Spelther looks like a great shaped knife. The handle, even though it’s ergonomic looks too thick and bulky in the palm and butt-end area. The compact version handle looks more nimble! Needs a Tec-Loc.
The M311 Spelter is fantastic, survival, hard-use, belt knife ( with a Tactical flavour) Outstanding handle ergos for the bigger hand and in a great Price Range of thoughtfully chosen Steels. The main reason for this 5 Star rating is for the company, Acta Non Verba... after purchasing the Sleipner version, I wasn't happy with the heavily stone-washed example I had received (soft grind lines and a shallower choil than in previous versions). Not only were they a pleasure to deal with, It arrived just before Christmas, but was delayed by Postal Strikes and I was not notified, the shipment then automatically returned to the Czech Republic!? ANV kindly returned it (again) making sure no Duty was needed, as I found that UK Custom tried to charge over £90 the first failed attempt! After I had sent a note with the knife, about how much I liked the design and the availability of a 'budget' version, as the premium version was just too much for me, ...ANV sent back an Elmax version!! Got it, love it.... and ANV have a Fan for Life!! I cannot Thank You enough, you are a credit to Bladesmithing!!
Just pulled-the-trigger on a Stonewashed Sleipner model in Black Micarta... Love my Lionsteels for their ergos and Cannot wait to feel this ANV handle in use!
Not everyone has Large to XL sized hands, some end users have Small and Medium hands 🙌🏻. So the standard handle is just too bulky in the “girth” for complete and safe control.
I didn't put this Elmax-blade through quite as hard of tests as I did with the TRC Apocalypse and South Pole, but something tells me it shouls be on par with those two knives. Blade and edge geometry will ofc play a big part as well. And finally, that center swell is no joke, lol! That was the first thing I noticed when I unboxed the knife. Good thing I have fairly large hands ...
I really like that knife, Fredrik. I believe one could even use it to field dress big game, too. If you change the structure of your reviews, I hope you keep the sharpness test using the 3 types of paper and leather. I find it interesting to see how your different knives compare to each other, made possible by consistent tests. I think you could get by with the same tests, but just 1 or 2 sheets of each type of paper. I'm wondering if the "sticker" was a type of magnet? Thanks again for a great review.
It's a really nice knife, def. my style. I agree with you about the aspect regarding consistent tests. That is something I should take into serious consideration. Oh, and the sticker really was a sticker, but it did indeed look quite a lot like a magnet! :)
Bought a couple of the NC version ones from Lamnia, damn good tactical/survival knives. I'm probably more interested in the old version of the kydex sheath, but it was discontinued...Between normal version and NC version, I would say the NC looks better to me. Handle is the most comfortable to me, probably even better than the TRC ones.
I might pick up a NC-version as well, just to try it out a bit, but I do think I'll prefer the choil-version over it. You made me curious about the old kydex-sheath design now. I think the actual kydex-sheath is really good (great retention!), but I'll probably put a tek-lock on mine instead of the default system. The handle is very comfortable, but I'm not sure which I like the most between ANV and TRC. I do feel ANV hit a sweet spot with the finger choil and thumb placement though.
How would you compare it to the TRC Mille Cuori? How thick behind the edge does it seem? Some thoughts about the format of future videos: I believe you could shorten the factory sharpness tests to a very short paper cut test, or really only mention the subject if it is particularly bad. Hair shaving sharpness is basically the standard nowadays, and printer paper cut tests would already tell enough about that, so in my opinion, there's no need for that part at all. One thing I think would be beneficial to add to the cut test part, though, is something that would tell the thickness behind the edge, the actual "sliciness" of the geometry. Food prep would actually cover that part pretty well. Also cutting something like cable ties or thick rubber tubing would be a nice indicator of how well the blade passes through very tough materials. Chopping would be a decent test as well, if just to see whether the heat treatment makes the steel prone to chips.
Thank you for a lot of great input! Maybe just go for cutting newspaper paper, shaving arm/leg hair and then slicing a tomato. Feather sticking, batoning and some wood carving will be kept. Maybe some notching too? Cutting paracord and leather, though, should that be kept? I'm not to keen on chopping with smaller knives, nor do I find much pleasure in tip testing. But I agree, striking the knife against a hard twig or branch would indeed be a good test for the toughness of the edge and the general edge retention. I'll see if I can find some rubber tubing to slice. Would be a good test as well for slicing capabilities and maybe a bit of edge retention. Once again, thank you for taking the time to write such a comprehensive comment with great suggestions. Much appreciated!
