ML Knives Short Survivalist

mneedham

mneedham

Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
2,776
I've been carrying this blade for about a week and to summarize my review, I'd say "Buy one". Its hand-forged 1095, the blade length is 3 1/8th, overall length is about 6 and 3/4. Blade width is 1 and 1/2 inches at its widest point, 1/8th inch thick and about 4.5 ounces in weight. The slabs are Tiger Maple. Blade takes an excellent edge. It feels sturdy and yet has that same feeling that a Mora does in terms of lending itself to whittling. The sheath is actually a pleasant surprise. It is a simple pouch that rides high on the hip - see pic below, but fits very well in the pocket which is the way I have been carrying it. Almost appears that it was designed for that. It also comes with a leather thong for neck wear. I haven't tried it that way, I find blades in this size a little heavy for that. For any money this one is a winner, but for the reasonable price that ML charges, it is a must own, IMO.

Da pics:

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Steel Magnolia?
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banana-clip said:
I love the handle on it, and the blade looks super sharp too...nice looking knife.
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BC - The handle feels good, I wasn't sure about that with the exposed part of the tang, but I like it!

pitdog said:
Great stuff, I'm glad you are liking it !
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Oh yeah. Like a lot of guys here, I have a number of blades, but there are certain knives that just seem to stay in rotation. I see this being one of those. I'm going to a BSA Outdoors Skills course in the Adirondacks this weekend, this blade going with me...
 
My take is that the handle is too short, and would be very uncomfortable. The blade is too short to be of much use.

Cute, but a waste of steel maybe. My humble opinion of course, others may feel differently.
 
I like small blades almost as much as large ones. I have looked at his blades a lot in the past. Eventually, I will get one. They look like they are great users.
 
theedge13 said:
Very nice!
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I really like it:thumbup:

TheGame said:
I like small blades almost as much as large ones. I have looked at his blades a lot in the past. Eventually, I will get one. They look like they are great users.
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Me too, large blades coupled with a little guy like this, work well....

Mannlicher said:
My take is that the handle is too short, and would be very uncomfortable. The blade is too short to be of much use.

Cute, but a waste of steel maybe. My humble opinion of course, others may feel differently.
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I suppose that's why we have the variation in blades that we do, one man's mud is another man's lunch..... I understand your concern about the grip, but I actually find it very comfortable in my hand. My perception is that is that Matt (the maker) actually holds and uses knives, the blade geometry, grip, and sheath all suggest that to me.
 
Mannlicher said:
My take is that the handle is too short, and would be very uncomfortable. The blade is too short to be of much use.

Cute, but a waste of steel maybe. My humble opinion of course, others may feel differently.
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I'm guessing from the measurements given that the knife is roughly the size of my small ML which as you can see from the pic is about the same as an average Vic SAK.
How often do people use Vic SAK's ! IMO it is this size of knife that people are most likely to carry and thus most likely to use.There are not many tasks that I find I cannot do with my knife, shaping wood for trap parts and camp items, making fuzzies, food prep, my little blade seems to get most stuff done !;):thumbup:

Maybe you have never tried such a blade in which case all I'll say is stay open minded and give one a go, I think you'll be suprised just what you can get done !

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Yeah, Pitdog's small ML knife is not messing around. If I recall correctly, Pit did the handle himself?
 
The knife looks great and the handle is beautiful but... seems small to me.

I can understand the idea of having a smallish blade in one of those so called PSK's and such, but given the way you seem to be carrying it, wouldn't it be more comfortable to have a bigger handle?

I know strenght is one of the advantages of a fixed blade against a folder, but if weight is an issue, I would preffer a folder. I don't think I could exert much more force on that small knife than on a big folder (say Military). And both will probably weight about the same and will tackle the same chores with ease.

Mikel
 
John G said:
Yeah, Pitdog's small ML knife is not messing around. If I recall correctly, Pit did the handle himself?
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Yep, I believe he did. I believe that he made a sheath for it too...

Mikel_24 said:
The knife looks great and the handle is beautiful but... seems small to me.

I can understand the idea of having a smallish blade in one of those so called PSK's and such, but given the way you seem to be carrying it, wouldn't it be more comfortable to have a bigger handle?

I know strenght is one of the advantages of a fixed blade against a folder, but if weight is an issue, I would preffer a folder. I don't think I could exert much more force on that small knife than on a big folder (say Military). And both will probably weight about the same and will tackle the same chores with ease.

Mikel
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Good points. I have always carried small fixed blades, I just like them better than folders (I do carry folders at work though..). I couple very small FBs with big choppers, a combo I like a lot...
 
I agree. I prefer the feel and reliability of a fixed blade. I've got a couple of small fixies that do well for routine woods walking, day hikes, even hunting. There are a few tasks where a big blade has clear advantages, but for most of the usual uses I find a shortish blade does as well or better and is easier to carry.
 
There are alot of really good smallish fixed blades out there-the Beckers, the Izula, the Buck Paklite Skinner (a knife of absolute beauty-all the curves holes and jimping in all the right spots... it's like a dream girl) and I can't really justify dropping the money on a custom right now (Although ML knives are obviously spectacular quality for the money). Sure is a sweet piece of work though, I'd be happy to own one.
 
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