Which Karambit?

SIFU1A said:
sure they do, i've had one, bought from kerambits.com too, i did have to call them vs email, they never responded back to me after numerous tries lol.

FWIW, i got the master model and found it hard to open, and didnt like the large ring (bigger than EKI's) sticking up outta my pocket, just looked "goofy" to me, nothing "low key" about it, to be honest the only thing i liked about it was the fact that it sold so fast when i decided to get rid of it, k'bits arent for me.

and i wanted to like 'em lol.
Click to expand...


I think karambit.com sold the Blade-Tech version which is why they no longer have any available. The Blade-Tech labeled version is no longer being produced under that name so the new 5.11 Tactical version is marketed through different retailers.

You are correct.......the ring on the Tarani version is larger than the Emerson karambit. You either like the larger ring or you don't.
 
Bimmer1 said:
The Tarani is easy to find in the Journeyman and Master's model. I own both and carry the Journeyman model everyday because I prefer the lighter weight. They were originally manufactured by Blade-Tech in the USA but the cost kept sales down somewhat and the two models went out of production for a short time. Blade-Tech is still involved in the manufacturing process but have found an overseas factory to make them under the 5.11 Tactical name. They also use this factory to make many knives under the current Blade-Tech name as well. I have had no issues at all with either my Journeyman or Master's model.

The Journeyman uses 154CM steel and the Master's uses S30V. Eventhough the Master's model is a little more expensive I still prefer the Journeyman. The locks are the same on both models. You can find both currently "in stock" at www.knifeworks.com under the 5.11 section and the Master's model is currently "in stock" at www.newgraham.com

The website for 5.11 Tactical is http://www.511tactical.com/browse/Home/Law-Enforcement/Tactical-Knives/D/30000/P/1:100:10000:10600

I own the Mantis MK-1 and two Emerson k-bits. I have carried the Mantis many times but I would personally pick one out myself since I found that the framelocks do not always engage properly from one knife to another. It's not bad for the price. I also like the Emerson combat karambit and many feel that it is the best. I like it alot but I have never been a big fan of the wave opening feature .... but that's just me. Others swear by the wave. Other than that the Emerson is top notch!!

For the money the 5.11 Tactical Journeyman model is my personal preference. I am also anxious to see how the new Boker turns out. If you want to spend alot of money then there are many custom makers that make both folding and fixed blade karambits.

For now the only two real quality production folding versions I would trust my life with are the Emerson and 5.11 Tactical variants. I don't carry a folding karambit as a utility blade. I only carry mine as a back-up (just in case) self-defense blade. That's keeps the blade sharp. Karambits are not the easiest blades in the world to sharpen although the Spyderco Sharpmaker does a pretty good job. The Spyderco karambit was also a good model and very secure but sales were poor and it is no longer in production. The only gripe I had about it was the all steel frame construction. It was just too heavy to carry for me. You can still find them for sale here at Bladeforums and ebay on occasion. For other every day cutting tasks I carry another blade. The 5.11 Tactical Master's model in S30V seems to be much more difficult to sharpen than the 154CM found on the Journeyman model. (Or at least that has been my experience with the few that I have found used and tried to put a slightly sharper edge on)
Click to expand...

Hey, I finally found this post (it got knocked a lot farther back then I was expecting lol) and wow, this would have helped me a lot to have seen. I finally found that 5.11 website from Wiki (which from karambit.com said it was www.5.11.com, which obviously isn't) so it's nice to actually now have the option of the Tarani karambits, however that just makes the decision that much harder.

As I posted on the other thread a bit before I saw this one....

Nerve said:
Ugh, before I wasn't able to buy the Tarani blades from their website but just found a website that I trust to purchase a knife from and they have both the Journey and Master Tarani knives and for over $100 cheaper and they seem to be pretty nice. Since they are from Tarani I'm assuming that they'd also be really good, so do y'all think Tarani's karambits would be better then Emerson's? If so is there really any difference between Journeyman's and Master's? From what I can tell only difference is the blade steel.