@@PinkG10 Both paracord and leather are, in the end, very easy to cut with a decently sharp edge, and would only really show major edge problems. Just as shaving arm/leg hair, that doesn't really tell anything except the keenness of the apex of the edge, and paper cutting already shows that adequately. Notching and similar bushcraft tasks are most likely of interest to many viewers, but don't actually tell a whole lot about the knife that general edge geometry and blade steel performance wouldn't. Batoning and chopping when applicable to the type of knife are good, because they do show both the performance of the blade geometry with the batoning, and as said, chopping would test whether the steel is too brittle. Also, I agree that chopping with this size knife is pretty pointless in general, but the handle design and included lanyard tell me that it's also a part of the intended use. There's also the option to cut longer parts of the tests into a separate, maybe unlisted video, and link to that for people that really want to see the knife at work. That way you could just keep the videos a lot shorter, especially if you started doing voice over with those relevant tests shown at the same time. But I'm aware how labour intensive the VO method is. Happy to help. Enjoy watching your in-depth videos.
@@PinkG10 I too was interested in your opinion of this ANV M311 Spelter vs the TRC Mille Cuori which you also reviewed. I did not see you comment on that when the above poster asked about that. Would you be able to give your thoughts on how this compared to the TRC Mille Cuori? As they asked also, please let us know how the behind-the-edge thickness of this compares with the TRC Mille Cuori as well. I and others find that very useful information as we can deduce how easily it cuts. Some knives are way too thick at the edge and so this is a big factor in determining how good it does at its most basic function, that of cutting! Thank you!
I've been looking at getting myself a knife made by Survive! and I even signed up for the newsletter with all the pre-order info and progress-updates etc. some years ago, but I didn't get the hang of it (the entire process). I know the wait-times are quite long, but hopefully I can score one of their models in the future! In fact, I just took a look at the Vendetta 7 and it is def. my style, and in CPM-3V too, which is one of my all-time favorite steels! Maybe I can still get one of those? If not, let me know what you think about it once you get it!
@@PinkG10 Yeah I waited like 5 years for my fist knife, but they did have a lot of issues with production companies sending back a good percentage of their blades out of spec & unusable. Now that they've become their own production company, production has been substantially improved & its typically months between pre-orders now. I was able to get a GSO 3.5 & 6 straight away from them. Very good blades, overall very tough blades but they make them relatively thin behind the edge so they're pretty good performabce wise as well. The Vendetta series is still currently available for pre-order. They're offering them in "tactical" or "standard" options & with or without coatings. Think the vendetta may be a limited run so if you want one I would snag one while you can. You definitely won't be waiting years for it.
Well, I strongly believe, that company should stay apolitical. Or at least stay away from really sensitive matters. Unfortunately, that is not case of ANV. For most foreign customers, it will not matter at all. Given the fact I am Czech (as ANV), I simply cannot ignore statements and affiliations this company publicly shares through social media. Taking someones life for pesronal gain = murder in my book and I would NEVER support anyone, who praise such acts...such as ANV. I purchased one knife from ANV - and gifted it to my friend, who lost similar one - older model (during our mushrooming session) made by different company, but designed by same designer - Ondřej Němec. Till this day, I consider it as my biggest "knife" mistake - and it was before that statement was released by ANV. To sum it all up...my middle finger goes to my home-folks from ANV. You are welcome guys. Also, I don't want this to sound like shallow bash. If anyone is interrested, I am ready to back my statement and provide trusted sources on that matter, in oder to create your own opinion. Thumbs up goes to pinkyG. Awesome work as always! And keep those vids looong for us freaks, please :)
I'll have to admit that I don't know a whole lot about ANV (and their history) as a company/knife maker and I certainly don't know about any political standpoints or statements they've made (publicly or not). My channel will always be free from any political aspects and/or discussions; I'll just keep showing knives and axes of high quality from all over the world. I will never tell anyone to buy this knife or that knife from this country or that country. I just want to make videos in which I show people different types of knives and axes that I personally like and what they are capable of etc. in terms of performance. I do mention the country of origin in most of my videos, but that is a part of the general presentation. Just my two cents.
