Kerambit fans, please explain this to me.

LenJ,
*****what possible uses could that edge have IS NOT my question.
If it were going to be my only choice for self-def. then I would probably dull the bottom edge for safety reasons. At least the bottom 2/3 edge anyway.
 
Walking Man:

I have to believe you are not a fan of Pikal where the knife edge is held toward the wrist in reverse grip as well if you are worried about the edge coming in contact your own body on the kerambit.

Pikal, from my readings of the style, is just that. I'm not a fan of the style, yet if I found the knife in that grip during a combative sequence of some sort, I would switch gears as to how I trapped/cut incoming, using the advantage presented thusly to it's most effective means.

As a double edged kerambit is illegal about everywhere I go in the US, and thats where I live, I would not be carrying a dual edge kerambit to begin with as it then would be illegal and any defensive outcome would certainly not be to my advantage, win or lose, as I would then be subsequently arrested for possession and use of an illegal weapon which I injured another with. Two wrongs do not make a right.

If I am to use any knife as a possible defensive weapon, I am going to have to use something legal if I have any chance at all of surviving the aftermath in the courts.

I have been relating experiences with the Tarani folding journeyman here which is single edged, legal, and has a more curved shape to the blade than the dual edged straight kerambits.

The back false edge of my single edged folding kerambits will destroy wrists, fingers, and forearms with enough force behind the pounding the offending limb could and or will take.

I have no use for dual edged kerambits. In fact, I was the first to ask the Tarani crew to have Mick Strider make me one with the outside edge left false.

Stay sharp

Brownie
 
I've never heard of the Pikal grip.....
I barely know a shadow of info about knife training and technical issues.
BUT, from what I've read the Kerambit is supposed to be a very versatile tool, usable in many grips, right? I feel that the sharpened back edge makes it generally unsafe. While I won't get into technicalities about how it should or should not be used, I think that if I were ever to train on such a beast, I'd very much like to dull at least a portion of the bottom edge, which would probably not effect such said techniques because you'd still have a substantial point and false edge.
Isn't the best weapon that which you have practiced with?
Quite frankly, I just wouldn't even want to practice with that thing.
 
Originally posted by brownie0486
hardheart,

Are you suggesting that Tarani, Dionaldo, etc are being remiss and stupid in their use of such a blade?

I hope not as they would eat most people for breakfast with that which you dismiss so casually.

BTW--They also are very adept at the conventioanl knife defense, yet the seem to have no problem at all in identifying a useful tool and actually prefer it at times over the conventional bladed knives.

One who is open minded would not dismiss something thats very effective at it's intended use with training.

I could almost guarentee that the kerambit in my hands against a person who has little or no formal training in defensive knife would be easy prey for that blade that has no point on center.

Geez, think someone has a hard time thinking out of the box and unconventionally?

As with any knife, it's effective use depends on the user/operator behind it.

If one will take the time to learn the parameters of the blade and the specific usage of the knife defensively they may have a better understanding of it's capabilities. Otherwise, it's only a personal preference thing with that individual and their statements are not based on any real world knowledge and are therefore subject to subjectiveness with no objectivity.

Thats not necessarily a bad thing, just something to consider when reading the contents of posts from the anti- crowd.

ps BTW again---the world was flat until someone found it was round through verification and objective actions. Those who sat home and did not venture out still thought the word was flat.

Stay sharp

Brownie
Click to expand...

Apparently I was completely misunderstood. I am not saying a kerambit is less effective than another profile, I'm saying another profile is not less effective than a kerambit.
 
Walking Man - You have a point. To a point. The kerambit is as safe as the user is in how they handle the knife. The knife pictured would not be a for a person who trains little if at all with a blade. It is for someone who will take the time to learn the blade. I personally feel the way you do about hands in close proximity to a live edge. My hand has taken a ride down an edge before and it's not something I want to do again. My knives all have some type of guard or a good deep finger notch. They all lend themselves to good solid grips.

Let's see what we've learned in this topic.

Know what kind of person you are - Will you take the time to learn your self defense weapon(s) of choice or not. Will you train?

Know what your weapon choice(s) can and can't do. What are the potential risk to you for that weapon.

Realize that your first and best self defense weapon is your brain.
 
Originally posted by Walking Man
LenJ,
*****what possible uses could that edge have IS NOT my question.
Click to expand...

Gee, sorry Walking Man...I must have been confused by the part where you said "I am having a very difficult time understanding why the edge closest to your hand should be sharpened."

I took that to imply that you...well...had a hard time understanding why that edge was sharpened and that you were asking others for their view. Then what did I go and do? Heck I ran off on a tangent and said that I thought it would be good for hooking and dragging. I guess I'll have to be more intuitive next time...
 
Thank you all for the spirited discussion of the Megarambit. I appreciate your interest and comments.

Here's the deal on the design and the inspiration behind it...

I have been interested in kerambits for many years and had the opportunity to see some very nice examples while traveling in Malaysia. However, it was not until a couple of years ago that I began actively training with them. After making some plexiglas trainers based on conventional (and "modern") kerambit designs and doing quite a bit of contact training with them, I noticed two things: 1) Cutting on the outward spin ("extending") didn't deem to have much power because the radius of the convex cutting edge ran parallel to the radius of the spin, and 2) hard contact when cutting with the concave edge in the extended position transfers a lot of shock to the bones of the index and middle fingers.

I also noted that with blades that had an extreme curve, trapping in the retracted position is more difficult and one has a tendency to slip off the limb.

After a lot of experimentation and prototyping, I developed the Megarambit to overcome these perceived shortcomings. In essence, it is a kerambit that does not have to be spun. The concave edge cuts when pushed forward, the bottom edge cuts with hammer blows, and the back edge hooks and cuts on retraction. I designed the knife to fit my hand so the hook does not pose a major threat to my own wrist. If your hands are a different size, all bets are off.

If you do choose to spin the knife, the point of the hook penetrates like a thrust and creates devastating wounds that are markedly more effective than traditional kerambit designs.

I intended this knife as a martial arts weapon, not a daily carry piece. To judge it as an EDC self-defense knife is inappropriate. As a martial arts weapon, it is designed to overcome some of the shortcomings I found when working kerambits with actual contact and full-power cutting (not just spinning the knife to amuse my pets). I like it and David Dempsey did a phenomenal job of rendering the concept in steel. If it's not your cup of tea, fine. Thank you for taking the time to give it a look.

Stay safe,
 
And there you have it, ladies and gents.

:)

It's always nice to see someone as involved in the discussion of their designs/products as Mr. Janich. Your Forum presence here and elsewhere is appreciated!

Allen
aka DumboRAT
 
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