Viper Special Ops and Recon Knives

As many are aware, Viper is the ‘Tactical’ arm of parent company Thatchreed Limited, so the branding and designation of these blades is fitting, yet in some ways a tad misleading. I mention this from the outset, as both aren’t only of use to those who prefer military oriented kit.

First up is the Viper Recon, a sturdy and fistfilling folder, with many features that are worthy of credit. Measuring 4 5/8 inches in the closed position and 7 7/8 inches with the 3½ inch clip point Stainless Steel blade deployed, it utilises dual thumbstuds for ease of one-handed opening. The handle uses composite side plates which hold a very strong steel lock liner mechanism and a well proportioned removable metal belt clip is affixed to the outer right-hand side. The strong, deep-set blade features a serrated edge thumb rise at the base of the spine and the hand is contoured to show a generously sized finger guard, an elongated choil and a useful lanyard hole.

Fixed Alternative

Alternatively, the fixed blade, all Stainless Steel construction Viper Special OPS Knife has an overall length of 8¼ inches, with a fine edge 4½ inch drop point blade. As alluded to earlier, due to the paracord bound tang that not only forms a cushion for holding the handle, should you require any, it offers the ability to use a very long length of black paracord. A practical feature of the binding is that it extends back through a lanyard hole at the very rear of the handle in such a fashion that it is also made into a useful hand-lanyard. Those familiar with and who find these types of knife design of use will realise that this makes accessing a length of paracord easy and once enough has been ‘cut off’, the handle binding can quickly be reaffirmed and lanyard loop once again established. The blade itself is very broad and deep, with a lengthy run of aggressive gimping on the rear of the spine and a forward finger choil is also integrated into the design to give you a more secure grip.

Retaining at SRP£18.95 and £17.95 respectively, both these knives come with belt-mountable Nylon pouches and will be of use for many hunting situations and outdoor activities.