Tomasso Rumici Archives - BladeReviews.com

I have a bit of a love affair going on with slipjoint knives. Part of the reason for that is – if I may be frank – that the framelock flipper is a pretty stale form right now. Don’t get me wrong, many blades of that stripe are beautiful, functional, and deserving of praise, but they’ve taken up and held such a large portion of the market that I’ve been dying for something different. Fortunately, just as that malaise peaked, I saw that the Viper Dan 1 & 2 were available on BladeHQ. Almost immediately, I ordered a Viper Dan 2 in burgundy micarta.

Buy the Viper Dan 2 at BladeHQ

Now I can’t pretend that the Viper Dan was a lightning bolt out of blue sky; I’d been excited about it since seeing it previewed at last year’s Blade Show. The Dan was designed by Tommaso Rumici, an Italian designer who has worked for a number of manufacturers. Andrew Gene AKA The Edge Observer said it best describing his style as a “combination of flowing organic lines and hard angles.”

The knife’s name is an acronym for Daily Assorted Needs, and the design is a reflection of that intent. This isn’t a “tactical” knife, but it is a solid working tool for everyday tasks. The Dan is one of a number of designs emerging from Europe, where knife laws are typically stricter than those in the United States, typically concerning locks. While I can’t say that I’d enjoy knife laws that restrictive, I have to admit that those limitations have spurred some unique and functional designs.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Viper Dan 2 measures in at 7” while open and weighs 3.2 oz., featuring a 2.875” blade housed in a 4.25” handle. The Viper Dan 1 is nearly identical, but offers a more traditional drop point blade shape. I’ve long been a fan of the modified wharncliffe as far as blade shapes are concerned; they strike a fine balance between tip strength and piercing, and the slight but continuous belly of the blade is suitable for a wide range of tasks. This iteration of the wharncliffe is executed quite well. All Viper by Tecnocut knives are (as far as I know) produced in Maniago, Italy.

Both blade shapes feature a partially flat grind. While I prefer hollow ground blades, it is refreshing to see a well-done flat grind on a blade thin enough to support it. I haven’t encountered any difficulties in cutting tasks, regardless of whether I’m using the Dan for food prep, breaking down cardboard, or just opening packages. Every aspect of the blade is meticulously ground. Even the swedge (an aspect of the grind that is easy to screw up) is symmetrical, and meets up with the rounded spine cleanly.

If you can’t tell by this point, I’m biased towards simple, working steels. N690 is certainly in that class, despite widespread use on high end production and even handmade knives. It won’t require as much care as 8Cr13MoV or Aus8a, but I do recommend regular stropping. I’ve never experienced rust or staining on any of my knives with N690. Overall, it demonstrates a great balance between ease of care, rust resistance, edge retention, and toughness.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Carry

The handle is formed of two contoured slabs of burgundy micarta over nested steel liners. When it first arrived, the color of the handle scales was somewhere between red and pink. More than a month of use has darkened that color to a subdued purple. Micarta is one of my preferred handle materials for precisely this reason; it absorbs the oils in your hand and forms the equivalent of a patina. When polished, the pores of the material are closed and this process won’t occur. Fortunately Viper left the handle slabs just rough enough to facilitate the “aging” process. If this material isn’t to your taste, don’t worry: the Dan is also available in carbon fiber, green G10, and silver twill/G10.

Contoured handles were once a rarity in high-end production knives, but fortunately most companies are starting to see the ergonomic benefits of doing so. The contouring on the Dan is executed perfectly; the handle slabs are symmetrical, smooth, and comfortable. There are no sharp corners, and the only point that could generate a hotspot is the pocket clip (but no more than any other clip).

Most folding knives that are comfortable in the hand are likewise comfortable in the pocket, and this is no exception. The clip provides plenty of tension, but isn’t so tight that I’m worried about tearing a stitch. If I had to find a complaint it’s that the Dan is a bit long in the pocket. Not only is the handle pretty long for a relatively small blade, but the extended tang compounds the issue. It’s never been a real cause for worry, but I feel some attention should be called to it. It’s comparable in length to the Paramilitary 2 (though nowhere near as wide).

