Svord Peasant Mini - impressions?

D

dogstar

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Jan 23, 2011
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It's been a while since they've come out. Folks that have picked one up, what is your impression? Thumbs up? Thumbs down?

How do you carry them? Ergonomics? Muchas gracias!
 
Add onto the O.P.'s request, if I may;

I'd like to see side by side pics of the regular and mini peasant.
 
Very much a thumbs up from me!

It's smaller size is a marked improvement for pocket carry. Really, it's worth twice as much as I paid.

Here's a couple of pics to help in comparison.
My classic Svörd Peasant has been slightly re-profiled to make it 3".

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P2285936_zps19809997.jpg
 
I'm not yet feeling the call of the Svord quite enough to get one, but I feel I'm getting closer to it. A nice looking knife. I appreciate the pics.

On an offtopic sidenote, it annoys me seeing people post photos of bandannas because they always look like real cotton ones, which I cannot find anymore in local stores. All my local shops these days seem to carry "100% cotton" ones that look and feel synthetic, and are larger than the ones I used to buy on top of that. So many small things about Toronto drive me up the wall. Mods, my apologies in advance. Had to vent somewhere, I'll stay on topic now.
 
Question for the Peasant fans out there...

My sense is that this design sort of falls in between a fixed blade sheath knife and a folding pocket knife. The handle, in effect, replaces the leather sheath but once open, it is more like a fixed blade in the hand due to the long tang. Is this true?

On the other hand, that tang looks horrible for pants pocket carry. Is this knife more suited to jacket pockets or riding in a pack?
 
Pinnah, I have chopped the tang off on a few for ease of pocket carry, sacrificing the security of the extended tang. Fine for what I use them for. The tang can be a pain, in a sheath tight to the belt, it can dig in your side, cargo shorts are where they ride unnoticed, even full tang. As a pack knife the full tang would be great, and yes, with the full tang they are as secure as a fixed blade given the correct grip. They really are amazing knives for their price point :thumbup::thumbup:


That's two thumbs up from me;)
 
Thanks Duane.

I could not bare to sacrifice the security of the long tang myself. However, I find the Mini is really quite unnoticeable in the front pocket of my jeans or Carhartt work trousers.
Can quite easily slide it next to my phone or wallet and it stays put.
 
pinnah said:
Question for the Peasant fans out there...

My sense is that this design sort of falls in between a fixed blade sheath knife and a folding pocket knife. The handle, in effect, replaces the leather sheath but once open, it is more like a fixed blade in the hand due to the long tang. Is this true?

On the other hand, that tang looks horrible for pants pocket carry. Is this knife more suited to jacket pockets or riding in a pack?
Click to expand...

Sometimes, depending on how you hold it.

Got mine yesterday and my 1st impression is that yes, the full sized is definitely moe suited to riding a pack or going on hunting/fishing trips than pocket carry.

That's why I now feel the need to pick up a mini for my pocket.

Thanks for all the pics guys, looking nice :)
 
Svörd's excellent L6 steel also deserves a mention. It takes and holds a good edge. Is easy to touch up in the field, and I've not had any problems with quick rusting when it's been put away, to clean later (I.e. in the field after peeling some conies or squidgeon).
 
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Yes, I dint have any experience with the steel as of yet, too soon for me to know anything about it.

I'd like to know, if anyone does, what is the Rockwell on the peasant?

Also to touch on shapening, I'm afraid to touch it up bc the packaging insert claims that it has a convex edge and I have no experience with that kind of edge.

I cant even tell the difference if it is there and Ive seen videos on how to convex it on the Svord site, so what's the truth of the mAtter?

Is it convex or not and how are y'all going about sharpening?
 
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Svord mini!!!

This one's been in my pocket for about 9 months at work in a restaurant kitchen. It's slayed mountains of cardboard and plenty of other dirty jobs, I love the security of being able to hold the tang open. Never noticed the tang in the front pocket of my Dickies either. Takes a wonderful edge that can be restored by stropping on anything at hand. Also the ease of breaking it down for cleaning is great for food prep. Anyone on the fence should grab one!

As others have pointed out the fullsize model is a bit of a clunker in the pocket. I owned one briefly and had to let it go as I couldn't take it anywhere...

