Karahawk complaints

Officer Gigglez · #1

I hate to be that guy, but I feel that it should be said. Firstly, let me be clear; this is entirely MY opinion, and YMMV. As such, the blade is great and as with every Spydie, it carries their trademark all around excellence in build quality. That being said, I have some complaints about the design. Call it... constructive criticism. And really, this is the very first time I have ever had a complaint about a Spyderco. Anyway, first off, the handle and scales are thin. Too thin. I realize this was a design choice to cut down on size and weight, but it is uncomfortable in my hands because of this, and I have medium/average type hands. It cuts into my hands because I feel like I have to white knuckle it to get a decent grip on it. Secondly and lastly, where the **** is the jimping? There is none on the rear of the finger hole and none on the thumb ramp. Seems like this is obvious? I feel a bit disappointed in it, as I did drop near 200 bucks on it, but I also realize this is the first iteration of the blade, and it is basically a prototype, if you will. I am going to keep the knife, and get some thick custom scales for it, as I do like it, but again, I feel a bit let down.
EDIT: And I forgot to note that I prefer the blade on a karambit to have more curve to it, and the Karahawk as is, is more of a Hawkbill blade on a karambit body.

Liquid Cobra · #2

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I'm sorry to hear that you are disappointed. However most, if not all of your criticisms seem like things you should have known going into it. Any review or photo or video I have seen depicted the knife with or without the things you describe. Personally if I felt as you did I wouldn't have made the purchase in the first place. Although, sometimes you never know until it's in your hand.

#3

Hi Officer,

thanx for the input. I'm hoping to get as much input as I can. We can determine what if any changes need to occur before a second run.

sal

Blerv · #4

I've yet to hold it let alone own it :) . Still, why do you need jimping on a knife with an index ring? The only way that thing is leaving your hand is with a bone saw...

IMHO, I dislike the jimping bandwagon. It's ruined the lines and comfort of some great knives with the illusion of safety. Put a couple hundred pounds of force into the handle and some bumpy steel isn't going to stop your hand from sliding up. At least nowhere near physical geometry like thumb ramps, handle indentations and finger rings.

Strong-Dog · #5

If you decide to wait for the second run, I'm sure one of the dumb*sses on ebay will gladly pay 2X as much as you paid for it.

Officer Gigglez · #6

Liquid Cobra wrote:Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I'm sorry to hear that you are disappointed. However most, if not all of your criticisms seem like things you should have known going into it. Any review or photo or video I have seen depicted the knife with or without the things you describe. Personally if I felt as you did I wouldn't have made the purchase in the first place. Although, sometimes you never know until it's in your hand.

Yes, I looked into it prior to buying, but I really didn't realize how big a difference the lack of jimping would make, and I didn't realize how thin it really was either.

Officer Gigglez · #7

Blerv wrote:I've yet to hold it let alone own it :) . Still, why do you need jimping on a knife with an index ring? The only way that thing is leaving your hand is with a bone saw...

IMHO, I dislike the jimping bandwagon. It's ruined the lines and comfort of some great knives with the illusion of safety. Put a couple hundred pounds of force into the handle and some bumpy steel isn't going to stop your hand from sliding up. At least nowhere near physical geometry like thumb ramps, handle indentations and finger rings.

Jimping makes my grip more secure, and while the lack of jimping is not all that noticeable on the finger ring, it is really noticeable on the thumb ramp when holding it in the forward grip. My thumb literally slides off when I pressure with my thumb.

Officer Gigglez · #8

Strong-Dog wrote:If you decide to wait for the second run, I'm sure one of the dumb*sses on ebay will gladly pay 2X as much as you paid for it.

If a second run occurs, and it fills my preferences, I would certainly pick one up, but otherwise, I won't bother and just stick with what I have.

SolidState · #9

You can always add jimping yourself. It takes a file and a little bit of time.

Officer Gigglez · #10

sal wrote:Hi Officer,

thanx for the input. I'm hoping to get as much input as I can. We can determine what if any changes need to occur before a second run.

sal

Its nice to see a company owner so involved in the community. I'll gladly grab up one of the second run iterations if it has what this one is missing.

JohnAPA · #11

I received mine yesterday and it is awesome. I like the angle of the blade for MBC applications, and I don't need jimping on top of the wave or on the ring. It's nice and compact and fits my hand well. I wear XL size gloves.

The only thing I can think of that would make it better would be a compression lock, but it feels very sturdy and tight with the double steel liners.

The construction is much like a Spyderco Police but a little thinner.

Liquid Cobra · #12

Glad you're liking it. I'm having a hard time bring patient for mine. Pics would help my patience

Officer Gigglez · #13

JohnAPA wrote:I received mine yesterday and it is awesome. I like the angle of the blade for MBC applications, and I don't need jimping on top of the wave or on the ring. It's nice and compact and fits my hand well. I wear XL size gloves.

The only thing I can think of that would make it better would be a compression lock, but it feels very sturdy and tight with the double steel liners.

The construction is much like a Spyderco Police but a little thinner.

I dont' NEED the jimping either. But I certainly prefer it. And as I said, its a great knife, and I Like it. It is already growing on me to where I'll love it, especially since I learned mine is a collector's club knife, and I am getting thicker custom scales.

Officer Gigglez · #14

Liquid Cobra wrote:Glad you're liking it. I'm having a hard time bring patient for mine. Pics would help my patience

I'd be posting some if I had a camera worth a ****.

IrishSpyder22 · #15

Figured I would post a quick snap shot.

jmh58 · #16

Nice^^^^^pic!! John

gijoe945 · #17

The backspring sticks up when the blade is open. When it is closed, the back is smooth. When it is sticking up, it is sharp enough to cut yourself.

Liquid Cobra · #18

IrishSpyder22 wrote:Figured I would post a quick snap shot.

Yay! Thanks for posting that. Sometimes I'm very surprised that a new blade comes out and people pick one up without posting pics. Much appreciated. Sweet glock btw.

JohnAPA · #19

gijoe945 wrote:The backspring sticks up when the blade is open. When it is closed, the back is smooth. When it is sticking up, it is sharp enough to cut yourself.

Mine doesn't have any sharp edges when the blade is open (except the blade itself). :confused:

Liquid Cobra · #20

gijoe945 wrote:The backspring sticks up when the blade is open. When it is closed, the back is smooth. When it is sticking up, it is sharp enough to cut yourself.

My Caly 3.5 is like this. It's annoying but no biggie. Mines not sharp though.