- a revitalized classic
I can begin by stating that Gobbo is a very successful fusion between old and new. The exterior boasts simple but elegant lines that are recognizable from knives used by, among others, shepherds in the area of Abbruzzi in Italy for many generations back. These are classic shapes and ditto materials with wood or horn in the handle. That was the case then and that is also what is present in this model from Viper Knives.
So far, everything appears traditional, but not everything is as it seems. The twist comes in how the knife is built and assembled and in how the blade is held in place. Something I intend to talk more about in this review.
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Viper Knives Gobbo |
First of all, it can be mentioned that this is a typical example of a limited edition, even if it is not an extremely small one. More specifically, 1000 pieces of this variant have been made, of which this is number 561. This is stated in an accompanying certificate.
In this case, the knife has a handle in olive wood. If you want a different look, it is also available in dark cocobolo or with a horn handle. As with all-natural materials, the appearance varies between different specimens of the knives.
The designer and knifemaker behind this reinterpretation is Fabrizio "Silvestri" Silvestrelli, a gentleman who often collaborates with Viper Knives. He has started from a regional knife pattern from Abbruzzi and then designed a knife that is basically modern.
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| Gobbo, the elegant humpback from Abbruzzie |
Twitter version: Viper Gobbo, an excellent fusion between old and new. A wolf in traditional shepherd's knife clothes!
Blade
Knives quite obviously consist of a handle and a blade. In this case, the shape of both is very characteristic of the pattern. When it comes to the blade it means that it is a very streamlined and slim drop point. It is also straight and instead, the handle offers the curvature.
The length of the blade is 8.5 cm a bit depending on where you measure and the height is 2.3 cm. The thickness of the blade is rather restrained by 3.2 mm. A thickness which, however, is only found at the ricasso and parts of the spine as the blade tapers towards the tip.
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| The knife has a rather slim drop point blade |
The blades of classic Gobbo knives can have different grinds. They can be both saber- or like here, flat ground. In addition, this specific blade is characterized by the fact that it has a rather polished satin finish. The markings are Vipers standard with model name and logo on one side and in addition, Silvestri's logo is put on the ricasso. On the opposite side, you'll find the serial number as well as the city of Maniago's seal of quality. Overall, maybe a tad too many markings, but not so much that it hurt my eyes.
One detail typical for Viper knives is the softly rounded blade spine. This makes it extra comfortable to place a thumb there when cutting.
I'm not entirely friends with the choice of steel in this knife. It's 440A. Very simple steel that has the advantage for the manufacturer that it is easy to shape and polish. For the user, the positive can be said that it is extremely rust-resistant and that it is easy to sharpen. The latter may be needed as it is very soft and keeps the sharpness rather poorly.
The factory edge was okay, at best. It tilts slightly on the right side which is visibly steeper than the left/presentation side. It is also lower towards the ricasso and slightly wider further out on the blade. In addition, the "plunge line" is slightly too sweeping, which means that the edge is not sharp all the way. The sharpness was nevertheless good. It shaved hair with some pressure on arrival.
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| No. 561 out of 1000 had deserved a slightly better edge |
Flat ground blades with these proportions and this shape are generally very all-around. This applies here as well. The tip is really effective and the blade shape offers a sweeping long belly and a small piece of a straight edge to work with. Since the tip is placed relatively low compared to the handle, you do not need to tilt the wrist so much if you want to use it or the outer part of the blade to cut with. Something that can be a problem for knives with a wider belly or higher tip such as hunting knives made for skinning.
Then it is noticeable that the blade shape has developed and refined over the centuries. It works for most things except specialized tasks such as skinning a moose or cutting carpets. But to what it is intended to do, being a typical pocket knife, it is brilliant. To cut string or rope, shred cardboard, cut pieces of cloth, carve a distance marker for knife throwing, and other everyday things. Yes, the latter is perhaps not an everyday chore for anyone but to me personally, I suspect.
Gobbo is also excellent as a picnic knife. For tasks such as slicing salami and tomato or cutting a piece of cheese and slicing fruit, it is exemplary. I can imagine how the shepherd used the knives for just such things. The flat-ground blade glides elegantly through most foods and here the simple steel is actually a strength since it's very stainless. This type of work does not require a particularly durable edge either.