And I tried my best to separate your review and my personal opinion on that brand. I hope that everyone can clearly see and understand from my comment, that the stuff I mentioned has nothing to with you, your channel or this review. You do your thing above & beyond. That's why I love your videos so much. As strongly as I believe that company should stay apolitical, I believe that reviewer should do so as well. And you did 100%. You reviewed a kinfe, same as any other. What I wrote is MY personal opinion and local insight on ANV brand as whole. Nothing more or less. Still, I believe it is important to leave such remark. For all good reasons and remembrance.
I hate the sheath attachment system. It doesn't work for my uses at all. It's not even good for attaching to MOLLE vests and packs. It would not be a big deal if they would have at least allowed for the use of alternative, more popular forms of belt attachment. I love my ANV knives, but hate their sheaths.
FYI...If your interested in updating your video format to increase your views...I would recommend watching gideonstactical video’s on the ANV M311 and/or the SOG Pillar...
Thanks for the input! I'll check out his videos. I've never tried to make it big on CZcams, not in number of views/subscribers nor in money (never did monetize my channel). With that being said, I know my videos are almost always on the (very) lengthy side, not very "intense" and nor with any cool/click bait-friendly titles. My channel name is also kind of random, and I think I should perhaps change it. My video-format is a bit outdated for sure, but it's pretty straight forward and I do think one of my best features is that I use the time stamp-function pretty well. There's still a lot of room for improvement on a general level, though. Now, I'll go check out Gideonstactical videos. I might learn a thing or two about making more interesting videos in shorter length - the best of two worlds, perhaps?
I very much appreciate your approach to CZcams. Also love your photography and affection for blades. If it’s just a hobby there’s no need to change. Funny how our hobbies somehow turn into jobs...lol
CONTENTS
00:00 - START
00:30 - SPECS
00:41 - INTRO
02:33 - UNBOXING, OVERVIEW & SPECS.
17:54 - SLICING 3 TYPES OF PAPER
24:04 - SHAVING LEG HAIR
25:53 - SLICING LEATHER
28:33 - FEATHER STICKING PART I
34:47 - FEATHER STICKING PART II
39:40 - BATONING
45:09 - WOOD CARVING
48:23 - FINAL THOUGHTS & CONCLUSIONS
58:26 - OUTRO
Spelther looks like a great shaped knife. The handle, even though it’s ergonomic looks too thick and bulky in the palm and butt-end area. The compact version handle looks more nimble! Needs a Tec-Loc.
The M311 Spelter is fantastic, survival, hard-use, belt knife ( with a Tactical flavour) Outstanding handle ergos for the bigger hand and in a great Price Range of thoughtfully chosen Steels.
The main reason for this 5 Star rating is for the company, Acta Non Verba... after purchasing the Sleipner version, I wasn't happy with the heavily stone-washed example I had received (soft grind lines and a shallower choil than in previous versions). Not only were they a pleasure to deal with, It arrived just before Christmas, but was delayed by Postal Strikes and I was not notified, the shipment then automatically returned to the Czech Republic!? ANV kindly returned it (again) making sure no Duty was needed, as I found that UK Custom tried to charge over £90 the first failed attempt!
After I had sent a note with the knife, about how much I liked the design and the availability of a 'budget' version, as the premium version was just too much for me, ...ANV sent back an Elmax version!!
Got it, love it.... and ANV have a Fan for Life!!
I cannot Thank You enough, you are a credit to Bladesmithing!!
Just pulled-the-trigger on a Stonewashed Sleipner model in Black Micarta... Love my Lionsteels for their ergos and Cannot wait to feel this ANV handle in use!
Best Traction and Ergonomics combination I have felt to date!
Not everyone has Large to XL sized hands, some end users have Small and Medium hands 🙌🏻. So the standard handle is just too bulky in the “girth” for complete and safe control.
Impressive. Given the Elmax steel, it seems to fit between the TRC South Pole and Apocalypse. The handle has a major center swell. Thanks for sharing.
I didn't put this Elmax-blade through quite as hard of tests as I did with the TRC Apocalypse and South Pole, but something tells me it shouls be on par with those two knives. Blade and edge geometry will ofc play a big part as well. And finally, that center swell is no joke, lol! That was the first thing I noticed when I unboxed the knife. Good thing I have fairly large hands ...
BONJOUR MONSIEUR 😊 MERCI POUR LA VIDÉO 👍
I really like that knife, Fredrik. I believe one could even use it to field dress big game, too. If you change the structure of your reviews, I hope you keep the sharpness test using the 3 types of paper and leather. I find it interesting to see how your different knives compare to each other, made possible by consistent tests. I think you could get by with the same tests, but just 1 or 2 sheets of each type of paper. I'm wondering if the "sticker" was a type of magnet? Thanks again for a great review.
