Karambit question

H

Homer Watson

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Apr 4, 2021
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My son's 13th birthday is coming soon and he is asking for a Karambit knife. I do not know anything about these, I don't care for the style. Any advise on a good budget one? Any reason not to buy one?
 
Homer Watson said:
My son's 13th birthday is coming soon and he is asking for a Karambit knife. I do not know anything about these, I don't care for the style. Any advise on a good budget one? Any reason not to buy one?
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They are a specialized knife.
I have a fox karambit which is really nice imo.

Reasons why not to get one, he is young and the karambit is utilized in SD scenarios.
I think thats up to you to judge how responsible your son will be.
 
I'm a retired LEO and "fan" of karambits and other self-defense oriented weapons.

I own a variety of them, sometimes but do not always carry one for SD and, in fact, have lawfully used one in SD.

However, I would NEVER buy one for a 13 yr old boy for any reason (regardless of what his level of "maturity" may be) because it is a "deadly" weapon which is intended by design to be used to inflict harm on others and really is no different in this regard than a gun.

If you need to appease him, buy him a folder of legal size/length instead.
 
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Homer Watson said:
My son's 13th birthday is coming soon and he is asking for a Karambit knife. I do not know anything about these, I don't care for the style. Any advise on a good budget one? Any reason not to buy one?
Click to expand...

Karambits were originally agricultural tools that are the current darlings of the self defense and mall ninja crowd. I use hawk bills for EDC and I have a couple of karambits, used mostly for general utility and cutting plants. It’s a decent pattern, it will work for lots of things. It’s just a knife, it has no special powers.

On to the why not to get one for a 13 year old.... The first thing people seem to want to do is spin them around like a propeller. If they go zooming off that would be fun, but a buddy of mine ended up needing surgery to repair an artery AND a tendon when he caught himself in the wrist. The second major downside is also the ring. Check your local laws, and I bet you will find something there about brass knuckles and other implements used to augment a punch. A big, meaty ring with spiky protrusions will likely get you more attention and trouble than a knife with no ring. I would go with something smooth that is basically a retention device, not an obvious impact weapon.

My honest advice is to get him a trainer, folder or fixed, so he can see if he likes this pattern of knife and figure out if he’s a danger to himself with it. Go to knifecenter and search for karambit trainer and see what jumps out at you.
 
I agree with sgt1372, I wouldn't recommend a karambit for a 13-year-old. Twirling it with the finger ring is a great way to give oneself a serious injury to the arm or wrist.

A karambit trainer, with no edge and tip, might be a better option. Fox makes excellent karambits, and they also make trainers to match their core models. All the twirling fun, none of the potential for serious harm. ;)

(Fox 479, not a trainer)
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What about something in between - check Spyderco Tasman Salt family, it’s not so aggressive and more practical than pure karambits
 
Thanks for all the responses. He was a Cub Scout and has his whittling chip but this does not seem like a good style for him. I am not sure where he learned about these, probably a video game. I will probably get him something more traditional, I am sure he will be happy opening up any new knife.
 
sgt1372 said:
I would NEVER buy one for a 13 yr old boy for any reason (regardless of what his level of "maturity" may be) because it is a "deadly" weapon which is intended by design to be used to inflict harm on others
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This. I’d buy him one of these...he will get far more use out of it, and it still manages to “look cool”

 
Homer Watson said:
I am not sure where he learned about these, probably a video game.
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Call of Duty or Counter Strike: Global Offensive would be my guess. :)

+1 on the Delica Wharncliffe, especially if he likes to whittle. (I'm not a whittler, but I see a lot of whittling knives with similar blade profiles.)
 
I'd probably give him a regular folder or a smaller fixed blade.

My suggestion is clip point or tanto, as these look "cool" while still being useable for various tasks and aren't considered as purely a weapon.
 
Dadpool said:
Call of Duty or Counter Strike: Global Offensive would be my guess. :)

+1 on the Delica Wharncliffe, especially if he likes to whittle. (I'm not a whittler, but I see a lot of whittling knives with similar blade profiles.)
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Must be Call of Duty.
The Wharncliffe looks cool. I will just tell mom I paid $20.00.
 
