I finally get the karambit ....

Allen R.

Allen R.

Joined
Nov 1, 2011
Messages
2,908
After looking at the emerson karambit I always passed it over and moved along to the next model. Well doing a little bit of digging and having a few buddies who swear by the karambit as a self defense blade I got a super karambit from my brick and mortar for a steal of a deal (less than 2 bills out the door for a 2014 Super), and I get it , 3 bandaids later and a hole in my forearm tell me just how bad this knife is as a weapon, just spinning the knife it's bit me 3 times , and cut me pretty deep, but as with most emersons I didn't realize I was cut until I was informed by the mrs, I was bleeding on the hardwood floors.Anyhow kinda rambling here but I just ordered a combat karambit for the Mrs. As this knife is the last last ditch self defense tool I will ever buy, fit and finish is exceptional, lock up is tight and I see this knife being with me to hell and back for years to come. If anyone needs a last ditch tool for SD I would suggest the karambit, just be careful playing with the knife , she moves fast and cuts deep.
 
Ouch! When I received the fixed blade, I learned to respect it really quick. I wish you a speedy mend on those fresh wounds!
 
I love all three of my Emerson Karambits. Trust me on this, you're gonna find reasons to carry it.
 
Yup! I think a lot of us who own one have at least one love bite from these little critters.

(somehow I managed to stick the first 3/8ths of the tip into the webbing between my fingers.)
 
Definitly respect the karambit, it has ended my search for the perfect back up to a firearm, or SD carry when a gun can't be worn. I do believe I would rather be shot than to be on the business end of Mr Emersons karambit, it also kicked the 8 out of my weak side pocket.
 
Would it be out of place to recommend the trainer too :)
Emerson makes a really nice folding trainer that matches the Combat K, not the super K, but still a valuable tool for getting the feel for what you can do with a karambit.
Waved and everything!
 
I have come to like the karambit also but... I now carry a knife as a tool, which can be used as a weapon.
 
I can't say enough good things about the Karambit. I have been carrying it religiously since I got it in 2006. Honestly, I trust that if that rainy day ever came where I had to exercise deadly force, my Karambit would get the job done as effectively as my Sig.
 
It is worth mentioning that your "effective range of use" is half of what it would be with a normal knife. You will have to learn trapping, tendon targetting and control points of the arms and limbs to make full use of it. That being said, the k-bit is my favorite style of knife. Good on you for picking one up. Might I suggest, keep the ring right in the middle of the two interphalangeal joints and use the thumb as a block when spinning. To visualize: think about how you would hold an old fancy tea cup.
 
I dulled one karambit to practice with, and I have one with the emerson edge. My god these things are sharp so be careful. I have some hand to hand training so I figure K.I.S.S. use what you know and don't get fancy, so no spinning for me , just using what I know and setting up some cardboard dummies to get the feel of the knife , it is still effective both using the ring to strike and blade closed hammer fist style blows for non lethal, and getting the knife smooth so that you may open it with a wrist flick if you need the blade in a hurry if non lethal strikes are not an option, of course this is just my observations and using my training and just adjusting it for the karambit. I also figured out a way to sharpen the blade super fast and super easy if anyone is having trouble let me know, my k-bit is literally hair whittling. Overall I see why this blade is called the most dangerous blade made, but I can't stress enough this blade requires respect and your undivided attention one slip or miss and plan to go to the ER
 
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At the risk of going prac-tac; With closed pommel ring striking, you can look for opportunities to wave the knife open off of the opponent's clothing. Think of the possibilities with the sleeve, shirt collar, side of the ear and nostrils!! And yes, use your free hand to control their head. Now, I am piping down before I get into trouble.
 
XxFULLPOWERxX said:
At the risk of going prac-tac; With closed pommel ring striking, you can look for opportunities to wave the knife open off of the opponent's clothing. Think of the possibilities with the sleeve, shirt collar, side of the ear and nostrils!! And yes, use your free hand to control their head. Now, I am piping down before I get into trouble.
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If it gets moved it gets moved , your speaking the truth and the karambit is a weapon plain and simple EKI sells dvds on the topic . I've owned basically every emerson in the lineup some multiple times over and I love them however I do not have 100% confidence in the wave feature. Under stress it would be so easy to get a partial wave and end up with a blade closed on your hand, that is why I'm mainly focusing on wrist flicking or even 2 handed openings vs trusting the wave. Again just my opinion and using what I'm comfortable with, if you can get a wave deployment 100% of the time and trust it more power to you, I just don't trust my life to it.
 
Allen R. said:
If it gets moved it gets moved , your speaking the truth and the karambit is a weapon plain and simple EKI sells dvds on the topic . I've owned basically every emerson in the lineup some multiple times over and I love them however I do not have 100% confidence in the wave feature. Under stress it would be so easy to get a partial wave and end up with a blade closed on your hand, that is why I'm mainly focusing on wrist flicking or even 2 handed openings vs trusting the wave. Again just my opinion and using what I'm comfortable with, if you can get a wave deployment 100% of the time and trust it more power to you, I just don't trust my life to it.
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That is a good thing. The wave was made to cause an opening remotely, and in a way [at least in the long run]; it cheats the user of having dedication to learning the mechanics and idiosyncrasies to the knife. The hook is a very natural blade shape and as Emerson himself has said, it has stuck around so long because it is a design that works. The user has to remember that while is a folding knife, tight circles and maintaining pressure in one part of the arm [closest to the user's own body] and loose further up the hand [closer to the knife] are much of what is needed when operating with a knife like this.

I like the fact that you seem willing to learn how to open/use the knife properly, I'd wave that puppy open every chance that I got and maintain the correct tightness on the pivot to ensure that I get the opening that I drill for at least 9/10 times. Even if it does not go as you have planned, you want it to still be a respectable part of muscle memory and the rest to be proper technique. This is so that when you finally get to that 1 or 2 times that you go to wave the knife and it does not deploy completely, you know what you need to do to "fix" it without missing a beat. Some times it is only a snap of the wrist [if the blade is not near its target yet], or simply moving the fingers out of the way of the closing space of the blade [using pinch grip, with index finger in the hole] and leading the 1/2 deployed knife's tip directly into the crook of a target's arm, directly under the bicep and opening off of them.

Yes, 1/2 deployment is a possibility, but the knife is a tool, the mind is the weapon. Learn to work with it.
 
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