Better 'Bit Poll

[Karda]

As Yangdu says she is going to make a few of these, we need to pick the one we think is best and will sell well. Which one would you guys like to see made,you only have one choice.

SEE MY NEXT POST FOR REDESIGN F

 

[Daniel Koster]

I had a martial arts instructor contact me about making kerambit trainers a while back - never materialized into anything, but I did make a prototype that he was quite pleased with (as was I, fortunately)...and it was indeed more of a true kerambit/fighter - a "hook" in your reverse-grip hand.

One thing you might consider in your redesign is taking the blade down in size. It's pretty large. The original design was intended to be a kukri-kerambit (keramshee) and not a true fighter...it needed a lot of blade to keep that kukri shape. Great as a mini kukri - quite beefy infact. But not so great as a fighter.


In my discussions with the MA instructor, I came to realize just how important a fast/light blade is in a kerambit design.


The version that most closely resembles what the instructor would have liked is "D". If you could take the blade down in size, you'd have a winner.

Dan

 

[Karda]

Had to post Redesign F here, because i've maxed the attachement limit in the first post and the software keeps killin' the link.

Thank you for you expertise and thoughtful insight, Dan !!! It means alot to me!
As your original design is so well loved by myself and many others and is such a beautiful design, i was just trying to improve the ergo's of the handle/ring and not get too engrossed in a complete redesign.

Is this more like what you are talking about ?
I thinned the blade out a little, but as for making it shorter...it just didnt look right.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

Redesign F does it for me.

FWIW, I don't want the smaller blade, just a repositioned and larger ring.

That would accommodate my fighting style, not strictly a kerambit type style.

 

[Daniel Koster]

I love the multi-fullered blade too...of course. One of my favorite parts!


Here is what an honest-to-goodness fighting kerambit should be:

This is about as basic as it gets - no "styling" involved.

I'm not saying make a kerambit....but rather, consider what makes a good kerambit....and let it guide/influence you.


Couple of thoughts:

1 - the ring should be more "inline" with the fingers and 1"-1.25" in diameter
2 - the ring should allow "thumb room" on the backside
3 - the blade should be oriented more-or-less 90 degrees from the hand. The reason for this is to be able to allow a closed-fist hold where you can punch the blade forward and have it go straight in. A lot of kerambit-makers skip this aspect in favor of looks/etc.
4 - blade should be able to slice and slash (most designers get this one right)


Like I said, this was brought to me by someone whose interests were purely MA, no desire to make money off it, or adhere to any design patterns, etc.



So, IMHO, the redesigns you've done accomplish #1 and #4 much better than the original (which was intended as a chopper). And you're close to getting #2 and #3 with a few of the redesigns.


Keep going - I am curious to see where this ends up. I did always think that the HI Kerambit should have been renamed HI Keramshee (Kerambit + Hanshee) and that a new blade should have been designed that was more fighter-friendly. (the standard Kerambit is a TANK!)

Feel free to ask any questions....I'm happy to help out.

Dan



p.s. I don't mean for you to copy the picture above, but offer it rather as a suggestion "flavor" yours more inline with what makes an ideal kerambit.

 

[Carolina River Rat]

C looks like it would suit me best.

 

[HARPERSGRACE]

A or B I'm not a martial artist this is just a cool little kurkri variant to me, I want something for a carry/utility knife not a true karambit.

 

[tedwca]

I choose C since I have fat fingers.

 

[KaliGman]

I love the multi-fullered blade too...of course. One of my favorite parts!


Here is what an honest-to-goodness fighting kerambit should be:

This is about as basic as it gets - no "styling" involved.

I'm not saying make a kerambit....but rather, consider what makes a good kerambit....and let it guide/influence you.


Couple of thoughts:

1 - the ring should be more "inline" with the fingers and 1"-1.25" in diameter
2 - the ring should allow "thumb room" on the backside
3 - the blade should be oriented more-or-less 90 degrees from the hand. The reason for this is to be able to allow a closed-fist hold where you can punch the blade forward and have it go straight in. A lot of kerambit-makers skip this aspect in favor of looks/etc.
4 - blade should be able to slice and slash (most designers get this one right)


Like I said, this was brought to me by someone whose interests were purely MA, no desire to make money off it, or adhere to any design patterns, etc.



So, IMHO, the redesigns you've done accomplish #1 and #4 much better than the original (which was intended as a chopper). And you're close to getting #2 and #3 with a few of the redesigns.


