Karambit impressions!

E

el chupa nibre

Joined
Feb 6, 2012
Messages
11
Just received my karambit from Auntie Yangdu!! Now, here are my impressions as a first time knife owner as well as a first time HI customer.

- Auntie Yangdu delivers crazy fast
- Service was very prompt and efficient (amazing that she handles the business in this fashion. A lot of entrepreneurs can learn from her :))

Just the entire transaction was a series of pleasant surprises from start to finish:
- Packaging was surprisingly heavy. I read 10 ounces but for some reason it didn't really register in my brain. It's a pretty burly sumbitch. But it feels balanced in the hand. Just blown away right now (granted this is my first knife so my baseline is non existent!)

- Pictures seriously do not do this knife justice. I will admit that I began to have misgivings; chalk it up to early buyer's remorse? In any case, I began to doubt myself a little. Don't worry I slapped myself to save you all the trouble. I will never doubt another purchase from HI ever! The quality from Lachhu Kami is fantastic. Granted there are a few rough burrs here and there (namely in the ring) but to me that just adds to the badassery of it being hand forged. Buffalo horn grips were flush with the white metal bolster. Nicely polished and really shows off the grain/fibers upon closer inspection.

I didn't do any measurements of the spine (it's pretty thick). I didn't sharpen the edge. The edge cuts paper albeit not smoothly but that's not a big deal at all. The only thing I did was Ballistol the entire thing since there was a little condensation from all the snow that's falling right now.

I'll try to get around to posting pictures. Got a big exam tomorrow so need to study. :eek:

Thank you Auntie Yangdu! Thank you Lachhu! And much thanks to this awesome forum!

P.S. for any people on the fence of getting knives from HI. Don't hesitate. If this "little" karambit made by Lachhu (who seems to be one of the young bloods) is any indication of the quality of work and craftsmanship coming out of HI (Yangdu and the kamis) then I can hardly wait to graduate to bigger blades. Although I'm not sure if or when I'll be ready for that. It was pretty humbling just holding onto this "little" khuk-rambit.
 
el chupa nibre said:
Just received my karambit from Auntie Yangdu!! Now, here are my impressions as a first time knife owner as well as a first time HI customer.
Click to expand...
That is a very exotic utility blade. "Originally an agricultural tool designed to rake roots, gather threshing and plant rice. When it became a weapon, the blade became more curved so it could cut better. The Karambit was developed in Indonesia and through trade can be seen in what are now Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand" (edited from Wikipeda).

The short Filipino karambit is popular among martial artists
Kerambit_knife_and_sheath.JPGkarambit Peter.jpgkerambit Mark Kirwan.jpg
1st Photo by Feyd greenman of his knife. 3rd Photo is of Mark Kirwan's H.I. Karambit

Found a few videos on how to use the Karambit knife on YouTube that are impressive.
I am beginning to feel funny. I think I am catching the Karambit fever from you, el chupa nibre!
 
el chupa nibre said:
...Although I'm not sure if or when I'll be ready for that. It was pretty humbling just holding onto this "little" khuk-rambit.
Click to expand...

That little 'bit has done its job and HIKV will do the rest. It won't be long before you have an honest to goodness khukuri in your hands-a wonderful "first time" feeling, by the way. Enjoy this one and all your future ones safely.
 
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, they remind me very much of my first impressions with my 12 inch Ang Khola. I have yet to handle a HI karambit, maybe it is time I got one...?
 
Hey all,

Wow I'm beat. Just took the LSAT and am pretty tired after that.

Just wanted to add, there does seem to be a pretty good amount of variability from karambit to karambit, even if made by the same kami. Makes sense due to the nature of the forging process. For example, there were a couple more recent DOTD offerings by Lachhu and the bend of the blade seems to be more extreme compared to mine. Not that I'm complaining, I actually prefer the shape that I have, which doesn't have as aggressive a curved belly; makes it fitting to be a utility knife while having a very real self defense capacity.

Also, I have a few questions if anyone can help.
1) how should I go about deburring the inside of the ring? Would coarse sandpaper be enough or do I have to get a dremel? I want to just smooth the rough edges and minimize taking off too much metal.
2) What have people done to get the best results blueing their knives? From what I've read, prep is key. Cleaning with alcohol and roughing up the surface before blueing seems to be most important. But yes, tips and suggestions are very welcome :)
 
el chupa nibre said:
Hey all,

Wow I'm beat. Just took the LSAT and am pretty tired after that....

Also, I have a few questions if anyone can help.
1) how should I go about deburring the inside of the ring? Would coarse sandpaper be enough or do I have to get a dremel? I want to just smooth the rough edges and minimize taking off too much metal....
Click to expand...

Good luck with your test scores.

The answer really depends on how much burring there is. If the kerambit is made from the same soft steel as HI khukuris, you can do a lot with ordinary sandpaper. I was able to remove grind marks from a karda that way.

I would try sandpaper first, but not a coarse grade -- you want to remove the burring but not roughen the inside of the ring. Use the finest grade that will do the job, then use a finer grade to make the inside as smooth as possible. I'd also round off the inside edge of the hole if it's not already rounded off. That's where your finger will have the most pressure when using the kerambit.

If there's too much metal to remove, or if the sandpaper just doesn't hack it, I'd use a small file with a rounded face. They're readily available at hardware stores, inexpensive, and easy to control. In fact a rounded file would be just about perfect for running around the inside of a kerambit hole. It's a small enough job that I doubt you'd need any power tool. You can do the final smoothing with sandpaper.

