Opinions of Viper 3?? ALL COMMENTS WELCOME!

B

Biginboca

Gold Member
Joined
Mar 17, 1999
Messages
1,687

I have been contemplating this knife as I admire the small pic of it in the Emerson Catalog. I have given up on ever owning one as they are so few and far between, and think I would love to see a production version of this knife from Ernie.

But I would also like some input from those of you that have owned/handled one of these. Is this knife a practical everyday carry from a utlity standpoint? Or is it a "Pure Fighter" as exressed in the catalog?
How are the ergonomics? (All the Emerson customs I have owned felt great in the and so I can only assume this one would too.) Is this the knife in your Emerson collection that you would carry daily? (As if anyone would actually USE an Emerson custom these days!)

Also I am wondering how this knife stacks up against the New Age fighters available from other makers, ie knives like the Commander, WORTAC, KFF, Carnvor, etc...

In general, I am just looking for insights, opinons, and any sort of feedback on this knife. Has anyone noticed anything they don't like about this model, or is there another knife in Ernie's line up (Besides the 6 and 7 which I don't really care for after having owned both.) that people seem to prefer in comarison to the Viper 3?

Seems to me from the pic like Ernie's best design for an all around knife... barring the current cost of admission, of course.

Thanks in advance for the insights!

Take Care,
Al
 
I am sure that Tamishigiri will have a comment or two regarding the finer points of the Viper 3. I handled one and its a nice knife. Could easily be used as a utility knife. A little big but then again that's what I like about it.

------------------
Usual Suspect
 
Since only 4 Bladeforum members admidt to owning a Viper 3 I thought I'd chime in.

This is one solid and well made knife. It is a "fighter" I feel the erognomics are excellent and it locks up solid. The weight of the blade is substantial and a concern I have is that one must be careful when closing the knife that the weight of the blade doesn't cause it to swing shut and catching your thumb.

Now after praising the knife I admidt that the one I have I'd like to trade. I'm more interested in the CQC series and am interested in swapping this Viper 3 for another Custom Emerson. Cash could go either way but I'm not interested in a cash only sale. I prefer small knives and a CQC5 would draw immediate negioations, while a CQC 8, 9 or Rhino would be next in line. Please e-mail me off line with any potential trades.
 
Sniper,
Thanks for the info, does anyone have any more to add?
Also does anyone have any pics of this knife that they could post? Or are there any on the net that I could get a link to? I would like to see a Viper 3 from some different angles to get a better idea of its ergos and blade profile, its hard for me to judge it from the tiny pic in the catalog.

Thanks Again,
Al
 
I really love the Viper 3. It is a pretty good sized knife. Elegant package too. The knife would work well in a utility role as well. I think a full dress V-3 would be the bees knees. Check out our website for a pretty good pic of the viper 3. Look under the "Emerson Handmades" section.

Take care,
Derek

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Emersonknives.com

The #1 Hard Use Knives In The World

[This message has been edited by Derek (edited 04-14-2000).]
 
Hey Al,
The Viper 3 is special. Big, hefty blade has a very "custom" feel to it. I haven't seen many of them and the grind lines and geometry are something special. This one really holds your hand. Hope the picture helps. Let me know other angles you would like to see.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=151050&a=4619109&p=19553213&Sequ ence=0------------------
The wheel is turning and you can't slow down,
You can't let go and you can't hang on,
You can't go back and you can't stand still,
If the thunder don't get you then the lightning will.



[This message has been edited by jackstraw (edited 04-15-2000).]
 
Sorry for all the edits. Tried to get the pic to appear and all I got was a box w/ and X in it. Have to settle for the hyperlink. Suggestions?
 
Jackstraw, I can't help you with the hyperlink to the photo, but when you edit your post just go ahead and delete the line that shows when you last edited it and when you're finished you will only have one line that shows you edited it. So edit away! Hope this helps. It'll save the embarrasement of showing the long line of edits.
 
Jackstraw

I'll post the picture here for ya'. Hit the "Edit Post" on my reply and it'll show you the UBB Code I used.

Hope this helps

John

View
 
Wow, NICE LOOKING KNIFE!!!
I suppose I can safely assume that is a chisel grind like the other Vipers? I love that blabe profile and I also like how the blade is marked "Viper" instead of "Specwar" or "Emerson", kind of like the finishing touch here.

Thanks guys! I emailed Les with some questions about the Viper 3 but I suppose he is in Oregon this weekend. Maybe you guys could help me here. How common is the Viper 3 in comparison to the other customs? Only 4 showed up on the inventory and I know two of them belong to the same forumite. I also know the 6 is Ernie's most common and that the Rhino is the least followed closely by the 5. Where does the Viper 3 fit in here?
I have actually had the opportunity to handle every one of Ernie's folders over the years, including a Rhino, but not a Viper 3! So I am guesing that the 3 was not a popular model for Ernie?
Also does anyone know when the Viper 3 was released? I am guessing in the early 90's, but I don't have any of Ernie's older catalogs to check. And lastly, I know Ernie has been VERY slow in delivering customs in the last 4 years, when is the last time anyone heard of Ernie delivering a Viper 3? Are they all pre SpecWar (ie 1996ish) or does he still make them? (If and when he makes a custom that is!)

Thanks again guys!

Take Care,
Al

[This message has been edited by Biginboca (edited 04-15-2000).]
 
