The Spyderco Karahawk is, by all indications, intended by its designer Sal Glesser to be a defensive tool. The marketing copy on the Karahawk product page on Spyderco.com touts the “high-strength back lock mechanism designed to withstand the stresses of defensive use” and a finger ring optimized for “high-speed manipulation.” But can the Karahawk also serve effectively as a utility cutting tool in a warehouse setting?
The modern karambit is descended from the weaponized version of the small harvesting sickles used in Southeast Asian agrarian communities such as the
celurit and
arit of Indonesia; the
karit,
garab,
lilik, and
gapas of the Philippines; and the
sabit of Malaysia. In time, the karambit became incorporated in a number of the traditional martial arts native to those regions.
- Traditional Southeast Asian sickles on display at the International Rice Research Institute (source: Twitter user @DrewCamps)
It is that cultural connection that initially drew me to the Spyderco Karahawk several years ago. I am a Canadian of Filipino descent who dabbled in Remy Presas'
Modern Arnis system in my youth, and when I learned that my favourite knife company actually made a folding knife version of the karambit designed by one of my favourite knife designers, I immediately set about acquiring one.
It took a bit of saving up, though. The Karahawk is one of Spyderco's pricier production models. I paid about C$250 (roughly US$185) for my first Karahawk, the satin finish basic version in VG-10 steel. It was the most I had spent on a folding knife to that point, and it is the second most I have ever spent on a folding knife, all-time. First place on that list? My second Karahawk, an all-black model purchased a few years later.
- Satin finish Karahawk (top) and TiCN-coated All-black version (bottom)
I used that first Karahawk as one of my primary work knives for about two years straight. As many of you who have read my previous reviews and posts already know, a knife is my primary work tool. My official job title is “forklift operator” at one of the busiest warehouses in Western Canada but in practice, I spend at least half of my shift manually breaking down pallets of various products and preparing them for display, using a knife to cut nylon and polypropylene pallet straps, plastic pallet wrap, synthetic rope and netting, packing tape, and of course, cardboard boxes. So very many cardboard boxes. On a typical shift, I cut through anywhere between 25 to 60 metres (about 80 to 200 feet) of single-walled 200 lbs. and 275 lbs. test-rated cardboard. I cut more cardboard in a busy day at the warehouse than a small household does in a year, I imagine.
The Karahawk is what many knife users would consider a small or mid-sized folding knife. When open, it is actually a full centimetre shorter than a Native 5 Lightweight and a centimetre and a half shorter than the Delica 4. It is relatively wide in the pocket because of the protruding Emerson Wave opener on the spine of the blade, but it is very thin in profile, noticeably thinner than the already slim Delica 4. Because of this, the knife carries quite well in the pocket despite its atypical form. There is no hiding the finger ring when it is clipped to the right front pants pocket, but it is about as compact as one can get a folding karambit whilst still being large enough to be capable of actual utility tasks fit for a full-on work knife.
- Karahawk compared to the Delica 4, Endura 4, Para 3 LW, PM2, Yojimbo 2, and Native 5 LW
The Karahawk offers only slightly more cutting edge than a Dragonfly 2 Salt Hawkbill. This might seem inadequate for a work knife, but the Karahawk's disproportionately large handle means I can put a lot of force behind the blade without worrying about it rolling in my hand when using the knife in a conventional grip. It really feels like I can drive the cutting edge into material with a whole lot of power.
- Karahawk compared to the Dragonfly 2 Salt Hawkbill
Adding to this sense of "extreme cutting power" are the cutting dynamics of the Karahawk's hawkbill blade. The inward curve of the knife's cutting edge captures the material being cut, keeping it from slipping off the blade, allowing me to exert the maximum amount of pressure at the point of contact. This is especially useful when cutting pallet straps. More conventionally-shaped blades—particularly those with a significant belly—will regularly skate off heavy-duty pallet straps. This benefit isn't unique to the Karahawk, of course. Spyderco makes a number of production hawkbill folders, and all of them offer this capability to the user.
What is unique to the Karahawk as far as Spyderco's production line-up, however, is the combination of the finger ring and the licenced Emerson Wave opener. The finger ring is a little over 2.8 cm (roughly 1 and 1/8 of an inch) in its interior diameter, which is large enough that I can fit my index finger almost all the way to the knuckle even when wearing work gloves (I wear small/medium-sized gloves).
- Using the Karahawk's finger ring while wearing gloves
The Karahawk can be deployed for use much faster than any of my other folders, even faster than my Emerson Wave-equipped Delica 4. This is because of two factors: the Karahawk's slightly shorter opening arc, and the fact that using my index finger to pull the knife out of my pocket with the finger ring immediately seats it into my hand in a very secure reverse grip (the Karahawk is configured out-of-the-box for right-handed reverse grip). By contrast, I find that I must still make minor adjustments to my grip on the Emerson Wave Delica 4 after pulling it out of my pocket for it to be in a truly ready position.