Smiling said:
I'd probably give him a regular folder or a smaller fixed blade.

My suggestion is clip point or tanto, as these look "cool" while still being useable for various tasks and aren't considered as purely a weapon.
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Like a slip joint Buck or something?
 
Something that hasn't been considered here is cost.....are you willing to spend $100 or more for a knife that will be subjected to all the abuses that a 13 year old can dish out? I'd stick with something more traditional looking, less threatening looking, and more appropriate to his age level. A scout knife, a trapper, stockman or copperhead pattern, maybe even a barlow.....
 
BitingSarcasm said:
Karambits were originally agricultural tools that are the current darlings of the self defense and mall ninja crowd. I use hawk bills for EDC and I have a couple of karambits, used mostly for general utility and cutting plants. It’s a decent pattern, it will work for lots of things. It’s just a knife, it has no special powers.

On to the why not to get one for a 13 year old.... The first thing people seem to want to do is spin them around like a propeller. If they go zooming off that would be fun, but a buddy of mine ended up needing surgery to repair an artery AND a tendon when he caught himself in the wrist. The second major downside is also the ring. Check your local laws, and I bet you will find something there about brass knuckles and other implements used to augment a punch. A big, meaty ring with spiky protrusions will likely get you more attention and trouble than a knife with no ring. I would go with something smooth that is basically a retention device, not an obvious impact weapon.

My honest advice is to get him a trainer, folder or fixed, so he can see if he likes this pattern of knife and figure out if he’s a danger to himself with it. Go to knifecenter and search for karambit trainer and see what jumps out at you.
Click to expand...
I hadn't thought too much about it but I would agree with your risk assessment of giving the knife to a child as many here are just giant children when it comes to our knives enjoying the fidget factor of them it is easy to see the risk in the hands of an actual child.
 
When I was a Boy Scout, about age 13, I decided I needed a new pocket knife to replace the little jackknife you could earn for selling enough popcorn in our annual fund raiser. I had just made Star Scout I believe, and we were about to go on a longer trip to Alaska, so I knew I needed something a little sturdier and with a lock moving forward. My dad made me do some research, and I picked out a few knives, mostly $20-30 Gerbers, Winchesters, and other cheapo knives that you would find in the local walmart or Bass Pro. My Dad then had me talk to his friend who was in the Army, who he knew liked knives and tools, to see what he suggested. He suggested anything by Benchmade or Spyderco, and told me to hold off on buying something just yet. A few days later, This Griptillian showed up on my doorstep, a gift from my Dad's friend. There were many years where that was my only knife, before I started collecting knives and wound up here, but that's definitely where my love of knives started.

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I'll reiterate my Dad's friend's advice: anything by Benchmade or Spyderco will be more than adequate for your son. I really enjoyed having the partially serrated blade on my knife, because I ended up cutting a lot of rope during my scouting career, and the straight edge was more than adequate for whittling and other cutting tasks. Find something in your budget, and an appropriate size for your son's hands, where you live, and your Scout Troop's rules.
 
Artisan is coming out with a new fixed blade called the Hystrix, it looks quite nice and I might pick one up:
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I have a fox blackbird karambit and it's a little smaller than their other karambit. I bring it with me to the orchard and garden because it's a great plant and fruit knife (try splitting a peach with it, takes 3 seconds).
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You see the little chamfered groove on the top of the blade where the wave opener is? My thumb fits perfectly in there for peeling and scraping wood and need a "push".

Fighting knife? Sure. Utility knife? Sure. I dont see the stigma with it...maybe too many movies/games :p

Good luck!
 
In my experience Fox is the best at grinding and sharpening a karambit. Bastinelli Creations does great design work and almost always enlists Fox to produce them. Even though I prefer Microtech to Fox in terms of the entire line-up, in terms of karambit grind quality the Fox Bastinelli stuff blows the Microtech out of the water.

The Bastinelli Pika is my favorite that I own. Bonus points if you can find one with a custom wrap, give better purchase. I actually like the smaller ones better for the intended purpose of self defense. Good luck getting a Bastinelli Pika out of someone's hand. There's nothing to grab onto but nasty.
 
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