Karambit...One Badass Blade

Hello, welcome back to the Everyday Carry series of Khezcorner.  As your host, I’ll introduce you to the items that have worked well for me.  Hopefully you can find items & info that will aid your Everyday Carry needs.

The Karambit is in my opinion one of the most vicious of tactical knifes.  The unique features of the curved blade and finger ring make even the novice a dangerous opponent.  Combine that with a short blade and you’ve got the perfect defensive weapon. One that won’t be seen, but will be felt.  The karambit is an ancient weapon that originates in far southeast Asia.  It’s found in use, to this day, in the Philippines and Malaysia.  It’s built to be a weapon of stealth, created to allow villages a last defense against marauders and enemy soldiers.  This weapon is truly versatile in that both men and women wielded it with great skill.
 Some sects even added mystical importance to this blade, I mean monks and fighting styles and everything.  But let's move on from history and look at the blade as a practical fighting knife.

Doug Marcaida was the first person I ever saw wield the karambit.  After that I was hooked, lol, on the possibilities for everyday carry.  As stated above the blade is curved inward, creating a hook, used for ripping, clawing and trapping limbs.  The finger ring ensures maximum retention and also allows the operator to transition between traditional (hook down) and reverse grip (hook up).  The ring can also be used as an impact weapon and helps you do some cool knife tricks, lol.

I carry the karambit on my non-dominant side as a force multiplier.  I can use it’s sharp point in a boxing style, cut to protect my strong-side during a gun grab or even use it to lacerate & escape if an opponent tries to wrestle me.  

In the pics, you’ll see two karambits, the stainless steel blade is a mini karambit.  It doesn't protect all my fingers and is best used for deep concealment.  The black blade is full sized, protects the full fighting hand, and can be very versatile in an offensive or defensive manner.  I love them both and I continue to peruse the knife markets for karambits in the same size and weight class.

Warning, If you plan to get one of these blades, please pick up a trainer at the same time.  Because of the design, the karambit is very unforgiving.  

The most common injury is the dreaded, blade to the wrist otherwise know as karambit forearm.  If used improperly, you have a great chance of cutting a vein.  So be safe, learn on the trainer, and enjoy learning the many benefits of a karambit as your tactical knife.  What's do you think the best tactical knife is?  Tell me about it in the comments.  Cheers