Handle
The handle exudes apparent simplicity that hides a modern construction. What is first seen is the curved shape that gave the knife its name. The interpretation of how curved a "Gobbo" should be varying from manufacturer to manufacturer, I have noticed. Of course, the beautiful handle slabs in olive wood are also visible. They are sanded to the limit where you can talk about polished. So far it is a traditional build.
In addition, it can quickly be stated that modern inventions such as clips, lanyard holes, and the like are absent. It also reflects what the knives have always looked like. The first impression is also that Gobbo is very light. A very good feature of a pocket knife.
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| The handle with its "hump" is typical for the model |
The weight is low despite Gobbo having a polished stainless steel frame. Something which also applies to some of the older knives but not all. The frame should be added, not that they are stainless. They were not. So far no deviation from the classic. But the way it is put together and how the wooden sides are attached are tell signs that this is a modern knife.
The frame is, as on all folding knives from Viper Knives, softly rounded. No sharp edges or corners are found here! The sides are screwed on the frame with three very small screws with slotted heads. Usually, I might have had objections to the size and choice of screws but not in this case. This is not a knife that needs to be disassembled all the time. But you can do it if you so wish. If you do, an adjustable pivot screw will be found under the scales. There are also two slightly stronger screws which are the ones that together with the pivot screw actually hold the knife together.
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| Gobbo is something as unusual as an open-back slip joint |
The way in which the knife is open in the back is also modern. Here there are two hourglass-shaped spacers. Otherwise, it is completely open. It provides a lighter and in this case better-balanced knife. The latter is speculation on my part as I have not handled older versions of this knife pattern but this one has a completely neutral balance. This type of construction is made possible thanks to modern technology in the "locking" mechanism. And since Gobbo doesn't have a back spring there is also a stop pin, a bolt that takes care of the forces from the blade when you use it.
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| This is how good it gets when a handle shape that has been refined for generations has been interpreted by a master! |
Holding and working with this knife is pure joy. It is noticeable that this model had time to develop with small steps at a time. The curvature of the handle, the wood, and the rounded shape that is still oval are things that contribute to good ergonomics. The shape makes the knife easy to grip while you can index it in your hand even if it's dark. It also prevents it from rotating in the hand when you put some force behind a cut. That is something that can actually be done with this knife, even though it is something I rarely do. After all, it's a bit of a collector's knife for me.
The sophisticated shape makes all grips work and well. I would like to see the hand that does not appreciate this handle. Possibly except for those who prefer the more military-style of knives where friction and maximum grip are what is sought. Of course, you do not get that with a slender, polished wooden handle. But it is not needed either.
Opening and Lock
A knife in the traditional style can of course only be opened in one way and that is with two hands. This also applies to Gobbo as well. Something else would be blasphemous.
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| Enough blade is visible to grip with the fingers without the addition of a nail nick |
This knife does not have any kind of nail nick or the like to facilitate access to the blade. But in return, enough is visible to grasp around so no problems arise in that regard. Possibly it can be said that the detent couldn't be stronger as the polished blade does not provide the best traction for the fingertips. But the balance between resistance and grip on this knife is excellent. Speaking of which, I would put the "pull" that people talk about when it comes to slip joints to a four. This is the resistance required for the opening of the knife.
"Walk and Talk" is another term that describes how slip joints feels and sounds when the knife is opened and closed. Gobbo is a bit special in this respect and differs from more historical knives and this means that the walk itself have more resistance than what many slip joints offer. The knife also lacks a halfway stop. The sound that occurs when the knife is fully extended or the blade is back in the handle is distinct and fully audible.
A naked Gobbo. Here you can see the finely worked wood that encloses the frame, the adjustable pivot screw, the screws that hold the frame together, and one of the springs for the "Action stopper" system
What makes the knife behave a little differently than older slip joints is that this knife, like some others from Viper, is equipped with "Action stopper". It is a modern variant of slip joints where the resistance instead of coming from a back-mounted spring is achieved by double detent balls built into the frame. One in each liner.