Al,
That is why there is no such thing as a safe assumption. The Viper 3 is a double, hollow grind. Tomorrow I will try to get around to posting a picture of the other side of the blade.
 
Biginboca,

Are you supposed to be in here?
wink.gif
(Micro-joke)

The Viper 3 is in the catalog I received in '94

It's also in the latest version of the Emerson catalog that "rfrost" received.

John


[This message has been edited by John Hollister (edited 04-15-2000).]
 
Hey Al,
FYI, Both of my Viper 3's are Cheisel Grind
Left Side. Both are Half Moon, Ti Bolsters, Green Micarta.
One is Blk. Oxide and the other Satin.

------------------
"This is the law:
There is no possible victory in defense, The Sword is more important than the shield, And skill is more important than either, The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental."

 
Al,
Pic of the back of double hollow grind Viper 3 blade as promised.
View


John,
Thanks for your help in posting pic to the Forum.

Tamishigiri,
Interesting post. I always thought that the Viper 3's were all double hollow ground. Now I learn that yours are both chisel ground. I wonder what that means in terms of when they were made, Ernie's thought processes, etc.

[This message has been edited by jackstraw (edited 04-16-2000).]
 
OK, so now I have learned that the Viper 3 was available in two blade styles! I have never heard of Ernie offering any of the other Vipers in a hollow grind. Good info here for sure.

Is there any way to know when Jackstraw's and Tamashgiri's Viper 3's were made? Are all three Vipers stamped "Viper", or do any of them have the old "Emerson" logo?

And I am still curious as to how common the 3 is in comparison to other models, and now in each configuration too!

Please, lets keep this info coming!

JH,
Try as I might, I cannot live by MT's alone!

Take Care,
Al

 
Al & Jackstraw,
I would speculate that Jackstraw's is rarer
than my Chiesel Grind. Emerson's cornerstone is the Chiesel Grind and any deviation of that Custom would be an anomaly I suspect.
Again it's difficult to get an exact count for a number of different reasons.
I do know that Ernie rarely keeps anything for himself. At times actual Knives are not always kept for references.
As I stated mine are Half Moon Logo's and Jackstraw's are unique Logo's. I have only seen that Logo in Catalog pictures.

I can tell you that the Chiesel grinds on mine are MUCHO sharp and EXTREMELY effective as a Thruster and CUTTER, (in memeory of Myamoto) Slasher:-{).
The unique thing about the Viper 3 is the amount of actual blade surface and size.
It lends itself to a very elegant and streamlined appearance. So effective and comfortable !

IMHO

------------------
"This is the law:
There is no possible victory in defense, The Sword is more important than the shield, And skill is more important than either, The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental."

 
Just to chime in here on the 4th Viper 3 known on these forums mine is a chisel grind, with a Specwar logo. Mine has Ti bolsters and has black Micarta grip. The blade is not marked Viper, and in fact I didn't know that any were hollow ground.
 
Jackstraw,
Congratulations, sounds like you have quite a rare piece on your hands! I bet that comes as a nice surprise. Do you know any of the history of your piece? When it was made, for whom, etc?

Tamashigiri,
Do yours have zero grinds, ie no secondary bevels, on them? I know that Half Moon CQC6's do and am wondering if you Vipers do too.

Sniper308,
I bet yours does have a secondary edge bevel as it is a Specwar logo and all the current specwar stuff has a secondary bevel forming the edge. Care to confirm this?

And my question remains, maybe Derek can chime in with a definitive answer... Does anyone know how common the Viper 3 would be in comparison to the other customs?

Thanks everyone for the info.

Take Care,
Al


[This message has been edited by Biginboca (edited 04-16-2000).]
 
Al,
Regrettably I know nothing about the knife's origins. I do know several of the hands that it passed through on its way to me. What is interesting is that (maybe due to the Forums) a real body of esoteric knowledge is building up here. Sure would be great if Ernie were to tell us what he was thinking about design and function in one of the posts. Derek...as Ernie's designated Forum person, your input would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
I'd like to clear up a misimpression mentioned above regarding the grinds on Emersons. Ernie's early work included alot of double ground blades. However, once he established the primacy of the chisel grind, he has not to my knowledge ever gone back and made a double ground knife. Logos are still useful in determining some of this, but be careful in the descriptions you use. Nearly all of his earliest tacticals carried the half-moon Emerson logo (sometimes in conjunction with the Viper logo on those knives). These knives all have a single bevel grind down to the edge. Then he went to the SpecWar logo, roughly at the time he began to expand the CQC series beyond the 6. BUT, the grind remained the same - single bevel to the edge. Frankly, most of the 6s and 7s made during this period are the most aggressive blades of all. He modified the logo with the advent of Emerson Knives Inc, to include the date. It is at that time that the blades began to show up with secondary bevels, a feature that is generally conceded to be a shortcoming. I am of the opinion - just my opinion - that there hasn't been a Viper made in the past two years, so its very unlikely that any Viper 3 (or any Viper at all) will have a secondary bevel. I hope that clears up the grind time-line a little. Plus, Jackstraw, yours may be so rare as to be unique! Another thread was asking about where all the customs have gone - knives as old as Jackstraw's may have gotten used to the point of no return, traded to soldiers in foreign lands for their gear, lost in rice paddies (my age is showing), etc. There weren't alot of people buying Viper 3s ten years ago to put in their drawers...
 
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