Spyderco Karambit Question

3

357Wheelgunner

Joined
Apr 1, 2007
Messages
407
Hi guys, I just recieved my first Spyderco, a stainless steel folding karambit. I got it because they stopped making them, and I wanted something different for a change. All I have to say is...Wow! This karambit is different for sure.

Oh and I haven't been, nor will I, "flip" the karambit.

My question is....Is the knife supposed to be two flimsy flat pieces of stainless steel? This thing feels like a factory second, the edges on the handle aren't radiused very well, and it feels like the handle is cutting into me when I grip it tight. Is there supposed to be material inbetween the handle pieces, or is it supposed to be empty inside except for the blade?

I'm used to my benchmades, and maybe I'm spoiled, but when I spend $80 on a knife I expect it to feel like more than a $10 chinese knockoff.

Here is a link to the knife that I got:
http://www.savsonswordsandknives.com/spka.html

I will definately keep it around because it is so different, but I expected a little bit nicer quality knife from Spyderco. Am I the only one who feels this way?
 
The fit and finish on mine was fine. Perhaps it was a little sharp on the lock side, but that's more to the thin profile. Flimsy the knife is not. It is not supposed to have material between the handle slabs. I disliked it not having a "stop" so I ground one in.

Other than that, it's a good karambit design. Spyderco's Seki offerings are known for having good fit and finish.

And welcome to the forums!
 
eojk said:
The fit and finish on mine was fine. Perhaps it was a little sharp on the lock side, but that's more to the thin profile. Flimsy the knife is not. It is not supposed to have material between the handle slabs. I disliked it not having a "stop" so I ground one in.

Other than that, it's a good karambit design. Spyderco's Seki offerings are known for having good fit and finish.

And welcome to the forums!
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Thanks for the reply, and the welcome.

Like I said I'm just used to checkered G-10 handles that feel solid and fill the hand, the thin SS handle of the karambit kinda caught me off guard.

The reason that I got the Spyderco over the Emerson Karambit was the shape of the blade. I know that the Emerson had nicer handles and material all around, but the blade was too straight for my tastes, I wanted a more dramatic sickle shape to it. I really like the shape of the Spyderco, but I will definately have to get used to the SS grip.
 
Welcome to the forum 357'. One of my favorite cartridge designations!
It should come as no surprise if one obtains a material object & finds fault with it without personally consulting that object for fitness and appropriateness for a particular mission. A tough proposition nowadays, but just as important as ever, especially for a SD tool. This forum is rife with surprise from Spyderco owners that are dismayed-or overjoyed- with how their next purchase did or didn't surpass the expectations of their next intended niche. I think you will find this to be a universal revelation at all (insert a Following) forums. The really cool thing about forums is how easily one can unload an acquisition that is just plain wrong in it's timing or purpose for you.
What I like about this forum in particular, is the honesty that the participants & fans insist on maintaining. As soon as one proclaims how disappointed they are in a particular model, another steps up to proclaim its attributes. If you are disappointed in the fit/finish or practicality of this knife, I'd say dump it and then re-evaluate what you need, but do whatever you can to perform that assessment in person, hands-on. EG: Ruger Speed-Six; the best 357 ever made ;).
 
Ducktaper said:
, I'd say dump it and then re-evaluate what you need,
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Normally; I'd say send it in for evaluation by service and support, but if it is as bad as you say then they won't be able to replace it and might not be able to fix it. If that happens they give you store credit for something else. Under that consideration, you might consider sending it back for a refund or exchange from where you got it.

Incidentally, I've had two and the fit and finish were fine.
 
I also picked one up because they were stopping production. I don't really have any experience with other karambits, but i do own a bunch of other spyderco knives. I find the fit 'n' finish to be on par or better than the rest of my collection. :) The lock is tight, the opening is smooth, and there is no blade play when open. The SS handles are a bit different, but it does add a nice bit of heft to the knife and the karambit finger hole does negate a potentially slippery handle. :D

Is there a small notch on the back of the blade near the thumbhole? This would indicate a factory second. Also, if the knife came in an unmarked box this may also indicate a factory second.
 
The knife looks like it was built to design, it just bothers me that one half of the knife's handle is radiused and finished, and the other half is just a flat slab of SS.
 
Psydotek said:
Is there a small notch on the back of the blade near the thumbhole? This would indicate a factory second. Also, if the knife came in an unmarked box this may also indicate a factory second.
Click to expand...

Actually, there is a small divet in the bottom of the thumbhole, but it just looks like a tiny dimple. It is on the side towards the handle when the blade is closed. But like I said it's hardly noticable, and looks more like a tiny unfinished dimple than a notch...

Does this mean that I bought a factory 2nd?

Edited to add:

Also, the box that it came in had spyderco markings all over it, but no instruction manual, and the box didn't say "karambit" on it, the box just had a sticker on the side that said the model name. When you say "unmarked", do you mean that it would be missing all of the spyderco logos, or just the model name and whatnot?
 
Hi Wheelgunner,

Welcome to the Spyderco forum.

The Spyderco Kerambit was designed by Warren Thomas. It was designed to be slim and easy to carry. Although it is thin, I don't think I'd call it "flimsy", there are no failures of the design to my knowledge.

The chamfer on the lock side is smaller becasue of the lock release cut-out in the scale on the lock side. If the chamfer was as large as the non locking scale, the area at the cut-out would have ended up sharp because of the scale thickness.

If a more robust handle is your preference, then perhaps the Kerambit isn't a good choice for you. Spyderco does produce a wide variety of designs from small to large, Thick and thin.

Getting a model in your hand is probably the best way to select.

sal
 
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