Overview
Our sharpening service will provide a good serviceable edge on the blade. The result is typically “very sharp” with a small secondary bevel and a bit of an “apple seed” profile. The resulting edge is somewhat dependent on the particular blade. Some blades will take and hold sharper edges than others and the thickness of the blade will determine how wide the bevel will need to be. We adjust the angle of the edge to suit the specific blade and attempt to get as close to a bevel-less edge as possible without marring the surface of the blade.
The Sharpening Process
The sharpening service is done with a belt sander. The process involves many passes with sanding belts of various grits. The blades are rested between passes to prevent them from becoming hot and damaging their temper. By default we will sharpen as much of the blade as possible including any false edges if appropriate. If you have a different preference, feel free to make that request in the special instructions at check out. We can sharpen only the last half or third of an edge, for example. Our sword sharpening expert has personally sharpened several thousand swords at this point, so will provide you with a professional service.
What the Service is Not
The resulting edge will be “sword sharp” not razor sharp. Our goal is to provide you with a usable edge for cutting practice that will hold up to some use and not require constant re-sharpening. In other words, we intend to provide you with a serviceable weapon, not a personal grooming implement. The service will not provide a completely bevel-less edge. To create that type of edge will necessarily scratch up the blade surface and we lack the machinery and time to provide a full re-polishing of a blade’s surface. A service of that nature would be significantly more expensive as a great deal more time would be required. We do not offer this type of service at this time.
Disclaimer
We make no guarantee that the resulting edge will meet with your expectations. Every blade is different and some will take and hold a sharper edge than others, due to the blade material, heat treatment or geometry. Some customers can also have incorrect assumptions about sword sharpness and improper expectations as a result. All we can say for sure is that the resulting edge will be sharper than the default edge, in most cases, significantly so. We can not provide any refunds for the service once it has been completed, so consider it to be provided “as is”. That being said, if you are unhappy with the product for any reason, we do still allow you to return the item for a full refund, including the sharpening costs under our normal return policy. This does not apply to special sharpening requests, for example if we sharpen something specially for you that does not normally list that option on our site. The vast majority of our customers are happy with the results of the service, so as long as you keep the above mentioned in mind, we are confident you will be pleased with the results as well.
Daniel Flynn –
Decently made, but a few concerns The knife itself has real aesthetic beauty and makes for a great conversation starter. In terms of function, it was very useful opening cardboard boxes. I can say nothing about its renowned ability to disembowel assailants with one slash. The construction seems sturdy enough, but the damascus steel blade has a few imperfections (some cleavage in one area) and feels crudely made, yet it somehow adds to the overall aesthetic: it’s a mean-looking knife. My primary concern, or complaint, is the sheath. While it is decently made, it is clearly oriented for a left handed person to carry. Ideally, I would like to draw the knife from my hip with my right index finger inside the loop. This is not possible given the orientation of the sheath. Still, I quite like the knife overall enough to recommend it, especially at the current price. As usual KoA’s customer service and speedy shipping was spot on!
Marcus O. –
Has imperfections but is reasonable for price. I was surprised it did not come with its own box, I received it out of its sheath under some packing paper in the shipping box where it was sliding around freely and the entire knife and sheath is covered in some type of oil residue. The knife as a whole is very solid and looks beautiful, the handle has no problems besides an uneven cut at the ring, the edge has something to be desired though. Very rough sharpening job with a very small chip (nothing a resharpen wouldn’t fix) but for the price you can’t go wrong, its a really cool addition to the collection.
Michael M. –
Larger than expected And that’s the only real criticism I can fairly make. I just assumed that the hand model in the photos has small hands. They might, but not very. It’s nine and three quarter inches if you hold a ruler against it. Measuring the curve (as your hand rests along the hilt) it’s…rather longer.
That said, the construction is solid. I think the impression of crudeness that another reviewer had is created more by the nature of the knife than the actual construction of this one. The assembly is good, handle well-pinned and inlay smooth. The edge is a little steep, but it’s a machine-finished edge, so that’s what you get. As it dulls, I’ll put a truer edge on it, but so far for daily use it hasn’t given up its sharpness, so I’m optimistic.