This mechanism comes with both advantages and disadvantages as I see it. The force that holds the blade in open position can not be compared with the strongest traditional knives, among other things. But in return, it increases freedom on the design front. For example, you can make knives open in the back as in this case. Then I can imagine that this solution is easier to manufacture as it does not require the same precision to work optimally. You can even adjust the spring pressure yourself if you wish. Furthermore, it of course makes the knife handle lighter, which adjusts the total weight downwards, and not least, it contributes to the overall balance being improved because the handle is less heavy.
The function itself, I would say, is equal to the average slip joint design. The blade is solid enough not to fold if you, for example, bump into something with the back when working with the knife.
To Carry
Now we are far from clips and other modern additions. This knife is carried loosely in a pocket or possibly in an accompanying leather case if you want to protect the surface of your beauty. However, Gobbo is very sympathetic in a pocket. This is a real "pocket knife", not a folding pry bar that can possibly be forced into a pocket with a lot of effort and some force, unlike some modern folding knives. The rounded shapes do not create any problems and the same applies to the polished wooden surface.
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| Gobbo comes with a soft leather case or rather a bag |
Both the back and front have rounded corners and the outer shape is, as previously mentioned, curved. It can also be emphasized that on this model there is no sharp corner on the ricasso that protrudes and create problems when the knife is folded.
The leather case that comes with the knife is more of a bag than a leather sheath. As protection, it works well but is not something I use too often. Most of the time I carry the knife loosely in a pocket but make sure that there is nothing else in the pocket that can scratch the wooden surface. That is the disadvantage of such polished surfaces. They show traces of use fairly easily.
Then Gobbo has a property that is the icing on the cake or whatever you want to call it. It is ultralight! We are talking about a knife that has a blade that measures closer to nine centimeters but still weighs a paltry 85 grams. It is really noticeable or rather not noticeable in the pocket. The only thing that can be noted is the length as it is not a really small knife after all. It measures eleven centimeters folded.
To Conclude
Gobbo is a typical example of how time combined with generations of users can shape a knife to near perfection. The beauty of the deceptively simple lines reappears when the knife is held in the hand. This is a classic pocket knife! Attractive to look at and sympathetic to use.
This time, Silvestri and Viper Knives have brought to life a regional knife pattern from Abbruzzi in an exemplary way. The typical look with its characteristic handle has been paired with a dose of modern technology, which means that the knife can be considered a "modern traditional" as they are sometimes called today.
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| In comparison with some other wood-handled knives from Viper, it can be seen that Gobbo is not a small knife |
For the modern, the construction is based on a steel frame with an open back, spacers, and a stop pin for the blade. Something that breaks with what older knives looked like while making it both lighter and better balanced. In addition, a variant of slip joint called Action stopper is found that holds the blade in place in both the closed and open position. It is also the technology that enables the open back.
This knife has a very sympathetic handle despite the name. "Gobbo" means humpback in Italian, as I understand it, and refers to the bend that the handle makes before it slopes downwards. Polished olive wood is both a nice and very light material and thus excellent for pocket knives. Not by modern standards, perhaps when you almost want to know what size of rasp the handle material corresponds to. But here it is soft and comfortable to the hand while it is very attractive to look at. Then I would not have objected to this knife with a black polished horn handle either.
But I wonder if Viper thought of this specific model as a pure collector's knife? By all means, the numbering gives a hint that it is and that it can be found under the heading "Gentlemen and Collection" on the website. But also the choice of steel points in that direction as it is easy to manufacture but otherwise does not have many forgiving qualities compared to what is available nowadays. Why did they not use, for example, the N690, which is something of a staple at Viper otherwise?
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| Viper Gobbo with roots in Abruzzo is a revitalized classic |
However, that is one of the few objections I have. Otherwise, Gobbo is thoroughly sympathetic as it is both stylish to look at and practical. Here form not only follows function but is enhances it! It is one of the most beautiful knives I own and it is also comfortable to hold and work with. Especially as the blade is really effective. Then it must be admitted that it is only used for very light tasks. For rough work, I have other edged tools. It is, after all, a limited edition. It also means that if you want to buy one, I would not wait too long.
Specifications:
Length Overall: 202 mm
Length Folded: 112 mm
Weight: 85 g
Blade Length: 85 mm
Blade Thickness: 3,2 mm
Blade Steel: 440 A, HRC 55-57
Handle: Olive Wood
Lock: slip joint / "Action stopper"
Produced by: Viper Knives, made in Italy
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