Howard Viele or J D Smith?

[Mack the Knife2001]

I currently carry a ss Harpy that I love. But I am in the market for a new Spydie. I have my eye on either a Howard Viele or a JD Smith PE. I'm looking for something that is both practical and elegant. The Viele is a little more flashy but the handle looks like if I applied much pressure my hand would be free to slip over the blade especially if the handle was wet. The JD Smith handle would prevent this problem. Well I'm open for any thoughts on this and even to any other knives that might fit this criteria.

Thanks for any thoughts on this.



Mack



"Look out ol Mack is back"

[32055]

Both of the knives you mention would make great additions to your collection. When you say practical and elegant, the large Calypso comes to mind. One of my favorites.

[mschwoeb]

I had a JD Smith PE, and it had one of the sharpest edges I have ever had on a knife. That and it is a beautiful design.

[toothed]

Hi Mack, that's a tough call. Here's my thinking on the two.

The Viele is dressier than the Smith and can be "sneaky tactical" (i.e., it's blade is not a sissy). I like the false bolster because I can place my thumb there and get a better 5 finger wrap-around grip on the knife (as opposed to a 4 finger wrap-around and thumb-on-top grip). Dual ss liners are a plus. The tip seems fragile but I haven't broken it off yet--I only had light duty use of the knife. Fit and finish appear to be better than that of the Smith.

The Smith is one of my favorites because of its design--not because of quality and fit/finish. The blade profile is what I like best--slim when viewed from the side, strong tip, and quite thick pretty much up to the point when viewed from the top. Sexy looking? Yes. Tactical? Yes, good grip ergonomics and as said before nice blade design. Useful? Yes, cuts sandwiches, pizza, etc., etc. Fit and Finish? Well, you can't get everything you want. (I wish it came with dual ss liners and an adjusting pivot). The edges of the opening in the micarta handle tend to dig into your fingers when gripped tightly and may need to be smoothed. Finally, if you decide on the Smith, get the upgraded version with the VG-10 blade and other improvements(?)--I have the old version.

I think the plain-edged versions look nicer on both of these knives but I'm sure the serrated-edge fans will have something to say about this. Others will have their own opinions on other matters so stay tuned. I hope this helped.