Belladonna Karambit

Blade Length: 6.5″
Spine thickness at bolster: 5mm
Weight: ~220g

Belladonna: The scientific name for the Deadly Nightshade.
One of most toxic plants on earth and one used in poisons through Mediaeval times, to the days of ancient Rome and back into Prehistory.
The name is Italian and translates directly to “Beautiful Woman”.

This is the energy we wished to capture in our rendition of the Karambit- something that was sinister, extremely dangerous but alluringly beautiful. The karambit is a style of blade from Indonesia that originated as a specialised type of agricultural sickle- the finger ring permits the user to hold and manipulate objects with both hands without needing to put the karambit down or sheath it. From here the blade found its way into local martial arts cultures with specialised variants being developed for use as weapons in wartime. The clawlike shape punctures, then rips and tears outwards with grisly results. Historical examples generally have small handles that only clear a couple of fingers and the blade lengths can vary a lot. Some are tiny, only a few inches long while some examples extend out 6 inches or more. Some are deeply hooked while others are straighter and curve more gently.

Modern interpretations of the Karambit are almost all martial arts focused, with handles long enough to clear the entire palm but with shorter, more moderately hooked blades that prioritise concealment and leverage with a a raking, slashing action during strikes. In our interpretation we thought it would be interesting to explore these longer and more gently curved historical forms. In testing we found that the difference in reach is significant and that the less hooked tip allows for it to be controlled and placed with greater precision- a very useful combination in a fighting blade. When refining the design we aimed to highlight this functionality with a very severe and slender tip. While the two separate back edge portions can produce small cuts they are mostly intended to help optimise penetration of the tip- this is also the case on these historical examples. Similarly we can see that these antiques have kept a rather thick spine along this blade to ensure rigidity and strength when piercing with the tip- we have done this also. We have deviated however through creating a wider blade for better slicing performance- hollowing out the grind for maximum cutting efficiency despite the thicker spine. 

The handle is 17mm thick at the palm swell and a slender 12mm at each end of the bolster with a relatively square profile. This helps a lot with indexing the edge while it’s in your hand and ensures easy manipulation in use. It is primarily optimised for the pinky to go through the ring and the blade to stick outwards in a forwards grip. This gives maximum reach, tip control for piercing. These longer blades have more leverage against the hand to rotate our of your grip during a strike so the full grip helps a lot to produce this stability. The thumb can be placed onto the spine for even more control.
At the cost of some of this rotational stability thee ring can be placed through the ring or even middle finger for even greater reach if needed. When used with the ring through these central fingers it can easily be spun around into an Edge-In Reverse grip especially to slash or pierce when reversing out of a strike.
You can also start with the index finger through the ring in an Edge-Out Reverse grip. Having more fingers through the handle really helps to reinforce against the rotation of the blade within your hand so this is the best grip for powerful reverse grip slashes. The Thumb can be rested on the small ring spike here for greater control- it can also be used to strike in either grip if requires.
We leave this blade with the full 5mm spine thickness through the handle for a solid handle that has a little more inertia in the fist and produces a wider and more comfortable finger ring. the blade itself is tapered for the fastest and most maneuverable tip possible.

This specific handle is designed to be a particularly snug and indexed fit for the best possible handling and retention and often karambit handles fail here, fitting nobody particularly well and resulting in a subpar experience. Not here though- this handle comes in 7 different handle sizes, each in 1/4″ increments with unique ring hole diameters for each to ensure the most comfortable and effortless grip possible. The photos on this page are the 4″ handle in small Nepalese hands. To size your handle here take your WAF as measured here. If you plan on primarily wearing gloves while using this then measure while wearing those gloves. Once you’ve got that measurement (in inches) then add 3/8″ to it. Take this new measurement and compare it to the handle sizes options on this page. You will either hit the exact size measurement or land between two sizes. If you land between sizes choose the larger one even if you’re very close to the smaller one.  EG a hand that has a 2 15/16″ WAF  gets 3/8″ added to become  3 5/16″. This is between the 3.25″ handle and the 3.5″ handle and is only 1/16″ bigger from 3.25″. However we size up anyway to 3.5″. We don’t recommend sizing down for any reason. The only reason you should size up is if your the handle ring is too small for your fingers (would need to be very very thick or in super thick gloves). Measure the width across the first knuckle of your index finger (where the “9” is in “90°” in the previous WAF image. Your finger should be at least 2mm smaller than the ring, gloved or bare.

Notes for Western Leather Sheaths: Our sheaths for this blade are optimised for forwards grip. In Cross draw you will draw forwards into a functional slash. For same sided draw (horizontal/vertical in Forward/Edge-In-Reverse grip) the edge will move up or backwards on draw- not a functional strike. If you want to optimise your sheath and draw for Reverse grip then we recommend buying a Left Handed WL Sheath when you are Right Hand Dominant and vice versa as you will draw into a functional strike from the same side you are drawing from. Also note that we have changed our sheath style from spine retention to heel retention on this blade. This can be more easily unclipped with one hand, can be pivoted out of the way to stop it being cut or for super fast draw. Kydex can be set up however you like.

More than any other knife we sell this is blade has features that cause can it to run into regulatory issues around the world. It is of a size where the back edge classifies it in many places as a dagger. In many locations the finger ring is a no-no and it is very common for karambits themselves to be restricted weapons just by name alone. Before you get your heart set on this knife please look into the local regulations and licensing restrictions on such a blade like this. A failure to do so could lead to it being seized and destroyed at customs- we will not be able to refund in such a scenario.

While we don’t make many dedicated martial blades like this we think the Belladonna brings a unique offering to the market. It explores a seldom represented aspect of the bladeform and gives a unique martial experience with highly tailored ergonomics on a handle style that is often a One-Size-Fits-None situation. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also particularly gorgeous- Dangerously so.

Before Purchase, please read through the “Options Info” segment of our “Learn” so you can learn about Finishes, sheaths, handle materials as well as the grind types we offer and how they affect the level of warranty you’ll receive.