Keep going - I am curious to see where this ends up. I did always think that the HI Kerambit should have been renamed HI Keramshee (Kerambit + Hanshee) and that a new blade should have been designed that was more fighter-friendly. (the standard Kerambit is a TANK!)

Feel free to ask any questions....I'm happy to help out.

Dan



p.s. I don't mean for you to copy the picture above, but offer it rather as a suggestion "flavor" yours more inline with what makes an ideal kerambit.

This might be someone's idea of a good fighting karambit, but I don't think it fits the bill very well, at least for the Albo Kali Silat methodology and that of many of the other fighting systems that I have seen. It would not do some of the pass cutting, trapping, and ripping techniques very well at all. The design depicted is more akin to a "karambit push dagger" variant. The inner edge would need to be a bit longer and more curved for optimal use.

Here is a link to a magazine article (in Russian, unfortunately), that has some pictures of some interesting Indonesian variants. There are also a few photos showing some combative uses of the karambit. Just click on the PDF (the karambit one--the one toward the bottom of the page--the other deals with small blade use in self-defense).



http://www.albokalisilat.org/magazine.html

 

[Wolf_1989]

I'm on the "A" Team.:thumbup:

 

[wildmike]

I voted for E but F would also work. I like the larger ring. The improved blade position would also help/

Though I really have no cpomplaints about the Kerambit I have as it is. I'll probably be spending some time this month making me one of Dan Kosters sheath designs for mine.

If the new one was made with a little thinner edge with a wider bevel it would also be an improvement. Nice thin edge like on my M-43's is what I like.

 

[garand1911]

Hope no one minds, heres a comparison photo of the HI kerambit, and a couple Indo kerambits ive acquired in my collection. you can see the larger rounder rings, but also the different angle too.

I am interested in the new designs at the top of the page.

 

[wildmike]

Garand, where did you pick up the middle one?

My H.I. Kerambit is like yours same handle material.

 

[Karda]

Here is where I'm at on this ,Folks.

I'm trying to find a happy medium between Dan's original design and a true fighting style kerambit. My Initial attempts were just to try to improve the original designs handle ergonomics.
I decided to enlarge the ring to accomodate a larger percentage of those who have bigger hands, i had to find a good size that was not overly huge and i think 1 1/4 inches is about perfect. I then realized that it would probably be a good thing to drop the blade a bit to make it truer to the kerambit form while keeping the aesthetically pleasing aspects of the original design. I myself want a kerambit that is usable not only as a fighter, but also could be used for more utilitarian purposes.

That is how i arrived at Redesign F, which i feel is the best of the old design with enough redesign to make it an interesting and visually appealing new addition to the product lineup.

Honestly, I would dearly love for H.I. to make the original design, Redesign A,B, F and H so that we would have choices ranging from utility kerambit to all out fighter. But we and H.I. have limited resources and we have to choose the one that will be the most pleasing to the most people and create sales for the company.

 

[Karda]

1 - the ring should be more "inline" with the fingers and 1"-1.25" in diameter
2 - the ring should allow "thumb room" on the backside
3 - the blade should be oriented more-or-less 90 degrees from the hand. The reason for this is to be able to allow a closed-fist hold where you can punch the blade forward and have it go straight in. A lot of kerambit-makers skip this aspect in favor of looks/etc.
4 - blade should be able to slice and slash (most designers get this one right)

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.

 

[wildmike]

I'd pick up one of the ones with the 1 inch ring, but no smaller.
the 1 1/4 inch ring looks like it would get in the way.

 

[Karda]

I'd pick up one of the ones with the 1 inch ring, but no smaller.
the 1 1/4 inch ring looks like it would get in the way.

You're right, As this was meant for larger peoples, this "bit would haveta be larger overall,and the blade longer.

 

[KaliGman]

It looks like the design is coming together nicely. This should be interesting.

 

[tsf]

Nice, but I think there is just a little too much curve. It reduces utility if, if that is one of your goals and I prefer less curve for a fighting kerambit as well.Just my 2 cents.But good job. This should be a good seller when you finalize it. I will buy one for sure.
Terry

 

[Karda]

Nice, but I think there is just a little too much curve. It reduces utility if, if that is one of your goals and I prefer less curve for a fighting kerambit as well.Just my 2 cents.But good job. This should be a good seller when you finalize it. I will buy one for sure.
Terry

Thanks!
Redesign H would be pretty much pure fighter. It amazes me at the variation of blade drop and blade length in the world of kerambits. I guess it all boils down to personal preference. If there is interest enough and this style gets produced, I'm sure auntie could offer it with less curve if requested.