Review ANV M25

  

- when practical becomes sexy

I saw right away that this was a knife for me. The ANV M25 spoke to me as they say. Sometimes you can tell from pictures when many hours have been spent on design and the result is successful.

It becomes particularly clear in this case, as it is obvious that all unnecessary features have been stripped away to create an extraordinary, competent military knife. It also turned out to be a superb outdoor knife.* Not least because, unlike some other knives in the class, it is just the right size.

Light and flexible knives are especially nice when you have other things to carry, which is often the case outdoors. Or if you are carrying a gun and combat harness with everything that goes with it.

ANV Knives M25

The reason why it is also a good outdoor knife can be found in the fact that the M25 was certainly developed in collaboration with parts of the Czech army, but it does not belong to the category of knives that can be considered pure weapons. Examples of such are daggers of the Fairbarn-Sykes type and the like. They only serve one purpose.

The M25 is instead an all-round knife with a focus on simple, practical tasks, but which doesn't get lost in any situation, whether it's survival scenarios or more everyday situations. It is developed together with the "Strakonice 25th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment". It is something that is reflected in some details of the knife that I will return to.

The result, however, is a rather nimble knife that measures 240 mm in length and weighs in at a light 140 g for the knife alone and 219 g for the whole package.

ANV has developed a military knife that is just as good for outdoor life

Short Version: ANV M25, a knife that oozes competence. It is deceptively simple and well-built, strong yet light and well-balanced.

Blade

As is often the case with competent blades, the shape of the M25 is simple. A slightly modified drop point is used here. The blade has a relatively high saber grind. This gives a blade that cuts well without being too thin and therefore fragile. The blade thickness is 4 mm, which contributes to the strength without being excessively thick. It helps keep the weight down and makes the knife cut better when cutting through stuff.

The length of the blade is 11 cm and the height is approx. 2.6 cm. The marking consists of Acta non verba Knives' stylized logo on the presentation side and model designation, country of manufacture, and steel type on the other. It sounds a lot but is very discreetly applied.

This knife has an eleven-centimeter long slightly modified drop point blade

The steel is, as is often the case with knives from ANV, Swedish. This time it's Sleipner, which is a high-alloy tool steel from Uddeholm. Think of it as an even tougher D2. To prevent corrosion and get less reflections from the blade, it has been given a DLC coating. Quite simply, it is one of the best finishes available in the knife world. It fulfills its function while being very strong and does not wear out in the first place.

Then there were the odd details. One of them is found partially on the blade but extends over the entire back of the knife. It is a series of indentations that exactly correspond to the distance on a 1:25000 scale map. The notches correspond to distances from 250m to 1 kilometer and then up to 5 km. One thing that might be of interest if everything else goes to hell and you have to calculate distances manually if you happen to be in an anti-aircraft regiment. 

Another very practical detail is the recess found near the handle. It is to facilitate the use of fire steel. The edges there are ninety degrees and sharp, unlike the blade spine which is softly rounded. 

At the blade base, some well-placed notches are found for better traction. They are just deep enough and with enough bite to work really well.

The steel used is Uddeholm's Sleipner with a DLC coating

Speaking of bite, it's one heck of a bite in the blade. Time has not only been spent on details. The most important features are also in place. In plain language, this means that the M25 is also damn good at cutting things. This applies to everything from wood and dry timber to cardboard, plastic, and the like. I haven't pried open cans so I can't comment on that. On the other hand, the edge bites well into ropes of different thicknesses and materials. 

Here, ANV has succeeded in striking an excellent balance between keeping the blade strong while at the same time daring to let the knife be thin enough behind the edge to, together with the high flat grind, make a knife that cuts really well. That's something I appreciate more than the fact that it's totally bombproof, as in you can stand on it when the knife is driven into a log, and similar tests I've seen on YouTube. 

I cut and pierce with my knives. When we talk about poking things, it can be pointed out that the tip is effective as well. It is also where you would expect. Not too high, not too low. 

