The Svord Peasant knife is a century old design that was brought back to the mainstream by B.W. Baker. This is a knife I have used and owned for a good long while, but have always been on the fence with regards to reviewing it. In practical terms: this is a very, very basic folding knife and the appeal for most people lies in that simplicity.
Reviewing knives that cost the same as a budget Kershaw and yet don’t possess the same level of fit and finish nor tolerances always places me in a tricky situation. Do I go with how I feel about it as a user or focus on the specifications and features in a scientific way?
Svord Peasant UK Legal Folding Bushcraft EDC Knife – Amazon / Blade HQ
How you approach this knife will ultimately dictate how you feel about it. On paper it’s $20 for a pretty basic rough design with little to no time spent refining it. The blaze orange polypropylene scales appear almost cheap, both aesthetically and when held. As for the blade, the grind, whilst perfectly functional, is clearly not conceived with aesthetics in mind.
Personally, I don’t give a damn about these “issues” as this is to me a folding bushcraft knife akin to a Mora Classic. It’s not a show piece. But I feel I should mention my bias clearly and openly lest someone points out that I heavily criticized the Spyderco Urban for poor manufacturing whilst seemingly giving a free pass to the Svord Peasant.
In my mind, this is an apple and oranges situation, but you may disagree and that is 100% your right. If you want a performance driven blade that is cheap but with rigorous manufacturing finish – go with an Opinel and skip this knife entirely.
Now that this is out of the way, let’s talk about why this is a bushcraft cult classic. Obviously, the biggest appeal is the simplicity. It’s held together using 2 Chicago style pivot screws milled out of brass. The scales are easily replaceable, and the blade is old school carbon steel goodness.
No washers, no assisted anything, nothing but 2 scales, 2 pivots, a stop pin and a 3 inch blade, which within the bushcraft community, this adherence to minimalism is a quality that borders on reverence.
Interestingly, I mention two pivots because the screw holding the scales together at the butt of the knife is identical to the pivot screw. I cannot emphasize enough how barebones this folder is and whilst this may seem like a criticism – for me it’s more like a feature. Much like the Emerson appeal of using flat head screws for their pivots, in the field and for practical use, simple is often best.
The extent of this bare bones design means that as I type this, it took me less than 20 seconds to fully take the knife apart (I had to check if it had washers!). This ability to maintain the knife in the field if it gets gunked up or in a last ditch scenario turn it into a glorified fixed blade (it does technically have a tang) is incredibly interesting in this day and age of spring loaded assists and ball bearing pivots.
As for comfort and ergonomics, it features a meaty pair of scales, comfortable in a saber grip as with all other conventional grips I can think of. The handles are crescent in shape, which works well with the contour of your palms ,and all in all I have zero complaints. I do prefer the more neutral design of the Opinel or classic Moras, but that preference is slight, and for extended use, I see no issues with this design.
The drop point blade is ground out of a 1.8 mm slab of 15N20 carbon steel. This steel is comparable in practical terms to 1095 in the field, and much like 1095, does require maintenance as it isn’t stainless. Super easy to sharpen, takes a killer edge, and its edge-holding ability is above average for its price point.
Interestingly, as you can see below, the grind is slightly uneven and almost saber like (similar to the “normal” Spyderco Enduras & Delicas i.e. before they went FFG). Svord chose to leave the scaling on the un-ground side, which is an interesting choice and makes the grind divergence far more apparent than it would have been otherwise.
No lanyard hole, pocket clip, or sheath (one can be purchased separately). I keep it in the knapsack, but for urban environments (and yes it is a UK legal knife, so I do carry it out sometimes), it slips into one’s pocket super easy. I would recommend tightening the pivot down lest it opens in your pocket, as it doesn’t have any detent outside of sheer friction.
My one major quibble with regards to manufacturing is that the tip of the blade will strike the back screw/pivot. It’s a poor design choice and Svord should have made the handles longer and placed the pivot/screw further back, out of the way.
That said, I over tighten the back pivot/screw so that it can really hold onto the blade when closed. Safety first and all that.
Objectively, it’s a nice concept that falls short of the mark when compared to modern offerings. Though practically, it does everything I ask of it and more.
Aesthetically, it grew on me, and financially, I just don’t know how to attribute value with a knife like this. I think it’s worth the cost but your mileage may vary.
As I mentioned in the beginning, how you feel about the Svord Peasant will say more about you than about the knife itself.
