Folding Kerambits.

[Cosmic Superchunk]

Some time ago, when Mike Turber announced the expected release of his BOSS knives, I was very interested to see what these Chinese made inexpensive folders would be like, particularly the Liong Mah designed folding Kerambit. Seeing how CRKT has successfully proved that Taiwan could be a source for affordable high quality knives, I was intrigued to see if BOSS could do the same for China. I know Mike has had some issues with the factory in China which wound up supplying these knives to Master Cutlery and the like, but I finally got to handle one of the folding Kerambits under the M-Tech name.

Being that the M-Tech Kerambit is priced at around $20.00, I wasn't expecting exceptional quality, but I was hoping for something at least comparable to the Kershaw Vapor in fit and finish. Well, the fit and finish on the M-Tech can use some refining (Kershaw Vapor is still the better buy as far as cheapies go), but it's what you would expect for the price range. Unfortunately, it bears the name of Master Cutlery who are notorious for producing cheap ripoffs.

If you're looking for a quality folding Kerambit that can be easily carried, quickly deployed, and hold an edge, then the M-Tech is definately not for you as it's design is seriously flawed. On the other hand, the Tarani/Blade-Tech Karambit or the Emerson Kerambit seem to fit the bill when it comes to high quality, ease of carry and rapid deployment. The downside is that they're a bit on the expensive side for those on a tight budget. As an example, the Tarani Journeyman Model is $179.99 (154CM blade and FRN handle). That said, the folding kerambit has great potential as a defensive knife and as a utility knife, but I think that there is a market for good quality folding Kerambits in the $60-$120 range. Something better than these Chinese imports, but within the reach of the masses. (CRKT are you listening?)

Anyone else agree?

 

[tc1]

Thanks to Shannon at MDTactical.com, I was able to score the Emerson production Kerambit for ~$180. I've been playing with it for the past couple of days and really like it. I was expecting it to be quite heavy and was pleasantly suprised when I got it. The Wave feature is pretty trick, as well. I've set it up so it opens on a forward draw. The only con to the knife I got was that they could've finished it a bit better. There are little bits of extra material on the handle that could've been finished off better. I took my Dremel tool and removed em myself. Other than that, its a pretty good knife. My fellow knife nut coworkers seem to dig it as well.

 

[tmichaels]

I just got a MTech Kerambit from wowinc.com.

The one I received is a total piece of junk!
The locking mechanism does not work at all and
it may cause serious damage to anyone who tries
to use it.

I will be returning this particular piece of junk
in tomorrow's mail.

I don't know why they didn't just come out and say
this would be an MTech. That way a little research
could have been done.

Anybody else have any experience with these particular
MTech kerambits?

 

[Cosmic Superchunk]

Yeah, these M-Tech Kerambits are made in the same Chinese factory as the ones that "were" to have the BOSS name, but Master Cutlery beat BOSS to it as far as releasing them in the States. I believe Mr. Turber has had some issues with the factory in China and Master Cutlery regarding their release, so WOWinc is shipping them with the M-Tech logo. The knives look cool, but their design is flawed.

The BOSS versions were supposed to come in a wooden box along with a tool to adjust the blade's tension. After hearing all the hype about the new BOSS line, I was anxious to see them, so when the M-Tech Kerambit finally came out, I ordered one and was not impressed. For $20.00, go to your local Walmart and buy a Kershaw Vapor, which is a far better buy than the M-Tech Kerambit.

 

[donovan]

Originally posted by Cosmic Superchunk
That said, the folding kerambit has great potential as a defensive knife and as a utility knife, but I think that there is a market for good quality folding Kerambits in the $60-$120 range. Something better than these Chinese imports, but within the reach of the masses.

Hopefully, the new Spyderco kerambit will fall into that price range.

Jack