Frequently Asked Questions
General Karambit Questions
Questions about Training
Questions about the folding Karambit
General Karambit Questions
Q. Well, what exactly is a
Karambit?
A: The Karambit (pronounced kah-rahm-bit) is a
remarkable utility knife that was born in the
Indonesian archipelago with roots in Malaysia
and the Philippines. Akin to the Swiss Army
knife of today, this was the "pocket knife" of
ancient villagers. This extraordinary little
personal tool was first documented to be carried
around the early 11th century AD and to this
very day can be seen in various remote locations
throughout the Indonesian islands, parts of
Malaysia and the Southern Philippine islands.
Made popular in the US by Steve Tarani
demonstrations, literature, videos and other
educational media, the modern Karambit is based
on similar design to its distant ancestors.
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Q. What can the Karambit be
used for?
A. In ancient times it was revered as a symbol
of adulthood and responsibility. Today the
Karambit is simply a tool. It is, however (based
upon design), capable of being used for three
different applications. Its primary application
is that of a common tool – a utility blade, used
for open boxes, cut twine, dig holes, etc. It is
mostly carried or used by campers, outdoorsmen
(and women) and owned by collectors and knife
enthusiasts. Its secondary application is as an
ancient Asian artifact; it is a martial-arts
training implement. Thus it is used by martial
artists in their practice of classical and
modern martial arts – specifically Pencak Silat,
the heritage trademark of the martial arts of
the Indonesian archipelago. Lastly, like any
pocket knife in the world or a kitchen knife or
a pair of scissors or a screwdriver or whatever
you want (fill in the blank here), it can be
used by men and women as a tool to ensure
personal safety should the need arise.
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Q. Are they made in America?
A. Yes, in recent times and as a result of Steve
Tarani's willingness to share his design
knowledge with various US manufacturers.
However, the Karambit is produced in many other
countries, such as Japan and obviously
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, where
they originated.
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Q. Are they legal to own?
A. You need to check with
your particular state laws. [http://pw1.netcom.com/~brlevine/sta-law.htm]
However, the blade is usually less than two
inches in length. They are generally
manufactured with only a single edge and are not
considered a "switchblade" or even a "dagger" as
they cannot be used to thrust like a true
dagger.
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Q. Are all Karambits fixed
blades?
A. No. In recent days as a
result of American ingenuity (and based on the
recommendations of Steve Tarani) many different
models - both fixed and folding - are now
available. Many different styles, sizes and
materials are also used. If you are concerned
about the practical application of the Karambit
in all three forms of its available uses
(utility, martial arts training, personal
safety), then stick with the ones closest to the
original traditional design. To purchase a
Karambit of original and traditional design,
click here.
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Q. Do fixed blade Karambits
come with sheaths?
A. Yes. As a matter of fact there is one style
of sheath developed by Steve Tarani that can be
used in any of the common methods of carry and
deployment.
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Q. What are the methods of
carry?
A. There are many ways that a Karambit can be
carried. There are basically two types of
Karambits and they are either fixed (where there
are no moving parts) and folding (in which the
blade is safely folded into the handle).
Any fixed blade can be carried in at least four
different positions:
-
In the
front of your body behind your belt
(cross-body carry)
-
Hanging on your belt on your hip (same-side
carry), and this can be either with the
safety ring pointing upward
-
With
the safety ring pointing downward (also
known as same-side carry)
-
Hanging from around your neck (neck carry)
A folding Karambit, on the other hand, is a
little more convenient in that it doesn’t
require a sheath and almost always has some type
of a clip that allows you to wear it in your
pocket, along your waistline or wherever you may
feel comfortable.
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Q. If I have enough money
to buy only one Karambit, which one should I
order – the Strider/ Tarani Fixed Karambit or
the Tarani Folding Karambit?
A: Well, what do you want to use it for?
Obviously a fixed blade is superior to a folding
blade as it has no moving parts, however a
folding knife is far more convenient to carry.
Again, there is no magical answer – the reality
answer is "What you intend to use the blade
for?" Then, once you have answered this question
ask yourself - "which of these blades would
better suit that purpose?"
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Q. Is the Karambit only
for self-defense?
A: No. The Karambit as a utility knife. It can
be also, however, be used for martial arts. As
far as self-defense, like any knife – a steak
knife, a kitchen knife, or even a fishing knife
- the Karambit can be used as a means of
ensuring your personal safety in the event you
are violently and physically attacked.
