Viper Dan 2 - burgundy micarta

[Herlock]

Hi! I got myself this new pocket companion (will consider it as my Christmas present ) and I’d like to share some personal thoughts, impressions, experiences and pictures of it, always as a knives hobbyist and week-end hiker, not an expert at all. I have used this little knife as my EDC for around three weeks now (together with some other proven knives, just in case ), putting it through all my standard daily cutting tasks, from assorted packaging materials to food, from light wood working (whittling and carving), to various types of cordage. It was a pleasant surprise, she does just fine!

I mainly carry modern locking folders as my EDC, it’s a matter of personal preference, but I own a few SAKs, Opinels and also a traditional slipjoint (a Sardinian mid-tech pattada from Vittorio Mura), knives I occasionally carry as well. This time, liking the design and the look of this Dan 2, I decided to “pull the trigger” and get something different from my usual standard. It happened during a business trip, taking me to the picturesque sea town of Senigallia, Marche Region, Italy. Ended the working day at one supplier rather early in the afternoon, and, being rather familiar with the town here, I went for a run on the seafront. After a shower, I decided to take a stroll downtown before dinner and stopped by a cutlery brick and mortar store I know since a while and where I have bought a couple of knives already. Ended up buying this Viper Dan 2 in burgundy micarta this time! Got a discounted price for this, since the box was kind of squashed and the clip had a couple of superficial rust spots (seaside environment is quite harsh in this respect). I have bargained a bit but the owner, Paul, a nice, laid back and easy going dude :thumbup:.

Was not having in mind to purchase anything in particular but, going around in the store, my eye was caught by the Viper Dan display. The Dan is not a new knife, I knew something about it already, having read about this in cutlery magazines and in the web but I was not “hot” about it. The Dan was designed by Tommaso Rumici, an Italian designer who has worked for a number of Italian and international manufacturers. I knew the knife’s name to be an acronym for Daily Assorted Needs, but Paul (the shop owner), argued that it was named after a Tommaso’s friend. Don’t know where the truth exactly is, but Paul’s story also was a good one to listen to , though the Daily Assorted Needs names perfectly fits the product. This isn’t a tactical knife, rather a reliable working tool for everyday cutting tasks. In EU we have several countries which are having strict legislations about locking blades for EDC carry and a number of folding knives designs have been thought to meet these restrictions. In the case of Dan, it looks to me, Viper and Tommaso made a virtue out of necessity.

The Viper Dan 2 measures 182 mm while open and weighs 90 g., featuring a 73 mm blade. The Viper Dan 1 is nearly identical, but offers a more traditional drop point blade shape. I generally like the modified wharncliffe blade shape, it manages a good balance between tip strength in piercing and the slight but continuous belly of the blade is suitable for a wide range of tasks, not last the food prep which is one of my main EDC cutting tasks. This Viper/Rumici interpretation of the wharncliffe, is executed quite well, in my opinion. The Viper Dan is produced in Maniago, Italy.

 

[Herlock]

The blade feature a partially flat grind. I can say the full flat is my preferred type of grind and this on the Dan is quite OK for me. The Dan just cuts stuff well, regardless of whether I’m using the Dan for food prep, breaking down cardboard and packaging materials, or just having fun with some light wood work. Fit and finish is really very good, the blade is meticulously ground and the Dan came shaving sharp from the factory. The swedge is perfectly symmetrical, and meets up with the rounded spine cleanly. The blade is made out of N690, a simple but solid working steel. N690 is certainly not a “super steel”, nothing “exotic” or fancy. It’s a good steel for an EDC like the Dan. It takes a good edge and it’s rather easy for me to sharpen. I have sharpened this a couple of times now, once after an afternoon spent opening cardboard boxes during product audits at supplier and another time after having played around with wood working during a walk in the woods. Sharpens just fine with my Lansky stones. Edge retention is fine, not comparable with super steels but surely good enough for an EDC like this. I’ve never experienced rust or staining on any of my knives with N690. Overall, for me, it’s a good all-rounder, it demonstrates balance between ease of care, rust resistance, edge retention, and toughness.

The handle, in my model here, is formed of two contoured slabs of burgundy micarta over nested steel liners. Out of the box, the colour of the scales was something between red and pink and rather bright. After a couple of weeks of use, the colour has changed to a darker purple shade. I like it! Frankly speaking, I was a bit torn about micarta. I really loved the colour but, as handle material, I definitely prefer G10. I think it’s less prone to get and retain dirt, easier to clean and somehow more “hygienic”, if you get what I mean. I regularly prepare breakfast and lunch at the office and some food on the trails so my go to choices are, generally, stainless and Ti/G10. I compare micarta as handle material to carbon steel as blade material, in fact, by absorbing the oils in my hand and the “dirt” from the environment, it has formed the equivalent of a patina. The Dan is anyway also available in carbon fibre, green and “silver twill” G10. Dan contoured handles are comfortable, the handle slabs are symmetrical, smooth, and offer a good grip. There are no sharp corners; even the protruding tang of the blade, when is folded, has been given a smooth surface and the only point that could generate a hotspot, during prolonged use, is the pocket clip. The Dan is comfortable in the hand and likewise comfortable in the pocket. The clip provides good tension, but isn’t so tight that it damages my trousers. I like the Dan’s clip, truly deep carry and well dimensioned. The clip is said to be inox stainless steel but the marine environment managed to put some superficial rust spots on it. I have polished it with the Henkel Sidol but still some brownish traces remained. Likely I’ll need to resort to some sand paper

It’s a rule of the game, with most slipjoints, that I can’t flick open the blade with one hand. It’s not essential for my EDC needs, but sometimes, the extra step is a little inconvenient. The Viper Dan has tried to overcome this issue as well, in a rather successful way, in my opinion. The blade is deployed (OK, I mean opened) by rotating the extended tang with the thumb, similarly to a friction folder. The jimping on the tang ensures that the finger doesn’t slide off mid-deployment. Overall, I find the Dan reasonably quick, easy to operate and even a bit “addictive” to open and close (not that I flick open the knives all day but it’s fun to fondle them sometimes, as worry stones ).

