Peasant Folder Roundup

D

dogstar

Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
4,399
h383.jpg


I finally own the quintessential peasant knives: Brown Mule Sodbuster KC37 (small), Opinel No.7, and Svord Peasant knife (full size). All 3 designs are inexpensive, simple, and have stood the test of time. They are all different sizes by my choosing; different models could be a better match in size, like the Small Brown Mule, Opinel No.6 and Mini Peasant. Scores are out of 10. Obviously, these are subjective, with the most subjective topics unscored. The following modifications were made: Brown mule - point dropped down by file, handle rounded, Opinel - tip filed to straight clip, Svord - pointy handle end cut off to reduce OAL (overall length) and reduce pocket wear, larger diameter stop pin installed.

4nnf.jpg


[table="width: 1000, class: grid, align: center"]
[tr]
[td] [/td]
[td]Brown Mule (KC37)[/td]
[td]Opinel No.7[/td]
[td]Svord Peasant Full Size[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Value - all 3 knives can be had for $15 or less. Value is through the roof.[/td]
[td]Score = 10[/td]
[td]Score = 10[/td]
[td]Score = 10[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Construction/Design[/td]
[td]Hardwood scales with brass liners and brass pins. Steel pivot pin, reinforced by brass rosettes. Feels very dense and solid in hand. I've had to peen the pin to eliminate blade play, but overall feels simple and strong. Score = 9[/td]
[td]One-piece Beechwood handle with stainless steel bolster and steel pivot pin. Stainless steel rotating lock ring. Again, very simple and strong. Only 0.5mm (0.020") contact between spine and inner ring when open. No blade stop in closed position allows tip to dull against handle. Score = 8[/td]
[td]Plastic scales with brass Chicago screws at pivot and rear, easy to tighten up play. Brass stop pin. As simple as it gets. Pivot pin was at wrong position, so blade contacts rear Chicago screw in closed position. Required mods to fix. Don't see it breaking except under heavy abuse. Score = 8[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Fit and Finish- Factory edge serviceable for all 3 knives, not razor sharp.[/td]
[td]Needs a lot of work initially. Shocking to the uninitiated. Dirt, burrs, gaps, somewhat loose pins. But hey, the back spring was polished and the blade was well finished. Blade centering good. Score = 6[/td]
[td]Very nice at any price. Wood has nice finish, steel is polished, blade has a perfectly square spine for striking fire steel. Blade centering off. Score = 10[/td]
[td]Blade has a partially unground, rustic look, which I like. Edges uneven. Handle scales with nice texture, burr-free. Not much to go wrong.Score = 9[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Deployment[/td]
[td]It's a slip joint, which is very familiar. Strong spring takes effort to open and close, but that is a comfort. Score = 9[/td]
[td]Wood does bind pivot when wet. Locking ring takes time to visually align. I can see why people remove or don't use it. Score = 9[/td]
[td]True one-hand operation. Fun to cycle. Score = 10[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Ergonomics[/td]
[td]Good comfort for EDC chores (after sanding/filing sharp edges/corners). Full 4 finger grip. Wood feels great. Small handle makes it harder to control when cutting with force. Score = 9[/td]
[td]Wood feels great. Nice hand-filling grip and contours. Fish-tail handle digs into hand in chest-lever grip, can be re-shaped. Score = 10[/td]
[td]Large handle with curved contours feels great during hard cutting. Curved handle a bit ungainly in chest-lever grip. Exposed tang is no problem. Score = 9[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td] [/td]
[td]Brown Mule (KC37)[/td]
[td]Opinel No.7[/td]
[td]Svord Peasant Full Size[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Ease of Carry[/td]
[td]3.5" OAL, great size, lightweight for pocket carry. Thick cross section makes it stick out. Score = 10[/td]
[td]4" OAL, fits and rides great in front pocket. Very lightweight. Substantial round handle is bulky, bumps into things. Score = 9[/td]
[td]6.5" OAL, lightweight, but bulky. Exposed half-tang makes the full size peasant knife near impossible to carry in pants pocket. Some fear of accidental opening. Better as a belt sheath or backpack knife. Score = 7[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Steel[/td]
[td]Supposedly Solingen carbon steel, but knife is made in Italy. Easy to sharpen, although doesn't get as sharp as others, acceptable edge holding. Score = 8[/td]
[td]X90 carbon steel. takes a wicked edge with little effort, edge holding is very good (or at least geometry helps), some edge rolls after cutting cardboard and wood. Score = 9[/td]
[td]L6 tool steel. Very easy to sharpen, good edge holding, no edge rolls after repeated cardboard cuts. Score = 10[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Blade Geometry - all 3 knives have generous belly, not so acute points (except the Opinel, with its upturned tip). Aren't great for X-acto knife tasks.[/td]
[td]Full flat grind, stout blade, good utility profile, but not the best slicer or piercing tip. Score = 9[/td]
[td]Full flat grind with slight convex. Thin blade with legendary cutting prowess, general purpose design. Equally at home in the kitchen or gargen. Tip looks delicate, but survived dings against steel railing when trimming hedge. Score = 10[/td]
[td]Flat ground with convex edge, strong. Wide blade like a kitchen knife, works well for food. More of a skinning design. Score = 9[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Aesthetics[/td]
[td] I like its clean, flowing lines. Nothing flashy about the materials; just epitomizes a traditional working knife.[/td]
[td]Named one of the "100 most beautiful products in the world" by the Victoria and Albert Museum. I'm not sure I like the looks of the lock ring, but the blade stamp is great. Not crazy about the upturned Yatagan tip, but love it after straightening the clip.[/td]
[td]Again, function dictates form, but overall a decent looking knife. Wood scales would look better, but that would cost more $$.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Safety - very subjective, I know.[/td]
[td]Strong back spring, half stop a plus with regard to accidental closing. Kick is just right for protecting finger when closing, its shape also alerts you by feel.[/td]
[td]Locking ring is a good precaution. I'm not crazy about the blade lacking ricasso/kick. I can see myself getting cut by the heel of the blade.[/td]
[td]Extended tang makes me very confident. 3/8" gap between handle and blade. In case of duress, may open in pocket.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Total score out of 80[/td]
[td]70[/td]
[td]75[/td]
[td]72[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