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Q. I'm a hunter/fisherman.
How would the Karambit help me?
A: As an outdoorsman there are numerous
utilitarian uses for the Karambit such as
gutting, filleting, scoring, cutting, clipping,
scaling, etc.,
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Q. I like the Karambit and
would like to carry it in place of my usual
pocketknife - can it be used in every-day
applications?
A: Yes. What makes the Karambit so exceptionally
unique is it's pronounced curving edges and
oversized finger ring. Providing maximum safety,
the finger ring ensures a positive and non-slip
hand-grip allowing optimal functionality in
extreme weather conditions, under water, or in
any hostile working environment. As a result of
its signature curved edges and characteristic
finger ring, the Karambit is used for a number
of practical functions including utility,
personal defense, and martial arts applications.
As a utility knife, uses of the Karambit include
gardening, camping, hunting, fishing, shipping
and receiving. Household, construction and other
numerous applications. Used for self-defense, in
the rare event of an attack on your person, the
Karambit, possessing unparalleled defensive
tactics capabilities, serves as an outstanding
equalizer in matters of ensuring personal
safety. Used as a martial arts implement, the
Karambit demonstrates exceptional adaptability
in martial arts applications as a result of its
special operational attributes.
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Q. Should I learn to "spin" the karambit?
A. In the
movies you see knife fighting scenes where one
of the guys switches the knife from one hand to
the other and sometimes switches from one grip
to the other. These actions are done purely for
drama. Much like an actor or actress holding a
handgun muzzle up close next to his/ her face
(like you see in the movies and on TV every day)
- which has absolutely zero tactical value (and
as a matter of fact an unsafe action) - passing
a knife back and forth from hand to hand or
switching grips in the heat of close quarter
battle looks great in the movies, but during the
precious moments your knife (any knife whether a
karambit (curved blade) or straight edge) is in
transition (that is changing from either one
grip to the other or one hand to the other) it
is moving around in some theatrical motion and
not "in the fight". Especially for use in
personal safety, it is highly recommended that
once you have a positive grip on your knife,
keep it in your hand and not flipping around
360-degrees dramatically in the air for the
camera. Sure spinning your shiny new Karambit
looks cool and you can impress your family and
friends at Thanksgiving dinner - and that's
okay, but in the real world, if it ever came
down to a life and death situation and you
needed the blade for personal defense, would you
really want to put on a spinning knife show?
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Questions about Training
Q. There's a lot of talk about
training - can't you just buy a Karambit and
forego training?
A. Yes, you certainly can.
However, that's like buying a new computer
program and not buying the manual. Sure, you may
get somewhat familiar with it over time, but
without proper training you wouldn't be able to
take advantage of its full capabilities -
especially if you choose to carry it for
personal safety; in that case, training is a
must. Now that you don't need to travel to the
remote villages of West Java, you can buy a book
or training video!! To find out more about
training,
click here.
Want to purchase a
Karambit
or a
training Karambit?
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Q. OK, then where can you get
training with the Karambit?
A. To find out more about
training
click here.
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Q. Do I need martial arts
training to use the Karambit?
A. No. No prior training of any sort is required
when learning to use the Karambit.
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Q: What is the Modern
Karambit Method?
A: The Modern Karambit Method is the usage of
the modern fixed and folding karambit for
utility, personal safety and martial arts
applications. These three areas of application
were made popular by Karambit authority Steve
Tarani.
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Questions about the folding Karambit
Q.
On the folding Karambit, I am concerned about
the placement of the locking bar release in the
center of the handle on the folding Karambit. In
use, under pressure, how will this hold up?
A: The Front Locking System is a specially
designed double-safety locking mechanism that
requires 100% depression with an individual
digit applied directly over the release bar.
There is no other way to depress the mechanism
other than this. If you are worried about
rigorous use "accidentally" disengaging the lock
and the blade folding on your fingers, remember
that there are two pieces of interlocking S30V
steel holding the blade in an open locked
position with the additional support of an
internal safety bar (also made of hardened
steel), requiring 100% depression of the release
bar with a single digit only. In order for the
Front Locking System to fail you'd need to be
able to break two pieces of interlocking S30V
steel with your bare hands.
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Q. I have read your
detailed review of the lock, but don't
understand how the unlock lever responds when
held in the point down grip under stress.
