- Karambit design - thoughts/ideas welcome!!

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Daniel Koster

Daniel Koster

www.kosterknives.com
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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The Karambit (K-BIT) idea has been bumping around in my head for a while and I had to get my ideas down in CAD while I was "feelin it".


This can be an official design thread - I'd like to get you guys' input and see where it goes.


Here is a drawing with a ruler attached - for those interested in printing/photocopying to get a perfect 1:1 scale. I highly recommend doing that and then gluing it to a piece of cardboard and cutting it out carefully with an exacto knife. It will give you a pretty good idea of what the actual knife will be like.

(first set of revisions here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=148580&stc=1&d=1257528975
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=148581&stc=1&d=1257528975 )

Latest/Greatest here:

k-bit2a.gif


k-bit2b.gif





The blade is just under 3 inches from the tip to the beginning of the sharpened edge.

The primary grind will be flat or hollow (haven't decided yet) and the secondary grind will be scandi - this way you can leave it dull, or if you like sharpen it right up on a stone.


I have been fighting a mental battle with this design because for me, most of the karambit designs out there are completely impractical for EDC or even EDS use. Many are simply fantasy pieces - and that's hard for me to swallow. I like my knives to be very practical and functional, and yet have some nice lines/curves to it too. So, while the idea of the karambit really appeals to me (dedicated self-defense knife, curvy knife, ring in the grip)....it's been a struggle to design one and yet keep it very EDC/EDS and practical.

I've had a ton of feedback on my Dankura and one of the biggest comments was that the blade shape was very practical for daily use. Also that the straight edge is very usable (while a hooked edged is not).

So, I've kept that in my back pocket while laying out this design.

I started the design from my K-TUSK which has the most comfortable and secure grip of any of my knives. I added a ring right where the pinky finger would be and put some jimping in where your thumb will contact the spine in either grip.

There will be a lot of difficult tooling done on this one and the price will have to reflect that (over $200). So, if you have an opinion about pricing, be sure to let me know.

The knife will come with a sheath - your choice of leather or kydex. I don't have a leather design yet (suggestions welcome!). The kydex will be similar to my quickdraw sheaths in looks, but will be setup for canted horizontal carry, ring forward (reverse grip draw on the strong side, forward grip draw on cross-carry).

I will likely be making this from S30V. I have to go with most stain-resistant and wear-resistant steel I can get and S30V is what fits the bill. Since there won't be daily sharpening involved, I might even consider S90V if I can get good enough pricing. The blades will be made from 5/32" thick stock.

That's all I can think of so far - so please feel free to ask questions and make suggestions!

Thanks!

Dan
 

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Love it, and its much better then the original design.

The only concern I have is the little "bump" in the grip (to fit between fingers) I'd make a proto and then do some flips with it to see if its going to be a blood blister maker.

I've had some with grips that if I flipped it slightly off (insert joke here) the bump would just kick my hindend...But others it worked like a dream and no matter how I flipped it it would be forgiving on my hand. Really a trial and error thing and it shouldn't be a issue but I'd check it on a proto before you finalized it.

Question on the grips though, what material do you have planned? I'm looking at that knife and thinking a paracord wrap could be rather interesting...
 
I might even consider S90V if I can get good enough pricing.
Click to expand...

THAT would get me to order one for certain!
I am still on the fence about this style in general (I would have to choose to carry it over the other excellent choices I have --- though, your design does seem to be very practical) -- but if what I have learned about S90V from my Spyderco MULES means anything, a Koster blade it it would be a "must have" for me.
 
Hello Daniel. Thanks for asking for input on your new design.

I haven't read your post, just looked at the drawing and here are my thoughts.

I guess I would prefer a more traditional, curved blade, rather than the clip point. I would also suggest a back break, in addition to the knurling your drawing shows.

I also think a k'bit might handle faster and better if the handle were thinner, top to bottom, like the Hangnail. I think a narrower handle frees up the wrist for better movement.

Finally, I would suggest you not over build it. A k'bit should be light and fast. It doesn't need to be a quarter inch thick. I have a Strider ST and while I like the design, it's too thick and heavy.

Good luck,

Bill
 
Yes - I have some 1/8" S30V already on its way to me. I just need to decide if I want to do it in S90V instead. Who knows...




The drawings above are probably larger than life - you need to print it out and put it on a photocopier until the inch lines match up to a ruler.

