fox karambit folder

W

woutvl

Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
197
i was looking for a affordable,good quality karambit folder.
the design of the fox karambit appeals to me.
i don't know anything about fox what so ever,do you guys have any experience with the k-bit folder?
just want to know before buy.
any thoughts about it are welcome

greetings,
wout
 
For comparrison I have both a Spyderco and Emerson Karambit folders.

The Spyderco is high quality and well made, but the ergonomics are wierd, and the blade sticks out at a 90 degree angle. It is very very flat and easy to carry though. Because of the odd blade angle it is useless for daily cutting chores.

The Emerson feels like a fixed blade when open, has a razor sharp blade that comes out at 30 degrees or so, and is extremely well made. My only issue with it is the smaller finger ring, but I believe that it might be intentionally snug. Definately well worth the $150 I paid for it, I'll be ordering another shortly.

Sorry I don't have any info about the Fox.....
 
thanks man,thats usefull too.
i dislike the spyderco myself,the blade's angle is too high.
the emerson is the top notch karambit,but past my money limit :P
so thats why i got to the fox model,wich design seems perfect to me.
not bad blade steel(440c),but i need info from someone who has it.
 
This post on another forum has a lot of information on kerambits, including an admonition to avoid cheaper models that aren't designed properly & will mess up your technique.
http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15642
That said, I know others here were quite impressed with the value of the M-Tech kerambit. Don't know about the Fox though.
 
I got my fox karambit in gabon...african
good blade,razor sharp,and not easy dull, even after I working out with a lot of wood in jungle
its so light and automaticly open when you pull it form the pocket
its the reak knives for fighting
model G10 is the best just the grip a little bit to small for me
 
Fox is the italian company that made the superb Spyderco Volpe. I think that all owners love it. I once played with a few nice Fox-branded knives in the shop and they were all well made. So, while I haven't seen the Fox karambit, it will very probably be ok.
 
jihadkoplo said:
I got my fox karambit in gabon...african
good blade,razor sharp,and not easy dull, even after I working out with a lot of wood in jungle
its so light and automaticly open when you pull it form the pocket
its the reak knives for fighting
model G10 is the best just the grip a little bit to small for me
Click to expand...

Pictures please??:o
 
We used to have these about a year ago in the store where I work and seem to remember them being a decent karambit but I never was a fan of the lock up on them.
 
Fox copied the patented Emerson wave opening feature on their European version of the folding karambit. My understanding is that the U.S. patent doesn't apply in Europe. Any model sold in the U.S. by an authorised dealer is supposed to be non-waved for legal purposes.

I've heard the Fox karambit is a good folding version but I have never handled one myself.

Personally.......I would purchase a 5.11 Tactical Tarani Journeyman karambit and call it a day.

It has been confirmed that Blade-Tech will be joining Fox cutlery very soon and offer Fox knives here in the U.S. According to Blade-Tech karambits will be offered but they have not said if it will be the fixed blade versions produced by Fox or if it will both fixed and folding.

Only time will tell.
 
I own both the Fox and the Emerson, so I think I can help you out here.

Of the two, I certainly prefer the Emerson, mostly due to ergonomics. I have relatively small hands for a guy, so the slightly smaller ring on the Emerson is fine for me and I find that, on the whole, I have a better grip on the knife. The wave is slightly easier to work on the Emerson. Also, the lock on the Emerson feels more solid, though I haven´t put either knife through any rough work to actually test it.

That said, the Fox is a very nice knife with good fit and finish. It also has a few advantages over the Emerson. It´s cheaper (duh), less bulky (both knives are about the same size, the Emerson feels "chunkier" though) and it has a flipper, which is sadly lacking on the Emerson.

All in all, I can recommend the Fox for people on a budget or those of you who don´t like the chisel-grind on the Emerson.
 
I have or used to have all 3- Fox, Spyderco and Emerson. The Emerson is my favorite for the reasons previously mentioned. The chisel grind doesn't bother me becaues I don't use my karas as utility knives. The ergonomics on the Spyderco are odd, but I have no question about its potential to be very effective. The Fox is good. It won't disappoint, but then again- I don't adore it like the EKI. Another option would be the Tarani/ 5.11- I don't own one, but it feels good in-hand and seems well made.
 