A: Basically you can squeeze the heck out of it
as hard as you want and even at 80% or even 90%
depression the mechanism to release WILL NOT
engage. Again, the front lock may only be
released if it is the case that a single finger
depresses the release bar 100% below the lock
line in order to disengage the steel safety bar
thus releasing the interlocking steel plates.
The interlocking steel plates together with the
steel safety bar offer the absolute safest
locking system of any folding Karambit to be
used for utility, personal defense and martial
arts application.
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Q. Why is the safety ring
of the Tarani folding Karambit so big?
A: A tremendous amount of foresight and planning
went into the safety ring. There are numerous
reasons for the size of the safety ring.
However, for sake of brevity we will quickly
address only a handful of these important
reasons - Indexing, Gross Motor Skills, utility
carry and operation. Indexing is the ability to
find something quickly. For example when driving
a car how important is it to find the gas and
brake pedals with your feet on the floor -
"indexing" the floor controls - when you really
need them? The same reason why the pedals on
your car are not the size of pencil erasers is
the exact same reason why the safety ring is not
a smaller diameter. Gross motor skills are those
skills that use less bodily movement and are
more reliable when your adrenaline is pumping
and you are frightened. For example say you're
driving on the freeway at about 75 miles per
hour and all of a sudden someone cuts in front
of you, the two choices being grip the wheel
tightly with both hands and swerve out of the
way (gross motor skill) or extend one of your
fingers along the edge of the steering wheel and
delicately finesse (fine motor skill) your way
out of pending doom, which would you choose? The
same goes for the safety ring. In the event of
your needed to defend yourself in a
life-or-death situation, wide-eyed and
adrenaline pumping would you want to try and "thread the needle-hole" with your finger (fine
motor skill) or just jam your finger into a
rapidly accessible wider opening (gross motor
skill)? Utility carry is for any camper, hiker,
fisherman, construction worker, etc., who simply
wishes to clip off the knife on his gear, on a
rope, through a carabineer, etc., through the
safety ring. Operation, especially for those who
are martially skilled and truly understand the
full capabilities of operating a Karambit (for
martial arts and self-defense), clearly
understand that rapid application and
hand-transitions are specifically reliant on a
larger ring.
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Q. Why is the safety ring
one thick solid piece as opposed to two
concentric thin pieces?
A: The safety ring should feel secure and
"solid" in the hands of the operator. This
ensures ease of use and less chance of slippage.
Liken it to our earlier example of say you’re
driving on the freeway at about 75 miles per
hour and all of a sudden someone cuts in front
of you. In a panic you grip the wheel tightly
with both hands (white knuckle) and swerve out
of the way. In this example which would you
rather wrap your fingers around - a nice big
thick beefy steering wheel or something the
thickness of a coat-hanger?
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Q. Why isn't the Tarani
Folding Karambit double-edged?
A: Imagine the outside edge being as razor sharp
as the inside edge. Next, visualize the blade
being folded in the closed position and clipped
into your pocket. Now what kind of fun would it
be to have an unprotected razor sharp blade edge
moving around inside your pocket!
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Q. What are the functions
of the front and rear brakes?
A: The front brake is for application of the
thumb or the #3 finger (depending upon your
grip) in downward cutting. The rear brake is for
application of the meaty portion of the palm or
the #2 finger (again dependant upon your grip)
in upward cutting.
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Q. Why is the blade on the
Tarani Folding Karambit more curved than the
fixed Karambit?
A: The Tarani Folding Karambit - by function of
design - cannot be a double-edged folding knife,
thus the curvature must compensate for the
majority of cutting along the inside edged.
Whereas the Strider/ Tarani fixed Karambit in
fact is a double-edged knife and therefore - by
function of design - must allow for application
of both edges (and tip).
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Q.
Is the locking mechanism safe?
A: Yes. Unlike what you may be used to seeing on
older folding knives (such as the age-old "back
lock"), the Front Lock System is a most recent
and modern invention which literally interlocks
two pieces of steel and engages an additional
"safety bar" which doubles the security of the
lock. This is the exact reason why some people
complain "it seems a little stiff when closing"
- because in order to otherwise defeat the Front
Lock System you'd literally need to break two
pieces of interlocking hardened steel with your
bare hands. To find out more detailed
information about the Front Locking System
click here.
