Staff Sgt. David B. served in Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Iraq.
One night his squad was assigned to clear a block of 12 buildings. It was thought insurgents were hiding in the area.
After clearing the first 9 buildings, the U.S. soldiers hadn’t found any enemy fighters.
But at the tenth building, two insurgents were waiting with machine guns, and David’s platoon came under fire.
As they opened fire, more insurgents from nearby windows ambushed the platoon.
The soldiers were trapped inside the building, getting hit by glass and shrapnel.
Realizing that he had no other option, David moved into the fatal funnel of the hallway and fired at the enemy. He forced them out of the building and into the streets.
David returned to the building to look for more enemy soldiers.
He could hear them talking inside the building. He looked into one of the rooms and could see an insurgent with an RPG.
He killed the insurgent before he could fire the RPG.
After taking out four insurgents, David was confronted by an enemy fighter. They engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
During the fight, David put his hand over the insurgent’s mouth but the man bit his left hand.
So David struck him with a plate from his ballistic vest. But as David stood up the insurgent bit him in his groin area.
Then, David pulled out his knife.
He moved his arm down in a stabbing motion into the enemy.
Next, David put his hand over the insurgent’s mouth and pushed on his chest. He did this until he was exhausted and covered in blood.
His fellow soldiers finally came to his aid and got him out of the building.
The reality is that whether you are a soldier or not you should always have a weapon of last resort – and a knife is a great option.
But, there are many different styles of knives for many purposes.
And one style of knife that is popular for its deadly design is the karambit knife.
This style knife was first used in Indonesia and was inspired by the claws of tigers.
Why is the karambit style so popular?
One of the reasons that the karambit is used by knife fighters is that the design makes it difficult for someone to take the knife away.
Also, it’s a fixed blade style so you don’t have to worry about unfolding the knife when you need it in an emergency.
And you can find karambit knives in all different sizes – definitely small enough to conceal as a backup weapon.
The cutting blade of the karambit is different from other knives because it curves like a tiger’s claw.
And it has a safety ring to help keep the user from dropping the knife.
The karambit is a favorite among many people who are involved with mixed martial arts.
Like hand-to-hand fighting, knife fighting is an art that takes a lot of practice. Martial arts and knife fighting often go hand in hand when training.
Drawbacks to karambit knives.
The biggest drawback to karambit-style knives is that they are better suited for fighting than for survival.
They’re not the best knives for chopping firewood or other survival tasks, but could be used in a pinch.
The design of the knife makes it best for close-quarters fighting, so you’ll have to be comfortable being in close to an attacker.
Also, since the knife style is used for fighting it takes training and time to learn how to be effective with it.
If you think a karambit knife might be a good self-defense option, here are a few to check out.
Cold Steel Tiger Claw Karambit:
The Tiger Claw is similar to a traditional knife but has the characteristics of a karambit with a tiger claw-inspired blade.
The handle is akin to a pocket knife handle but has an aluminum finger loop at the opposite end.
It also has a blade length of 3.25″ and a back-lock locking system.
This is a folding karambit knife so the only way to deploy the knife is using your thumb.
Fox Knives Karambit:
This karambit folder has a dark-earth-colored handle with a finger ring and hawksbill blade.
The knife has an overall length of 8.50″ when opened, and the blade is 3.10″ long and 0.12″ thick, and is made from Bohler N690 steel and has a plain edge.
The handle has a lock tab and tip-up carry pocket clip.
Broker Wildcat Karambit:
The Wildcat has a finger ring that’s accessible when hanging in a pocket thanks to a reversible pocket clip. This allows the knife to open quickly when needed.
The blade can be opened gently via the thumb hole or swiftly via the flipper.
It has a stainless steel blade and a fiberglass handle. The blade is almost 3″ long and is 0.13″ thick and has a plain edge.
The knife weighs about 4 oz.
If you are looking for a quality knife that you can conceal for self-defense, a karambit style might be a good choice.
As a last resort weapon for self-defense, you can’t go wrong with a karambit.
