- tradition and innovation in the same knife
It's a couple of years old now, Viper Belone. But it is a knife that feels constantly up to date with its modern yet timeless shape. A knife inspired by classic knife patterns from southern Europe with a marked focus on "EDC use" in the true sense of the term, a knife that will handle most things that craves for a sharp edge and a pointy tip.
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| Viper Belone |
Viper is one of the pioneering manufacturers when it comes to collaborations with various knife makers and designers. Among them is Jesper Voxnaes, one of Denmark's more famous knife makers together with the pair-horse Jens Ansø. Both gentlemen collaborate with Viper, but it is Voxnaes who are most diligent on that front with fixed blades such as Koi and Borr and folding knives such as Odino, Kyomi, Fortis, Lille, and lastly Katla.
Among them, there is also a slip joint that I reviewed earlier called Key. In addition to the lack of lock, it also deviated from the usual shapes of Voxnaes as it had a long and narrow blade. Typical of him are otherwise fairly broad blades with pronounced bellies and sturdy tips.
Today's review object Belone reminds a little of Key with a significantly slimmer profile than usual. According to Jens himself, the inspiration is the classic knives that were found in the hands of shepherds and fishermen in southern Europe. I have no problem seeing that, this knife in other materials and techniques could be found in Italy or Spain for example. That's why I became interested in it from the beginning.
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| Viper Belone is both slim and elegant |
Twitter version: Viper Belone, a high-tech knife for the shepherd in the big city
Blade
Something that definitely connects to the sources of inspiration is the blade shape. It is a long narrow clip point with a very pronounced tip. The blade measures 8.8 cm in length (slightly depending on how it is measured), is 2.2 cm high and the thickness is 3 mm. A slender blade in other words.
A distinctive feature of this blade is that there is no completely straight section of the edge. It is slightly curved in its entirety in the same way as, for example, a Sardinian Resolza. Another distinct detail is the markedly cut part of the blade spine that extends over half the blade length.
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| The blade is a slim clip point |
The finish is a nicely executed satin, a blade finish that Viper is experts of by now. The spine of the blade is rounded, which is another typical for them, and provided with grooves for better grip. They sit a bit out on the blade, which in turn is a typical detail from Voxnaes. The marking is in Viper's usual style with model and logo on the presentation side of the knife and designer logo and steel type on the ricasso on the opposite side.
The type of steel that can be read is M390. Steel that Viper uses in many of their finer knives. About that steel can be said a lot, or you don't need to. It simply belongs to one of the best steels you can put in a folding knife today. The balance between stain resistance, strength, toughness, the ability to sharpen and hold an edge is extremely good. Also, it is not too damn hard to sharpen, provided you have access to diamond stones that is.
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| The steel is the eminent M390 from Böhler / Uddeholm |
Three millimeters of steel tapers to about half a millimeter behind the edge via a very high saber grinder that approaches a fully flat ground blade. Everything ends with a capable factory edge. In other words, the basic conditions for cutting well are there, which is promising. Even better is that those expectations are met when you start using the knife. It cuts really well in most materials. Belone is as all-purpose as the knives that have served as inspiration. This means that it is possible to prepare food outdoors, cut a piece of dried meat or sausage, a piece of cheese, and some bread to eat with it. It works just as well to then cut some slats to hang wet socks on by the fire and later a stick to use for grilling. In fact, the slim handle is better in those situations than you might think.
For standard EDC tasks, Belone is excellent. Cardboard, including double-walled one, is no problem to shred. The quality steel also makes it possible to do that for a long time without the blade losing sharpness. The penetration ability is very good thanks to the sharp tip. That is the advantage of slender blades. I have not cut that much really tough stuff with this knife apart from my usual "garden hose test" which it passed without remarks.
Handle
Belone is built around a strong titanium frame with a thickness of 2.5 mm. On the outside, you found thin slabs in either titanium or carbon fiber. The frame is also available in three versions, blue or bronze anodized or in natural titanium. It provides a total of six different options to choose from.
The carbon fiber used is of the best quality and glitters seductively. What it does not contribute to, however, is traction as it is completely slick and polished. On the other hand, the handle is so well shaped that extra grip isn't that necessary. It's the deep groove for the finger that provides grip on this handle. A detail that is completely modern and is rarely found on older knives.
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| The sides are in this embodiment in carbon fiber |
The knife is built with a stop pin mounted in the blade. The back is mostly completely open with a very short titanium backspacer towards the end. There you also find the two attachment points that hold Belone together in addition to the pivot screw. The screws are pulled from both sides into the backspacer. Disassembling this knife requires a bit of work as the clip is mounted with a T8 screw, the handle screws are of T6 size and the pivot screw is a solid T10. No less than three different sizes in other words.
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| Belone is mostly open in the back but with a small backspacer in titanium |
The length of the handle is 11 cm and the height is measured to just over 2 cm. It should give a handle that does not fill the hand very well, but it's deceiving. The entire handle is available as grip surface and you can even move your hand forward with one finger in front of the finger grove if desired. The groove is, by the way, perfectly executed. It is large enough, has the right shape and position to position the hand correctly while contributing to a good grip.
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| Belone offers a handle that works surprisingly well considering how slim it is |
Because of the handle length, most hand sizes including my own fits. The design makes it a very comfortable handle where all grips work, both the usual hammer and saber grips as well as inverted grips like for making draw cuts or holing it like an ice pick. Besides, it is of course advantageous to place both a thumb and an index finger on the grooves found on the blade spine.
