the voluntary loss of motor skills through the use of heavy gloves is just not something I am willing to do. And yes, in Ohio, sometimes my hands get cold
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redesigns a or b for me in the longer length, the others are much to extreme for my tastes and use...for me this would be a carry knife/ utility knife. I wouldn't use it for any martial arts the chances of me using it as a last ditch method of self defense are pretty slim. To me it's always been a cool little kurkri variant more than a karambit.
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KaliGman, I trust your judgement here. I'm sure you have much more karambit experience than I do. I also wear thin gloves, even in the winter. I'm usually using my finger for all kinds of things that require dexterity, so thick gloves are usually out.
I really need to make it over to your neck of the woods for some karambit training sometime in the near future.
I really need to make it over to your neck of the woods for some karambit training sometime in the near future.
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Hit me up on a private message or email and we'll try to set something up. It would be nice to see you and exchange some ideas. For these occasional training sessions, Saturday afternoons work best for me. I already teach classes for 2 to 3 hours or so on each Monday and Thursday night.
Dan said:
Ok, Taking all Dans and everyones advice into account I think i've some up with what could be the H.I. True Karambit. Shown Actual size. The top one is with 1 inch ID ring and the bottom is 1.25 inch ID ring. Everything has been slimmed and trimmed, if it were made 1/2 as thick as the original kerambit/keramshee, I think it would be stylish,agile and deadly.
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(reposting this here to make sure rajesh sees it)
In addition to finding the optimal blade drop for a kerambit, the placement of the ring is the most frustrating part of this design. Optimally, with finger in the ring in either the forward or reverse position, you want your hand to be able to effectively wrap itself around the handle in a comfortable fist to provide for stability, safety and proper technique.
Despite Redesign A 's popularity, i doubt that its design will provide proper alignment and comfort. I feel that it will only be slightly better than the current original design and somewhat a wasted effort for both myself and the kami's. I am looking to make this model the best that it can be as a kerambit.
Here is another revision, possibly for Redesigns A thru C., please note how the ring is placed as compared to Redesign A.
This one is 1 inch I.D. ring.
In addition to finding the optimal blade drop for a kerambit, the placement of the ring is the most frustrating part of this design. Optimally, with finger in the ring in either the forward or reverse position, you want your hand to be able to effectively wrap itself around the handle in a comfortable fist to provide for stability, safety and proper technique.
Despite Redesign A 's popularity, i doubt that its design will provide proper alignment and comfort. I feel that it will only be slightly better than the current original design and somewhat a wasted effort for both myself and the kami's. I am looking to make this model the best that it can be as a kerambit.
Here is another revision, possibly for Redesigns A thru C., please note how the ring is placed as compared to Redesign A.
This one is 1 inch I.D. ring.
IMHO, the proportions of the Emerson karambit are very good -- the handle is but gently curved, and the point of the blade juts forward.
1. I don't understand the proposed pretzel of a handle.
2. Too long of a blade, the tip too far from the handle, and leverage is gone.
3. Lastly, the sickle-shaped blade terminating in a ripping point seems to be the whole, um, point of the affair. A khukuri-shaped blade with a slicing belly seems like a departure from the ideal shape (as is the case with Emerson's bull-nose karambit).
I wholeheartedly applaud the effort, though.
1. I don't understand the proposed pretzel of a handle.
2. Too long of a blade, the tip too far from the handle, and leverage is gone.
3. Lastly, the sickle-shaped blade terminating in a ripping point seems to be the whole, um, point of the affair. A khukuri-shaped blade with a slicing belly seems like a departure from the ideal shape (as is the case with Emerson's bull-nose karambit).
I wholeheartedly applaud the effort, though.