Handle

The M25 is a full tang knife whose handle consists of two pieces of solid Micarta held in place with a pair of sturdy T15 screws. The handle is slightly over twelve centimeters long, depending on whether you include the protruding metal or not. The available surface behind the finger guard is just under eleven centimeters. It is excellent because it allows the handle to accommodate slightly larger hands even if you happen to be wearing gloves. At the same time, it is narrow enough even for smaller hand sizes.

The handle consists of two solid pieces of well-shaped Micarta screwed in place. It is finished with a special chisel which, however, can be used for other purposes as well

The Micarta is of the highest quality and is heavily contoured. The handle sides are strongly three-dimensionally shaped and pleasantly blend into the hand. At the same time, they have a fairly advanced pattern that grips very well. I have found that it is impossible to slip, not even with cold and wet hands. What makes the pattern advanced is that it has deeper grooves along the spine- and underside, which gives higher friction than on the sides where it is somewhat finer. It is particularly effective when combined with the notches found in the metal on the underside of the handle.

The handle is strongly shaped but very proportional. Here you can also see the notches that act as distance assessment tools for maps on a scale of 1:25000

Speaking of odd details that were mentioned earlier, it can be stated that in addition to the distance scale, a screwdriver is also found at the end of the handle. It's not just any flat chisel, but it happens to fit the nose cone of an RBS missile. However, I can reveal that it works great for other things as well. It's lucky since I'm running out of missiles in my back pocket. In addition, there is a lanyard attachment here if you want to use one. 

This is a well-balanced knife that feels very light and lively in the hand

The balance of the knife is excellent and the balance point is found right at the finger guard, which makes an already light and flexible knife even more nimble in the hand.

Incidentally, this is one of the better handles I've come across. It simply fits a human hand superbly. It may sound like a matter of course, but sometimes it is missed in the eagerness to shape the handle for different tasks.

All grips work and I mean all

The M25 has a grip that is sculpted but it's really comfortable in any grip I can think of. This applies whether you hold the knife in more conventional grips such as hammer and saber grips or if you turn the knife over and hold the knife like an ice pick with the edge forward or backward. Everything works.

The same applies if you cut with the knife for a while. However, if you use the M25 for heavier tasks and cut a lot of wood, it can be nice to have a pair of thin gloves. As I said, it is a handle with a good grip and it can also be felt against bare skin after a while.

The Micarta provides a good grip and acts as an insulator in cold weather

But it also means that it works well in snow and cold with a bit of a hand and wet fingers. The Micarta insulates somewhat. Not as well as a wood handle and it is a full tang knife so the bare metal can be a bit cold.  

Sheath

The included sheath is made of Kydex. An excellent choice as it is both durable and can withstand all elements, be it heat or cold. It is also malleable which is another reason why it is used in the knife industry. This is a pancake model and is held together with no less than twelve eyelets. In addition, there are two slots for additional straps, so there is no shortage of ways to attach your knife to a belt, backpack, or battle harness.

The pancake-style Kydex holster is fitted with ANV's own belt loop solution

As you know, sheaths have a couple of different tasks to fill. Of course, they must hold the knife in place so that it does not disappear. It must also protect the knife and not least the edge. Another task is to protect the wearer from the knife. It is not recommended to have such a thin sheath so that, for example, you risk injuring yourself if you fall on your knife and it goes through the side of the sheath. Something that can happen if you are out at night, which happens to be a situation that can apply to military personnel from time to time.

It's also good if the sheath keeps quiet so it does not rattle when the knife is in place. In addition to being annoying in general, it is also not good whether you are looking for either people or animals. Or just being a bird watcher for that matter.

A good sheath must also be durable and make the knife easy to carry. How does this sheath meet the criteria?

