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Post by ckerler123 on Dec 11, 2017 4:03:43 GMT
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Post by kalkikrosah on Dec 11, 2017 16:40:38 GMT
Hello, and welcome to SBG. I own a TFW karambit myself and will try to answer your query to the best of my knowledge. Car brake discs are either cast iron or stainless steel, not spring steel. Typically spring steel is used in leaf springs for trucks and buses and is the preferred steel of Nepalese khukuri so its not outrageous for you to have assumed this to be the steel they used. For swords stainless steel is a major red flag, but for any blade under 12 inches (which this is) stainless steel isn't such a bad thing. Stainless is corrosive resistant and is much harder than carbon steels. If it comes sharp expect it to hold an edge for longer but also be harder to sharpen. As for the quality of the karambits, they LOOK nice. The first two have very nice looking, traditional scabbards and the third has a handmade leather sheath. I prefer a scabbard over a sheath for safety but the leather sheath has buttons for added portability. The first one has the best fit and finish. Everything is highly polished. It has a bulge right in the center of the grip so it should allow it to stay in your grip rather than squirming around after taking an impact. The coloring on the wood does seem to change in some of the pictures so if you do order this one it may appear lighter or darker than advertised. Out of the three this one gives the least details on the product so you're left to speculate what things are. The second one has polished wood but a rough finish on the blade with the same bulge in the grip as the first one. Its simpler in its construction and has a nice carved wooden scabbard. This is the one I would probably buy out of the ones you listed. Its full tang and triple pinned. The ring does look a tad bigger than the others so it may get misaligned when being flipped around. The third one is the most forthright about what you are getting, pointing out that it uses imitation deer horn. It says that it is sharpened on both sides but I have my doubts; the pictures don't show a good view of the back edge. It looks like the main edge has a slight secondary bevel on it. The ring appears to be very form fitting around the finger. If you have large hands it may be too tight and won't "flip" in your hands smoothly and may chafe. If you have small hands then it shouldn't be a problem. Ebay is always a risk. Even though its listed as different accounts the descriptions leads me to believe that they are all run by one person. "Happy Bidding " appears at the end of all of them and the "check out what other items I have on Ebay right now!" is at the top of the description rather than the bottom. Then there is the 10+ delivery time but all the reviews stating "speedy delivery!" These are red flags in my eyes. You may very well never see that $45 ever again so before you buy do be aware of the risk you are taking on a suspicious seller.
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Post by ckerler123 on Dec 11, 2017 21:23:23 GMT
Hmm I did not know that about car brake discs, I guess that kind of explains somewhat of a price difference between TFW and this maker, being that TFW uses a 5160/D2 blend. However, would you say that TFW's karambit is really worth 150 dollars more than this option? I have no doubt TFW's is superior but it just seems like a huge price difference. Regarding the sellers on eBay though, I've also noticed the similar description formats between them all. Although it does seem like a little bit of a risk and is definitely a long time to wait for shipping, I will still consider buying one. I'll still do some more searching for other traditional karambits that are sold by more reputable sellers, but if there are none to be found, I'll probably end up buying this one. Thanks for the response!
