What is a karambit?

I believe that originally all karambits were fixed blades. The design is fairly old and I would imagine that folding versions weren't made until they became popularized in western cultures. Also, traditional karambits are double edged, whereas modern adaptations are almost always single edged.
 
Mr. Russell,
Rich Despirina (RDK on BF) has been a full time maker of kerambits long before the style became popular with the tactical crowd. I know MOD used to make a folding kerambit.
 
Someone said it was an old fixed blade design for work in rice paddies. But I'm not sure how accurate that is.
 
No peasant could afford to waste so much steel in a pure weapon.

The kerambit most certainly started as an agricultural implement, though the length of it would not make it useful for rice harvesting as commonly suggested. It probably was made from a worn-down or broken full-size sickle and used for gathering fruits, nuts and chore work like splitting rattan.
 
According to English-Indonesian dictionary at m.kapanlagi.com/kamus/ the word "kerambit" means small sickle. It is a farm implement adapted as personal weapon.

I find it really interesting that the kerambit is far more popular here than in Indonesia. The most common traditional weapons still in use today in Indonesia AFAIK are badik (pistol-handled dagger), golok (short machete), parang (long machete), and kerambit's nastier and bigger brother: the clurit (sickle).

What western silat practitioners don't always tell you is that the kerambit and clurit excel at disembowelment. Few things deflate your attackers' will to fight like seeing his entrails on the floor. They're basically large gut hooks.
 
It's strange that AG would ask the question. He could take one of his Superknife folders, install a Stanley hooked scoring blade and - instant folding karambit !!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top