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RAM Instrument Rambit/V-Tech Talon

A Product Review by Phil Elmore

As
I write this evaluation, kerambits (also spelled “karambits”) remain
popular in the knife industry. The fad (more politely, the trend)
regarding this Indonesian hawkbill blade shows few signs of slowing down,
with major manufacturers offering more kerambits than ever and low-end
importers flooding the market with inexpensive alternatives or outright
copies.

The kerambit (right) is a great little infighting blade.
The finger ring provides a positive draw stroke and grip, the curved blade
and fine point make it great for slashing and
hooking, and the relatively
compact design makes the folding kerambit an easily portable personal
defense weapon. Right now, the individual interested in purchasing
and carrying a kerambit has many choices and several design options
(including fixed blades).

Most of the folding kerambits from industry leaders are,
if not high-end pieces of cutlery, still expensive enough to give many
buyers pause. There are those for whom a hundred US dollars is a lot
of money to spend on a knife, much less the two or even three hundred that
some kerambit makers want for their wares. Among the many low-end
blades offered to meet demand for kerambits among buyers who don’t know
any better (or who simply don’t wish to pay higher prices) are quite a few
imported from China. Two of the most recent entries among
Chinese-made kerambits are distributed by
Balboa Manufacturing
the Vtech Talon and RAM Instrument Rambit. Both the Vtech and RAM
Instrument names are used by Balboa in marketing its merchandise.
The two kerambits are essentially identical.

The RAM Instrument Rambit (top) and Vtech Talon
(bottom) are
inexpensive, Chinese-made, liner-locking kerambits.

Both the Rambit and Talon have textured G10 handles that
provide reasonably good traction. The 440-series blades (ground on
both sides except for the chisel-ground serrations on the Talon) are
roughly 2.75 inches long, while the handles are a little under 5 inches.
Curiously, while the Rambit has a RAM Instrument model number, both blades
bear the Vtech logo. Both blades shipped with decent working edges.

The knives have adjustable pivots. There is a Torx or Allen-head screw on one side of each handle and a flat-head screw
on the other. Using the flat-head screws I was able to adjust the
blade tension of both knives to suit me. The liner locks on both
knives started engaging at the left sides of the blade tangs (the Talon
had a tendency not to engage unless opened with some snap) but migrated to
the middles of the tangs after several openings. I imagine they’ll
be engaging at the right sides of the blade tangs after a little more use.

The Vtech Talon in a reverse grip, employing the
finger ring.

In the forward grip, both knives open smoothly using the
over-large, ambidextrous graduated thumb studs. (The studs are large
enough, in fact, that they can be used to partially open the blades when
drawing them from the pocket, as they’ll catch on the lip of the pocket
during the draw.) Each blade has a substantial thumb ramp with deep,
rounded grooves. These could be more defined (I like my thumb ramp
serrations very square), but they’re not bad.

As I indicated, the textured G10 handles provide a good
grip and I find the shape (curved with finger grooves) comfortable and
secure in my mitts. Both the Rambit and Talon share a problem with
many low-end kerambits, however. They are set up for
conventional right-hand, tip-down
carry only.

Both knives have one set of threaded holes in the
G10 handles.

Carrying a kerambit tip-down with the ring in the pocket
negates the features that make it worthwhile. With the ring
concealed, your kerambit is simply a large and slightly awkward
conventional folding knife. As the G10 handles of the Rambit and
Talon have one set of drilled holes only, correcting this defect
requires some “modding.” I have never been one to make extensive
modifications to my blades and I was not about to start. All I
needed, however, was a little
J-B Weld.

Factory placement of the pocket clips on the
Rambit and Talon.

I originally intended to remove the pocket clips on both
knives. One of the small screws securing the Talon’s pocket clip,
however, stripped out and wouldn’t budge. I was content to remove
the clip from the Rambit and orient it on the handle for right-hand tip-up
carry. This puts the ring out of the pocket with the blade forward
for a draw into the reverse grip.

Drawing the modified Rambit with its reconfigured
pocket clip placement.

J-B Weld is a popular cold weld that comes
in two tubes. Mixing the two substances produces a gray paste.
I simply dipped the removed pocket clip in the paste and placed it on the
handle where I wanted it then left the Rambit alone for several hours
while the epoxy set.

The pocket clip held in place with now-hardened
J-B Weld.

A view of the entire knife and its new pocket
clip placement.

A previous attempt to use an off-brand ten-minute epoxy to
secure the removed pocket clip was a complete failure. The epoxy did
not hold and the clip pried right off the G10 when I tested it. The
J-B Weld, on the other hand, seemed to be working better before it had
completely hardened. It grabbed the clip and showed every sign of
holding it fast.

Once
I’d given the Rambit and its modified clip time to set, I started carrying
it. The clip is firmly secured to the handle and shows no signs of
coming loose (though only time will tell). It draws nicely (the
large thumb studs pull the blade open at least partially when I deploy the
knife in the reverse grip) and feels good in my hand.

For less than 20 USD (not counting the cost of the J-B
Weld, which I already had on hand), a few minutes’ effort, and a few
hours’ patience, I have a functional and inexpensive practice kerambit in
the form of the Rambit. The Talon is also a decent knife for its
price point (I am hoping the trend in improved quality control among
imported Chinese blades continues). These aren’t knives to which I
would trust my life in a self-defense situation (assuming I can afford
better), but they work and they’re cheaply acquired. There is a very
real market segment to address with materials like this.

Think of the Talon and the Rambit as
entry-level pieces for the kerambit trend.

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