Hi folks,
A busy 24 hours for me, and I only got home a couple of hours ago, and still have work to do. I didn't post in this thread when Mike first posted, as he knows my thoughts already, and I didn't want to betray his confidence in any way (I have other images for example). Mike reached out to me at the start of the year, and while I was happy to give my thoughts and opinions, this is 100% Mike's project
I make no secret of my preference for more traditional patterns, but Viper make their knives a certain way, and one which seems popular amongst posters here. The only other Italian-made 'Lambsfoot' knives I've seen are made for Carl Kammerling (CK), and most are not Lambsfoot knives at all. Other cutlers, with better reputations, and higher price-tags, have also failed to understand that the Lambsfoot blade is not simply a slim Sheepsfoot. The geometry of a Lambsfoot blade is subtle, but, in my opinion makes for a uniquely versatile knife, but one which a cutler with no experience of the pattern could easily get wrong. The last thing I would want to see is Mike investing a lot of money in a Lambsfoot knife, which does not have a Lambsfoot blade. I was therefore happy to help in terms of looking at the design, giving my opinions, and sending out one of my SFOs to Italy. Here's last year's forum knife (gifted to me by
Reaper AL
) placed directly on top of one of my Lambsfoot SFOs, the blade fits that frame quite nicely doesn't it?
As has happened in this thread, I made various suggestions in terms of the construction and covers of the knife, but I understand that cost factors mean that this knife will pretty much be a Lambsfoot blade on Viper's Swayback frame. As I said to Mike:
"If you simply made a Viper with a Lambsfoot blade, I think it would be a nice-looking knife, and while I think it would be a long way from a traditional Lambsfoot, I still consider the knife below a Lambsfoot knife (if an untraditional one)!
For those who haven't seen it before, that's my treasured Parker Space Shuttle Knife, very kindly gifted to me by
JohnDF
I've never seen a Lambsfoot knife with a lanyard hole, but I've seen one with a bail, and Lambsfoot knives really come in all shapes and sizes.
I'm pleased that the Lambsfoot knife has gone from almost complete obscurity here on BF, to a well-liked and well-understood pattern, but apart from Charlie
waynorth
's stunning examples, and a few customs, one generally has to look to Sheffield to obtain a contemporary example, which currently, is more miss than hit. I receive at least one enquiry a week about Lambsfoot knives, and it ails me not to be able to help folks obtain one. I did produce a series of not-for-profit SFOs a few years ago, but it was very hard work, and the manufacturer of those knives has since changed hands, and is no longer reputable in my opinion. If you can live with the modern construction, this is a great opportunity to try out a Lambsfoot knife, which I'm sure will be well-made.
Several folks have pointed out that the knife illustrated is actually a Sheepsfoot, and it is, but I think these drawings were produced before I sent a sample to Italy, and I have since commented on them to Mike. Hopefully, Viper can supply an updated image and/or sample in due course.
I hope this is a successful project, but think that those who want changes in overall size, particular covers, etc will need to moderate their expectations. Perhaps if it's successful, there'll be more
Good luck with everything Mike
Jack