I've now had a bit of time to get to know my M23 and so I offer this little review with my findings.
I find myself using smaller knives quite a lot nowadays. When out in the woods, I still carry and utilise a 'standard' (c. 11cm blade) knife but the shorter, finer blades are easier to use and, in many ways, just as efficient. This prompted my interest in Peltonen's new model.
The picture gives you some idea of the M23's size. Below are a Ben Orford Pixie, an Orford Campcraft and one of the Terrava models - I can't remember which. Certainly, there's not a lot in it when it comes to blade length; however, the M23 does have a much finer point on it than the others. I suppose this could be one of the factors driving the stated hardness of 62 on the Rockwell scale - it's a way on ensuring the fine tip does not get damaged.
I tried a fairly usual little battery of tests with the M23. It throws a pretty good shower of sparks from a ferrocerium rod and was very nimble in creating curls for a feather stick, in this case, hazel:
It proved very handy when producing a slightly hurried try stick 'lite'. I know that there are a good number of additional cuts one can include on a try stick but I prefer to practise the ones I am likely to use, hence its pared down appearance:
Inevitably, a spoon came next. This was carved from a piece of recently felled quince. Although splitting the log and carving the bowl utilised different tools, the rest was done with the M23. It proved to be really wonderful, particularly around the shoulders of the bowl and the junction with the handle. Because the blade is short, it was simplicity itself to maintain control of the cuts; equally, the fineness of the tip made carving the curves very straightforward.
The design of the spoon has a long handle to get into the corners of the dehydrated meals more readily. I will be using this one on my outing along the Southern Uplands Way later on this year. It has been baked and finished with walnut oil. I apologise to the purists out there: it has a sanded, rather than carved, finish as that's what I prefer!
In conclusion, then, I have found the M23 to be a superb and capable cutting tool that would be a worthy addition to any bushcrafter's 'normal' knife. It is shaving sharp out of the box, very comfortable to use in the hand, is very well made and finished. I'm not sure it will oust my Pixie from its position as my second knife but I have found myself carrying it everywhere and using it regularly because it is a delight to use.
There was an earlier comment about its price when compared with the Terrava equivalent to which I would say the M23 is a superior knife in every single way and so is worth the extra you pay for it.
To anyone thinking of getting a second, smaller blade, I would thoroughly recommend the M23.
I find myself using smaller knives quite a lot nowadays. When out in the woods, I still carry and utilise a 'standard' (c. 11cm blade) knife but the shorter, finer blades are easier to use and, in many ways, just as efficient. This prompted my interest in Peltonen's new model.
The picture gives you some idea of the M23's size. Below are a Ben Orford Pixie, an Orford Campcraft and one of the Terrava models - I can't remember which. Certainly, there's not a lot in it when it comes to blade length; however, the M23 does have a much finer point on it than the others. I suppose this could be one of the factors driving the stated hardness of 62 on the Rockwell scale - it's a way on ensuring the fine tip does not get damaged.
I tried a fairly usual little battery of tests with the M23. It throws a pretty good shower of sparks from a ferrocerium rod and was very nimble in creating curls for a feather stick, in this case, hazel:
It proved very handy when producing a slightly hurried try stick 'lite'. I know that there are a good number of additional cuts one can include on a try stick but I prefer to practise the ones I am likely to use, hence its pared down appearance:
Inevitably, a spoon came next. This was carved from a piece of recently felled quince. Although splitting the log and carving the bowl utilised different tools, the rest was done with the M23. It proved to be really wonderful, particularly around the shoulders of the bowl and the junction with the handle. Because the blade is short, it was simplicity itself to maintain control of the cuts; equally, the fineness of the tip made carving the curves very straightforward.
The design of the spoon has a long handle to get into the corners of the dehydrated meals more readily. I will be using this one on my outing along the Southern Uplands Way later on this year. It has been baked and finished with walnut oil. I apologise to the purists out there: it has a sanded, rather than carved, finish as that's what I prefer!
In conclusion, then, I have found the M23 to be a superb and capable cutting tool that would be a worthy addition to any bushcrafter's 'normal' knife. It is shaving sharp out of the box, very comfortable to use in the hand, is very well made and finished. I'm not sure it will oust my Pixie from its position as my second knife but I have found myself carrying it everywhere and using it regularly because it is a delight to use.
There was an earlier comment about its price when compared with the Terrava equivalent to which I would say the M23 is a superior knife in every single way and so is worth the extra you pay for it.
To anyone thinking of getting a second, smaller blade, I would thoroughly recommend the M23.
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