- an Italian Karambit
In the introduction to this knife, I said that it is special. Of course, it still is. Mostly due to L.E. One from Italian Lionsteel is a typical Karambit. As far as I know, this is their first attempt in the field. I also called this type the western karambit with a nod to that they shrunk and became foldable to be easier to carry than the original knives found in Sumatra. They have since been popularized by being spread via Indonesia and martial arts such as Pentjak Silat to the rest of the world.
It's also special in that his knife is marketed as an EDC knife, something that is open to debate. Namely, it is avoiding the big elephant in the room that is spelled out s e l f d e f e n c e.*
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| Lionsteel L.E. One |
But the step from a simple rice cutter to a sophisticated knife from Italy is quite a long one. In addition to history and time, the transformation goes via Ernest Emerson, who is responsible for the design in this case. L.E. One is a knife built with all the technology that Lionsteel has at their disposal. This means, among other things, a very special handle construction, a so-called super steel in the blade, and multiple opening methods.
In addition to the version with a brown handle, the knife is available in three additional colors and with a blackened blade if desired. At the time of writing, the price is €224 on Lionsteel's website and thus probably a little less in stores.
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| An Emerson-designed Karambit |
Short version: Lionsteel L.E One, a knife that allegedly is an EDC knife but definitely has some tricks up the sleeve
Blade
Like all other karambits, the L.E. One has a characteristic blade which is what defines them. It is strongly curved and the edge is found on the inside of that curve. There are double-edged variants, but it cannot be done on a folding knife. If the blade shape is to be translated into knife terminology, it is a Hawkbill.
The blade is 8.2 cm long but gives an impression of being larger very much depending on the shape and the height which is 2.7 cm at most. Otherwise, it is characterized by many details such as a pronounced swedge, a reinforced tip, a blade hole, a hook, and a thumb ramp.
The finish is a nice stone-wash which has then been slightly polished. The marking consists of Lionsteel's logo on the presentation side and Emerson's on the other.
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| The blade is made out of the latest super-steel, Magnacut |
The blade has a low saber grind with a height of only 1.5 cm (just over half an inch). Is that enough to transform 4 mm of steel into a thin edge? Unfortunately not since this blade has a full 0.9-1 mm of steel behind the edge. Add to that a very steep edge angle and you have a knife that, of course, does not cut well at all. There is no other way to put it.
The factory edge was nothing to brag about either. The LE One was simply not very sharp when it arrived! As I said, the edge is extremely robust, so cutting with this knife as it arrives straight out of the box is out of the question. With one exception, the tip is both sharp and strong enough to puncture most things.
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| The Emerson logo is found on the lock side |
It is a bit of a pity that a little more effort was not put on the edge for two reasons. I know it's a karambit but it still needs to be sharp to serve any function even if it doesn't have to be "slicy". It's not a chef's knife. But if it is to be able to cut through clothes and leather, for example, it must be quite sharp. This knife was not. Furthermore, Lionsteel markets the LE One with the argument that it could also be used for some EDC tasks. Now, however, I am completely convinced that it is only to avoid discussion about the actual area of use.
Then it's a shame for another reason and that's considering the steel in this knife. It's something as hyper-advanced as CPM Magnacut. It belongs to the last generation of super steel which, in addition to properties such as keeping an edge if not for ages for a very long time, also has decent impact resistance, but above all, it is extremely resistant to rust, almost stainless.
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| "Power Cut" This electric cord to the old cooker took more than one cut to sever |
Even with the existing edge, however, this knife excels in one area, or rather two. It opens cartons and boxes as well as opening blister packs in hard and tough plastic with ease.
The other area is that it is also excellent for jabbing into a larger piece of meat like pork belly. Then you can do whatever you want with that information.
Handle
The handle on the L.E. One is very advanced. This applies to both construction and function. Or rather, the way it is made is both simple and at the same time rather difficult to manufacture.