Please post before and after pictures if possible.

-- Dave
 
Give me a holler if your LSAT scores don't work out the way you want. I'm a test prep instructor. Might be able to throw a few free tips your way.

I'd love to get your impressions on the tip profile. Kerambits are good for punch and rip, and the ones I've seen don't look like they'll slip in on a punch like I'd want them to.

Dremels are handy tools, but you can get a lot done with hand tools.
 
Thanks Dave. Yeah hope the result is okay hah. Will find out in 3 weeks. 3 agonizingly long weeks... Yeah I figured sandpaper would be enough. Thanks! And I will post pics of before and after the sanding.

Crimsonfalcon, thanks for the offer man! I am liking this forum more and more :D I might take it again in the summer if I'm not satisfied with this exam. In any case it felt nice to get one exam under my belt to get over any nerves. Please let the second logic games section be the experimental.... that's what I've been praying silently all day lol. I just finished taking a test prep with Testmasters but I am always grateful for any advice (again thanks for the offer)!! For the last course administered diagnostics leading up to the exam I got a 163. Aiming for 168-170 territory. Folly to dream maybe :D these next few weeks are going to be brutal...

Regarding the tip profile, I'll try to explain without the help of pictures at the moment. If you can see sweetcostarica's post with Kirwan's karambit, my karambit is much more blunt. I would liken Kirwan's tip profile to be like a Bowie whereas mine is much akin to a standard khukuri, with the entire blade sharing a curvature similar to a YCS khukuri?? That probably failed to describe it but I'll post up some pictures soon.

I'm sure I could sharpen the tip and the false edge to create a profile that punches and rips... But I don't think it will be able to replicate entirely the ripping and trapping action of a clawed karambit due to the lack of extreme curvature. Although in the event of last-resort self defense, the HI karambit would probably just limb someone even without the claw of a traditional karambit lol
 
Congrats:) The 'bit is one of my all time favorites. As for deburring, sand paper would work, just don't try the rough stuff first. I actually just took some metal polish I bought at an auto parts store and buffed the bur away. The bur feels more worse than it is.
Good luck on your test scores:)
 
Glad to hear you are happy with Lachhu Kami's craftsmanship. I will pass the great message to Lachhu Kami.
Thank you for sharing
 
I have kind of wanted to use HI to get a M42 (something like that kukri) But the karambit I was weary about. How is the weight. I trained mainly with traditional karambits and some modern ones like derespinas or Fox Knives USA. How is the flip and can you put you body weight behind a jab evenly and remain balanced?
 
Chipped Karambit said:
I have kind of wanted to use HI to get a M42 (something like that kukri) But the karambit I was weary about. How is the weight. I trained mainly with traditional karambits and some modern ones like derespinas or Fox Knives USA. How is the flip and can you put you body weight behind a jab evenly and remain balanced?
Click to expand...

The HI 'bit is heavy for it's size. The spine thickness can be between 1/4 and 3/8" thick. The scales are thick. You could pry a car door off its hinges with one. I have compared the HI Karambit to a S&W snub nose .38 special before. Partly because it feels about the same hand. If you draw this knife in defense, then things have gotten very ugly, very fast. I also said it reminds me of the .38 because of the weight. It feels more like a revolver in your pocket than a fixed blade knife.

In short, I don't think you are going to do a lot of fancy moves with the HI version. It's a khuk in Karambit's clothing. However, excels within the parameters of the design. It slashes, it stabs, it chops. A determined person with an HI Karambit could rectify a bad situation very easily. Mine has been a constant companion and often caressed on my belt while walking through an area that made my spidey sense tingle.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
The HI 'bit is heavy for it's size. The spine thickness can be between 1/4 and 3/8" thick. The scales are thick. You could pry a car door off its hinges with one. I have compared the HI Karambit to a S&W snub nose .38 special before. Partly because it feels about the same hand. If you draw this knife in defense, then things have gotten very ugly, very fast. I also said it reminds me of the .38 because of the weight. It feels more like a revolver in your pocket than a fixed blade knife.

In short, I don't think you are going to do a lot of fancy moves with the HI version. It's a khuk in Karambit's clothing. However, excels within the parameters of the design. It slashes, it stabs, it chops. A determined person with an HI Karambit could rectify a bad situation very easily. Mine has been a constant companion and often caressed on my belt while walking through an area that made my spidey sense tingle.
Click to expand...

Wholeheartedly agree. The khuk-rambit is not one that you would likely do "karambit" techniques with like spinning with the ring. The knife is pretty weighty. For me, the weight is not an issue since I never bought into the spin techniques; for my purposes the ring is purely for retention and it lends itself very nicely to a standard grip or reverse. I did some measurements last night, the spine just behind the bolster is 5/16" and it tapers down to a uniform 3/16" width on the blade. The amount of steel packed into this little knife is pretty astounding. I don't doubt that one could possible pry open some extreme things with the karambit. Even though it's a smaller knife, I think it could easily do tasks suited for larger blades, especially with such a beefy full tang. Confidence inspiring is an apt phrase for how I feel when I hold the karambit.

Oh and thanks again Yangdu and everyone at HI. I'm sure that getting my first knife ever from HI has spoiled me!
 
One should never flip/spin a kerambit, doing so is asking to stab/slash yourself in the arm.
 
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