Kerambits: Original and the C 'bit.

Well, I went ahead and sent Auntie an email about the horn handled C Bit from 2/15 since it appears to still be available. After reading the reviews I had to have it. It looks like it would be a very good general purpose, all around, do everything knife. I bet it can be used for a box cutter, can opener, mini-chopper, hunting knife, everything.
May not be the neatest way to open a can or tuna, but it sure would get some adoring attention doing so at the hunting camp.
I wonder how it would work out as a hunting knife? Guess I'll have to take it deer and hog hunting. Looks like it would be a great woods knife, Khukuri companion.
Your fault, Steely Gunz. You convinced me to go ahead and pony up for one.

Talk about a drop point.
 
I think you're going to be the envy of the hunting camp. It should do a nice job of butchering deer and be one bad hog hunting knife. The kerambit is used as a utility/defense knife in Indonesian culture, much as the Khukuri has been used in Nepali culture.
 
lol sorry to be an enabler:D

However, for no more of a price tag you are getting a hunting companion that will out last the next 5 generation who hold 'er:thumbup:
 
Steely_Gunz said:
lol sorry to be an enabler:D

Yeah, I bet you are.:D

My hunting buddy can't wait to see it. He's a big fan of knives as well. I'm just trying to get him away from the cheap Chinese crap. He considers Cold Steel to be fine cutlery.:jerkit:

Just wait till he sees my HI cutlery.
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Jaymo said:
Steely_Gunz said:
lol sorry to be an enabler:D

Yeah, I bet you are.:D

My hunting buddy can't wait to see it. He's a big fan of knives as well. I'm just trying to get him away from the cheap Chinese crap. He considers Cold Steel to be fine cutlery.:jerkit:

Just wait till he sees my HI cutlery.
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Indeed much of Cold Steel is made in Taiwan and not even China (e.g., the SK-5 Gurkha Kukri). I have no problem with that as long as quality control is high before they ship the knives to customers, which it has been in my limited experience so far.
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My first "Khukuri" was a CS Gurka Lite that was made of Carbon V steel and produced here in the US. Nice curvy chopper. It got me interested in REAL khuks. So I decided to buy one from Uncle Bill.

The Khuk I bought from UB still rides in my truck every day. I gave the CS KLO to a co-worker. If anything, CS at least gets folks curious about the read deal:D
 
I own several CS knives and find them to be OK but that's about it. They charge way too much for their knives considering how many of them are made in China and Taiwan.
Anyway you slice it, though, CS knives are NOT fine cutlery. They have some good knives, some decent knives, and some cheap junk.

There's no way the Chinese made Bushman should cost $20.00-$30. As much as I like mine, it is a cheaply made, bent and welded piece of thin carbon steel sheet. The sheath is an absolute insult to knife sheaths. Lynn Thompson is smart. He took advantage of a younger generation who don't know what nice knives are, because they grew up with Parker and Frost junk as their norm. Compared to those two, his knives are fantastic.
My first Khuk was an Atlanta Cutlery Khuk made in India by Windlass Steelcrafts in 1984. It IS high carbon steel. It DOES take and hold a pretty good edge. It is a fantastic chopper, compared to what was otherwise available, and is still a better chopper than most of what's available today. It is NOT an HI Khuk. The leather on the scabbard is garbage, as are the karda and chakma. BUT, for about 20 bucks, in early 1985, I had something that would chop circles around ANYTHING my friends had and still does. The handle wood has split and been repaired several times. It needs to have a new handle made (a project for another day). I replaced the sheath with a Camillus Khuk sheath that I got for $2.99 from SMKW.
When my BC comes in, there will be a new king of the hill.
When my "C" Bit comes in, I'll have a new daily companion.

BTW, when I spoke of cheap chinese junk in the previous post, I wasn't speaking about CS. I was actually speaking about the Chicom Mora copies and midget katana this and that junk sold by companies like United, and Fury, and a host of other garbage with an almost edge, made from something that doesn't even deserve to be called steel. Cheap copies of every sort of good knife ever made. The brands and models are too numerous to list.
I was merely pointing out that he thinks CS is fine cutlery, which demonstrates his lack of understanding what fine cutlery is.
Imperial made a lot of inexpensive pocket knives in the '70s and '80s. I own quite a few of them. However, they are made of carbon steel and hold a very good edge, and they were made in the USA at the time.
However, as much as I like them, they're not fine cutlery, either. Nothing like a German Boker or Puma.
 
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BTW, sorry if I'm coming off as a bit opinionated and grumpy today. I am a bit opinionated and grumpy today. My shoulder hurts. I'm tired. I'm sarcastic, jaded, and cynical. It just doesn't always show.
 
Jaymo said:
BTW, sorry if I'm coming off as a bit opinionated and grumpy today. I am a bit opinionated and grumpy today. My shoulder hurts. I'm tired. I'm sarcastic, jaded, and cynical. It just doesn't always show.
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T'is the human condition:) It happens. No worries:D:thumbup:
 
Got my C 'bit today. Didn't take long at all to put an edge on it that shaves the hair of my blond-monkey forearms. The false edge took a fantastic edge easily, too. Didn't take long to have a couple of my friends drooling over it, either. :thumbup: Buffalo horn handle and buffalo hide sheath got some oohs and aahs, too. They especially loved the kami marks and Nepali writing on the blade. The double fullers were a hit, too. Of course, they wanted to know what the U.B. meant, so I told them the story.
I love this little 'bit. I'm a lefty, so I wear it on my left hip with the main edge facing forward. I draw it by putting my index finger in the loop and pulling it out. The men who make these have a full understanding of ergonomics. It fits my hand like it was made for me.
The sheath fits perfectly flat against my left hip/leg. Perfect for concealed carry with a long shirt or jacket over it. I was wearing an insulated flannel shirt over my T-shirt today. It was unbuttoned and nobody knew I was carrying it until I took it out to show them.

