VIELE-- buy or not?

S

Stiletto Raggio

Joined
Jan 29, 2000
Messages
546
I have found a good price on a Spyderco Viele. I carry a Spydie Native now, and am looking for a fancier knife. I have heard that the steel and the action are great, but that there is some question about the liner lock and that the spydie hole is a bit small (9mm). Also, I have never carried a tip down folder.

So, my question is this: do any of you with experience with it have opinions one way or the other? This is the new model, plain edge.

Thanks a lot.
 
I have owned both the new and old style Viele. If you get the new style with VG 10 and the open back, there should be no lock problems.
The old style is not nearly as good imo. The hole is smaller than many Spyderco knives, but after the inital strangeness wears off, it is fine. In my case, after carrying the Viele for some time, the Endura hole seemed too big! It is extremely smooth and an A++ knife. I would have zero worries getting a new style. Avoid the old, if you can.
 
Stilleto - I think the Spyderco Viele is their most sucessful "small hole" design. I have found their other smaller diameter designs to be too small for me. Although the hole is only 9mm, the placement relative to the shaped micarta overlay drops my thumb perfectly onto the upper edge of the hole, and the grippy edge of the hole stays locked on my thumb just right. Very secure opening action IMO.

The liner lock has a "cant" at the tang end which slips into a "pocket" or "receiver" that is milled into the blade tang. This prevents the liner from moving more than halfway across the blade. The cant, at least visually, appears to ensure that the liner could not jump back away from the tang, even in a hard-grip test.

A nice package, this Spyderco. At the prices that are on the street at the moment, now is the time to get one.
 
The other compalint I heard about the knife is how esy it is for your fingers to slip onto the blade. While this is not intended as a heavy duty utility or defensive knife, I may need to thrusst at some point. I am a big guy, so my hands are fairly large. Is this a cause for concern?
 
S.R., your last point is the only reason that a Spydie Viele doesn't reside on my collection. It is a really cool knife but there is nothing to prevent one's fingers from sliding forward on the blade in any move that requires forward thrust. Sure, 99% of the time the knife can be used in such a way as this is not a factor, my concern is that other 1%. Especially if one's hands are wet from rain,sweat or other slick media. The bolster material is also pretty slick. It has beautiful lines, and if you really have to have one, my humble suggestion is to rough up the liners top and bottom near the pivot to give some traction. Just a thought from the safety conscious sector;)
Dave
 
I just received mine in the mail today and I'm extremely impressed with it. IMHO this is by far the best knife that Spyderco has put out. I've owned and traded the Police, Shabaria and Ayoob but don't think I'll be trading this one...at least for awhile. The lock looks like its extemely secure and the grip, at least for my size hand is way more than just adequate. Overall I'm really pleased.
 
I have the new Spydie Viele. IMHO, the steel is terrific in that it holds a wonderfully fine edge for a long time. The hole is not too small for me and the notch is well aligned with it. (My hand wraps around the knife completely with the fingertips just touching the base of my palm and about 1 inch of the handle sticking out the side.) I have not had the chance to check how well the liner lock holds, but it feels very secure, probably as much as the Camillus EDC.

But your concerns about your hand being able to slide forward is a valid one. The only things stopping your hand are friction (not that much with smooth micarta and water or blood) and the 3 "finger recesses" along the bottom of the handle. Oh, and the clip offers a little bit of security as well, though not much. If you're planning to stab, the only secure way is with a firm hammer-grip with the index finger in the thumbhole recess, the last finger as a stopper at the end of the handle and the thumb resting firmly on the ridges on the spine of the blade (the thumb ramp).

This blade is primarily a slicer and whittler. The point is a bit too fine to survive stabs in to hard material and may be better used in the utilitarian task of removing splinters.

If you're worried about having to stab there are more "combat-orientated" handles out there which have positive stopping for your hands like a proper finger cut out or pseudo guards. One of the best designed, IMHO, is the Emerson Commander. Another (if you don't like dull black handles) is the Kershaw Boa.
 
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