Namely, it is what is usually called an "integral". It simply means that the handle is made from a single piece of metal. It is not simple when you then have to get a lock function and insert bearings and more into the handle. The technology Lionsteel uses to make their knives in this way they call "SOLID".
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| The handle is large and roomy |
A more common material for this type of handle is titanium. But Lionsteel has made a name for themself by combining the technology of making integral handles with, among other things, aluminum and so also in this case. In the LE One, Ergal aluminum is found. In addition to the machining time needed to mill out the necessary cavities, the loop is also milled from the same piece of metal. A couple of different patterns are then found on the outside. Partly a striped pattern and partly a check pattern.
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| The handle is formed from a single piece of Ergal aluminum |
Since this is a karambit, the knife can be gripped in a wide variety of ways. In this case, the space is enough to hold the knife in a standard hammer grip, for example. Then the ring is not used at all. You can also, of course, hold the knife in a saber grip with your thumb on the designated ramp. Both grips are not just good but excellent.
If the little finger is instead placed in the ring, the hand ends up further back. The thumb then has some problems reaching all the way to the ramp, but in return, the range increases and it becomes basically impossible to drop the knife.
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| Although L.E. One is a karambit, it can be gripped in the usual way and is then quite comfortable to use |
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| You also have a more typical grip with the blade down and the edge and point forward |
In a more classic grip for the knife type, the index finger ends up in the ring and the next two fingers fit in the rear recess in the handle. The little finger ends up in front of the "hump". The thumb has a comfortable resting place on top of the ring where there are also some milled grooves for better grip.
Spinning the knife also feels good as the ring is both large enough and rounded on the inside.
Opening and Lock
L.E. One is a knife that can be opened in almost any way. That is an achievement in itself. There are certainly a couple of "main" methods if you can put it that way. But we can start by saying that of course you can open this knife with two hands, something I'm sure no one does.
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| Here you can see the plethora of opening possibilities that are available |
Then there is a front flipper which may not be completely ideal if it can even be considered as such. Next, we come to the main opening techniques which are three. A flipper tab, a blade hole, and not least an Emerson Wave. The latter is for those who don't know the hook-like protrusion on the back of the blade. It does two things, it eats cloth for breakfast but mainly it's supposed to make sure the blade folds out the moment the knife is drawn.
In addition to all this, the LE One is also equipped with Lionsteel's REF technology which means that the flipper tab itself can be removed if desired. Incidentally, I have recently done so for two reasons. On the one hand, I don't want quite so many details to protrude from the knife, and on the other hand, the function is not the very best. Or rather, it works but isn't lightning-fast. However, you can both push the tab down and pull it back, but then you have to be determined to make it work. Even so, it is not entirely intuitive in my opinion.
I simply prefer the blade hole when it comes to folding the knife out manually or I rely on the Emerson-wave function which is absolutely excellent. The blade hole is oval in shape and has suitably rounded edges to provide a good grip without being uncomfortable to use.
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| Manufacturing an aluminum frame lock requires knowledge and precision. Lionsteel is one of the few companies that venture into that combination |
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| The frame lock engages well and feels very strong |
The knife has a frame lock, which is perhaps not so unusual. But this one is made in aluminum which is less common. Of course, the tip of the lock bar needs to be reinforced with steel, which is done here. It has also been provided with an overtravel stop, which is necessary. If the lock bar is bent out of position, it will be very difficult to correct with an integral construction.
About the lock-up, it can be said that it is very firm and feels really solid. No palpable movement at all. The lock is not the easiest to disengage due to the fact that the lock bar is a little slippery while being very strong and offers resistance. But on this type of knife, I'll gladly take it. Safety first in this case.
To Carry
Assessing a Karambit at this criteria is a bit special. Namely, they are all basically lousy to carry around compared to a regular folding knife with the same blade length.
So in this case L.E. must be discussed from two other points of view, firstly how it compares to other knives of the same type and secondly if it is easy to pull and put away. It is the first mentioned that is important with this type of knife.
