[Mikul]

I was reading an article about the new S&W 1911 when a photograph appeared with this rather excellent knife, but I've never seen anything like it before. Does anyone know what it is?

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=337317

[Ol' Badger]

It's called "UGLY"

[hso]

Early folding kerambit. It might take a while to identify who made it.

[Combat-wombat]

you could just go to the trouble and mail or email the magazine that the pic is from and ask them.

[Mikul]

I have an e-mail into American Handgunner, but I thought that someone here would probably get back to me looooong before they do.

[The-Distinctive-Edge]

Hum, that is interesting! Let us know what you find out about it! Paul

[Mikul]

I'm now fairly certain that it is made by Warren Thomas, but I cannot find this specific knife on any web site, nor can I find contact information for him. I have an e-mail into American Handgunner, but I haven't heard anything yet.

The knife in the photograph appears to actually be in it's folded state after careful inspection and comparison to another knife by the same maker.

If this is a Warren Thomas knife, it's probably around $500.

[Gray_Fallen]

That IS a Warren Thomas, and is definately a folder as you can see the pivot and the lock bar plainly.
It is indeed a folding kerambit (karambit, or however you wanna spell it), in that when its open its designed for reverse grip with your index finger through the ring/hole on the butt for retantion.
As for being closed and still having a significant amount of blade protruding from the handle, its a rather neat concept.
When the SHTF and the fight is on, your adrenaline level goes way up and you lose your fine motor skill. It takes a lot of fine motor skill to actuate the mechanism on a folder. A fixed blade you just grab, pull and stab. With a folder like this, where its carried in a sheath on the belt, you can do the same thing - grab, pull, stab - without ever opening the folder. And you still arent in violation of any laws that might ban fixed blades, or that might ban the carry of a locked open folder in a belt sheath.
And when you get it opened up fully - you have a lot more blade than normal.
I'm not the worlds biggest fan of kerambits - I love the concept, the added retention especially - I just think edge-out reverse grip is less than ideal. *shrugs* oh well.
Other than that, I think its a wonderful idea.

I would guess that the knife probably isnt more than 4 years old. The folding kerambit craze hasnt been around more than two years, and I would bet that WT got his idea for this fromt he Laci Szabo RAD which came out in either 1999 or 2000, IF my memory serves me correctly.
The RAD is the same idea, without being a kerambit - a folder with a blade longer than the handle, designed and made for people perforating.
Picture "borrowed" from bladeart.com
http://www.bladeart.com/szabo2.jpg

It is probably a "one of" model, not a catalogue model. Makers like Warren Thomas and Steve Ryan, who do these radical stylings, do a lot of unique one of a kind knives just for grins and giggles - they sell pretty good too. A lot of WT's stuff and Ryans stuff as well goes to Japan, which puts them even more in demand here in the U.S. - they know they have the freedom to exercise their "grins & giggles" factor, make bizarre stuff, and still sell it for $$$$. Lucky them.