It's a really nice knife, def. my style. I agree with you about the aspect regarding consistent tests. That is something I should take into serious consideration. Oh, and the sticker really was a sticker, but it did indeed look quite a lot like a magnet! :)
Bought a couple of the NC version ones from Lamnia, damn good tactical/survival knives. I'm probably more interested in the old version of the kydex sheath, but it was discontinued...Between normal version and NC version, I would say the NC looks better to me. Handle is the most comfortable to me, probably even better than the TRC ones.
I might pick up a NC-version as well, just to try it out a bit, but I do think I'll prefer the choil-version over it. You made me curious about the old kydex-sheath design now. I think the actual kydex-sheath is really good (great retention!), but I'll probably put a tek-lock on mine instead of the default system. The handle is very comfortable, but I'm not sure which I like the most between ANV and TRC. I do feel ANV hit a sweet spot with the finger choil and thumb placement though.
Very good knife.
Very well done
Thank you, Bailey!
How would you compare it to the TRC Mille Cuori? How thick behind the edge does it seem?
Some thoughts about the format of future videos:
I believe you could shorten the factory sharpness tests to a very short paper cut test, or really only mention the subject if it is particularly bad. Hair shaving sharpness is basically the standard nowadays, and printer paper cut tests would already tell enough about that, so in my opinion, there's no need for that part at all. One thing I think would be beneficial to add to the cut test part, though, is something that would tell the thickness behind the edge, the actual "sliciness" of the geometry. Food prep would actually cover that part pretty well. Also cutting something like cable ties or thick rubber tubing would be a nice indicator of how well the blade passes through very tough materials.
Chopping would be a decent test as well, if just to see whether the heat treatment makes the steel prone to chips.
Thank you for a lot of great input! Maybe just go for cutting newspaper paper, shaving arm/leg hair and then slicing a tomato. Feather sticking, batoning and some wood carving will be kept. Maybe some notching too? Cutting paracord and leather, though, should that be kept? I'm not to keen on chopping with smaller knives, nor do I find much pleasure in tip testing. But I agree, striking the knife against a hard twig or branch would indeed be a good test for the toughness of the edge and the general edge retention. I'll see if I can find some rubber tubing to slice. Would be a good test as well for slicing capabilities and maybe a bit of edge retention. Once again, thank you for taking the time to write such a comprehensive comment with great suggestions. Much appreciated!
@@PinkG10 Yes, good thoughts.
@@PinkG10 Both paracord and leather are, in the end, very easy to cut with a decently sharp edge, and would only really show major edge problems. Just as shaving arm/leg hair, that doesn't really tell anything except the keenness of the apex of the edge, and paper cutting already shows that adequately.
Notching and similar bushcraft tasks are most likely of interest to many viewers, but don't actually tell a whole lot about the knife that general edge geometry and blade steel performance wouldn't. Batoning and chopping when applicable to the type of knife are good, because they do show both the performance of the blade geometry with the batoning, and as said, chopping would test whether the steel is too brittle. Also, I agree that chopping with this size knife is pretty pointless in general, but the handle design and included lanyard tell me that it's also a part of the intended use.
There's also the option to cut longer parts of the tests into a separate, maybe unlisted video, and link to that for people that really want to see the knife at work. That way you could just keep the videos a lot shorter, especially if you started doing voice over with those relevant tests shown at the same time. But I'm aware how labour intensive the VO method is.
Happy to help. Enjoy watching your in-depth videos.
@@PinkG10 I too was interested in your opinion of this ANV M311 Spelter vs the TRC Mille Cuori which you also reviewed. I did not see you comment on that when the above poster asked about that. Would you be able to give your thoughts on how this compared to the TRC Mille Cuori?
As they asked also, please let us know how the behind-the-edge thickness of this compares with the TRC Mille Cuori as well. I and others find that very useful information as we can deduce how easily it cuts. Some knives are way too thick at the edge and so this is a big factor in determining how good it does at its most basic function, that of cutting!
Thank you!
Was looking at this one myself but pre-ordered the survive knives vendetta 7 (standard) instead.