This is a bare bones farm knife – for ranchers, lovers of minimalism, and seemingly every bushcrafter ever.
I personally love it, but I am loathe to push my own bias towards this stripped down outdoor option when knives like the Cold Steel Finn Wolf exist. If you like it, you will love it. If you don’t like to compromise on fit and finish or materials, then walk away and save yourself the disappointment.
Let me know what you think about this (or any other bare bone knife). I am extremely interested in reading your perspectives on this!
I’m a Kiwi, born and bred in NZ. I come from a rural background and served in the NZDF when I was younger.
I’ve used, worn out and broken many, many knives and edged tools.
I bought my first Svörd Peasant Knife about ten years ago when my Opinel snapped, chiselling between sheets of plywood boat flooring that were edge glued together with epoxy. I tapped the tip of the blade into the glue line and hammered it down the line with a club hammer. It was doomed from the get-go.
I popped down to the local chandlery and spent abou NZ$25 on a 3” peasant knife. It lasted for the rest of the big job and I was happy, if a little ‘meh’ about the cheap little knife. I was pretty much exactly where the reviewer was regarding this thing.
Since then, my little green knife has done just about everything a knife can do. It’s carved, sliced, chiselled and gouged everything from cheese to concrete. I’ve used it to cut the heads off stainless steel screws embedded in teak, I’ve skinned and butchered a range of creatures from rabbits to deer… I’ve even performed field surgery on myself and one other with that thing.
Not only is it, by far and away, my favourite knife, it’s one of my favourite objects and most used tools. Like many people’s favourite things, some prick thought they needed it more than me and stole it a few months ago. My life is now a little bit shit and I’ve broken or worn out three decent quality folding knives and one wrecking knife in an effort to do what that peasant knife used to do all day, every day.
My new 3” peasant knife is in the mail.
This isn’t the kind of knife popular in upstate NY, preferred by dudes with oiled beards and hands that are comfortable in the pockets of a pair of 501s. It’s a tool for real men in real places with actual mountains of rock or seawater, who do real work with hands that are missing pieces from pushing the limits of structural steel, hardwood and rock. The Svörd Peasant Knife is a test of the practical capabilities of its user – if you don’t like it, you’re probably just lame. If you aren’t lame and own one, you’ll come to realise just how little you need in your hand to achieve things that must be done.
Like the man said, it’s a knife that will say a lot about who wields it.
If you have one of these and reckon you’d like it more if it were a bit more… whatever, try this: hold the thing in your dominant palm with the tang pointing down your forearm and the blade towards your pinky with your thumb resting against the back of the topside scale. Push the scale towards your pinky, letting the blade slide forward in the manner familiar to old school cutthroat razor users. Now you know how to open this knife fast and safe with the tip pointed away from your body. Practice that and you can tighten the pivot pin up nice and tight to make the blade so snug and tight to open that, should some urbanite wimp get their hands on it, they’ll really struggle to open the thing. With the pivot pin tight enough, it won’t open in your toolbox or pocket; with the handle pin tight enough, the tip of the blade won’t interfere with the pin and there will be no risk of damaging the edge. This technique is a game changer and force multiplier when applied to a peasant knife, taking the few details which people find off putting and turning them into it’s best features.
Thanks for dropping by 42! I love the blade on the Svord, just wish it came with micarta handles and maybe a lock. Would be pretty awesome!
Thank you for your reply, Thomas, and for a great review.
My replacement peasant knife arrived in the mail very shortly after posting that review and it is serving me well as I sail around the Marlborough Sounds for the NZ summer. The new knife differs slightly from the original in grinding quality – the original’s flat bevel was ground smooth and this one is somewhat coarse, with clearly visible and tactile grinding lines radiating out from the edge. It’s a small detail as the edge bevel is smooth and polished with an even convex grind from tip to heel. It was razor sharp when delivered and all I had to do was clean it.
The handle is too cheap, but I’d rather build one myself than pay a cutler to do so. I’m gonna build one out of teak today because you reminded me that it needs it. The one really good thing about the original handle is that, being made from low density polyethylene, it’s relatively environmentally friendly compared to other materials in that it doesn’t break down into anything toxic when exposed to most chemicals or levels of radiation. It’s also more edge friendly than most other materials – my friend who is a saw doctor runs a piece of polyethylene along straight blades to find burrs before testing the edge with fine paper prior to packing them to be sent back to the client.