Justin J. –
Big Heavy-Duty Karambit If you’re looking for a karambit to carry defensively, or practice martial arts with, this probably isn’t the one for you. It’s bigger than it looks and is heavier than I expected. Think if it as the full size 1911 of the Karambit world. (Here it is next to a full size ka-bar for scale http://i.imgur.com/QOieQuT.jpg ) It’s a lot of knife for sure, and the added weights really wears on your finger quite fast. The finger ring also isn’t rounded on the inside, which made flipping uncomfortable) but that’s nothing 10 minutes with some sandpaper didn’t fix. But even then the weight made my finger sore pretty fast. The bone handle on mine is solid and looks amazing, but there is a small rough patch, but nothing too critical for this price range. It came with a really nice edge, sharper than I expected but I’ll be touching it up with a ceramic honing rod. (You can see where it needs touching up here http://i.imgur.com/QfdWRoO.jpg )The sheath however is iffy. I worse it on my belt for just one day to show it off and there is already signs of wear that don’t say much for its longevity. Plus there’s almost no retention at all and the button would come unsnapped without me noticing, so even casually carrying it in its sheath is something I wont be doing. It does look nice when not in use though. The box it shipped in was a lot larger than I thought it would be. When I saw it at the mailbox I initially thought they had sent me the wrong thing. (size of box with knife in it http://i.imgur.com/V9n9NVk.jpg ) the excess space was packed really tightly with wadded paper, and for some reason the knife and sheath were wound in paper separately.
The other reviewers are accurate when the mention it looks crudely made. The sheer overbuilt size of this thing proves that, but it’s still a very well made knife and the heft and length of that claw blade only seems to add to how intimidating this thing is. Plus the Damascus (or whatever “correct” term you choose to use) isn’t the best I’ve ever seen but it also adds to that crude charm I adore. Karambits are devastating on their own, but in a trained hand this one would be horrifying. However I didn’t buy this as a weapon and I’m not a practitioner of Silat/Kali or whatever. I got it for the cool factor and because I love both karambit knives and Damascus steel. And for the price I am very impressed. VERY impressed.
TL;DR – Should you buy this? It’s a big and heavy Karambit that most likely not ideal for a carry blade/martial arts. But if you want a really cool rugged Damascus karambit for a good price by all means buy one!
A side note – The video review on youtube said this knife was made by Devils Edge in Pakistan, but the button on my sheath says “Great seal of the state of Oklahoma 1907”
Anton –
Massive combat implement This is not a beautiful knife. It is a no nonsense fighting close combat weapon. It is like a large sword, built with one purpose, to cause massive damage. It’s beauty in the eye of the wielder is in knowing that it will save your life if you ever need it. It is a warriors last ditch personal defense weapon built to never fail if you do your part. Crude by today’s standards, but elegant in what it can do.
Aaron –
Good knife for the price! The size, shape, sheath, etc are all exactly as advertised. Yes it is larger than the average Karambit and is oriented to be drawn in the forward grip from the sheathe – however this is exactly how it is advertised, so I don’t know why anyone would expect anything else.
I also find that the forward grip works better with this particular design due to its size and shallow blade curve (for a karambit) – so far at least – so I don’t think the sheath orientation will be a problem.
My only (minor) issues with the knife so far (and the reason I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5) are that there is a tiny nick in the blade near the tip – presumably from hasty sharpening or packaging – and there are also a couple of spots of minor corrosion on the metal of the handle, likely because it appears they only oiled the blade and the ring before storage/shipping and not the exposed metal of the handle.
As I say though these are minor issues which I will easily be able to sharpen/polish away – and they do not detract from the overall quality or performance of the knife. Nor do they detract from the beauty of the patterned “Damascus” steel or the knife as a whole.
I would definitely recommend this knife – it is an excellent product for the price.
Arthiem –
Beautiful, thicc, sharp, cheap. What more could you ask for?
This Karambit blew me away with the sheer size of it. The durability of the steel, and the grind of the blade. Very clean lines.
The bone handle also very nice. May not be 100% symmetrical but it’s fitted well and polished nicely.
The sheath is also hefty and thick, but if you dont wanto to cut the threads i suggest a little super glue to protect the stitching on the opening of the sheath, the tip of the knife will cut it otherwise.
Highly reccomend, people at work think its a $200 knife, so you get a lot of bang for your buck.
Curtis R. (verified owner) –
Beautiful knife, well balanced and sharp.
sampsonsnyder (verified owner) –
Great knife, very comfortable to hold, very sturdy, and the Damascus looks great, can’t see any blemishes or anything of the sort! The blade is decently sharpened, and the handle is beautiful. The sheath is functional and looks nice. I would highly recommend this product, this is my favorite blade I’ve ever owned!