Review Viper Gianghi

  

- a great hunting and outdoor knife 

It is immediately noticeable when you grab a well-designed knife. The visuals already provide a clue to how well-built it is. But it is of course only when you hold a knife that its true qualities are revealed. The first thing that is noticeable is of course the comfort, and how well the handle fits your hand. Then the balance is a revealing factor. When the knife then begins to be used, the journey of discovery continues with ergonomics, the shape and geometry of the blade, and the sharpness of the edge.

Viper Gianghi shines in all of these areas. The knife is nice to look at, feels comfortable to hold, and has a blade with a straightforward shape. What remains to be seen if the knife can grow further when used? Are there more good qualities to discover?

Viper Gianghi CV

That Gianghi from Italian Viper Knives has these good properties is perhaps not so strange as it is a master in the field who designed the knife. Fabrizio Silvestrelli or "Silvester" as he is sometimes called is not new to making knives. After all, Maestro Silvestrelli is the chairman of Italy's knife maker guild. He and Viper have a long and successful history together. This time, the result is a hunting and outdoor knife. Something that is revealed by the name "Gianghi", which means hunter in Persian. It is not completely new on the market but was presented in 2018.

The knife is currently available in three designs. The first combination involves a blade with a satin finish and then you get a wooden handle in either olive wood or bocote. Combination two is like here a knife with a stone-washed blade and Micarta handle.

Gianghi, a hunting knife from Maniago

Twitter version: Viper Knives and Silvestrelli do it again, Gianghi is a really sympathetic companion in outdoor life!

Blade

After all, a knife is no better than its blade. Silvestrelli and Viper have taken note of this because this is a very sympathetic one. The shape is a quintessential drop point. The proportions are harmonious and the blade is characterized by a certain "sports car feel". That is, it is not chubby with a steep belly and bulbous shapes, but rather pointed and therefore looks "fast". The look is enhanced by a long and rather dramatic swedge along the back.

The length of the blade is 11.5 cm and the height is 3.6 cm. The stock thickness is 4 mm. It gives a knife that is strong and powerful without becoming too heavy. The blade finish is in this case, as I said, a stonewash that is very well done. Overall, the finish on this blade is very high. Something that is emphasized by the nicely crowned spine of the blade. Something that has become a hallmark of Viper Knives, which often includes that detail on their knives.

At the base of the blade spine there are some grooves for better traction and indexing. The blade is marked with both Vipers and Silvestrelli's logos besides the name of the knife and steel type.

Gianghi offers a pointed but typical drop point in N690Co steel

The steel in the blade is N690Co from Böhler / Uddeholm. It is good stainless steel without being anything extraordinary. But to be honest, there is no need for super steel in a knife to be used in outdoor life. Then I prefer properties such as that it is easy to sharpen and hon over that it keeps the sharpness for a very long time but then it is difficult to get sharp again. There is a difference between a fixed blade knife and a pocket knife in that respect, I believe. Gianghi may need to be sharpened in the field.

In this steel, however, you get something that I appreciate except that it is easy to maintain and that is that it is very resistant to corrosion. Knives get wet in this climate when you are outdoors even if you try to avoid it. I prefer if my knives are not covered in reddish-brown spots when they are pulled out. Especially not if the knife is intended as a hunting knife. Simply put, blood very easily stains blades.

The factory edge on Gianghi was very good and so far I have not resharpened the knife. I have maintained the initial sharpness with my newly acquired Spyderco Sharpmaker as I also test that product. Should I have any objection to the execution, it is that they kept a little too much steel behind the edge. I measure it to about 0.8 mm. It can be slimmed down a few tenths of a millimeter more for more optimal cutting properties. It is not just the sharpness of the edge that matters.

Cutting meat with Gianghi is excellent. Although the picture's New Year's fillet is hardly a challenge for any knife

It is possible to whittle with this knife, which is a requirement on my part for an outdoor knife

I have used the knife during the late winter and a couple of spring months which, strangely enough, have offered very nice weather, which is not the most common at these latitudes this time of year. That means I have been outdoors more than usual. 

The first thing I did, however, was to let the knife act as a replacement in the kitchen for certain tasks. I'm not a hunter, but there is still meat to carve. Gianghi has shown its colors by cutting chicken, deboning pork, and trim roasts. Even if those tasks are not the most demanding ones, it gives me an idea of how the knife could behave even during, for example, evisceration and cutting animals. In this context, it can be pointed out that I worked as a butcher in my younger days.

Then I also chopped root vegetables and cut vegetables of course. All to spend more time with the knife. Kitchen work also tests how knives behave when cutting against something, in this case, cutting boards. Concretely, that means that you have to angle the blade slightly forward so that it will move freely from the finger guard. But that detail is not exaggerated on this knife so it works relatively well.

Then the knife was used to cut more everyday materials, you know things like cardboard, tape, fabric, and some carpet. 

But in addition to how Gianghi behaves in meat, of course, wood and cord/rope are of interest when it comes to an outdoor knife. In this case, I'm not entirely pleased with the edge angle. But there is always a bit of a compromise if a knife is to work well for both meat and fish as well as wood. But beyond that, the knife works well even in harder materials. In addition, the handle is comfortable enough to be able to use some force when needed. The only thing that can be noted is that as long as it is a softer wood, as in the picture, it works fine. When it gets really hard, I glance at my Mora knives instead. Then you want to get even closer to the blade with your hand and have additional volume in the handle.