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Post by kalkikrosah on Dec 11, 2017 23:06:21 GMT
My TFW Karambit is great. It came Shaving sharp out of the box with both edges sharpened with an even convex edge, a mirror finish, authentic kamagong wooden handle scales, a kamagong scabbard and an iron belt clip. It is fully functional and looks great. My only two complaints are that the ring is too large for my fingers. I have small hands and slender fingers so it "wobbles" when I flip it around. Its fun to fool around with but I would ideally like the ring to be a snug fit. And two, I could have paid $20 more and gotten a TFW Ginunting which is 3x the size of their Karambit. So I do feel like I did overpay a bit in the sense that I could have gotten something "better" for my usage. But as far as the Karambit itself goes, the smiths did a flawless job constructing it. No blemishes at all. Part of the increased price has to do with the materials but also for the improved quality control. Its very rare for one of their products to slip through with a flaw and they are quick to fix the problem. As to whether or not it is worth $150 more than the Ebay ones you listed is largely up to your judgment. It all depends on how much use you plan on getting out of it.If you practice Kali or Silat and can use it to train with then by all means splurge for something you know is top notch. But if its just a display piece that will maybe get used once or twice before going into long term storage then I would recommend saving your money for something you really want. But there are a few other options I was considering when I was in the market for a Karambit. Devil's edge makes a damascus karambit they titled as "the talon" that is only $10 more than the $45 ones on Ebay. It is not traditional at all but has some functionality improvements. It has a longer blade, has a portable belt sheath, and it has a much better ring. The ring is a more snug fit on your finger and the outer part of the ring has flat parts to it which help you grip it better when you hold it in an extended grip. I opted not to get it because it is Damascus steel. While it looks pretty Damascus tarnishes super quickly. I don't like my blades being so "dainty" and corrosive-prone so I ruled that one out. But its up on Kult of Athena if you want to view it: kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=RA008The other one I was considering at the time was done by Zombie Tools. Despite the cringey name, they make very durable products. The finish is rather rough, which is the main reason why I skipped over them but It is slightly cheaper than TFW at $175.95. But again there are distinct improvements on the traditional design, namely in the ring. The ring has that flat part on the outside of it, but with a slight inward curve to better align with the shape of your finger in the extended grip and has a point on it that could be used as a window punch or just to focus all the force of your jab into one small area for a bigger wallop on your target. And then it comes with a tactical sheath for an everyday carry user. The other major downside is the wait time. 7-9 weeks is a rather short time (roughly two months) in comparison to say an Albion (a year) or Valiant Armory (3-4 months) but there is a wait time on this option that isn't there for the rest. It is only $20 cheaper than the TFW version so you may as well lump it into the same category. www.zombietools.net/shop/the-mauler/The last one I want to tell you about is one I found on a youtube video. The Bastinelli PiKa is something Doug Marcaida had a hand in designing. If I knew about it when I was looking for a Karambit I may have ordered this one. It is small, sleek and concealable. It is also extremely sharp, but not much to look at. If you want a self defense blade then this is the one I would have recommended to you. Sadly it looks as though they are out of stock on these karambits but $130 is the asking price on these, a happy middle ground between the Ebay karambits and the higher end stuff.
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Post by ckerler123 on Dec 12, 2017 1:04:54 GMT
Ohh, that seems to make more sense now, Kamagong is quite rare and demands a premium, plus its endangered apparently; I also agree with the fit and finish being better on the TFW. I'm not super involved with martial arts, but would like to soon; I just plan on getting it for display and possibly flipping and doing tricks along with practice cutting. So for these uses a top dollar karambit probably wouldn't be entirely necessary, it just adds a cool factor to me knowing that it would be a well assembled, functional tool that also looks nice. For some reason the look of the traditional Filipino/Indonesian karambits really appeal to me. Those links seem interesting though, I'm not a super big fan of Damascus either but the overall look of the Devils Edge is quite nice. The Zombie Tools and Bastinelli seem to be very well made and I like them both a lot, I have a lot of respect for Doug Marcaida and at the same time am a huge fan of the post-apocalyptic genre, so i will definitely consider ZT and Bastinelli. Thanks again for the insight!
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Post by kalkikrosah on Dec 12, 2017 4:58:11 GMT
No problem, glad my info was useful to you. Just be sure to buy a trainer version of the karambit before pulling the trigger on a real one. With the way they are designed the point can nick you right in the wrist and if it hits you in an artery that is going to be a real bloody mess. TFW sells them on their site for about $20 when you include shipping costs. www.traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/shop/training-karambits/I myself didn't heed this advice. My "trainer" was a cheapo spring-assisted Karambit I got for $10 at a fair. I never did have an accident but I would recommend you be smarter than I was. I was lucky to never have injured myself when flipping that thing around but it can happen if you're not careful.
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Ifrit
Member
More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Dec 16, 2017 6:31:00 GMT
Oh those are nice. I could uod use one
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Post by jonessteave on Jun 5, 2023 3:53:43 GMT
Hello, and welcome to SBG. I own a TFW karambit myself and will try to answer your query to the best of my knowledge.