I'm italian & I bought a FOX Karambit (model 479, black finish on the blade & G10 grips), at first it seems good, I was pretty happy with it (I was low on the money, so I wasn' t able to buy an american model at the time), but the lock up really seems "underbuild" (sadly I bought the model on-line so I wasn't able to see the model before buying); so I put the FOX Karambit under the "Hand-pression test" (the test where you aply a moderate pression with your hand to the back of the blade), the liner-lock completely fail the test, it moves & almost disengage (only by a moderate pression by hand :eek: & the knife had passed the break-in period).
So after this failure I come up with the "table test" and it failed again with moderate spine wacks, the liner completely dissengaged, I was so surprised & shocked that I have the bad idea to repeat the test the next day (hope is the last to die) & this time the blade deeply cut my right tumb (I was wearing a pair of kevlar "anti-cut" gloves by Vega Holster, they failed too) , when the liner failed again (I was gripping the Karambit with an extended grip, that seems safe to use but in the last wack I lost the grip on the ring & my tumb slip down to the failing blade).

You can see the pictures of the results of this test, here:
http://www.coltelleriacollini.it/community4/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=5647&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

In my review I also notice that the simil-wave used by FOX is less good than the original & the simil-Spyderhole is also inferior to the original (that is superb).

Another folder Karambit by FOX (the version with satin blade & alluminium handle) of another member of the italian comunity, failed the "table test", you can read about this here:
http://www.coltelleriacollini.it/community4/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=5761&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

(at the end of the page, author: Nomakk)

You can see better pictures of this "fantastic" Karambit by FOX here (new pictures with a new camera):
http://www.coltelleriacollini.it/community4/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=7170&start=0

You can see the FOX vs Spyderco karambit (that I bought after the incident with the FOX & in my opinion is far superior).

Before this incident with the Karambit by FOX, I had others bad surprises with another of their product: the Sheridan, the "finish" (=extremely fragile paint) on the blade was coming of, by large piecies, you can read about this here (I had put a satin finish on the blade to fix this problem):
http://www.coltelleriacollini.it/community4/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=5565

I really love knives, I have several models by several excelent manufacturers(Spyderco ;) , Benchmade, Bradley, Camillus, Emerson, Cold Steel...) & I have never had so many problems with a single maker, personally I will never buy again any model made by FOX.
Luckily I' ve not suffered permanent damage from the incident, but now I think twice before buying from manufactures that don't have a solid reputation (like for es. Spyderco, I have several models by them & they are perfect, they cost a lot here in Italy, but is money well spent).

I practise Kali (+JKD & Silat) & I love martial blades, in my opinion a SD folder must be safe & reliable, if not it is useless & dangerous (you can buy other folders but sadly you can' t buy fingers).
So I really suggest to you to take a close look to the Tarani 5.11 Karambit models, they have the front-lock (sort of evolution of the time-proven back-lock, that is my favorite locking system).


If you want a trainer & you have difficulties to find one, you can do it yourself, like me (from the "plastic" "cutting-platform" used in the kitchen):
http://www.coltelleriacollini.it/community4/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=5530&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30

Use the trainer to learn the use of the karambit from a good istructor.

Take care be safe ;)

P.S.:
Sorry for mistakes in the reply, like I said before I' m Italian, my inglish is not perfect.
 
Mmh, strange, my Fox Karambit locks up solid with no bladeplay and no amount of pressure on the back of the blade makes it move. It also passed the spinewack test.
 
Last edited:
Thanks a lot Felix7. You gave us very usefull information.

I have a Spyderco Karambit and it's nice. My next purchase will be te 511 or the Emerson.

"El Tigre"
 
I just got the fox karambit folder and its a great knife. At first i wasnt sure how well the it opens on your pocket but they really did a great job making this one. Its fast easy to handle and has a really well design to it. I recomend it to everyone. The one this is when pulling out this knife make sure to pull towards your pocket or it wont open. I do love the feel of the grip though and its really light weight and easy to carry. I strongly recomend this knife.
 
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