Sometimes you buy with your eyes first, and that’s exactly what happened when we saw this Vox designed Viper Katla. Sure, the materials are premium, the execution is near perfect, and the action is superb, but it was that handle that got our attention immediately. The 3D textured titanium handles just look super cool, so we had to pick it up.
Let’s start with the handles on this linerlock. They’re dark stonewashed titanium, but they’ve been CNC milled to produce an incredible look around the pivot and the hardware on the end of the knife.
Imagine a plastered brick wall where some of the plaster has cracked away and exposed what lies beneath. That’s what’s happening on the handle of the Viper Katla, except the exposed portion is tiny diamond plate.
The handles also feature an anodized pivot collar (both sides) and an anodized solid back spacer with an integrated lanyard hole. It’s coppery bronze color that we hope patinas a bit over time.
The Viper Katla features a 3.2″ M390 modified clip point blade with a compound grind. At first glance, you might mistake the bade shape for a tanto, but the lower apex doesn’t actually come to a point. The blade also has a dark stonewash finish, and the compound grind really gives you a bit of extra tip strength.
This is a manual flipper with ambidextrous thumb studs. It has thrust bearings, so the action is smooth and superb.
The Viper Katla is 4.55″ closed, 7.75″ fully open and weighs in at 3.8oz. It should be mentioned that there we’re seeing at least 10 variations on the Katla available at SMKW. They vary in price based on handle material and blade finish, but they’re all the same pattern shape. This article is focused specifically on the 3D Titanium version.
Viper Katla 3D Titanium Dark Stonewash Details
- 3.2″ M390 Modified Clip Point Blade
- Compound Grind and Dark Stonewash Finish
- Manual Flipper with Dual Thumb Studs
- Thrust Bearings
- 3D Textured Titanium Handles
Anodized Pivot Collar and Back Spacer with an Integrated Lanyard Hole- Linerlock
- Removeable Tip-up Pocket Clip
- 4.55″ Closed
- 7.75″ Overall
- 3.8oz.
- Made in Italy
The Viper Katla is a premium offering from Viper Knives of Italy. If you’re interested in finding this knife or seeing all of the variations available, simply click any link in this article or the button below.
All images courtesy of Smoky Mountain Knife Works – smkw.com.
