British MOD 4 Survival Knife ?

the gimp

the gimp

Joined
Mar 19, 2003
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520
I have always wanted a British MOD survival knife for use around camp and would like to hear from any owners/users on their opinion on this knife. The blade seems a bit thick to me at a 1/4 inch but other then that I like the design of the knife.

Any opinions on it's cutting/chopping and slicing ability?

Thanks
 
Maybe not so good for cutting wafer thin slices of tomato but as a bullet proof camp knife they ar hard to beat !!!!

ToddInlet046.jpg
 
I think Pitdog has one, hopefully he will be by to post.

1/4" isn't to thick if the edge is thin. The fact that it has been around so long is saying something.
 
Looks like you've modified yours just a touch, Pitdog!

I've got one, it has a lot of weight near the tip which helps it chop well.
 
Pitdog
That a nice looking MOD. What is your impression of the sheath? did you stick with the supplied one or get a replacement.
 
the gimp said:
Pitdog
That a nice looking MOD. What is your impression of the sheath? did you stick with the supplied one or get a replacement.
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The sheath is pretty crappy, I swapped mine for another sheath I had which is still crappy but a better than the origional ! I don't take my MOD4 when hiking so I'm not too concerned with the sheath, anything will suffice when camping !!!
 
pitdog said:
The sheath is pretty crappy, I swapped mine for another sheath I had which is still crappy but a better than the origional ! I don't take my MOD4 when hiking so I'm not too concerned with the sheath, anything will suffice when camping !!!
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The sheath is c**p, persuaded Arktis to make me a Cordura one years ago - still going strong, think they still make a version of it. ( www.arktisusa.com )

One of my buddies uses the Spec Ops brand sheath.

If I were to start again today, might look at making one from kydex or similar.

As for its cutting abilities, great for heavy chopping jobs. Have battered it through a piece of 4 x 4 with a bit of help from a blunt instrument. Will happily joint small game up to sheep size and trim branches for shelters etc. But would rather have something finer for more delicate tasks.
 
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The one I got was not near as nice as pits. Mine was the PITS! It was painted black, the handle scales overlapped the tang by 1/8", and it had a crude saber grind. So I stripped it and sanded the handle scales flush with the tang.
Camp005-1.jpg

Then I gave the blade a full convex grind.
Camp009-1.jpg

Then I buffed it with Scotchbrite wheels.
Camp003-2.jpg

Camp002-2.jpg

It chops pretty well, but is still handle heavy. It has a full .25" thick tang. I think pitdog's has a tapered tang.
 
I had one. I chipped a half-inch chunck out of the blade chopping a limb off a Bois D'Arc tree. It won't slice and it won't chop, but it drives tent stakes pretty good. If you get one, don't drop it on your foot.

The oversize handle slabs were made that way purposely to keep your hand from freezing to the tang in sub-zero temps.

The one pitdog posted looks to be an early one. They were much better than the later issue.
 
What sort of tang does it have? My position on fixed blade knives is the tang must be full and able to function as the only grip/handle of the knife if the grip panels come off or are broken. The tang on the Ka-Bar fighting design is not full in the way I mean, even though it extends the length of the knife.

Manu Forti
 
It has a full tang. The steel on mine seems on the soft side, like low 50s RC. It sharpens easily, but dulls fast. I can't imagine chipping it, but bending it seems possible. I really don't like it much, since I have a lot better camp/survival knives now. It will do the job, though.
 
I have one and have used it. I wanted to like it but it's just so poor of a knife...

The low saber grind and the poor edge geometry that it comes with prevents all efficient cutting and chopping. It works for batoning Im sure. A wooden wedge with no actual sharp edge works for that.

As you can see modifications are needed to make it work like a knife.

Search internet for more reviews on it. You'll probably find it a very low performance overbuilt knife.
 
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It seems like a mixed bag of reviews on the MOD knife. Maybe I will go with my initial thought and get the Martindale Golok. I know they are two totally different tools but the Brit gear interests me lately and I need some new toys.

Thanks for the info on the knife and should one of you want to part ways with your MOD please shoot me an email.

Thanks
 
I had an MOD knife and I can honestly say they're not that good. Built for squadies to bash things up with.

As you say the Martindale Golok is a different style knife and is also far better (and cheaper).
 
Blade thickness isn't going to be the most limiting factor here. Whether you get something that will cut or just another run of the mill bag-o-shite is going to be determined largely by the age of the brute.

The ones that are readily available cheaply now have a stubby little grind on a pry bar bit of metal. Either with the synthetic fiber or wood handles, no matter, they are lumps with two crude slabs attached. I've seen them turned into ok beaters when they've been exposed to some pretty severe grinding, but for a NIB thing, they are the kinda thing you'd foist on to a special needs candidate confident that he couldn't cut himself too bad or break it. Tool of the 'tard?

The Martindale #2 is a completely different beast entirely. True, the #2 requires a bit of work to get the best from it but it is not like the MOD knife that has become so violated as to be laughable. To give some perspective – the #2 is one of my favourite field tools but I wouldn't touch the modern MOD knife with a stick. If you're really adamant on a design in this kind of area the Martindale Paratrooper can be more readily turned into something economical and effective.

For a better perspective here's a glimpse at the evolution of the MOD knife into the Mersey Trout it is today. Other companies such as Rogers, Adams and Nowill have produced them but sticking to Wilkinson Sword [as was] -

wcni07_copy547.jpg
 
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Looks like it goes for around $100, and that's way too much for a knife of that quality. Just my $.02.
 
James_Terrio said:
Looks like it goes for around $100, and that's way too much for a knife of that quality. Just my $.02.
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this way too much for this knife, the becker bk 7 and bk9 are a much better value for this much money. you could get a becker and a sak farmer for that much.

alex
 
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