- Karahawk in reverse grip
The finger ring and Emerson Wave opener also allow for even more unconventional opening methods, such as opening the knife into the reverse grip by using the Emerson Wave on the hem of the sleeve of one's jacket. It is very easy to set up the Karahawk for Wave deployment into the standard grip (it just means switching the clip to the other side), but in this configuration, whatever speed advantages it may have over other Emerson Wave-equipped folders are rendered largely moot.
- Karahawk in conventional grip
How useful one finds the Karahawk's idiosyncratic features in a work/utility setting, therefore, is largely dependent on how comfortable and skilled one is in using a knife in a reverse grip. I am well-enough practised in the use of a karambit (and knives in general) that I can be quite fast and accurate with the Karahawk held in a reverse grip to make short stroke (less than 30 centimetre) straight-line horizontal and vertical cuts, such as when cutting display windows into boxes. I also prefer using the Karahawk in a reverse grip when carefully cutting into boxes containing bagged product—I stabilize the knife against the box using the finger ring, and using the finger ring as a pivot, I can use slight changes in pressure from my palm to very precisely control the penetration depth of the blade tip before continuing with the cutting motion. Employing this technique, I have never accidentally cut into a boxed, bagged product using the Karahawk, something which I cannot say for many of the more conventional designs that have served in my work knife rotation.
What I really like about the Karahawk, and what keeps it returning to my work knife rotation even as it gets booted out to make room for a new knife every few months, is how the finger ring makes it very convenient to carry a knife in hand whilst doing something else with that same hand. With the Karahawk, I can go from cutting pallet straps, to stacking boxes of product, to typing on a computer, to cutting netting, to driving a forklift, to cutting cardboard, all without having to pocket and draw the knife (I am quite adept at using my ring finger or pinkie to open and close the Karahawk in the reverse grip). The ring allows relatively free use of my fingers even as I keep the Karahawk securely in hand, and in a very, very busy warehouse work environment where I find myself almost always multi-tasking, this is a real game-changer.
- There aren't very many knives that can be held at the ready while typing on a computer
The Karahawk is not without its weaknesses, of course. A knife design associated with violent, stylized martial arts displays in popular action films like
John Wick 3 and
The Raid 2 and martial arts instructor
Doug Marcaida of
Forged in FIre fame is likely to be regarded by the uninformed as a weapon instead of a tool regardless of usage context, and can attract unwanted scrutiny in the workplace and elsewhere. And then there is, as previously mentioned, the high price. I understand that G10 handle scales are more expensive in Japan (the Karahawk is manufactured in Seki City) and all the extra engineering, machining, and materials that go into making a folding karambit add significantly to the production cost, but paying upwards of C$250 for a small-ish, regular production folding knife in VG-10 steel is a bit hard to swallow, although that has become a bit more palatable now that the satin finish version has been discontinued and one can ascribe the premium price to increasing rarity. The C$300+ (approx. US$225+) that the still-in-production blacked-out Karahawk currently sells for, however, is “I need to hide this receipt from my wife/husband/significant other”-type money.
Speaking specifically of the blacked-out model, I have read—in this forum and others—of people having issues with the fit and finish of their all-black Karahawks. I have noticed this in mine, too. The G10 insert in the finger ring of my all-black Karahawk is not entirely flush with the ring's exterior circumference, whereas it is properly fitted in my older satin finish Karahawk. This flaw doesn't affect the functioning of the knife in any way, but it is definitely disappointing to see in light of what it cost.
- The G10 insert on my all-black Karahawk sits slightly proud of the finger ring
Overall thoughts: I've found the Karahawk to be an extremely useful and versatile work cutting tool over the years. And it is also just a lot of fun to use (one cannot spell “function” without “fun”, after all). I will freely concede, though, that my experience with the Karahawk is perhaps not likely to be shared by many others. The advantages I've found to using the model are somewhat peculiar to my specific work context, and I am already predisposed to like the idea of a folding karambit because of my cultural background. It is very possible that I am more willing than most to pay the retail cost for a Karahawk and overlook any potential fit-and-finish flaws. The pricing and design of the Spyderco Karahawk make it a niche product to be sure, but it is no “mall ninja” novelty; it can be pressed into service as a serious warehouse work knife. It can perform just as well as more conventional knives in this regard while offering substantial usability benefits to those able to take full advantage of its folding karambit conceit.
NOTE: Edited for formatting