Deployment and Lock-Up

As much as I love slipjoints, I’m always slightly disappointed that I can’t access the blade with one hand. It’s not always essential, but sometimes the extra step is a tad inconvenient. The process of “pull pocket slip out, pull knife out of pocket slip, put pocket slip back in pocket, open knife, cut,” looks pretty silly next to “pull knife out of pocket, open knife, cut.” That said, most of the slipjoints I’ve handled that can be opened with one hand are less than cooperative, and by extension aren’t fun to fidget with. In this, the Viper Dan is different. The blade is deployed by rotating the extended tang with your thumb, similarly to a friction folder. Machining on the tang (jimping) ensures that your finger doesn’t slide off mid-deployment. Overall, the Viper Dan is quick, easy, and even a bit addictive to open and close.

Viper chose their patented Action Stopper system instead of a lock on the Dan series. How it works is pretty simple: each of the liners has a spring tab with a ball detent, similar to a frame or liner lock. These detent balls drop into corresponding slots in the blade at the closed, half-stop, and opened positions. While the mechanism isn’t fundamentally new, it does feel more secure than other iterations of this system that I’ve handled. If I had to make a comparison, I’d say it offers as least as much resistance as the Victorinox Pioneer.

The advantage of this system over a traditional backspring is twofold: one, it allows for a wider blade to be housed within the handle, and two, it accommodates space for an extended tang (much like what you’d see on a friction folder). If you grip the Dan with your thumb resting on the spine of the blade, you’ll have a strong slipjoint mechanism, a half stop, and the pressure of your own thumb keeping the blade away from your fingers. On the whole it’s a very secure system.

Viper Dan 2 Review – Final Thoughts

Typically, the Viper knives that get the most attention are the collaborations with Jesper Voxnaes (for good reason). Thus far, the Dan series of knives haven’t been hit by the spotlight, and I think that’s truly a disservice. I can’t say this often, but I don’t have any real complaints about this knife. The design is unique, the materials are top shelf, and it’s manufactured to very tight tolerances.

Slipjoint knives are the sort of thing that I can recommend to anyone. Even people that don’t like slipjoints occasionally need to go somewhere where locking folders are discouraged (or illegal), so most knife nuts should have at least one non locking folder in their collection. Should this knife be it? That I can’t say. But I can say that if you want a slipjoint that can scratch that flipping itch, this should be it. It sells for just over $100 USD and is a fantastic value at that price point.

I recommend purchasing the Dan 2 at BladeHQ or Amazon. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

The Blackwater Grizzly 6 is another knife in a new line up by California-based cutlery company Blackwater Knives. The Grizzly 6 is designed by Robert Young Pelton and Tom Novak, and is manufactured for Blackwater by LionSteel in Maniago, Italy. The end result is a sleek Italian fighter packed with rugged features.

Buy the Blackwater Grizzly 6 at BladeHQ

The Grizzly 6 shares many similarities to the previously reviewed Blackwater Ursa 6. Both knives are approximately the same size, and share similarities in both their aesthetic and practical considerations. That said, the Grizzly 6 is very much it’s own knife, and deserves it’s own equally thorough examination.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Grizzly 6 has an overall length of 11.18″, features a 6″ blade, and weighs 10.23 ounces. The knife was designed specifically for SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) training. SERE certification involves survival training for the U.S. military, and involves the intersection of a number of different disciplines important in overcoming both the physical and mental challenges of a survival situation.

Ultimately, for a knife to perform well in this kind of situation it needs to be versatile, and I see the Grizzly 6 as something that would work well as a combat knife, a camp knife, and a survival knife all rolled into one. The knife is strong without being overweight, has enough size to be used in both a defensive and offensive role, and can be easily thrust into a utility role as well.

The blade on the Grizzly is a robust modified drop point design. I really like the bold lines and aggressive belly, it makes for a very striking profile as well as a useful tool. The blade has been given a high flat grind that is reinforced through the tip, and bolstered with a swedge. The 5mm thick piece of steel is ground thin enough to get work done, but also holds up nicely to light chopping, prying, digging, and general use and abuse. Blackwater included serrations on this model, not my first choice personally, but apparently serrations are very important / desirable to the military personnel ultimately using this knife. Consider the DPx HEFT 6 if you like this size and style of knife, but prefer a completely plain edge.

