Review Viper Knives Swayback Jack (A CK Exclusive)

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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My thoughts and also have pre-ordered and reserved.
 
I'm looking forward to trying one of these out with the Forum Knife.
I've had a couple of Lionsteel Barlows, but the light pulls had me sending them down the road.
From what I've read here and elsewhere, the Viper Swayback appears to have a stouter pull, which will be welcomed.
 
I missed out on the first run. Now I have the rams horn, burl and micarta coming. Really excited about these knives. I had a GEC Viper in red linen but I sold it. These will make a great replacement. I plan to give one to each of my sons. Not sure which one I will keep
 
Ron Sabbagh said:
I have some fly fishing rods with Amboyna reel seats. Just a gorgeous wood and not sure why more knifemakers don’t use it. Yeah...I’m on Mike’s list for sure
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Probably because it's expensive. The block I have waiting for a knife was $45 and it often goes double that. But in addition to looking good it lasts, I have one I did 25 years ago with amboina and it still looks great.
I'm soo looking forward to this knife!
 
JohnDF said:
I'm looking forward to trying one of these out with the Forum Knife.
I've had a couple of Lionsteel Barlows, but the light pulls had me sending them down the road.
From what I've read here and elsewhere, the Viper Swayback appears to have a stouter pull, which will be welcomed.
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I was thinking about how the action on this particular knife might compare to some knives that I know you own, John. The Waynorth Lambsfoot is probably one that might make for an apt comparison - similar pull weights and such.

However, the differences in construction certainly make for subtle differences in feel. The Viper uses washers and has a stop pin which I believe contributes significantly to the differences. Where the WCLF has a nice crisp walk-n-talk and the snap seems to reverberate through your hand, the Viper is more muted (if that makes any sense). The pull is more than satisfactory, in my opinion (rating a 6-7, I think), and the action is not unpleasant, it is just different.

The different materials and construction methods likely cause the energy from opening and closing the knife to be dispersed/absorbed in different ways. I think it makes for a unique experience - one that is not at all unpleasant.
 
Pàdruig said:
I was thinking about how the action on this particular knife might compare to some knives that I know you own, John. The Waynorth Lambsfoot is probably one that might make for an apt comparison - similar pull weights and such.

However, the differences in construction certainly make for subtle differences in feel. The Viper uses washers and has a stop pin which I believe contributes significantly to the differences. Where the WCLF has a nice crisp walk-n-talk and the snap seems to reverberate through your hand, the Viper is more muted (if that makes any sense). The pull is more than satisfactory, in my opinion (rating a 6-7, I think), and the action is not unpleasant, it is just different.

The different materials and construction methods likely cause the energy from opening and closing the knife to be dispersed/absorbed in different ways. I think it makes for a unique experience - one that is not at all unpleasant.
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Thanks for taking the time to write all that out, it's much appreciated.
Interesting take on the "muting" of the action. That pretty much sums up what the Lionsteel was like too. However, on the lionsteel, I would have rated the pull about a #4. So it's nice to hear that the Vipers have something a bit stronger. :cool::thumbsup:
 
Most impressed by both the W&T on my Lionsteel and the build-quality. So if the Viper's pull is somewhat stronger then that's not an issue either :cool: Sublime:D

e1CXpI4.jpg
 
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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Thought I'd update my thoughts on this knife after time spent with it since this. They've improved. For one, the back spring doesn't seem as hard as it was initially. Still stiffer than a GEC but not unpleasant like at first. I can actually get enough traction on the nail nick with my thumb that I can open it without a nail now. Second, after some thought I realized I came at this knife from the wrong angle. I approached this as a hard use, on-the-job work knife getting opened and closed all day long every single day and frequent sharpening, possibly at least once a week like I do with my modern style folders. Instead, I decided to carry it as a knife that I use only for personal cutting tasks as needed in my everyday life, and in this use it has excelled. I'm glad to say that this is a knife I do enjoy carrying now.
 
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.
View attachment 1370018
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Just had a fellow that was interested in mine ask me if the tip was proud of the handle and it was, just barely but if you press against it and the skin sinks down, it will catch and mine is mightily sharp right now so, that'd be a bad thing ;)

Here's a before image;

shooting through a magnifier lens

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

and here's afterward, as Railsplitter Railsplitter indicated, the area that needs to be ground gently back is just behind the 'kick', don't go hog wild doing that, a little does a lot. And removing the blade was a trick as the back spring is stout. But I inserted a rod through the pivot hole and used a small screw driver to lever the backspring back just a little bit and while doing that I slid in a bamboo strip under the stop pin to help keep the backspring clear of the tang of the blade.

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

All back together, handily smoother without catching now, not an easy fix but not impossible either.

Elk skin braided fob with a Viking rune kept in place with a wedge of rubberized cork.

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Nice solid knife for sure.
G2
 
Gary W. Graley said:
And removing the blade was a trick as the back spring is stout. But I inserted a rod through the pivot hole and used a small screw driver to lever the backspring back just a little bit and while doing that I slid in a bamboo strip under the stop pin to help keep the backspring clear of the tang of the blade.
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Touching up on an older subject here but does this mean one can't simply remove the pivot and slide the blade out? The spring is tensioned to where it is actively pushing against the tang even in the fully open or closed position?
 
Correct, because it has a LOT of pressure against the tang end of the blade, if you force the pivot out you will have one heck of a time trying to PUSH it back into place.

The 'trick' that I came up with works pretty good and not too hard to do, that's without a complete disassembly of the knife.

G2
 
New member here, not sure if I should start a new thread or if this is an appropriate place to post my question. Attached are 4 pics of a chipped tip on my viper swayback. Not sure exactly how it happened but I am looking for advice on the best way to repair this. I am not the most confident sharpener and only have one diamond stone (fallkniven dc4). I am open to buying new stones with varying coarseness but would really like to not damage this tip any further during reprofiling or lose more edge than necessary.
https://imgur.com/a/1EmjKQP
 
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