Aloha ALL,
I would like to give a huge, MAHALO MUCH to my newly made buddy Stephen63 for allowing me to re-print his review of this Boker Plus/CLB Designs KERAMBIT!!! Great fellow, and I am always fortunate to make a new friend through a knife.
So here we go, as
reviewed by Stephen63:
"Shortly after after seeing Jean Callegari's pictures of the kerambit that he made, quickly followed by Dave Budd's thread "karambits: Why?" - see here I was browsing the web and found myself on the Boker site where I spotted a design by Chad Los Banos (our own Daywalker) in their Boker Plus range.
It's certainly not something that I'd normally buy, my impression of kerambits is that their primary use is something that we don't talk about on this forum, however this one is very reasonably priced at the same price as a Subcom, and Heinnies now have them listed at £33.95 - see here - so worth a try.
The first surprise when it arrived was the size, it's definitely more Manix than UKPK sized as you can see from the photos (apologies for the finger marks and fluff, but the photos were taken in a bit of a rush)
Those who are familiar Chad's medium sized folders (Trance, Hyper or M-Type) will immediately see the similarities in the kerambit - the frame lock, the blade & frame coating of the "titanium" models, the G10 scales, the 440C blade steel and the dual thumbstuds.
The first obvious feature of the kerambit is the finger ring in the grip which is surprisingly comfortable in a normal grip with the little finger in the hole and the thumb on the striations on the top of the grip / back of the blade. It also works well with the knife "upside down" with the index finger in the hole and the blade at the bottom of the hand.
The carabiner in the ring means that the knife can be carried (where legal etc.) clipped to a belt loop - for me it works best with the G10 side to the body o that the knife can be scooped-up and unclipped as the hand comes up from the side. Note that there is no pocket clip.
The second striking feature is the blade shape which makes me think that either Batman or a Klingon should be carrying it! However it proves surprisingly effective in normal everyday use - the straight edge is in just the right place and angle (compared to the hand) for neat cutting and slicing, whilst that pronounced recurve is great for cutting through anything freestanding vertically plant stalks, string etc.
The blade is 440c and was sharp, but not hair-poppingly so out of the box, but a very short time on a Sharpmaker soon changed that.
Interestingly in the box was a (very) small allen key to allow the removal of the thumbstuds and an explanatory leaflet which says:
"Not sure regarding one hand openers with a locking mechanism?
Purchase and ownership are still absolutely legal! Carrying of a one hand opener with a locking mechanism is limited in some countries, but there are exceptions making it legal, as well. We deliver the key for flexible and problem-free carrying of your folding knife"
Obviously Spyderco aren't the only knife manufacturer keeping an eye on the changing knife laws worldwide.
Whilst on the subject of the thumbstuds I have to say that with my medium sized hands I can barely open the blade all the way if I have my pinkie finger through the ring - it's just too far of a stretch for my thumb, but with a changed grip with my fingers bunched between the ring and blade then it is possible. This must be the first knife that I've owned on which I think that an Emerson Wave shaped opening feature would be a great idea!
So, to sum-up, this is a well thought-out design that I found surprisingly useful for the bits of everyday cutting that I do around the house, although perhaps just a bit too big for me. If this sort of thing floats your boat then it's good quality bit of kit at a reasonable (cheap?) price. -Stephen "
Then this morning, he sent me some other pics...
HYPER size comp with Kerambit:
And then some in hand shots he provided:
Stephen63 again emphasized, "The angle of the point is brilliant, when holding it the "normal" way with the pinkie through the ring the point is a natural extension of the thumb..."
Then he states, "If you can't get one of these out of Boker then let me have your postal details and I'll send one over to you."
...What an awesome gesture and one that I feel is totally unnecessary!!! But I may have to take him up on it because he may just beat Boker in getting one of these KoolRambits to me.
Anyway, again...mahalo much Stephen63, I am sure I speak for everyone who has read this thread...you got our gratitude.
God bless and enjoy all!
