Karambit Knife, D2 Tool Steel with Green Resin Handle and Finger Ring

Green resin scales and a gray stonewashed D2 blade make this the one in the batch built to get wet and stay put. Resin takes up no water and D2 resists rust well. The shape came off Southeast Asian farms: a hooked hawkbill blade that cuts on the pull, with the steel finishing in a closed ring the index finger drops through. Four inches along the curve, 8.5 inches overall.

Specification

The blade

The steel is D2 tool steel, not a pattern welded bar, so there is no layer pattern here. The flat carries a gray stonewashed finish, softly mottled, and the bevel is ground to a mirror bright line down the hook. The edge runs 4 inches along the curve and cuts as you pull. D2 holds an edge longer than plain carbon and resists rust better. It is not stainless, though, and it takes more work to bring back on a stone.

The finger ring

The steel does not stop at the butt of the handle. It carries on past the resin into a ring, forged as part of the same piece and closed with no gap. Slide your index finger in and the weight of the knife sits on that finger, not in your hand. Set it down and it hangs from a thumb hooked through the ring.

The handle

The scales are stabilized green resin, a deep forest green swirled through with darker veining and small amber flecks. Resin is poured and set hard before it is shaped, so it takes up no water and does not mind a damp shed. It is polished smooth. Two brass pins run through into the tang, and the tang is full, so the steel shows as a bright line all round the resin.

What it is for

Think greenhouse and nursery work. Plant netting, pallet strapping, propagation trays and grow bags come apart on the pull. So do raffia, plant ties, soft prunings and a damp compost sack. That is what the hook does: it gathers the work onto the edge instead of skidding off. On a board it is the wrong tool, and the point is too fine to lever with.

The leather

A sheath for a hooked blade cannot be folded flat from one piece of hide, it has to be shaped. This one is cut on the arc of the blade, wet formed round it and dried there. Vegetable tanned hide takes a stamp, so the face carries basket weave, the square woven stamp struck row by row inside a plain border. A welt keeps the cream hand stitching off the edge and a snap strap closes the mouth.

Who it suits

This is a working shape for anyone who spends the day cutting things open, and it lands well as a gift for someone who already keeps a knife.

• People who cut cord and packaging every day
• Gardeners and growers
• Farm and yard work
• Collectors of the shape

What comes in the box

• The karambit
• The tooled leather sheath
• A care card

Every piece is different

Every blade is ground, heat treated, sharpened and inspected by hand, so runs stay small and no two finish alike. The swirl and the amber flecking differ in every resin scale, and the stonewash varies from the photographs.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry after use and never put it away wet. D2 resists rust better than plain carbon but it is not stainless, so oil it lightly before it goes away. Never a dishwasher. A curve is sharpened in short runs round the hook, on the same bevel. More in our knife care page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits on the blade. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a karambit? A hook bladed knife with a ring at the butt for the index finger.

What is a hawkbill blade? It curves down and back so the point aims toward the handle. It cuts on the pull.

What does full tang mean? The steel runs the whole length of the handle in one piece.

Is it legal to carry? Knife carry laws differ by state, city and country, so check the rules where you live before you carry it. We cannot advise on that.

Will D2 steel rust? Less easily than plain carbon, but it is not stainless. Wipe it dry and oil it lightly.

How do I sharpen a curved blade? A curve is sharpened in short runs round the hook, on the same bevel.

In a longer blade there is the D2 karambit in brown micarta, and in plain carbon the hand forged karambit in rosewood. The rest sit in karambit knives, D2 tool steel and everyday carry knives.