Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops CK33 7.9in S.S. Karambit Folding Knife with 3.1in Hawkbill Blade and G-10 Handle for Outdoor, Tactical, Survival and EDC

This is a big, heavy, sturdy, well-made knife that feels far more high-quality than its price point would suggest. it also comes from the factory ridiculously sharp (always a good thing). The ambidextrous thumb stud opening works really well, and the body of the knife has a good, grippy texture.This is my first karambit-style knife, and I'm totally sold on that design if only for how well it works for breaking down cardboard quickly and safely. Its size and weight are a positive when using it, but a drawback as an everyday-carry knife, as it takes up a lot of pocket space and you'll know it's in there the whole time. Probably not the one you're tossing in your pocket for a day at the office or a trip to the mall. I threw in a photo comparing it to a more typical EDC folding knife just to provide a frame of reference.Bottom line: well-made and practical, and a steal at the asking price.

When I bought this knife, I was working on packaging equipment. I had to test the machines and that inevitably meant breaking down a lot of cardboard and shrink wrap when testing was done.I bought this knife for a couple of reasons. I wanted a hawkbill blade with a reverse curve and a sharp point so that I could pierce the cardboard boxes and then run the knife down the length of the box without it slipping out. This doesn't seem like a big deal, but try breaking down a few hundred cartons a day. As your grip fatigues, you'll appreciate that curve in the blade. That finger loop in the end also helps with this, as you don't have to worry about dropping it if your grip loosens.Cardboard is abrasive as heck, and I wanted a blade made from a relatively tough steel that would hold an edge. There are knife experts out there that will quote you chapter and verse on different alloys, but I'm not one of them. All I knew was that this knife had a decent reputation for holding an edge based on the reviews. The liner lock mechanism that keeps the blade from folding closed looked strong, and overall the knife looked like it would be robust.Appearances were not deceiving, either. When I got the package I looked the knife over and was impressed. It felt quite solid and the blade locked into place with no play. It certainly felt durable, but time would tell.I like to hone my blades on an MDF wheel with fine polishing compound. This gives a very keep edge that will actually shave arm hairs. Is this necessary? Nope. Is it cool? Yup. I was able to sharpen this knife to a very sharp edge with no trouble.Overall, this knife worked well to cut cardboard boxes and other packages down. However, after a few days I punted and switched over to a Milwaukee Fastback with replaceable utility knife blades for this task. Why? Because I like this knife too much to put it through that level of abuse. At the time, this knife cost less than $18 delivered to my door. I figured that if it lasted a year cutting boxes I'd have gotten my money's worth out of it. But this is WAY nicer than a typical $18 knife, and I just couldn't see myself sharpening it to death just so I could cut cardboard with it.In the meantime, I found utility knife blades with a carbide edge, which will out-cut typical steel blades by quite a margin. Those blades, plus the Milwaukee knife, were a winning combo for the abuse that cardboard could dish out.Since then, I stopped working on that type of equipment and this knife has been semi-retired. I typically keep it around for outdoor treks, where I might want something more robust than the Milwaukee that I still carry daily. Mostly it sits around, but that's certainly not a fault of the knife. It's a really nice piece of equipment that served its purpose well, and I'm glad I have it in case I want to cut fuzz-sticks to use as campfire kindling, split a small piece of wood, cut rope, whatever.This knife is made by Smith and Wesson and marketed as a tactical blade. However, I think this would make an excellent camp/field knife, and I'll test it out next time I go camping (accompanied by a full-tang fixed-blade knife to do the heavy lifting, of course). For the price, this could be a great addition to someone's camping kit.

I'll start this off by saying I'm a tradesman for a living. I do a bunch of electrical and plumbing work. I don't like carrying multitools in my pockets (I have those on a belt pouch) and I always want to have a good quality folder in my pocket at all times. I think it was my father who said, "Never trust a man who doesn't carry a knife." Whether that be true or false is anyone's guess, but the concept of always carrying a solid pocket knife has stuck with me. Personally, I get attached and familiar with the knife I carry on me every day, similar to how you develop muscle memory with your cell phone, and when you get a new one, it takes time for you to get used to it.I went out on a limb and bought one of these, mainly because of the price and the slight curve in the blade. Let's be honest, it looks cool too, and that's half of a purchasing decision. I use my knife as a multitool and it sees all kinds of abuse from my day to day working life. I have read reviews about this knife being strictly a fighting knife and I will have to disagree. The best part about the concave curve in the blade is that it makes it extremely capable for stripping wire and cutting through insulation on copper pipe. I use the back end of the blade (the spine) to remove and install various fasteners (mostly flathead screws on junction boxes and straps). The round pinky section of the handle has been used as an impromptu hammer on a few occasions. While they're not indestructible, they're very durable and have a variety of uses.The only thing I don't care for with these knives is that the folder needs to be loosened and lubricated. They come out of the box very tight, and I like being able to flip the knife open with a thumb and not too much force. Super easy fix, but it's a minor nitpick.Overall I really do like these knives, especially for the price point. I'm on my 4th one now (one got stolen, one of the blades snapped after being dropped on concrete from 30ft up when the clip on the outside of my pants got snagged on a truss in a ceiling, and the 3rd one I snapped the tip off when using it as a prying tool which should never be done for that exact reason). As long as they keep making these and the price doesn't jump up too much, I'll keep buying them as an inexpensive, yet quality go everywhere knife.