I have owned RJ's Karambit now for just about 6 months and I am extremely pleased with my purchase. RJ was recommended to me by a mutual friend of ours who is very well versed in edged weapons and works for the government. Upon contacting him, I found RJ to be friendly and extremely knowledgeable (see his website at
www.martinsite.com for his background). It was easy to place my order and I received the knife only a few days after speaking with him on the phone (I live in LA).
I need to say that RJ's version of the karambit is perfect for what I need/want in a fixed blade version. While I own folding versions by Spyderco and Tarani, I feel that RJ's fixed blade version is exceptional for all combat application. Make no mistake this is 100% weapon, and if you are looking for a utility knife in my opinion you should look for a utility knife, not this.
I became interested in the karambit after training in Sayoc Kali as well as Pentjak Silat under Guro Dan Inosanto. RJ Martin's Karambit is not only comfortable, but ideal for the trapping, hooking, ripping, slashing and thrusting applications that I have learned. My instructors and fellow students even felt that it was a piece of work. Even untrained, RJ's Karambit is a formidable opponent for the structure that it is meant to be used in. As with all karambits, RJ's version may not fare as well as a "straight" blade in a dueling range but for close quarters this weapon is terrifying. The strength of karambits in general lie not in their size but their shape, and the RJ Martin Karambit is not only a great size but perfect shape. Outside edge as well as inside edge are just large enough to do surface and internal damage, but small enough to be positioned and manuevered very easily.
Along with the Kydex sheath RJ provided this knife would be great carry as a neck knife or holstered outside of the belt, but does not quite provide the same concealed abilities that its folding counterparts does. The benefits however to the fixed attribute and outside edge, in my opinion far outweigh its drawbacks in a combat situation.
I highly recommend RJ Martin's Karambit. If you or anyone else has any questions for me regarding my thoughts and opinions please contact me via email at
jmarana@verizon.net.
Joe