Viper chose their patented Action Stopper system instead of a lock for the Dan. The Action Stopper is basically a detent bearing, if I understand this correctly. Each of the liners has a spring tab with a ball detent. These detent balls drop into corresponding slots in the blade at the closed, half-stop, and opened positions. This system is not new, but effective. I can compare the Dan detent to a SAK, e.g. my Spartan. I normally grip the Dan with my thumb resting on the spine of the blade, so I have a strong slipjoint mechanism, a half stop and the pressure of my own thumb itself keeps the blade away from my fingers in cutting operations. Overall I find this a secure enough system. Surely we’re talking about a non-locking folder, so some extra caution is required when operating it, same as for all the SAKs I own.

The Viper knives that get the most attention lately (here at least) are the collaborations with Jesper Voxnaes , but the Dan series is really worth the same attention and consideration, in my opinion. All in all, I like this knife. I like its unique design and engineering solutions, the materials are top shelf, it’s well manufactured to very tight tolerances and… in Italy! This said, slipjoint knives are not the sort of thing I regularly carry and I can’t recommend them to anyone. They need some skills and caution in operating and are not suitable for a casual, inattentive use, leave alone the today fashion of knives “hard use”. Anyway, I consider this a nice gents folder, a smart reading of the slipjoint concept in a modern key, from design, materials and engineering point of view. Also, going into places where locking folders are illegal but still wanting to rely on a solid EDC cutting tool, this can be surely a good option. Impact on the public it’s fine, its shape, dimensions and purple handle colour aren’t intimidating at all. It makes a kind of friendly “pic-nick knife” impression, at least this is what I have experienced so far .

 

[Herlock]

Basic specs

Type of production: Industrial
Blade: Stainless steel N690Co 57/59HRC
Blade finishing: Satin
Handles: Burgundy micarta with liners in 420C steel and anodized Ti spacer
Blade length: 73mm.
Blade thickness: 3mm.
Overall lenght: 182mm.
Weight: 90g.
Lock: no lock, Action Stopper system
Pocket clip: Stainless steel satin finish
Design by: Tommaso Rumici
Made in Italy by Viper


Some pictures

 

[J D Wijbenga]

Grazie! for the insightful review great pictures!

 

[AmosPaul]

I have a Viper DAN and your review is spot on. The knife is impressively machined.

 

[JPD1998]

Great review and thank you for the pictures.

The Dan 2 has been on my wish list for over a year.

 

[Bigfitz]

Thanks for the great review. I was on the fence about this knife but now I think I'll get one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Murindo]

Excellent review, beautiful pictures.

 

[Mistwalker]

Great review Herlock, thanks for posting! I love that profile, and really like that location for the flipper rather than protruding from the spine side. Not a bad price either. Seems most are either out of stock, or stock is low, but I'll definitely keep my eyes open for them now.

 

[Herlock]

Hi! Thank-you all . I’m glad you like my ramblings here, I actually admit I have some fun sitting down and write a bit about my knives when I have some times. Not being a YT guy and not belonging to the “twitter generation” , I need (and enjoy) to articulate some reasoning or indulge in some storytelling and, in here, knives are always a good conversation starters. Yes, the Viper Dan it’s a good little pocket companion, it got a place as “first line player” in my rotation :thumbup:! Take care!

 

[mete]

Nice looking knife ,excellent steel . I have only one N690 knife ,made by Fox for TOPS. It's hardness is HRc 60. A similar Fox knife made for military is 58 .I like the harder 60 .Give us some comments about the hardness vs performance please. In the USA we are more likely to see VG-10 of similar performance.

 

[Herlock]

Nice looking knife ,excellent steel . I have only one N690 knife ,made by Fox for TOPS. It's hardness is HRc 60. A similar Fox knife made for military is 58 .I like the harder 60 .Give us some comments about the hardness vs performance please. In the USA we are more likely to see VG-10 of similar performance.

Hi Mete! Thanks . About your question, as said many times, sorry, but I am just an hobbyist here and for sure I am not up to a level of knowledge or experience to truly appreciate differences in hardness between a 58 HRC and a 60 HRC ! I do not conduct extensive tests on my blades (even though I would like to have some time to do that), I'm more the Average Joe user type . On the top of this, the Dan 2, for me, it's a gents folder. I have put this through my standard "light utility" EDC tasks but that's it. The only knife I own with a declared hardness of 60 HRC it's the Spyderco PM2. First days of use, whittling a bit hard on black locust, I experienced some micro chipping. Once restored the edge she does just fine, never had issues any more. What I understand is playing on the upper tolerance level with HRC can make blades more "brittle" (if HT it's not perfect). For my EDC and hiking tasks I still prefer less extreme and more forgiving HRC values, I feel more comfortable and have better peace of mind during use . Ciao!

 

[mete]

If you can remove micro-chipping by restoring the edge then something was wrong with the grinding ! It's very easy to damage the edge in grinding, softening , chipping etc !! You can't test a blade by cutting bananas as you show .LOL, LOL !

Black locust is in the legume or acacia family with their familiar bean pods .They supply use with some vey fine woods for many uses.