Out today with 2 small ML Knives !

A fellow forum member recently e-mailed me asking about my ML Short Survivalist knife.
This is what he asked in the e-mail:

Im just after a small blade (3-3.5") to do most things I require and I was hoping this profile will be the most versatile for general duties and food prep. I would greatly appreciate your opinion and if in your experience a different profile with a short blade would work better please share.

I replied that although I love my ML SS dearly and find it a wonderful blade I have to give the edge to my ML Sgian Dubh model , it's just a pleasure to use and feel perfect in the hand.

Anyway I figured I'd take em both out today for some comparison pics and just to be clear in my own mind that what I was telling this guy was right.

I decided to do a little wet weather fire practice again also, I'd only been on the trail a couple of minutes when I noticed a Cedar tree, Fatwood stump and a Balsam Fir all together as seen in this pic.......good tinder is pretty easy to find here !



I scraped some Cedar shavings using my Sgian Dubh.



I added some Balsam sap and lit her up, it took exactly 5 strikes of the ferro-rod and the first two didn't produce any sparks.





The two knives together.



Ugly bugger but great in the hand.



Yup I like em chunky !



It's a close call with the two as they are both awesome little blades.





The Sgian Dubh is very easy to get shaving sharp, super tough as proved when I've batoned it through some tough knotted wood and great for making fine shavings !



I tried a little notching using them both today and although both work great and I'd be very happy with either, the little Sgian Dubh still came out top.



I can't do a post without at least one dog pic, here is Snicker from today !

 

Matt's version had an extended pommel, shorter handle slabs and the edge didn't come all the way back, he sells both his version and mine now.

 

Short Survivalist !

 

Hahaha....I knew everyone would gravitate towards the SS regardless of my post, please try and picture the Sgian Dubh with some nice handle made by Matt instead of the one I did. IMO this is the perfect small Bushcraft blade !!!!

 

Both are made from 1/8" stock steel.

 

I think you are quite right about the narrower blade buddy, that and the alignment of the blade with the handle. The handle on yours looks far nicer than the pigs ear I put on the ML knife, feels great though and that's the main thing eh !

 

3 1/4" handle, 3" blade. Mine feels great with the handle being so stocky but with Matts typical handle slabs being slightly thinner I'd be tempted to request a 3 1/2" - 4" handle.....Matts a great guy to deal with so it would be no problem.