Review Viper Knives Swayback Jack (A CK Exclusive)

Well I've had mine for a little bit now and I gotta say, though it is a very nice knife, as much as I was looking forward to it there are two things for me that are majorly disappointing. First I find the spring just way too tight and I can't loosen the pivot anymore without having blade play. I keep my nails trimmed short and there's just not enough for my thumb to get a grip on so just the thought of opening it makes me cringe in pain and discomfort.

The other thing is how little the point is buried when the knife is closed. I can snag skin pretty easily and consistently by running a finger along there. Would probably only get maybe a year or two of regular use and sharpening before it was a frequent issue.

Like I said. Nice to look at and well built, but I unfortunately don't see it becoming a favorite or seeing heavy use due to these two issues. It's a shame because I wanted to really like this knife.
 
sailfish said:
Well I've had mine for a little bit now and I gotta say, though it is a very nice knife, as much as I was looking forward to it there are two things for me that are majorly disappointing. First I find the spring just way too tight and I can't loosen the pivot anymore without having blade play. I keep my nails trimmed short and there's just not enough for my thumb to get a grip on so just the thought of opening it makes me cringe in pain and discomfort.

The other thing is how little the point is buried when the knife is closed. I can snag skin pretty easily and consistently by running a finger along there. Would probably only get maybe a year or two of regular use and sharpening before it was a frequent issue.

Like I said. Nice to look at and well built, but I unfortunately don't see it becoming a favorite or seeing heavy use due to these two issues. It's a shame because I wanted to really like this knife.
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Sorry to hear that, mine doesn't have those issues. Try some 3 in 1 oil on the joint after flushing with high pressure wd-40. Maybe there's some grime in there. I'd rank the pull to be a 6 maybe a light 7 on mine.
There's virtually no kick to grind for the proud point, so I guess your SOL on that.
Maybe see if you can exchange it.
 
There's a striker pin inside the blade well that keeps the edge from contacting the back spring when closing the blade. The section where the yellow arrow is pointing is the area that contacts the striker pin. It could possibly be filed down to lower the blade but the knife would have to be disassembled to avoid scratching the bolsters. It shouldn't be too difficult to do but I have never tried it.
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Scott J. said:
Sorry to hear that, mine doesn't have those issues. Try some 3 in 1 oil on the joint after flushing with high pressure wd-40. Maybe there's some grime in there. I'd rank the pull to be a 6 maybe a light 7 on mine.
There's virtually no kick to grind for the proud point, so I guess your SOL on that.
Maybe see if you can exchange it.
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I'll have to give it a try. Though unfortunately I think it's the spring stiffness because it was still hard even when I had the blade play.

Railsplitter said:
There's a striker pin inside the blade well that keeps the edge from contacting the back spring when closing the blade. The section where the yellow arrow is pointing is the area that contacts the striker pin. It could possibly be filed down to lower the blade but the knife would have to be disassembled to avoid scratching the bolsters. It shouldn't be too difficult to do but I have never tried it.
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I noticed that when I was checking it out. I figure that's what I'll be doing when it gets to the point of sticking out too much. Never had an M390 knife before though. Hopefully it's a while before I have to worry about that.
 
Not only do the ram's horn BF2020 swaybacks look amazing, but the recent announcement of Amboyna burl swaybacks are stunning! I've never had a Viper before, but now I have one pre-ordered and another reserved :)
 
Colt_Chad said:
Not only do the ram's horn BF2020 swaybacks look amazing, but the recent announcement of Amboyna burl swaybacks are stunning! I've never had a Viper before, but now I have one pre-ordered and another reserved :)
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Agreed. I got my first Viper Swayback about a week ago, and now I'm on track to own three!
 
I am gaving a hard time finding any Viper Swaybacks or traditionals for sale from US distributors. Mostly finding modern flippers. Is this a new arena for them? Looking forward to my BF Viper knife but I wanted to check one out before.
 
Pàdruig said:
Glamour shot!

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Awesome Picture!! The others are good too, but this one is great!
 
The stag on these looks amazing. I hope the horn on the forum knife is just as nice.
 
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