Lost my EDC knife (Leatherman C303) about a couple of months ago (no clue where it went) so I was in the market for another knife.
I was looking for something that had an assist opening like the C303 and initially I wasn't looking to spend more than $60.
I came across a youtube video on a karambit style knife and martial applications. Being a martial artist myself and seeing that the applications were similar to a chizikunbo (aka kubotan) which I’m trained on. My interest became piqued on that type of knife so I began looking into folding karambits. Emerson was the first brand to pop up but with a price tag of $280 I was a bit turned off. Came across the fox knives which used the Emerson’s wave design assisted opening draw feature with a lesser price tag of $130 and my interest became renewed.
I sat on it for about a month debating on if I wanted to double my initial investment in a knife, sat back read reviews and saw excellent feedback. Pulled the trigger. However, what they didn’t state was the wait time…. 4-6 weeks. So patiently I waited.
5 weeks passed and at my door came this beauty:
First impressions:
Knife appears to be well made. What got my interest was the grip. It was really grippy Teflon texture that secured the knife not only in my hand but also secured it in my pocket extremely well.
The ring was impressive. I was a bit hesitant as I’ve never owned a knife which had a ring which was secured by a finger. I was a bit hesitant to order because of it. Having played with it you get such a more secure grip and retention is extremely high in a stressful violent encounter.
Martial applications:
What I like about this knife which not many people on reviews make note of it is the non-lethal capabilities of this instrument. Perhaps its because I have experience with the chizikunbo and applications associated with it. (NOTE - For all references I will be carrying and utilizing this knife in the traditional reverse grip application)
The Ring:
The ring around the index finger basically creates a “brass knuckle”. Striking with this with a modified fist is easy, natural (to me), and the impact with this so far has not had a significant issue in retention or slipping of grip during multiple strikes.
One drawback on this that I have noticed compared to the chizikunbo is that soft target strikes will not be as effective. A chizikunbo is basically a small handheld rod so when used punching you can get deep penetration in soft tissue targets. The ring has no penetration capabilities therefore strikes utilizing the ring will only achieve optimal effectiveness on hard target areas. As such I’d keep strikes in this manner limited to the head focusing on the orbital area, temple, jaw. Methods would be simple such as a jab, hook, uppercut.
So far I have not experienced any detriment in striking in this fashion.
The Head (When closed):
The Head of the knife (as I call it when it's fully closed) would focus almost exactly like a chizikunbo in that striking would be done in a hammer fist style attack. Also, hooking, wrist locks and attacking nerve clusters would be greatly enhanced utilizing the butt.
Optimal areas to hit – head, collar bone, radial nerve on arm, wrist, solar plexus, inside the knee on a nerve cluster.
As you can see soft tissue targets utilizing the hammerfist method aren’t an issue as penetration can be achieved into the muscles. And by penetration I mean the kinetic energy of the attack deep into the muscle and organs due to the blunt object extends the fist by more than a half inch.
Knife deployed:
If you feel your life is in imminent death or severe bodily harm (significantly larger opponent, multiple opponents, armed opponent) you can deploy the knife in 3 ways. 2 of which I exclusively use:
1) Emerson wave feature allows you upon drawing the knife to deploy the knife almost automatically but twisting the knife and drawing a bit forward. The notch on the knife hooks on the fabric of the pocket and deploys the knife exceedingly fast. This reduces a step in the deployment of the knife upon drawing therefore after this assisted deployment all you have to do is grip the knife.
2) If initially deployed in a non-lethal manner you can easily deploy the knife by rubbing it against your body. The Emerson wave is so pronounced on this knife that it makes a draw in this manner extremely quick.
3) If holding the knife in the forward grip (not reverse grip) there is a quick assist notch that helps in drawing the blade with a flick of the wrist (not utilized as a primary function by myself).
Once deployed what are your options. With anything in real life you want something simple with no thought process and simple. The way I use this knife is to augment my closed fist striking style. What I’ve noticed with simple strikes:
1) Jab - low percentage of cutting ability but using the ring you will increase striking damage.
2) Hook – high degree of cutting ability based on the motion of the strike
3) Upper cut – mid level degree of cutting ability depending on where the fist lands and how your opponent moves
Hooking and join manipulations still available upon deployment of the blade. Based on initial testing it seems the back end of the knife still provides the ability to render wrist manipulations and strikes to the radial nerve on the arm to allow for enhanced cutting tactics as well as trapping techniques.
I find the locking method of the knife to be sufficient and there is an extension on the blade which is designed to catch your finger if the knife is “unlocked” during a fight so as not to cut your fingers holding while holding this knife. At this point I don’t feel apprehensive in utilizing this based on what I have tested so far.
Drawbacks against traditional drop point knives:
1) Concealable wearing in pocket – the ring gives away your weapon. It calls out to those who pay attention that you are packing a knife. More so than a traditional pocket knife.
2) Stabbing – the curve of the blade is made primarily to cut so you have to become aware that this weapon is primarily for slicing. Because of this you won’t get a deep penetration with regards to a stabbing motion. You have to know vulnerable areas to slice to provide maximum damage to your opponent to end the engagement quickly.
3) Utility knife – They market this thing as a good utility knife. It’s mediocre at best as a utility knife. Yes it can open packages and cut rope, etc. But a drop point knife does that easier than the curved blade.
4) Maintenance and sharpening – This is probably a personal issue for me. I’ve owned drop point knives my entire life so I know how to sharpen them well enough to have them function well for years of use. I will have to research how to sharpen this knife if it becomes dull from use.
