One of the knives I keep coming back to during this time of “social distancing” is one specifically designed for extreme close-quarters combat.
When you absolutely need to get somebody the HELL off you, the kerambit is an extremely vicious tool.
I don’t know if you remember back when this knife first hit the market…
…but I remember all the people who kept cutting open their own wrists spinning these things around!
It may have started as kind of a “knife fad,” but it’s here to stay now…
…And you might be surprised just how strongly people feel about it!
Whether you love the knife or you hate the knife, it also might surprise you to learn WHY other people don’t like it – and why the knife might STILL be a good choice for close-quarters combat…
…Especially now, when somebody who gets close to you could be endangering your life just by being there.
Why People Hate The Kerambit (And Why You Might Still Choose It)
Now, if you don’t know (and it’s okay if you don’t), a kerambit – sometimes spelled “karambit” – is a knife with a ring in the handle and a curved, talon-shaped blade.
It’s meant to be held in a reverse grip, with your index finger through the ring and the claw coming out of the bottom of your hand.
If you’ve seen movies like “The Man From Nowhere” or the sequel to “The Raid,” You’ve seen this type of knife on screen.
Spend any time talking about knives (especially self-defense knives) online, and you’ll read LOTS of strong opinions about them.
I can remember when the head of a major knife company wrote an entire article for his catalog about why the kerambit sucks, basically…
…and today, his company offers several versions of the design!
That kind of love-hate thing is really common with this wicked little Indonesian blade.
I’ve boiled down what I think are the top 3 reasons people hate it, though:
1. You Can’t Stab With It (Except You Can)
One of the things about a curved blade is that, obviously, you can’t stab in a straight line with it the way you can with a “normal” knife.
For a lot of people, this is a “no go.”
The thing is, you actually CAN stab with the kerambit.
You just kind of hook the blade into the target with an upward or side-to-side motion.
It will still go in nice and deep; you just have to practice the mechanics a little.
2. Reverse Grip Reduces Range (Except A “Knife Fight” Happens In Close Quarters
Another thing about reverse grip – the way the kerambit is intended to be held – is that it cuts down on your reach.
A lot of “knife people” believe this puts them at a disadvantage.
But, let me ask you:
If you were shooting at a target from across your living room, would you need a sniper rifle?
Fighting somebody while armed with a knife is a messy, brutal, close-quarters thing.
Range is pretty much non-existent when somebody is on top of you at knife distance.
This is where the kerambit works GREAT, in fact, because making reverse-grip slashes at extreme close quarters does a TON of damage!
3. They Can Be Expensive (But They Don’t Have To Be)
Finally, it’s a fact that kerambits can be pretty pricey.
Some of the nice ones out there will run you a couple of hundred bucks.
You don’t HAVE to spend a fortune, though, to get a great kerambit you can use at close-quarters.
There are plenty of inexpensive ones on the market, in both fixed and folding formats.
(Shop around, and find one that you like — because it will be a great addition to your survival and self-defense gear.)
Once you find one that works for you, you’ll find it’s an excellent tool for defending yourself at extreme close range.
And that’s what self-defense is all about, right?