mbg6.jpg


I will conclude by saying each knife is not perfect, but all 3 are great knives. You could do much worse. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. If I had to choose one for the great outdoors, it would be the Svord, due to its robustness. For EDC, it's a tossup between the Opinel and the Brown Mule. They are both easy to carry, but I may have a slight preference for the ease of use of the slip joint. I'm really impressed with the Opinel's cutting ability, fit and finish. Time will tell which is the favorite.
 
Last edited:
Nice review, thanks for going to the trouble. I like the dropped tip on the Brown Mule, nice knife that one. According to the US dealer that currently gets these knives made up in Italy (they basically have nothing to do with Robert Klaas), both the Brown Mule and Black Angus are presently only available with stainless blades.
 
I have two mini svord peasant folders on the way, can hardly wait to get them.
The opinel has been a favorite of mine for years and is often my EDC. I rotate between a modified No.8 carbone and a modified No.7 carbine. The No.8 is a little thinner in the pocket due to the handle mods, I usually carry it to work, the No.7 is a fair amount shorter with almost the same blade length and it get the nod for off the clock jeans carry.

I have never tried a brown mule but I like the looks of them and enjoy sodbuster patterns. My case sod buster jr. Is is one of my favorite knives at any price.
 
Outstanding detailed review, Dogstar. I'd like to see more of this kind. Next time you might consider including the Aitor Castor.
 
I'm still planning on picking up a Brown mule, Svord, or Douk Douk one of these days. I love having my Opinel as my backpocket, food knife.


brownshoe said:
The Douk Douk is a good one too.
Click to expand...

I've been wondering, is there a small, carbon Douk Douk?
 
nice roundup. i have a queen sodbuster pattern and the exact same model of the other two (except my svord is orange). as you say the svord is a great knife but bulky. for me the #7 opinel is about all the knife anyone would ever *need*. although fortunately i am able to have more than one knife lol.

dogstar another roundup with a douk douk, aitor castor, mercator black cat and/or a higonokami would be interesting. wish there were more peasant type knives available in the u.s. as they are among my favorites.
ryan summer i think there is a douk douk with a 3-inch blade instead of the full size one.
 
I really enjoyed reading this review. :thumbup::thumbup:

I was always tempted by the peasant, but it was a large knife. Now with the mini peasant, I feel like my resistance is fading, and a mini peasant may be in my future. I love the simplicity of the friction folders, and this owuld be just another step in my journey down the friction folder road.

Carl.
 
I believe they come in different sizes with different steels. The classics are the small medium and large carbons. If you want one, shop for price, since it has a big range. Five years ago, I got a medium one in carbon steel for about $20 from a tool site, but the knife store by my Mom in PA wanted $50 for the same knife.
 
This is a cool write up thanks for doing this. This always reminds us you don't need a flashy fancy expensive knife to get all of you chores done. I think that is really cool, thanks again.
 
Enjoyed reading it, and own all 3 mentioned. Believe it or not, I'd have ranked them the same way. It's really hard to beat an Opinel even if you're a distinguished knife enthusiast. The Svord is too simplistic to fail really, and a pleasure to open, and the Brown Mule is a very familiar feeling choice for many, not the best steel, but serviceable whatever it may be. I'm fond of L6, after fooling with Svord.
 
Thanks for taking the time on this great review(s).

You did a great job on reviewing (i. e. comparing) these three great working knives.

As some of the other fellow members have mentioned - it doesn´t need an expensive product to get a great cutting tool.
 
e2m7ocI.jpg
[/IMG]

First attempt at uploading a picture. Bear with me, please.
 
Last edited:
Gentlemen, if you feel inclined to add your reviews of other peasant knives, you have my blessings and encouragement. I have too many knives as it is, so it will be a while before I acquire more of them.
 
LEOGREG, I too hear you on the Aitor, it's a fine knife in it's own right, and IMHO similar in many ways to the three mentioned in this review. The blade profile, is interesting and quite useful. Mine is a bear trap, but serviceable nonetheless. Not as bad as a Douk-Douk, but a harder one to open. This is coming from a guy who like 300 series Bucks, so I'm not as fond of nailbreakers and the like as some are, but it doesn't detract enough from the Castor to keep it out of my pocket. A fine knife by all means.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top