Blackwater went with Niolox steel for the Grizzly 6. This is a stainless German tool steel that I am slowly gaining more experience with. It’s manufactured by Bohler Uddeholm, and I generally characterize it as a tough steel that takes a nice edge and holds onto it over a good amount of use. I cut leather, rope, cardboard, and wood with this knife and the edge held up well. I experienced no issues with chipping, bending, or rolling – even after prying the knife through a 2×4.

I sharpened the Grizzly on some ceramic stones from my Spyderco Sharpmaker and found that the Niolox quickly came back to life – a must if you happen to be in the field potentially miles away from the creature comforts of modern sharpening equipment. I had no issues with staining, and noticed that the black PVD coating Blackwater used held up well. All in all I think Niolox was a nice choice for this knife, and I am starting to develop a healthy amount of respect for this steel.

Handle and Ergonomics

The Grizzly features a 5mm thick full-tang handle sandwiched between two generous slabs of black peel-ply G10. This is an impressively rugged handle that also has a good deal of refinement. For example, the spine of the handle has been capped (rounded) for comfort. Capped spines are a feature typically reserved for high end knives like the Chris Reeve Sebenza, so it is awesome to see it here. The handle scales are fully removable with a flat head driver, and reveal a hollow handle perfect for the storage of small survival items. The pommel features an extended striking portion that can be used as a “non-lethal” defensive option as well as a pry bar, bottle opener, and lanyard hole.

In hand the Grizzly feels fast and comfortable. The balance point is right where the handle meets the blade giving the knife easy control with the turn of a wrist. The peel-ply (roughly textured) G10 provides good traction while aggressive finger grooves lock your hand in place. I was concerned that these grooves would be too aggressive to accommodate all hand sizes, but in practice I found the Grizzly quite comfortable in a variety of tasks.

There is a short run of jimping on the thumb ramp. In reviewing the Ursa 6 I found this style of jimping (that doubles as wire stripper) to be uncomfortable under harder use. Here, I don’t have the same issue because I can always put my thumb on the spine of the blade itself. The Grizzly 6 also feels very comfortable in reverse grip. All in all, the ergonomics on this knife are quite nice.

Sheath

The Grizzly 6 arrives with a heavy duty cordura sheath. It’s a lightweight sheath, ideal for weight conscious SERE Specialists, yet fully functional and very versatile. There is a fully reversible plastic liner allowing for left or ride side carry. There are multiple mounting points on the top and bottom of the sheath and the fully MOLLE compatible backing integrates with both MOLLE gear or a regular belt. There is an external pouch for extra storage, and a secondary retention strap to insure your blade stays where you want it. In practice I found this to be a well thought out sheath and was nicely executed by the folks at LionSteel.

I carried the Grizzly on my belt and had no issues with with the sheath. Blade retention is good, and I like how the secondary retention strap is mostly made of plastic – that makes the strap ultra durable and unlikely to get badly cut under use (especially when quickly drawing the knife from the sheath). Sure, a heavier kydex sheath is always an option, but I think this sheath gets the job done without a lot of excess weight or baggage.

Blackwater Grizzly 6 Review – Final Thoughts

The Grizzly 6 is an attractively made tool, and I don’t doubt that many will initially be drawn its bold lines and thick proportions. I’m happy to report that the knife performs just as good as it looks. The materials here are of exceptional quality. I am starting to really appreciate Niolox tool steel, while both G10 and Cordura have become industry standards. The fit and finish is outstanding. LionSteel is capable of making some amazing stuff, and this is a beautifully made knife that could work well in a collection, but is ultimately designed for real world use.

In practice I found that the knife cut well and felt comfortable. The balance lends itself to self defense and utility more than heavy chopping, and I found the Grizzly to be capable in many different tasks. The sheath is lightweight and durable – it should fit the needs of most people without issue.

I don’t have any military or SERE experience, so it’s very difficult for me to recommend a knife specifically for that role, but if you are in need of a capable fixed blade knife, a knife that is of high quality and is well rounded, then I can safely say that the Grizzly 6 is an awesome tool that should hold up really well in a wide variety of roles. When you toss in Blackwater’s 2 year insurance policy for active duty U.S. military, the value becomes even more apparent. This is another winner from Blackwater in my book with their bold take on the classic combat knife.

Blackwater Grizzly 6 – $250
From: BladeHQ

I recommend purchasing the Ursa 6 at Amazon, or BladeHQ. As always, thanks for reading. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions in the comments section below.