The mount can handle belts/straps up to seven centimeters wide, which covers most of them

With mixed success is the answer. Most of it is good but not all. The knife is held in place tightly enough that there is no risk of it falling out of the sheath. Not even if the knife is upside down. However, there is no extra security strap so you have to rely on the snap in the material for retention. On the other hand, it makes the knife easy to draw. The easiest is to place your thumb against the edge of the sheath and press lightly and the knife is loose.

Something less good is that it doesn't actually keep quiet. The knife moves enough to rattle. It is the fit around the blade that is too wide. It certainly saves the coating on the blade from wear through less friction when the knife is pulled and put away, but it is still not the best.

The fastening straps are of ANV's own manufacture and they are made of some form of very tough plastic. At first, I thought they would be at risk of coming off but after using another knife, the M311 with the same type of belt loops for a longer period I can say they last. 

They are extremely wide and take belts/straps of up to seven centimeters. But unlike, for example, Tecloc solutions, the bracket cannot be adjusted for belt width, which means that the knife can move a little if you wear a thinner, normal military-type belt. 

Also, I'm not entirely fond of how high the knife ends up when it's worn straight up and down in a belt. The handle then ends up very far up and stabs me in the side. Therefore, I mostly carry the knife attached to a backpack when I have one or loose in a bag in more everyday contexts.

I also tested turning the belt loops and carrying the knife in the so-called "Scout Carry" with the knife horizontally in the lower back. Something that usually works well if you don't carry a backpack. Especially with knives that are this small and above all light. In this case, it works, but the sheath is not completely adapted for the purpose, so you have to fasten the straps with one screw per piece instead of two.

Conclusion

It's nice to know that I haven't lost touch with my inner knife reviewer! What I mean is that I can often determine how a knife will feel or rather suit me by photos alone. But that feeling is not one hundred percent certain and therefore it is even nicer when the first impressions confirm that feeling.

It gets even better when those impressions last over time, which brings us to the ANV Knives M25. It is still one of my favorite knives of all time, even after testing and wearing it for quite some time now. It's getting close to a year!

The M25 is small and flexible enough to be carried in a bag even for everyday use

I have described in some detail why. But the overall picture shows that the knife is extremely balanced. This not only refers to where the weight is located but also the properties. A strong knife that really cuts and penetrates well while being just the right size and still lighter in weight than most.

The latter is a topic often missed in the context. But it is of great importance regardless of the reason you are outdoors, on a mountain, or in a forest due to camping and hiking or on a secret mission. The amount of equipment you have with you is of crucial importance. In civilian contexts, it's about making the experience as pleasant as you can, and in military contexts, you should be as mobile as possible.** A couple of hundred grams saved on a knife can also mean a couple of hundred grams more ammunition. For those reasons, I appreciate the format extra. 

Then there are many examples of why this is a well-thought-out knife. Mainly it is how well the knife actually cuts but also how it works for different hand sizes. It is another proof of proper design and is very important when it comes to supplying entire military units with knives. Not all soldiers have identical hands.

Then there are the discreet built-in features that are there for those who need them but are out of the way for everyone else.

ANV M25 is a damn good outdoor knife which makes it a good military knife as well 

In short, I think the M25 is one of the better military/outdoor knives available. Some are just as light but often come equipped with inferior materials. Some have the same standard of steel and handle, but they are often heavier.

ANV has simply found a balance close to perfection. My advice is to buy it!

ANV

Specifications:

Length Overall: 240 mm
Blade Length: 110 mm
Blade Thickness: 4 mm
Steel: Sleipner med DLC-coating, 60HRC
Weight: 140 g/knife only, 219 g with sheath (weighed by me, stated weight, knife 145 g)
Handle: Micarta
Sheath: Kydex

Produced by ANV, made in the Czech Republic


/ J - found a gem

* There are more examples of similar knives, of course. The class includes knives such as Fällkniven F1 and its predecessor Cold Steel SRK, Peltonen Sissipuukko M95, Glock M81, and others.

** I did my military service as a dog handler in the Navy and I can tell you that you don't want to carry too much when you are on the other end of a trail line following a dog through bushes and undergrowth.