Klesk
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2003
- Messages
- 1,107
I just got my Tarani Master's model, so I wanted to do a quick comparison before I sent the Emerson off to Las Vegas.
First I'd like to say that I am not an operator, an LEO or a martial artist, just a guy who likes knives, so my comments will have to be taken in that light. Secondly, I'm not a photographer, so please excuse the quality of the pics. On to my little review.
GENERAL APPEARANCE Both knives appear well made, with no obvious flaws. Both lock up solidly, with no blade play when open. The handles on the Emerson are more comfortable, with a less agressive pattern on the G-10, and rounded edges. The Tarani has very sharp checkering and the outside edges of the handles are just "broken", not rounded like the Emerson. The handles of the Tarani remind me of those on the Buck/Strider folders. As you can see in the pics, the Tarani is somewhat larger when closed, and has a larger ring. Open, they are very similar in size, though the Tarani has a much more pronounced curvature.
HANDLING Both knives stick out of the pocket quite a bit when carried, the Tarani more so than the Emerson because of the placement of the clip. With a pair of walking shorts, where the outside edge of the pocket is fairly far down and back, the Tarani was kind of annoying, as it would hang up on things like my seatbelt.
Both knives open smoothly, though the Tarani seems like it would be more difficult to wrist flick or "Brownie Pop" open, owing to the lock design. The Tarani uses a front locking bar which, by design, puts the most pressure on the blade in the middle of the opening motion. The Emerson, by contrast, uses a locking liner which exerts most of its closing force on the blade while it is closed. Thus, with the Tarani, opening requires the user to overcome the closed blade, then the camming action in the middle of opening, before the blade will fully open. Many in the Karambit.com section of the forums have reported that they succesfully use a wrist flick or "Brownie Pop" to open the Tarani; all I am reporting on is what I have experienced.
Because of its front-lock design, the Tarani seems more secure in the saber grip. Your thumb would rest on the locking bar, actually pushing it harder into battery. The Emerson has a locking liner which may not be 100% secure during twisting or other blade manipulations.
MINOR OBSERVATIONS The blade grind on the Tarani is quite different from the knife in the ads and on the website. My knife has a secondary grind on the top/front of the knife, which allows the tip to be thinner. The edge bevel is also ground differently, being farther back towards the handle. I like this as it gives about another 1/2" of cutting surface, as compared to the knife shown in other photos. Of course, this feature totally negates any possiblity of "choking up" on the blade for fine work, despite Karambit.com's portrayal of the knife as a utility tool.
MAJOR OBSERVATIONS The Tarani is only the second of the hundreds of knives that I've handled that I didn't need to sharpen at all out of the box (the other is the Spyderco Ronin). The Emerson is not as sharp, and has that pesky chisel grind that I dislike so much. Unlike other Emersons (the production CQC-8 comes to mind), the Karambit's blade is flat on one side, which makes regrinding to a "V" grind impractical.
The one thing that really bugged me about the Emerson is the "unfilled" ring. The Tarani has a steel backspacer that continues back and fills the ring. The Emerson makes do with a short backspacer that terminates just before the ring. For one thing, a knife at this price point needs a steel or aluminum backspacer; that black plastic easily destructible stuff just doesn't cut it. For another, because of the thin liners on the Emerson, I can easily squeeze the end of the rings together. Whether or not this is an issue for professionals, I am not in a position to comment.
FINAL THOUGHTS I like the handling of the Emerson better, as it is a little more compact, both open and closed. On top of that, the texture of the handle is a little more hand and pocket friendly. Also, the distance from the ring to the opening hole on the Emerson is slightly less, just enough to make it easier for me to open the knife with my pinky finger in the ring. The Tarani, however, has a conventional blade grind, which I prefer, and just seems better built overall.
The pricing of these knives makes it difficult to directly compare them. I paid full price for the Tarani ($245), though I have seen it on the web for around $195. The Emerson lists for $235 or so, but can be had at web stores and Ebay for around $160. To complicate matters, there is a Tarani Journeyman model that sells on Karambit.com for $175 - I would assume that one could be had for less, but I haven't seen any for sale yet. The Emerson may compare more favorably with the Journeyman as they use the same blade steel (154CM) though the Journeyman makes do with "plastic" handles instead of the Emerson's and Master's models' G10.