Handle

A good blade also needs a comfortable handle to be fully utilized. Something that Gianghi has. It is one of the first things that is noticed when grabbing the knife. A second observation is that the handle is actually thinner than it may look in the picture. It measures 18 mm at its widest. It is supplemented with a height of 29-36 mm and a length measured to 125 mm. Most of it is useful as grip area. So even bigger hands than mine alternatively glove-covered ones can be accommodated. 

The three-dimensional shaped handle slabs in Micarta are screwed in place

Then it should be emphasized that this handle is elegantly shaped in three dimensions. The handle sides are thus not flat but swell in the middle to fill the hand better at the same time as the handle is extended towards the end to give a better grip. However, it is a rather subtle bump in the middle.

Another detail that is very clear with this knife is the distinctive "choil" or groove for the index finger. It provides a very secure grip and prevents you from slipping even if the handle is gooey for one reason or another. Blood and intestines are close at hand as Gianghi is also intended as a hunting knife as I said.

The full tang construction has a softly rounded back, a hallmark of Viper's knives

To give extra safety when working with the knife, it has been equipped with a clear and well-functioning finger guard. Incidentally, a hole is found in it if you want to put a lanyard in a loop between the hole and the hole drilled in the back end of the handle for the purpose.

The sides on this knife handle are made of high-quality canvas Micarta. A material that is both beautiful to look at and almost indestructible. In addition, it imparts some friction because the surface is not completely smooth. Then it is partly a natural material as it consists of fabric and glue compressed under heat and high pressure. This means that it wears in a nice way and gets patina and personality, unlike many other synthetic materials.

In hand, Gianghi is very comfortable and this also applies to tougher work

The sides are screwed in place with three Torx-head bolts. Then it can be mentioned that Gianghi is a full tang knife. The thickness of the blade stock thus extends all the way through the handle. As the spine of the blade, the steel here too is rounded and polished and thus soft against the hand. Something that is important since it rises slightly above the handle sides to give a rounded profile on the handle.

Sheath

The sheath that comes with Gianghi is made of genuine leather. It feels strange to have to point that out, but nowadays you can not be completely sure as pressed leather has become too common. But in this case, it is a sturdy folded sheath sewn with double seams that are included.

The knife comes with a sturdy leather sheath sewn with double seams

To enable different types of mounts, the sheath has been fitted with an extra loop beside the ordinary belt loop. It is screwed into the sheath, which should ensure good durability. The sheath is also supplemented with a hole and a long leather cord that's included. Together with the belt loop, the knife can be carried both vertically and horizontally on the belt. But it can also be attached to other equipment such as the straps for a backpack if you prefer. If you have a backpack with a solid carrying strap, it is almost a necessity.

When the knife is carried traditionally, it sits quite high. As an alternative, it can be worn horizontally on the belt, the so-called "Scout carry". I then reinforce with a piece of cord so that the knife will sit more firmly. Otherwise, a leather strap is also included for the purpose

To keep the knife in place, the sheath has been fitted with a sturdy strap with a button. The function is very good and the knife is held securely in place without it sitting loose or rattling. 

Sure, the strap springs back a bit when you release it, but if I have to make any negative criticism, it is that you still have to be very careful when you put the knife in the sheath so as not to accidentally cut either the leather or the handle strap.

Conclusion

Gianghi is my first fixed blade from Viper Knives. I already have a couple of folding knives from them that I am very fond of. Therefore, it was with great curiosity and some anguish that I gave myself up to testing this knife. There was always the risk that it would not meet expectations even though it looked very good in pictures. It turned out to be a misguided fear.

In fact, Gianghi exceeded what I expected. The quality I got used to from the folding knives was there but what made me extra happy was how the knife felt in hand. The comfort of the handle is one thing, but what I first noticed and which contributes to me appreciating this knife extra much is the balance! It is simply superb and makes the knife feel light and fast. A rather important trait. Especially for a hunting and outdoor knife. 

Possibly it can be objected that if you really have to work for a long time with a knife, the handle could have been a little wider. However, it is a small negative in the great scheme of things

Gianghi was a surprisingly positive acquaintance with good balance and good ergonomics

Then everything from the sturdy sheath, via the well-shaped handle to the nicely executed blade inspires confidence. Especially as the factory edge was decent, a sign that you know what you are doing in production. Edges need to be maintained but I do not want to have to deal with them before I use a new knife. As previously stated, however, the steel could have been a bit thinner behind the edge.

When you use the knife, it corresponds to the expectations that have been built up. It cuts as well as it looks to do. This especially applies to softer materials such as meat and fish, but it is not bad in wood even if the strengths are found elsewhere.

With Gianghi, Viper Knives has made a good hunting and outdoor knife!

In Gianghi, Viper Knives, and Silvestrelli have, in my opinion, achieved a really excellent outdoor knife. They have once again shown that the cooperation between them is very fruitful. If you want to buy a Gianghi, the price is around 150€ in various stores within the EU.

Specification:

Total Length: 248 mm
Blade Length: 115 mm
Blade Thickness: 4 mm
Steel: N690Co
Weight: 240 g
Handle: Micarta
Sheath: Leather

Produced by Viper by Tecnocut, made in Maniago, Italy


/ J - on the hunt (for good knives?)