Jon
 
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stvpourciau said:
Yes, I dint have any experience with the steel as of yet, too soon for me to know anything about it.

I'd like to know, if anyone does, what is the Rockwell on the peasant?

Also to touch on shapening, I'm afraid to touch it up bc the packaging insert claims that it has a convex edge and I have no experience with that kind of edge.

I cant even tell the difference if it is there and Ive seen videos on how to convex it on the Svord site, so what's the truth of the mAtter?

Is it convex or not and how are y'all going about sharpening?
Click to expand...

I'm not really sure what you'd call the factory edge on the Peasants. They definitely slap them on in a hurry, uneven bevels with uneven grinds and plenty of burr. I don't recall the edges appearing especially convex... Once you knock the burrs off you'll have a plenty sharp blade, but eventually you're going to want to re-profile it so that you're not working with varying wacky angles when touching it up. Luckily the L6 doesn't doesn't need too much time on the stones to get it to where you'll want it. The Peasant was one of my first re-profiling jobs on a DMT extra-course stone + Sharpmaker and turned out great. Hope that helps.

Jon
 
stvpourciau:
Get one and experiment! This is an inexpensive and forgiving knife to try and sharpen. The price of making a mistake? You get to try again till you get it to your liking. One way of doing convex is sandpaper on mouse pad or some other compliant surface. Or, put a straight bevel on it with a stone... it's up to you.

pinnah:
Yes, the large peasant is a bit bulky in the pocket. The mini might make things a bit easier, hence my inquiry. The Peasant is a semi-fixed blade, as you correctly surmised. If the handle breaks, there is still enough tang to grip. This design is inherently very strong, and can take a bit of abuse (when there is a good reason for it, of course).
 
I have one :) lol, I'm just afraid to mess it up as my factory edge isn't that bad, a little uneven but nice.

I took some pics of the ways the leather thong I tied to it come handy and one of them is tying up and over the tang to lock it down in the handle And even leave a little loop for finger guard.

With a little adjustment of whatever strap you tie to it, these become incredibly versatile and interesting knives.
 
I really enjoy my Mini Peasant a great deal, the tang isn't too big of a hinderance, and I feel that mine rides very nicely in the pocket. In hindsight my only regret was not getting a wood handle, instead of the super practical, and more than serviceable blue plastic, handle. The full size peasant is an awkward knife to carry in anything or than a belt sheath IMHO.
 
My impression? The Peasant is a good start for a knife. They are somewhat crude as shipped. I've found the edges needed to be finished by the user. Both the regular and mini I find a bit cumbersome in the pocket. A sheath would be a nice way to carry.

They beg to be customized. The most I've done so far is shorten the handles. I've considered bobbing the tang on the Mini to make it more pocketable.

Is Svord still using L6 for the Peasant knives? I know when they were first making the rounds a few years back, possibly before the Peasant was a real product, the buzz was about L6. Last time I looked, though, the spec of L6 seems to have quietly gone in hiding most places. Regardless, the steel is good, behaves pretty much like any good carbon steel to me. Feels harder than Opinel.
 
I recently gave a Mini Peasant (won here in a giveaway) to my seven year old daughter as a first knife to use under supervision.

I don't care for it myself for aesthetic reasons, but it is a quality knife and a good, safe choice for a kid's first knife.
 
<drift>Dogstar,
I see from old posts that you baton with your Peasant. Am trying to decide between the Peasant and the Svord Hiker for a carry in the pack knife for backpacking. I find sheath knives a bit frustrating in dealing with sheaths. Take the knife out. Put the knife in.

One thing I want as a back up capability is the ability to do light batoning. I *could* do this with my Opinel #10 but I would like something more rugged for that use.

I'm not particularly sold on no-handle knives like the Svord Hiker. And would prefer a handle.

I guess the question is does the Peasant stand up to that kind of use/abuse well enough?
 
I personally would not recommend the Svord Peasant for battoning, the blade rides on a brass screw and barrel, and the stop pin is 1/8" brass as well. On the wood version there is a remote possibility of the wood grain splitting, and polypropylene is not one of the toughest plastics going... That being said, a short length of cord wrapped around the tang and handle will transform this knife into a virtual fixed blade.On the other hand, they are cheap enough to experiment with and or replace if damaged...
 
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