I was looking for something that had an assist opening like the C303 and initially I wasn't looking to spend more than $60.
I came across a youtube video on a karambit style knife and martial applications. Being a martial artist myself and seeing that the applications were similar to a chizikunbo (aka kubotan) which I’m trained on. My interest became piqued on that type of knife so I began looking into folding karambits. Emerson was the first brand to pop up but with a price tag of $280 I was a bit turned off. Came across the fox knives which used the Emerson’s wave design assisted opening draw feature with a lesser price tag of $130 and my interest became renewed.
I sat on it for about a month debating on if I wanted to double my initial investment in a knife, sat back read reviews and saw excellent feedback. Pulled the trigger. However, what they didn’t state was the wait time…. 4-6 weeks. So patiently I waited.
5 weeks passed and at my door came this beauty:
First impressions:
Knife appears to be well made. What got my interest was the grip. It was really grippy Teflon texture that secured the knife not only in my hand but also secured it in my pocket extremely well.
The ring was impressive. I was a bit hesitant as I’ve never owned a knife which had a ring which was secured by a finger. I was a bit hesitant to order because of it. Having played with it you get such a more secure grip and retention is extremely high in a stressful violent encounter.
Martial applications:
What I like about this knife which not many people on reviews make note of it is the non-lethal capabilities of this instrument. Perhaps its because I have experience with the chizikunbo and applications associated with it. (NOTE - For all references I will be carrying and utilizing this knife in the traditional reverse grip application)
The Ring:
The ring around the index finger basically creates a “brass knuckle”. Striking with this with a modified fist is easy, natural (to me), and the impact with this so far has not had a significant issue in retention or slipping of grip during multiple strikes.
One drawback on this that I have noticed compared to the chizikunbo is that soft target strikes will not be as effective. A chizikunbo is basically a small handheld rod so when used punching you can get deep penetration in soft tissue targets. The ring has no penetration capabilities therefore strikes utilizing the ring will only achieve optimal effectiveness on hard target areas. As such I’d keep strikes in this manner limited to the head focusing on the orbital area, temple, jaw. Methods would be simple such as a jab, hook, uppercut.
So far I have not experienced any detriment in striking in this fashion.
The Head (When closed):
The Head of the knife (as I call it when it's fully closed) would focus almost exactly like a chizikunbo in that striking would be done in a hammer fist style attack. Also, hooking, wrist locks and attacking nerve clusters would be greatly enhanced utilizing the butt.
Optimal areas to hit – head, collar bone, radial nerve on arm, wrist, solar plexus, inside the knee on a nerve cluster.
As you can see soft tissue targets utilizing the hammerfist method aren’t an issue as penetration can be achieved into the muscles. And by penetration I mean the kinetic energy of the attack deep into the muscle and organs due to the blunt object extends the fist by more than a half inch.
Knife deployed:
If you feel your life is in imminent death or severe bodily harm (significantly larger opponent, multiple opponents, armed opponent) you can deploy the knife in 3 ways. 2 of which I exclusively use:
1) Emerson wave feature allows you upon drawing the knife to deploy the knife almost automatically but twisting the knife and drawing a bit forward. The notch on the knife hooks on the fabric of the pocket and deploys the knife exceedingly fast. This reduces a step in the deployment of the knife upon drawing therefore after this assisted deployment all you have to do is grip the knife.
2) If initially deployed in a non-lethal manner you can easily deploy the knife by rubbing it against your body. The Emerson wave is so pronounced on this knife that it makes a draw in this manner extremely quick.
3) If holding the knife in the forward grip (not reverse grip) there is a quick assist notch that helps in drawing the blade with a flick of the wrist (not utilized as a primary function by myself).
Once deployed what are your options. With anything in real life you want something simple with no thought process and simple. The way I use this knife is to augment my closed fist striking style. What I’ve noticed with simple strikes:
1) Jab - low percentage of cutting ability but using the ring you will increase striking damage.
2) Hook – high degree of cutting ability based on the motion of the strike
3) Upper cut – mid level degree of cutting ability depending on where the fist lands and how your opponent moves
Hooking and join manipulations still available upon deployment of the blade. Based on initial testing it seems the back end of the knife still provides the ability to render wrist manipulations and strikes to the radial nerve on the arm to allow for enhanced cutting tactics as well as trapping techniques.
I find the locking method of the knife to be sufficient and there is an extension on the blade which is designed to catch your finger if the knife is “unlocked” during a fight so as not to cut your fingers holding while holding this knife. At this point I don’t feel apprehensive in utilizing this based on what I have tested so far.
Drawbacks against traditional drop point knives:
1) Concealable wearing in pocket – the ring gives away your weapon. It calls out to those who pay attention that you are packing a knife. More so than a traditional pocket knife.
2) Stabbing – the curve of the blade is made primarily to cut so you have to become aware that this weapon is primarily for slicing. Because of this you won’t get a deep penetration with regards to a stabbing motion. You have to know vulnerable areas to slice to provide maximum damage to your opponent to end the engagement quickly.
3) Utility knife – They market this thing as a good utility knife. It’s mediocre at best as a utility knife. Yes it can open packages and cut rope, etc. But a drop point knife does that easier than the curved blade.
4) Maintenance and sharpening – This is probably a personal issue for me. I’ve owned drop point knives my entire life so I know how to sharpen them well enough to have them function well for years of use. I will have to research how to sharpen this knife if it becomes dull from use.
