Gear

The Canterbury knife by Salient

First and foremost, the Canterbury looks the part. For £400 it does have a fairly rustic look, with its rock solid brass bolts imperceivable to the touch within the Turkish walnut handles, but perhaps not quite finished to perfection. This is almost certainly intentional, an attempt to add to the ‘hand-made’ aesthetic of the blade.

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First and foremost, the Canterbury looks the part. For £400 it does have a fairly rustic look, with its rock solid brass bolts imperceivable to the touch within the Turkish walnut handles, but perhaps not quite finished to perfection. This is almost certainly intentional, an attempt to add to the ‘hand-made’ aesthetic of the blade.

The balance is superb with its very classy and classic design, featuring a very heavy and razor-sharp stainless-steel blade. For a relatively small knife it has real heft to it and fills even my rather sizeable mitts very comfortably.

The Canterbury is the hunting specific design, sporting a drop-point, 4mm-thick blade, 10cm in length and forged from N690 stainless steel.

My review model was encased in rather plain but silky-smooth walnut with the brass fittings bonding the timber to the tang. Laser engraving is an option, but this blade was plain, other than the unique serial number punched into the back of the blade, adding that all-important touch of hand-crafted and semi-bespoke panache for any prospective buyer.

The handle itself is reassuringly chunky and very comfortable, with a nice palm swell and a flare at the end. The bevels are small, but hollow-ground, producing an excellent working edge, despite the unusual thickness of the blade. A shade less robust than a classic flatground perhaps, but more than capable on fur and bone. Heavier than similar sized blades, the Canterbury weighs in at 195g but it feels solid and balanced rather than bulky.

It ships with a fully hand-stitched leather sheath along with a lifetime warranty and a very posh presentation box, clearly targeting the birthday and Christmas market for serious deer stalkers. An impressive entrant into the hand-made market. Salient Knives only produce a small range and this is a fine example. A knife for life, and a blade that’s meant to be used and not simply admired.