Now for the heartbreak. One of the stitches in the belt loop has broken and the loop is pulling loose. I really don't want to trouble Auntie for a new sheath, and I don't want to part with mine for repairs. I REALLY don't want to part with my bit. It feels like an extension of my arm.

Anyone here care to tell me how to stitch leather with one of those sewing awls?:confused: I'd rather fix it myself, if possible.

BTW, this is NOT a complaint NOR a condemnation of HI products NOR employees. I am THRILLED WITH MY C 'BIT!!!!! Besides, Yangdu has been absolutely the nicest person I've ever dealt with. I hope she's very successful with this wonderful cutlery company of hers. She deserves much success. HI is a company I can really get behind.
SG, why didn't you tell me I'd like the C 'bit this much?:D I don't know how I've managed to live 40 years without one.

I used it to slice croissants and pork loin for supper tonight, so I guess it's plenty sharp.

Oh, also, broken stitches are something that can happen with the most expensive custom sheaths, and with mass produced factory sheaths, too. It won't stop me from buying HI knives. I'm already trying to figure out what else I can sell to finance this addiction.
 
It would probably be a good idea to pull/push the stitch tight as you can (awl,needle nose pliers and glue it. Hot Glue, clear silicone sealant, something along those lines would work well. My C' bit sheath had a similar problem, although the stitch wasnt broken, it was a bit loose and this is what i did. Let auntie know about it though. That way she can rectify the problem with the Sarkis.
 
10-4, will do. I was thinking about resewing it AND gluing it with something like contact cement.
 
Once again, I'm a lazy man. What I would do to secure it would be to get a couple of "snap rivets" available most places that sell leather (I get mine at Tandy, but a large craft shop might have them). Basically drill a couple of holes just big enough for the tang of the rivet to press through both sides of the belt loop as well as the sheath itself.

Feed it from the inside out, place a hard flat piece of steel inside the sheath, pop the button on the tang and whack the heck out of it with a hammer:D

Pretty easy to shore up the sheath without having to totally restitch:thumbup:

Just to point out, my sheath too had a rather loose belt loop. However, I removed mine on purpose. I tuck mine in my belt on my right side with the edge out drawing it like Jaymo:thumbup:

Glad the 'bit worked out well for you:) I figured it would. The original kerambit was in my top 2 or 3 favorite HI blades. This new 'bit knocked it right off the top. Slam dunk on this one:)
 
I was thinking about the rivet idea, too. Great minds, huh? I may pull the stitching tight, and contact cement the loop and stitching in place, and then rivet it in place. Or I may just remove the stitching and cement and rivet it. I think 6 rivets will be nearly indestructible. I'm amazed at how well this knife carries, and just how perfectly flat it rides. I sure wish I could get a holster that rides that well, without spending a small fortune.
C 'bit slices through leftover pork loin and chops like they're nothing. I wasn't trying to get a razor edge. I just want it to cut and cut well.
Should make for a good little mini chopper, too. I need to get some 400 grit and finer sandpaper, so I can use the mouse pad method.
 
Glad I ran into this thread someone had a c-bit for trade that I was digging I wanted more info so I google and came across this thread and from this I was able to talk to the lady known as auntie it was really cool talking with her and she just happen to have two in stock one with a horn handle and one with antler I took the antler im really stoked about getting it and should have it by saturday.I love karambits!!!!!!:D
 
I think you're going to love your new kerambit. It's a stout little warthog of a knife. I can't think of anything I don't like about mine. Except maybe, for the fact that I can't carry it at work. (Not allowed to, and wouldn't want to mess it up at work.
 
i have to say, i've been wondering about these "C" bits... they look strange to my eyes.

i have a larger regular "K" bit, and i like it a lot, as a knive, and as a tool, but it's not something i'd consider for self-defense.

having carried a Spydero Matriarch for years before the kerambit craze, and the smaller cousin to that, and generally liking claw/hawk blades... i have some small preference to the far more aggressive nature of such things. folding models only offer a small convenience imho.

long, thin, light, hooked, sharp, sometimes with sharpened false edge. the tarani skeletonized knife is a lovely design in that vein. the tarani-stryder is my dream model - don't have the funds right now - oh well.


Bladite
 
I generally carry the 'bit as a back up SD blade if I'm going downtown. Usually, the .38 or .45 on my hip gives me enough warm fuzzies, but it's nice to know that I have a beefy piece of Nepali steel tucked away just in case.

They're great utility knives for big projects too. However, they do tend to be at a bit of a weird angle until you get used to them:p
 
Steely_Gunz said:
I generally carry the 'bit as a back up SD blade if I'm going downtown. Usually, the .38 or .45 on my hip gives me enough warm fuzzies, but it's nice to know that I have a beefy piece of Nepali steel tucked away just in case.

They're great utility knives for big projects too. However, they do tend to be at a bit of a weird angle until you get used to them:p
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Can you post a pic of yours showing the spine so I can see the thickness?:)
 
Veesix said:
Can you post a pic of yours showing the spine so I can see the thickness?:)
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