The handle is not very tall...but I do hear what you're saying.


I think I agree about the finger-groove. I have made a few prototypes already and am going to remove it.

I'll leave links to the original drawings, and post new ones to the original post.


Thanks for the input so far, guys!

:thumbup:

Dan
 
Hi, great looking knife.

I'm sure there must be a reason why this won't work, but I keep going back to thinking that a Tanto blade would look nice on this. Just a thought, I could be wrong.

Jack
 
I usually practice with my index finger in the ring. The bump might get in the way.
A straight bladed karambit is an interesting twist. Any thoughts to angling the blade more sharply towards the hand?

Only other thought is that the ring might be a bit large, but it may just be that I have thin fingers.
 
I'd buy one.

I'd still love to get a Dankura in D2 or 01, but that is apparently out of the question......

I wonder how practical it would be to pop that indentation in the blade out... if you did put a sharp scandi along the resulting curved top edge you'd have a wicked slicer.
 
eldrelore said:
I usually practice with my index finger in the ring. The bump might get in the way.
A straight bladed karambit is an interesting twist. Any thoughts to angling the blade more sharply towards the hand?

Only other thought is that the ring might be a bit large, but it may just be that I have thin fingers.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing its a 1 inch hole. Keep these two things in mind:

1) Some people wear gloves
2) The space will be at either side of your finger when gripping, and when hanging then it will be on one side only.

You don't want the hole to be to tight or it limits you flipping/changing grip. "Slack" on pinky and pointer grip (that finger through the hole) is what you should look for in the sizing to allow for flipping. Plus if you wear gloves that sucker needs to have space to accommodate it.

My favorite k'bit has a 1.15 [inch] sized hole and thats a ton of space but it doesn't work that well with a index hold while wearing my normal gloves. I have to jam it rather hard to get my gloved index finger in. Pinky hold works fine though and thats the most common hold people use.


I'm not a fan of dual edged (top/bottom) k'bit blades. I tend to rest the top of the blade (unsharpened) when at rest on my leg (so picture holding a 'bit while standing with your index finger through the hole) and when you have a dual sided that top area...well its sharp. I've got a $65 pair of pants that are now shorts thanks to a dual edge. Don't get me wrong a dual edge has some serious perks when used in defense (use a trainer blade and you can understand) and its a wonderful thing, but for the average person one edge is enough.

I kind of compare it to a dual edged bali...Looks cool and has its advantages, but one wrong slip and you've got some serious hurt.

As for curving more...I know what your saying but this is more of his "take" on a 'bit and I am intrigued on how it will be with the blade as is...I could see adding a bit more curve to it, but as it is I think its looking pretty damn good as-is.

Pricetag hurts though...between getting laidoff and having to do a overhaul on my beater its making me think I'm going to need to be adding a metric assload of ramen noodles to my diet to fund this :D


I'd like to see a proto in both flat and hollow grind...I'm leaning towards hollow but I'm still torn.
 
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Ok - I posted the latest-n-greatest.

Check it out:

k-bit2a.gif


k-bit2b.gif
 
actually the hole was larger than 1"...

It is 1" now.

The hole in my Survivor knife is actually a little smaller, IIRC. (0.93" or so)

I may take it back up to 1.1"....have to build a prototype first.

I made some changes based on the feedback so far - let me know what you think!

Dan
 
The hole should definitely NOT be any smaller than 1" inner diameter.
Wasn't there a bump in the handle near where the index finger would be in hammer grip yesterday?
I liked that bump, if I'm remembering correctly.
 
The vote was for the bump to go and I do like it without it - cleaner and actually quite a bit easier to make.

Dan
 
I like these new drawings!

I'm in for one from 1/8 or 3/16 stock --- 3V, S30V, or S90V... I'd prefer thin (1/8") S90V. S90V is a surprisingly tough stainless with unreal wear resistance.

Here's a good "on paper" comparison of most of the steels mentioned --- though, I'm sure many of us "knife-nuts" here have such charts virtually memorized:
http://www.crucibleservice.com/datash/dsS30Vv4b.pdf

In a light, fast, corrosion-resistant defense/utility design, it would seem to be a great choice.
 
It just dawned on me why I lean towards 1/8" ---- my Simonich D2 Talon is 1/8 and it's the closest thing I own to a K-bit (well...it has the finger hole at least). :)
 
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