Karambit for Gen. Use?

I carried an Emerson Combat Karambit for a while at work on my weak side and never needed it for any ninjary or self-defense even on patrol. The purpose of me carrying it was so that if my strong hand was tied up with someone trying to take my gun my weak side could wave open the karambit and I could come down on an attackers arm.

The karambit is a great self defense/offensive knife no matter what people say about carrying for self defense. A normal drop point, clip point, and sheepsfoot blade will only cut on a tangent (single point of contact) whereas the karambit has that arc so that if you are pushing or pulling the entire arc is making contact with whatever it is you are cutting. Not to mention the finger hole makes for a strong, confident grip.

Would I use the karambit for general use?
-no - to me a general purpose knife should be more of a drop point, clip point, or sheepsfoot style blade

Would I carry a "wave-less" karambit?
- no - mainly because the karambit was originally a fixed blade and for defensive uses I can't spend the time to fumble with trying to open the blade and then get my grip. Look into Fox Knives for a waved karambit that won't break the bank, then of course Emerson Knives for the real thing.

If you do choose to get a folding karambit I would recommend carrying a SAK or something more general purpose on the side.

Good luck shopping, J.
 
The style really has its roots in agriculture, as mentioned by one poster, but in the fishing industry as well. Self defense was/is an afterthought.
 
Another option would be the Boker CLB karambit. you can find them for about 25$ and they are very well built and the blade steel aint bad either. The original cutting edge is a little weird but you could always reshape it to the traditional karambit shape.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Spyderco already came out with a kerambit, based on a Warren Thomas design.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but that one's discontinued, a new Spydie karambit is supposed to be out this year though. Of course, BladeHQ lists the pre-order price as $190, so unless that changes still no good if you're wanting something reasonably priced...
 
speaking of KARAMBITS for anyone who doesn't know check out Guru Doug Marcaida.he is one of the smoothest,fastest operators/martial artists who excels in KARAMBIT.he is a true gentleman and IMHO one of the finest martial artists of the modern age.
 
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