Opening and Lock
Belone opens with a flipper which is one of the better ones I have tested. First of all, it is very small and when the knife is in the open position, it disappears completely in the handle, which is a very big plus in my eyes. It is both good-looking and practical since it doesn't steal handle space, which is often the case. It also does not interfere when the knife is carried in the pocket due to its small height.
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| A small but very effective flipper tab |
Besides these positive features, it works very well to open the blade with. This knife opens extremely quickly. A combination of good geometry, fine ball bearings, and a well-tuned detent ball are the reasons behind the nice action. That and that the grooves found on the flipper tab are perfectly executed. They grip the finger firmly while not tearing your finger.
It should be noted that the flipper tab can only be used by pulling the finger backward, it can not be pushed down in any way. But the design itself is pedagogical in that it leads the movement in that direction in any case.
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| Security is provided by a frame lock or maybe a liner lock in titanium, depending on how you look at it |
The lock on this knife is a little special. It looks and feels like a liner lock but in reality, it is rather a frame lock. The knife is built so that the frame is thicker than the surface-mounted sides. This applies to both the full-titan models and the carbon fiber variant.
To Carry
The shape of this knife is made to be carried in the pocket. Tall, slim, and polished as it is. The material doesn't offer any resistance and the dimensions are sympathetic. The length is 112 mm, the width 11.5 mm but the height is as low as 24 mm at most and this is not where the flipper tab is located. The weight ends up at a modest 86 g. All things considered, these measurements give a knife that is very comfortable to carry.
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| The clip which is of loop over-type in titanium in its second version |
The clip is alright. It's not the best I've tested but neither is it the worst. The ramp is low but the tension is good, which mostly compensates for that. It is fairly easy to pass the clip over a pocket edge as long as it is not too thick. But regular chinos and jeans are no problem. Two other advantages are that it follows the design language of the knife that it is not felt in the hand.
The material is titanium and is of the "loop over" type, ie it is attached to the rear end of the handle and then bends forward around the edge. The clip can be switched between the right and left sides or removed.
It can be added that I have generation two of Belone. The original clip was of the same type as the one found on "Lille". It is not at all as good as it is even flatter, especially in the back end with too little space underneath which makes it difficult to get over the edges of pockets while it makes the tip point outwards in a sad way if the fabric is thick.
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| All of the knife is hidden when pocketed |
The design also means that it is a so-called deep ride clip. None of the knife protrudes when carried in a pocket. This is the variant I mostly prefer as it means that you do not unnecessarily signal to the whole world that you are carrying a knife and secondly it is safer and thus makes it more unlikely that you will lose your knife. I do not buy the argument that it would be easier to draw a knife that sticks out more. Not like I do it anyway. I stick my thumb inside my pocket and bend my index finger around the clip when I pull knives. If the rear end is gripped by a knife when you pull them, you end up with a grip on the rear end of the handle which still has to be adjusted before you can unfold the blade.
To Conclude
The types of knives that Belone drew inspiration from were real all-around tools. These were knives that would handle everything in everyday life long before expressions such as "EDC" were invented. As Voxnaes puts it, they would do everything from "preparing food, eating with, gutting fish, slaughtering a lamb and carving with, etc.". No small shoes to fill in other words or maybe sandals in this case.
Even if the need to slaughter lambs or perhaps a deer is not what most people have daily, it still shows the width of tasks that knives may need to perform. Personally, I am content to cut up some smoked meat, a good salami, and shred some chicken when I devote myself to outdoor cooking. Then we have all the other tasks that have nothing to do with food, which is more common, whether it is about cutting down cardboard for recycling or removing an annoying clothing label in the neck of the favorite shirt.
All that and much more is what a good EDC knife should be able to handle. That's exactly what Belone is!
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| If you combine Lille, on top, with Key in the middle you get Belone |
With its sleek exterior, Belone deviates somewhat from Jesper Voxnae's usual design language. It can be seen as a fusion between his usually slightly wider and stubbier blades and a slip joint called Key he designed for Viper earlier.
The result is in my opinion really successful. A knife that is a modern one, made of top-notch materials that still exudes tradition with its sleek and clean lines. Nevertheless, some details flirt with the eye, such as the holes in the sides that let the anodized frame shine through or the exclusively rounded blade spine.
All in all, it gives a knife that is really nice to look at as well.
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| The titanium version of Belone |
Sympathetically, this knife is as good to use as to look at. To begin with, it is easy to carry, the titanium clip handles itself well and the outer dimensions are modest. But the real joy comes in opening the knife. This is not just any flipper knife, but one of the best. The minimalist flipper tab really accelerates that blade. The lock is also well made and does what it is supposed to.
But above all, Belone cuts like a good knife should. The tip is sharp and effective and the curved edge works for the most part.
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| Viper Belone is exactly what it claims to be, a really good EDC knife |
I can just say that the collaboration between Voxnaes and Viper celebrates new triumphs. It is a knife that is very easy to like. The look is matched by both build quality and material and performance. If this sounds like something for you and you like what you see, there is not much to hesitate about!
Specification:
Length: Overall: 200 mm
Length: 112 mm
Weight: 86 g
Blade Length: 88 mm
Blade Thickness: 3 mm
Blade Steel: Böhler/Uddeholm M390, HRC 60-61
Handle: Carbon fiber on a titanium frame (Ti6Al4V)
Lock: Frame lock
Produced by: Viper by Tecnocut, made in Italy.
/ J -
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