There are few weapons, blades or tools able to deal as much damage as easily or impressively as a karambit while still possessing deadly grace and dark appeal. For a proficient karambit user, the ability to effortlessly maneuver the blade into a variety of positions (especially during the unpredictability of combat or other tactical situations) without fear of losing their grip on their weapon is priceless. While the blade originally served solely as an ancient utility tool in the same vein as the modern-day “Swiss Army Knife,” a good tool rises to meet new challenges and in the war-torn villages of Indonesian and the Philippines, the trusty karambit readily lended itself to battlefield use. Brous Silent Soldier Neck Karambit
At some point, karambit knives became intertwined with Pencak Silat (also spelled Pentjak Silat), the indigenous and unimaginably deadly close-combat fighting art of Indonesia. It is now widely recognized as one of several traditional weapons commonly associated with silat and several other Southeast Asian martial arts, especially Filipino kali. It’s hard to say whether the art and battle impacted the karambit’s design or the unique combative advantages of the karambit influenced the development of Pencak Silat. Regardless of whether the chicken or the egg came first, the karambit is now well-known as a feared and formidable tool of destruction when found in the hands of a skilled pesilat (or silat player). A “player” is someone who practitices Southeast Asian martial arts which include not only Indonesian Pencak Silat, but also Filipino Kali, Arnis, Eskrima, Malaysian Bersilat, Bruneian arts and Kuntao. It’s very rare to find a skilled karambit player who doesn’t also practice one of the Indonesian, Filipino or other Southeast Asian martial arts.
The exact spelling of “karambit” can vary regionally and between various martial arts, but both “karambit” and “kerambit” are commonly accepted as correct. The blade’s name is sometimes misspelled as “korambit,” “kerambet,” “karambite,“ "carambit,” “krambit” or with some other combination of vowels, but regardless of how it’s spelled, the pronunciation is almost always “kah-RAHM-bit.” In the Philippines and in many of the Filipino martial arts (kali, eskrima, arnis), the karambit is known as a “lihok” or “sanggot.” One thing about the karambit knife is for sure, though, even when little else may be: no matter what you call it, the karambit for sale is unmatched for its tested combat prowess, proven tactical advantages and time-honored battlefield finesse.