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| The clip is made of spring steel and can be moved to the opposite side |
What makes this knife troublesome in a pocket is, of course, that it is extremely wide at more than five centimeters (two inches) and that there are things sticking out everywhere like the front flipper, flipper tab, and a large ring.
The weight, however, is quite decent due to the handle construction and material. The knife weighs in at 134 grams. But compared to a standard knife with an eight-centimeter blade, it's not lightweight either. But as I said, not a problem. But in return, the handle is over 14 cm long, which is substantial no matter how you look at it.
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| The ring and combination of smooth surface and good clip make the knife very easy to draw |
In addition to the outer dimensions, it is of course how much is visible when in a pocket that is the big divider. Given that and what it signals, this isn't something you carry openly in an office environment or similar. It is difficult to explain to the colleagues, L.E. One really doesn't look like a pen, if you put it that way.
The clip is a simple folded steel clip whose attachment is recessed in the side of the handle. It is removable which in this case is absolutely necessary for a very simple reason. It is that if you are going to use the knife as a Karambit and use the Wave function, you cannot have the clip where it is mounted from the factory. Then you end up in the "wrong" grip when the blade is folded out. With a Karambit, you often want to have it in the reverse grip, even if that is not the only option. In order for it to be removable and to be able to be combined with the handle material, it is attached with a through bolt in steel.
In any case, the clip works very well. Here you also don't want too much friction between the fabric and the handle, because it should be quick and easy to pull the knife.
To Conclude
As unusual as the type of knife is for Lionsteel, as unusual is the intended area of use as it is said to be an EDC knife, i.e. a pocket knife intended for daily use. At least that is how it is presented on the website. Whether that's true or whether it's said to appease potential legislators, I'll leave unsaid. But in essence, it is nothing more than a knife with a hawkbill blade. Yes, and a ring at one end, of course. So the question is how good is it for that purpose?
Unfortunately, the answer is "not particularly". Despite extremely fine materials and many subtleties, the knife fails from that point of view in a very specific area, namely the blade. It is, with its geometry and shape, most suitable for a couple of tasks in that way and that is box opening, cutting rope, cable ties, packing tape, etc. But it might be enough if you regrind the extremely fine steel, the knife is not bad at all for these areas of use. That's good.
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| L.E. One works for EDC but is advantageously supplemented with something less aggressive and more versatile like a Lionsteel TRE for example |
But let's address the brown elephant in the room. This is primarily a knife for "self-defense" that can be used for other things. I put the term in quotation marks as I am willing to argue about whether there are actions that can even be carried out with a knife without ending up in trouble with justice. Sure, if we use "what if" arguments in absurdum it works. And then this is a good knife. It was certainly quite a long time ago, but I have some experience of training both against and with a knife for that purpose.
L.E. One is extremely solid, the tip is very aggressive and it is incredibly quick to pull as the Wave function works very well. So those criteria are met with flying colours.
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| Lionsteel L.E One is an interesting Karambit with both advanced construction and Magnacut in the blade |
But the roots of the knife type are found in agricultural implements, even if the path from there to the high-tech Lionsteel L.E. One is very long. Along the way, the knife became foldable, and got the latest materials and technologies but also a quick opening and a hint that it could be an "EDC knife". The result is an interesting and well-built knife that is competent but not in all areas.
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| Lionsteel Knives |
Specification:
Length Open: 210 mm
Length Folded: 145 mm
Weight: 134 g
Blade Length: 82 mm
Blade Thickness: 4 mm
Blade Steel: CPM Magnacut
Handle: Aluminum, integral
Lock: Frame lock
Produced by: Lionsteel, made in Italy
/ J
* Whether it is even possible to defend oneself with a knife and at the same time follow the law is the subject of another discussion that I have brought up on different occasions. My thesis is that it is rather an escalation of the violence that has been introduced unless a series of very specific conditions are met. But it is an extensive conversation, so I ask to come back to the subject.
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