Car brake discs are either cast iron or stainless steel, not spring steel. Typically spring steel is used in leaf springs for trucks and buses and is the preferred steel of Nepalese khukuri so its not outrageous for you to have assumed this to be the steel they used. For swords stainless steel is a major red flag, but for any blade under 12 inches (which this is) stainless steel isn't such a bad thing. Stainless is corrosive resistant and is much harder than carbon steels. If it comes sharp expect it to hold an edge for longer but also be harder to sharpen.
As for the quality of the karambits, they LOOK nice. The first two have very nice looking, traditional scabbards and the third has a handmade leather sheath. I prefer a scabbard over a sheath for safety but the leather sheath has buttons for added portability.
The first one has the best fit and finish. Everything is highly polished. It has a bulge right in the center of the grip so it should allow it to stay in your grip rather than squirming around after taking an impact. The coloring on the wood does seem to change in some of the pictures so if you do order this one it may appear lighter or darker than advertised. Out of the three this one gives the least details on the product so you're left to speculate what things are.
The second one has polished wood but a rough finish on the blade with the same bulge in the grip as the first one. Its simpler in its construction and has a nice carved wooden scabbard. This is the one I would probably buy out of the ones you listed. Its full tang and triple pinned. The ring does look a tad bigger than the others so it may get misaligned when being flipped around.
The third one is the most forthright about what you are getting Damascus Karambit Knives, pointing out that it uses imitation deer horn. It says that it is sharpened on both sides but I have my doubts; the pictures don't show a good view of the back edge. It looks like the main edge has a slight secondary bevel on it. The ring appears to be very form fitting around the finger. If you have large hands it may be too tight and won't "flip" in your hands smoothly and may chafe. If you have small hands then it shouldn't be a problem.
Ebay is always a risk. Even though its listed as different accounts the descriptions leads me to believe that they are all run by one person. "Happy Bidding " appears at the end of all of them and the "check out what other items I have on Ebay right now!" is at the top of the description rather than the bottom. Then there is the 10+ delivery time but all the reviews stating "speedy delivery!" These are red flags in my eyes. You may very well never see that $45 ever again so before you buy do be aware of the risk you are taking on a suspicious seller. hey guys so today I plan on profiling some knives for the next batch of heat treating. I have been playing around of a idea of doing a karambit style knife in my head....have any of you ever tried this? the part I see myself having trouble with is grinding the bevels because it is so curved. the only wasy I see of doing it on a kmg grinder is to use the edge of either the platen or wheel to put in the bevels I don't think it would work using the face of the platen because of the curve. I have never done a blade with a curve like that. I guess if the belt and the platen or wheel was thinner than 2 inches might make it a bit easier. I tried looking for videos but all I found is people putting in the bevels with a angle grinder...I have only tried that once and it came out horrible...trying to get some info on this before I jump in..any ideas would really help thanks guys
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Post by mrstabby on Jun 5, 2023 8:52:13 GMT
hey guys so today I plan on profiling some knives for the next batch of heat treating. I have been playing around of a idea of doing a karambit style knife in my head....have any of you ever tried this? the part I see myself having trouble with is grinding the bevels because it is so curved. the only wasy I see of doing it on a kmg grinder is to use the edge of either the platen or wheel to put in the bevels I don't think it would work using the face of the platen because of the curve. I have never done a blade with a curve like that. I guess if the belt and the platen or wheel was thinner than 2 inches might make it a bit easier. I tried looking for videos but all I found is people putting in the bevels with a angle grinder...I have only tried that once and it came out horrible...trying to get some info on this before I jump in..any ideas would really help thanks guys I haven't made any curved blades, but I have sharpened a few. If you can set the tension of the belt on a belt sander low, you can get some nice curves by pressing against the belt. For this to work, the blade needs to be roughly the shape you need it in before hand. A drum sander could work also, but I have not had any experience with one so I can't say really. I have used a drum sander bit on a dremel rotary tool to make small curved things, but its not easy to get something consistent with such a small tool on a big blade (for me at least).
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