Looking for suggestions for a Karahawk trainer

Discuss Spyderco's products and history.
zuludelta
Member
Posts: 757
Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2019 12:54 pm

Looking for suggestions for a Karahawk trainer

#1

Post by zuludelta »

Hey all, just wondering if any of you FMA or Silat practitioners out there have tried to use a blunted non-Spyderco karambit as a trainer for the Karahawk, and if so, which models have you found to reasonably approximate the weight, handle shape, and handle thickness of the Karahawk.

I know, I know, ideally, if I want to make a Karahawk trainer, I should just buy a 2nd Karahawk and then just blunt its edge & tip but that is way too expensive & wasteful a proposition for me. Right now I'm reasonably content with using a blunted fixed-blade SOG Gambit as my Karahawk trainer—its blade length, weight, handle thickness, and retention ring orientation are fairly close to the Karahawk's—but it could use a more pronounced curve to the blade & I was wondering if there's a better option out there. (Note that I'm using the trainer primarily for flow drills, grip transitions, & sparring and not for deployment drills, so folding/Emerson wave features aren't that important to me... also, I doubt that there are any budget folding karambits out there that are anywhere near as thin as the Karahawk... or any premium ones for that matter)

Thanks in advance for any & all replies!
User avatar
Pancake
Member
Posts: 1146
Joined: Sat Jun 01, 2019 4:52 am

Re: Looking for suggestions for a Karahawk trainer

#2

Post by Pancake »

A stupid question, does it have to fold?
If no, you can go DIY route and make one/ ask a friend to make one. You don't need any alloyed steel, some piece of steel for welding is good. Throw some slab of it and call it a trainer.
In the pocket: Chaparral FRN, Native Chief, Police 4 K390, Pacific Salt SE, Manix 2 G10 REX45
User avatar
ZrowsN1s
Member
Posts: 7325
Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2016 5:08 pm
Location: San Diego, California USA

Re: Looking for suggestions for a Karahawk trainer

#3

Post by ZrowsN1s »

Fox knives has a trainer thats close for about 115$ cold steel has a rubber one that isn't close for 10$. Kershaw sells a regular training knife with a wave for 20$ it has a decent weight to it and lets you practice reverse grip draws. Down side of course no ring and no curved blade. But for fast reverse grip draw practice, or regular wave practice the price is hard to beat and it's a good analog for a real knife.
-Matt a.k.a. Lo_Que, loadedquestions135 I ❤ The P'KAL :bug-red

"The world of edges has a small doorway in, but opens into a cavern that is both wide and deep." -sal
"Ghost hunters scope the edge." -sal
zuludelta
Member
Posts: 757
Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2019 12:54 pm

Re: Looking for suggestions for a Karahawk trainer

#4

Post by zuludelta »

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, much appreciated.
ZrowsN1s wrote:
Sun Sep 22, 2019 2:16 am
Fox knives has a trainer thats close for about 115$
I have thought of getting the trainer for the Fox 479 as a Karahawk trainer... I have handled a Fox 479 before & it's a fair bit bigger than the Karahawk, but since I emphasize gross motor movements when practicing, the discrepancy might not be that big of an issue & the Emerson Wave feature is a plus. Still pricey, but definitely cheaper than getting a 2nd Karahawk & then blunting its blade.

I've also considered getting the trainer for the Boker Wildcat. It's about half the price of the Fox trainer, I can simulate the wave opening feature by using the zip-tie hack on the opening hole, and the blade shape & flipper means it can also pull double-duty as a trainer for the Introvert (which is another FMA/SD-oriented Spyderco folder I'm having trouble finding a reasonable trainer for).
Post Reply