Blackhawk Garra II Knife

This seems to be a very good knife for the purpose it was designed for. The blade fitment and locking mechanism work well. I would recommend it to anyone who is familiar with how to use such a knife.

Terrific little blade, a bit on the pricy side but that's what you get when you want a quality knife. The raptor style blade is cruel looking and comes with a serrated section at the base of the blade. The weight is fantastic on this knife and the balance allows you to quickly snap the blade out, almost without effort. The blade is extremely sharp and holds it's edge well. I was slightly annoyed with the belt clip position but ended up removing it and now I carry it around in my pocket. The weight is light but solid. Overall, I really love this knife though it's shape may be a little impractical for daily use.

I first saw this knife's predecessor several years ago, and have been kicking the tyres ever since. Finally made the leap and glad I did; one hell of a blade, great handle and overall solid make. I have it clipped in my pocket for work and barely notice it. Fits well in my hands too, and I am 6"5. Having said that, it could do with having the handle fleshed out so the fit would be even better. This is the only reason it doesn't get the full five; would say four and a half.

First of all this is a karambit. A karambit without the retention ring, but it is still a karambit. Don't try to adapt a straight blade style to this, learn to use a karambit. The lack of the retention ring does cut off some options- you can't do any of the flicking more traditional styles seem to favor, but frankly I've always thought that stuff would just get me a broken finger anyways. The lack of the ring puts you in either a hammer or ice pick grip and makes switching from one to the other more fluid and simple than with a retention ring in the mix. Using the butt end for blunt impact is not as easy as if it had a ring, but you can still do it, assuming you have smallish hands. The blade does not come overly sharp- at least not mine-, but that's not such a big deal. You can of course hone it if you wish, a little tricky with the swept forward design, but really because of the shape of the blade you will find that cutting, or rather tearing through your every day jobs will be much easier than you would think. I don't know what some other reviewers are talking about, karambits and hawkbill blades are EXCELLENT utility knives. You simply poke the point into whatever stands before you and pull the blade through, and because of the inward curve, your cutting surface stay on the blade and is drawn across it rather than mashed against the way you might find yourself doing with a straight blade. The shape also makes it easier to get a cut without much dexterity in the wrist, streamlining motion and speeding things up, even if just a bit. Not a knife for everyone, but if you hate clam shell plastic packaging and have any interest in a knife fighting style that relies more on cutting and manipulation over simple stabbing then this is definitively worth looking into.