That's it, I hope some can find this useful.
First I'd like to say that I am not an operator, an LEO or a martial artist, just a guy who likes knives, so my comments will have to be taken in that light. Secondly, I'm not a photographer, so please excuse the quality of the pics. On to my little review.
GENERAL APPEARANCE Both knives appear well made, with no obvious flaws. Both lock up solidly, with no blade play when open. The handles on the Emerson are more comfortable, with a less agressive pattern on the G-10, and rounded edges. The Tarani has very sharp checkering and the outside edges of the handles are just "broken", not rounded like the Emerson. The handles of the Tarani remind me of those on the Buck/Strider folders. As you can see in the pics, the Tarani is somewhat larger when closed, and has a larger ring. Open, they are very similar in size, though the Tarani has a much more pronounced curvature.
HANDLING Both knives stick out of the pocket quite a bit when carried, the Tarani more so than the Emerson because of the placement of the clip. With a pair of walking shorts, where the outside edge of the pocket is fairly far down and back, the Tarani was kind of annoying, as it would hang up on things like my seatbelt.
Both knives open smoothly, though the Tarani seems like it would be more difficult to wrist flick or "Brownie Pop" open, owing to the lock design. The Tarani uses a front locking bar which, by design, puts the most pressure on the blade in the middle of the opening motion. The Emerson, by contrast, uses a locking liner which exerts most of its closing force on the blade while it is closed. Thus, with the Tarani, opening requires the user to overcome the closed blade, then the camming action in the middle of opening, before the blade will fully open. Many in the Karambit.com section of the forums have reported that they succesfully use a wrist flick or "Brownie Pop" to open the Tarani; all I am reporting on is what I have experienced.
Because of its front-lock design, the Tarani seems more secure in the saber grip. Your thumb would rest on the locking bar, actually pushing it harder into battery. The Emerson has a locking liner which may not be 100% secure during twisting or other blade manipulations.
MINOR OBSERVATIONS The blade grind on the Tarani is quite different from the knife in the ads and on the website. My knife has a secondary grind on the top/front of the knife, which allows the tip to be thinner. The edge bevel is also ground differently, being farther back towards the handle. I like this as it gives about another 1/2" of cutting surface, as compared to the knife shown in other photos. Of course, this feature totally negates any possiblity of "choking up" on the blade for fine work, despite Karambit.com's portrayal of the knife as a utility tool.
MAJOR OBSERVATIONS The Tarani is only the second of the hundreds of knives that I've handled that I didn't need to sharpen at all out of the box (the other is the Spyderco Ronin). The Emerson is not as sharp, and has that pesky chisel grind that I dislike so much. Unlike other Emersons (the production CQC-8 comes to mind), the Karambit's blade is flat on one side, which makes regrinding to a "V" grind impractical.
The one thing that really bugged me about the Emerson is the "unfilled" ring. The Tarani has a steel backspacer that continues back and fills the ring. The Emerson makes do with a short backspacer that terminates just before the ring. For one thing, a knife at this price point needs a steel or aluminum backspacer; that black plastic easily destructible stuff just doesn't cut it. For another, because of the thin liners on the Emerson, I can easily squeeze the end of the rings together. Whether or not this is an issue for professionals, I am not in a position to comment.
FINAL THOUGHTS I like the handling of the Emerson better, as it is a little more compact, both open and closed. On top of that, the texture of the handle is a little more hand and pocket friendly. Also, the distance from the ring to the opening hole on the Emerson is slightly less, just enough to make it easier for me to open the knife with my pinky finger in the ring. The Tarani, however, has a conventional blade grind, which I prefer, and just seems better built overall.
The pricing of these knives makes it difficult to directly compare them. I paid full price for the Tarani ($245), though I have seen it on the web for around $195. The Emerson lists for $235 or so, but can be had at web stores and Ebay for around $160. To complicate matters, there is a Tarani Journeyman model that sells on Karambit.com for $175 - I would assume that one could be had for less, but I haven't seen any for sale yet. The Emerson may compare more favorably with the Journeyman as they use the same blade steel (154CM) though the Journeyman makes do with "plastic" handles instead of the Emerson's and Master's models' G10.
That's it, I hope some can find this useful.
