Spyderco Viele 2

[newknifeguy]

Hey all,

I rec'd a Viele 2 on Friday from the passaround uderway here at BF. I was excited and a little nervous about this knife, as I loved, but had serious issues with the original.

Let me start with the original Viele:
I posted the following in Dec. 2001:

"Ok, first of all, I LOVE this knife!!!! It is almost perfect, blade shape, feel in hand, beautiful to look at. I would get rid of all my other knives if it weren't for one problem. I just got my second Viele today (sent back the first), and here is the problem, the washer around the pivot pin on the liner lock side of the knife is not flush with anything. When folding the knife, the liner lock actually bends the plastic washer. This in turn allows the blade to shift towards the liner. The knife I sent back did this so much that the blade actually scraped along the liner lock while opening. My new blade was perfectly centered, and after opening and closing three times,the washer is bent,and the blade is off center. I'm not sure what to do. I want this knife, Hell, I was thinking of buying a spyderedge version as well, but the above issue is bugging me. I was thinking of taking it apart and trying to replace the washers with bronze, but this is probably out of my league. Any suggestions, or comments? Has anyone else had this problem? Does Spyderco ever use metal washers? Does Spyderco plan to redesign this (I know the knfe is newly designed already)? Help...I love this knife, I don't want to get rid of it!!!!"

This ended up being a major problem and I did get rid of my second Viele. I subsequently handled 3 others with exactly the same problem. The liner lock deformed the washer. I loved the style and function of this knife, but also thought it was a little to big for a "gentleman's" knife.

Fast foreward to 2005. I hear there is a newly designed Viele, a little smaller, and better. Cool, how can I see one without buying one? Passaround...EXCELLENT!

OK. It gets here and I notice from the size of the box alone it is smaller, not much, but noticeable. I take it out of the box and go "yeahhhhh!" It is now the perfect size for what I would carry this for.
The blade shape appears unchanged, and the thing is shaving sharp. The action is smooooth. Lock up is perfect. I have come to not be the biggest fan of the liner lock, but this lock up leaves me with no trepidation. Closed the blade is centered perfectly and open there is no decernable blade play in any direction.
Examining the washer/liner lock issue, Spyderco has comletely fixed the problem. The liner is nowhere near the washer, and the blade travels into the open position without a problem.
A complaint I remember about the original is the Spyderhole size being too small. It is small, but this is a "dress knife", so agressive opening is not needed.
I think this is an excellent knife for jeans or a suit. I would not take it camping (except as a splinter remover) or hunting. Nor would I concider it a SD knife. Astheticly it is very pleasing though it may be a little small for people with large hands.

There were only two problems I saw with this knife. I like to clip my knife to my front pocket all the way back to the hip. The grooves on the top of the blade are a little uncomfortable as you slide your hand into your pocket (would prefer tip up carry so grooves would be to the back). Secondly, when holding the knife open, your index finger is precariously close to the blade with no protection against sliding up onto the blade. This is likely not really an issue as this knife should probly not be user very agressively.

Overall, I highly rec. this knife and will be getting one in the future. It is, IMHO one of the best "gentleman" knives around.

Hope this little review helps! Peace , Josh

 

[frank k]

Thanks for the excellent review Josh!


I am glad that you like the Viele II.




- Frank

 

[knifetester]

Sounds like a fine knife, thanks for the review!

Frank,
How does this knife compare to the Calypso in terms of cutting efficiency? How about other benchmarks like the Victorinox paring, Opinel, etc.

Can you get it with micarta or g10 not FRN?

Thanks,
KT

 

[Ritt]

Can you get it with micarta or g10 not FRN?

Thanks,
KT

Actually, you can't get it in FRN, and it comes in both micarta and g10. The G10 is on the clip-side, and the Micarta is on the non-clip side.

 

[knifetester]

Just found it, interesting design but kinda flashy for my tastes. I don't like the clip position or the agressive clip point. I think the knife would be more functional for me with a drop point, spear point or wharncliffe style blade. However, which blade styles work best is often a function of personal preference and use patterns.

However, if the cutting performance was very high (~Vic paring knife level), than I could overlook the clip point blade.

 

[frank k]

I don’t know how the Viele II cuts, because I haven’t cut anything with it (I like to send the passaround knives out as close to NIB as possible so that the people at the beginning at least get to check out a new or like new knife).


The blade geometry of the Vic Parers, Calypso Jr. and Opinels are optimized for slicing. I would doubt that the Veile’s somewhat thicker sabre ground blade would match the thinner fully flat or slightly convexed grind of the Vic Parer, Calypso Jr. or Opinel for deep slicing; though many prefer the slightly thicker sabre grinds for looks and for a bit of extra strength, at the expense of some deep slicing efficiency.


The Veile II is also kind of flashy for my tastes (or lack there of), but it is an elegant gents knife. And I do like the smooth action and hand filling grip: definitely a different look and feel than the Spydercos designed by Sal and Eric Glesser.


KT, I think that something flat ground like the Calypso Jr., Stretch, or Kopa (I haven’t checked this one out yet, but it looks good), may be more to your liking.




- Frank

 

[knifetester]

Yes, the Calypso is the best Spyderco for my uses.

Thanks for the information,
KT