Reiff | VICON Knife
A Field Knife with Real-World Credentials
Some tools are designed in boardrooms, drawn up by marketers, and polished until they look the part. The Reiff Vicon is the opposite. This knife was shaped an honed by the kind of feedback you simply can’t fake – real input from active-duty U.S. Navy SEALs. This is a knife that has been refined, honed and tested through training and real-world use in places where failure isn’t an option.
Reiff Knives itself comes from equally solid ground. Founded by brothers Stu and Ben Shank, the company was born from deeply-rooted West Virginia backcountry traditions – long summers spent hunting, fishing, and learning that a knife isn’t just another item in your kit, it’s part of survival. As they are up, they grew frustrated watching iconic American brands outsource quality and compromise on materials. So their answer was simple: build heirloom-quality knives in America, from American steel, and without shortcuts.
So let’s get back to the Vicon…
A Name with Meaning
“Vicon” fuses victory and distinction – a nod to the grit and valor of the servicemen who helped shape it. And the name fits like a glove. This knife is unapologetically purpose-driven, with nothing flashy or ornamental. In the hand, it says one thing: tool.
At the core is CPM MagnaCut, a powder metallurgy “super-steel” engineered specifically for knives. It offers the trifecta that steel nerds chase but rarely find in balance: edge retention, corrosion resistance, and toughness. That combination makes the Vicon equally at home in maritime environments as it is in dusty high desert. It’s razor sharp, and it’s built to stay that way.
My model came with a stonewashed finish (although DLC-coated versions are available) that is not just good-looking, but practical. Stonewashing diffuses scratches, minimizes glare, and shrugs off the inevitable wear-and-tear marks that build up on a field knife. It’s the kind of finish that gets better with age rather than worse. If you’ve read the website before, you know that we love items that exude ‘material-honesty’ – i.e. they look like what they say they are. I get that DLC coatings have solid reasons for being – but for me, I like my metal to look like metal.
In the Hand
The Vicon feels substantial without being unwieldy. The blade length hits that sweet spot: enough reach for heavy work, not so much that it feels excessive. Balance is excellent – the kind that disappears into your grip and just lets you work.
Handle scales are available in G10 or canvas micarta. Mine came with black G10, and white there are definitely differences between the two materials, there are no wrong answers here. The G10 is exactly what you want from a field knife handle: textured enough for serious traction, impervious to weather, and easy to clean. I tested the grip with wet hands and found zero slippage …which isn’t something you can say about every knife in this category. Micarta offers its own charm with that evolving, hand-worn patina, and some extra grip when wet, but G10 is hard to beat for pure function.
Sheath System
A great blade is useless without a good sheath. Reiff nailed this too. The Vicon ships with a modular Kydex sheath system, ambidextrous by design, with adjustable retention. It locks the knife in securely but draws smoothly with one hand. Between the drop plate, strap compatibility, and multiple carry configurations, it’s as adaptable as the blade itself. Just as importantly, it protects both you and the knife – no rattle, no drama, no half-measures.
In Use
Out in the field, the Vicon is confidence in steel form. Cutting, carving, prepping wood, or even simple food duty – it handled everything I threw at it with ease. The balance, the bite of the Magnacut, the security of the sheath – it all adds up to a knife you stop thinking about while using, which in my opinion is the highest compliment you can pay a tool.
Final Thoughts
The Vicon isn’t a collector’s shelf queen. It’s built to be used, abused, trusted, and passed on. At a time when so many knife companies compromise quality in search of cheaper margins, Reiff Knives has gone the other way – sourcing premium U.S. materials, building in U.S. factories, and backing their blades with a transferable lifetime guarantee.
This knife is weighty, sharp, and beautifully balanced. It’s a Navy SEAL-influenced field tool that also happens to be gorgeous. Form follows function in the truest of senses, basically. And if you’re lucky enough to hold one, you’ll understand immediately: the Vicon is the kind of tool knife you carry without worry, knowing it will deliver when it matters.