As for the lack of a locking blade, I respectfully disagree with you on that. Locking mechanisms are just another thing. If used for food preparation, especially butchering of prey, complicated mechanisms in knives are difficult to clean effectively. This knife comes apart and goes back together so easily that there is absolutely no excuse to not clean it well after getting blood and bits of tissue lodged in its nooks and crannies. The design of this knife negates the need for any other mechanism to secure the blade when this knife is open, if it is held firmly enough to do the job you’re asking of it. Even gouging with the tip can be done pretty hard with your thumb aligned with the back of the handle where it will prevent the tang from swinging out.
Once again, thank you for your reply on your excellent review of an exceptional tool. Keep up the good work.
Glad it worked out for you so well! Regarding the cleaning of locking knives- honestly with pass through design framelocks its trivial to clean, you can just hose them down! But I agree its a good consideration to keep if one is going to do food prep with their EDC. Definitely agree with you regarding building your own handles, specially for friction lock knives. Teak sounds awesome, post some photos when you do it! As for synthetics- 100% agreed. From a usability perspective they are better but I gotta say I am a sucker for the organic stuff. ;)
Thanks for commenting mate!
Your Peasant looks like the mini peasant judging from the pictures and my full size peasant. You may need to clarify that the full size Peasant. At least on mine has a blade a slight bit longer than 3 inches. If people are travelling to certain parts of Europe. And ever get stopped by the Police.
There could be some issue if they want to get anal about the knife being a hair above 3 inches in length. Which can result in fines and jail time for the owner.
Not trying to be a dick. I just feel like this matter needs to be brought up for those travelling or those who decide to EDC the blade. European knife laws are nothing to scoff at and tend to change drastically. For example. In France. You cannot carry any knife at all in public.
While Germany allows carrying of a fixed blade up to 4 or 5 inches.
I highly suggest people really study European knife laws prior to travel. Or know the consequences if they decide to not follow the law.
Great article, are there any other brands that offer the long tangs for safety?
At that price point? Can’t think of any but if anyone knows- please comment. ;) I recommend going custom if you want a solid, inexpensive(‘ish) friction folder. Plenty of ’em around.
Great review. I have had a Savord for about a year. I hardly ever carry it. It’s not because I don’t like it. Mostly because it is not convenient for me to carry. The exposed tang tends to dig into my waist at times while in my pocket. If I crouch down or lean over while working on something it can become uncomfortable. My biggest complaint about my knife is the blade grind. Mine is so bad that I wish mine was half as good as the knife in your photos. It sharpens well but looks terrible. While a $15 Kershaw is almost the polar opposite of the Savord in the quality of fit and finish, not to mention I would actually carry the Kershaw, I don’t feel as if the Savord isn’t worth the money I spent. I find it interesting in its reliable simplicity.
Seems the edge out of the box can be hit and miss- I have handled quite a few and never saw anything like what you described- have you tried re-grinding it? The steel is easy to work with!
It’s inexpensive, and it works. It’s also safer in practical use than many “locking” folders. The thinness of the blade, the steel used, and the way it’s ground thin near the edge make this one heck of a cutter and slicer. I love mine and took it along on a European trip several years ago. In this day of metal detectors and capricious confiscation, it makes sense to use a high-quality — but low cost — knife…if you can find one. The Peasant Knife is a winner.
By the way, I open it quickly one-handed by holding it pivot-down across my palm. The tang and back of blade are against my hand, and I rotate the handle down, then bump the butt of the handle against me — if needed — to slide the opened knife forward a bit in my hand. It’s a safe way to open that can be done fast.
I should have also said: “Thank you for a really good review with excellent pics.” You’re doing a lot to bring great EDC choices to the attention of the masses. Thank you!
– Bob G.
Cheers mate, I really appreciate it!
Never heard of that deployment method before, i’ll give it a shot! Thanks for sharing mate- completely agree that discreet blades are great in this anti-knife social hysteria.
Nice. Just nice
It really is!
Love this. I have 2 of the minis which I edc in the UK – I feel the long tang gives it a security that even my UKPK doesn’t, especially in an edge up grip. Very sharp, oho, UK legal – not many offerings at that price point
Aye, haven’t handled the mini but I 100% agree with you on the long tang friction folder safety- feels far more secure than the Lanksy World Legal or the UKPK.