I've been looking at getting myself a knife made by Survive! and I even signed up for the newsletter with all the pre-order info and progress-updates etc. some years ago, but I didn't get the hang of it (the entire process). I know the wait-times are quite long, but hopefully I can score one of their models in the future! In fact, I just took a look at the Vendetta 7 and it is def. my style, and in CPM-3V too, which is one of my all-time favorite steels! Maybe I can still get one of those? If not, let me know what you think about it once you get it!
@@PinkG10
Yeah I waited like 5 years for my fist knife, but they did have a lot of issues with production companies sending back a good percentage of their blades out of spec & unusable.
Now that they've become their own production company, production has been substantially improved & its typically months between pre-orders now. I was able to get a GSO 3.5 & 6 straight away from them. Very good blades, overall very tough blades but they make them relatively thin behind the edge so they're pretty good performabce wise as well. The Vendetta series is still currently available for pre-order. They're offering them in "tactical" or "standard" options & with or without coatings.
Think the vendetta may be a limited run so if you want one I would snag one while you can.
You definitely won't be waiting years for it.
Thank you. The Czech language is Czech, btw. :)
Looks niiiice 🔥
It really is. I should have picked one up a long time ago ...
u would love the hardcore hammers supernaturalist hatchet
I'll look into it!
Well, I strongly believe, that company should stay apolitical. Or at least stay away from really sensitive matters.
Unfortunately, that is not case of ANV.
For most foreign customers, it will not matter at all. Given the fact I am Czech (as ANV), I simply cannot ignore statements and affiliations this company publicly shares through social media.
Taking someones life for pesronal gain = murder in my book and I would NEVER support anyone, who praise such acts...such as ANV.
I purchased one knife from ANV - and gifted it to my friend, who lost similar one - older model (during our mushrooming session) made by different company, but designed by same designer - Ondřej Němec.
Till this day, I consider it as my biggest "knife" mistake - and it was before that statement was released by ANV.
To sum it all up...my middle finger goes to my home-folks from ANV. You are welcome guys.
Also, I don't want this to sound like shallow bash.
If anyone is interrested, I am ready to back my statement and provide trusted sources on that matter, in oder to create your own opinion.
Thumbs up goes to pinkyG. Awesome work as always!
And keep those vids looong for us freaks, please :)
I'll have to admit that I don't know a whole lot about ANV (and their history) as a company/knife maker and I certainly don't know about any political standpoints or statements they've made (publicly or not). My channel will always be free from any political aspects and/or discussions; I'll just keep showing knives and axes of high quality from all over the world. I will never tell anyone to buy this knife or that knife from this country or that country. I just want to make videos in which I show people different types of knives and axes that I personally like and what they are capable of etc. in terms of performance. I do mention the country of origin in most of my videos, but that is a part of the general presentation. Just my two cents.
And I tried my best to separate your review and my personal opinion on that brand.
I hope that everyone can clearly see and understand from my comment, that the stuff I mentioned has nothing to with you, your channel or this review.
You do your thing above & beyond. That's why I love your videos so much.
As strongly as I believe that company should stay apolitical, I believe that reviewer should do so as well. And you did 100%. You reviewed a kinfe, same as any other.
What I wrote is MY personal opinion and local insight on ANV brand as whole. Nothing more or less.
Still, I believe it is important to leave such remark. For all good reasons and remembrance.
Any source? Otherwise it is just an empty accusation..
I hate the sheath attachment system. It doesn't work for my uses at all. It's not even good for attaching to MOLLE vests and packs. It would not be a big deal if they would have at least allowed for the use of alternative, more popular forms of belt attachment. I love my ANV knives, but hate their sheaths.
FYI...If your interested in updating your video format to increase your views...I would recommend watching gideonstactical video’s on the ANV M311 and/or the SOG Pillar...
Thanks for the input! I'll check out his videos. I've never tried to make it big on CZcams, not in number of views/subscribers nor in money (never did monetize my channel). With that being said, I know my videos are almost always on the (very) lengthy side, not very "intense" and nor with any cool/click bait-friendly titles. My channel name is also kind of random, and I think I should perhaps change it. My video-format is a bit outdated for sure, but it's pretty straight forward and I do think one of my best features is that I use the time stamp-function pretty well. There's still a lot of room for improvement on a general level, though. Now, I'll go check out Gideonstactical videos. I might learn a thing or two about making more interesting videos in shorter length - the best of two worlds, perhaps?
I very much appreciate your approach to CZcams. Also love your photography and affection for blades. If it’s just a hobby there’s no need to change. Funny how our hobbies somehow turn into jobs...lol