Which do y'all think;

  • Journey
  • Master
  • Super
  • Combat
Thanks and sorry for being such a pain, just don't want to throw my money away :p
Click to expand...

It's a shame I didn't find this topic again until after it >.<

Sorry it took me so long to get back to this one, I figured it died and got knocked way back so I just made the other one.

As far as Tarani series goes, so do you think Tarani would be a better buy over Emerson? Tarani seems like it would be a better buy since the main difference seems to be te wave, which even though it could be nice you could make one on if you absolutely want it and the Tarani karambits seems to be slightly double bladed whereas Emerson seems to be fully single.

Thanks again :)
 
Karambits are all about preference. Some people do not like the larger ring on the Tarani version when compared to the Emerson. The Emerson is a liner lock design and Tarani is more of a back lock. So it would come down to lock preference as well on these two designs.

I like both karambits. As far as quality goes I can't say one is better than the other. If you can safely deploy the Emerson using the wave opening feature then you might like it. I'm just not a big fan of the wave feature while many, many others absolutely love it. It's just a matter of preference.

I carry both the Emerson and the Tarani. The Tarani Journeyman model is comfortable to carry because of its lightweight. I also have the Masters model which is awesome but a little heavier because of its G-10 handle and extra piece of steel in the ringed end.

If it was going to be my first karambit I would purchase the 5.11 Tarani Journeyman model and see how you like it. My opinion is that if you like karambits then you will always want more. Then you can go for the Emerson combat karambit, Emerson Super karambit, and 5.11 Tarani Masters model. You might as well own all of them!
 
Yeah, that's probably what I'll end up doing, in fact I'm probably going to go ahead and order it right now.

Thanks for your help Bimmer1 and everyone else that took time to help out, I really appreciate it and will let everyone know how it works out :)
 
Quick add, Bimmer1, what did you mean by the locking types? What does that mean/how are they different?

Thanks again :)
 
No problem. I've learned if you like karambits it might be better to purchase them while they are available. You never know when they are going to go out of production due to poor sales. I've heard that the bullnose and commander style Emerson karambits may the next to go because of low sales. Hopefully the 5.11 Tarani series will continue in the future along with the Emerson combat karambit.

The next production version that seems to be getting some press is the new Boker karambit that will be available at some point later this year or next year. It was designed by Bladeforums member "Daywalker".

Let us know how you like the 5.11 Journeyman if you get one. You get better pricing under retail if you buy from www.knifeworks.com or www.newgraham.com when they are "in stock".

The Emerson is a liner lock and Emerson generally makes a reliable liner lock. The cheaper karambits you find with a liner lock should not be considered for purchase. The 5.11 Tarani is a lock back style and seems quite reliable. I've had no issues with mine and it is the only karambit that I know of with this type of lock.
 
Last edited:
I went ahead and bought the Master's just because from what you said it sounded a bit more sturdier and I don't really mind the weight, plus since I was thinking of buying a Super Karambit from Emerson (which is $291) I figured why not go with the more expensive one :p I'll definitely be sure to let everyone know how it's going and probably post some pictures if people want. I'll probably also end up buying the Journeyman's and Emerson karambits if I like this one (which I have a feeling I will).

As far as the lock, I'm not really sure what all that means (don't really know the terms) all of my old pocket knives have just had a latch that would press inwards so when I opened it it would make it to where it would come out and you can't push it down until you push that to the side (sorry if that didn't make since, kind of tired :p). So yeah, feel free to explain if you want, I'll probably look it up later though if not so it's up to you :p

Thanks again :D

Thanks again man
 
If you don't mind the weight then the Master's is awesome. It's not really much heavier than the Journeyman version. I think you will be happy with either one. I just sent one of my Master's models off to a guy who is going to put full serrations on the blade edge for me. I'm interested to see how it's going to turn out.

Just remember the Master's model is an S30V steel hawkbill and if you use it alot it is somewhat of a pain to get it razor sharp again.
 
Nice, I'm sure that'll look awesome.

Yeah I noticed you commented on that on the 5.11 Tactical site but I figured whatever pain it is to get it sharpened would be well worth the time/effort :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top