Introduction

When I met Ondřej from Acta Non Verba Knives during their showcasing event in Vienna at Lorenzi, we not only discussed the M311 Spelter, but also the M200 Hard Task. After my review on the M311 I reached out to Ondřej again, and we decided to give the M200 HT some closer look at Pine Survey as well.

Both knives are the result of a fruitful collaboration with professionals. In the case of the M200 HT it is the Czech tactical training company Hard Task. So before we go into more detail on the knife, I want to take a brief look at this cooperation.

The M311 Spelter on the left, the M200 HT on the right

ANV Knives and Hard Task

For more info on ANV Knives, you can follow this link and read about them in my initial review. As for Hard Task, there are some interesting points to touch upon.

The people behind the company have not only a long history in police service in the Czech Republic, but also several years of experience in security contracting in Iraq. While being active competitive shooters, as well as certified trainers for weapons handling, they decided to found Hard Task – a training company focusing on shooting, tactical, medical and self defence training.

Overview

The M200 HT was designed in cooperation with the Czech tactical training company Hard Task. It is a dedicated bushcraft and survival knife, made of N690 steel and G10 3D machined scales. The kydex sheath provides several mounting options and comes with a drop leg extender loop. With an overall length of 265mm, the drop point blade, with its slight recurve and the angled grip is a versatile cutting tool – be it for finer work or heavier chopping.

Specs

• Blade: Drop-Point, light Recurve
• Steel: N690 (59 HRC)
• Handle material: G10
• Sheath material: Kydex
• Overall Length: 265 mm / 10,4 inch
• Blade Length: 130 mm / 5,1 inch
• Thickness: 5 mm / 0,2 inch
• Weight: 308 g / 10,9 oz

Scope of delivery – ANV Knives M200 HT

ANV Knives – M200 HT

The Blade

Featuring a classic drop-point blade with a length of 13cm/5,1” and a thickness of 5mm/0,2 inch, the M200 HT is an impressive knife for sure. The belly on the blade is more pronounced because of a light recurve, making it an ideal chopping tool.

The drop-point blade of the M200 HT

On top of the rounded spine you will find a decent amount of jimping to rest your thumb for finer work. Speaking of which: There is no finger choil for a forward grip. Instead you will find another practical detail. There is a small choil, shaped like a half circle and featuring the measurements of standard fire steel. As a result you have a dedicated area to strike sparks, without having to damage the cutting edge or the spine.

Jimping on top of the spine

Fire Steel notch/choil

Laser engravings on both sides feature the ANV knives logo, as well as the model- and steel name. Even the notch for the fire steel has its little note. You will also find the Hard Task name lasered on the spine of the tang. The latter is a full tang, so you have no weak spots or stress points between blade and handle.

Thorough information, lasered on the DLC coating

The blade itself is DLC covered. As you will see later on, this coating is so durable, it also withstands the use of fire steel.

The Handle

Looking a bit awkward at first, because most of us are so used to straight handles these days, the one of the M200 HT is actually a perfect fit in the palm of your hands.

The angled grip of the M200 HT

The G10 handle scales are perfectly machined with grooves, providing a secure grip. This is even more guaranteed because of the curve in the handle and the 3D design of the scales.

Perfect machining of the 3D handle

Mounted with two strong Allen key screws on both sides, the scales are removable for field repairs – if you wish or need to do so.

Lanyard hole for paracord etc.

A dedicated lanyard hole provides an attachment point for paracord to secure your knife, while working (a lanyard is in the scope of delivery).

The Sheath

With the knives comes a very well made kydex sheath. It is fitted so well the M200 HT snaps right into it with a satisfying click. To the front there is a little bit of play, so the knife rattles a bit if you really shake it – critic at the highest nerd level.

The Kydex Sheath of the M200 HT

At the bottom end you will find a hole to drain water, if necessary. Twelve eyelets in total provide various possibilities to mount the knife on equipment. It is basically the same setup as the one of the M311 Spelter. It comes with a long piece of paracord, which serves as a leg strap etc.

Drain hole

It has the same webbing strap with velcro sewn on, in order to carry it on your belt. Additionally you get an extension for drop leg carry. For added security you will also find bungee cord with shrink tubing. This way you can additionally secure the knife after putting it into the sheath.

Attached drop leg extension

Bungee cord for added security of the knife

Quality of Manufacture

As already mentioned in the review of the M311, the level of quality with ANV knives is outstanding. The M200 HT is no exception to this. The knife arrived spotless, has no marks, scratches, rough edges or workmanship signs.

Quality of manufacture

The edges are rounded, and the DLC coating is excellent. The scales of the grip are symmetrical and the grooves line up perfectly. You can tell that ANV Knives have invested in a top notch machine park and people who know how to use it.

The Kydex sheath is manufactured equally well. Clean edges, perfect fit and high quality materials.

In Use

Gripping the knife comes as natural as one can wish. The curve of the handle perfectly fits into the palm of your hand – be it the normal fencing grip or the reverse grip. It is very well balanced at the finger groove.

Fencing grip

Reverse Grip

The jimping on top of the spine is long enough to provide control for all hand sizes. Needless to say, the 3D milled scales do the rest for excellent comfort.

Working with the knife is pure joy. It not only comes razor sharp, it also shines with versatility. Doing fine work like feather sticks or beaver cutting branches is as easy as it gets, given the light recurve and angle of the blade. Said recurve also transforms the blade into a mean chopping tool. The angled grip gives you the option to hold the knife even further back, if you secure your hand with a lanyard.

In doing so you create an aggressive chopping angle, making the recurve perform as effective as possible. Thumb sized hazelnut sticks are slashed through with one blow. As always I also did some batoning and chopping with dried beech. The M200 HT had no issues cutting and chopping through this dried hardwood as well.

So sharp it cut through the ingrown branch while batoning

The tip of the blade is strong as well. After stabbing and prying into a tree trunk, no damage occurred – so getting out arrows of trees should not be a problem.

Coming to the firesteel notch. It took some time until I got used to it, since the position is somewhere else as one is used to. Using the blade to strike, with a steady firesteel is no issue. Doing it the opposite way, with the knife steady and the fire steel moving is a bit different. Especially if you are trying to direct the sparks in a wanted direction on the floor.

Striking sparks with fire steel

Finding the right angle takes some time, and I had difficulties striking the same amount of sparks than usual – practice will erase that issue.

As a result of the placement of the notch, the blades catches some of the sparks. As you can see on the pictures, this leaves some nasty traces. BUT – this is where the DLC coating comes in. After some scrubbing with soap and a sponge, the blade looked literally like new.

In the field

Last but not least: Edge retention. After the hardwood the M200 HT still cut off grass like a razor. Some spots on the cutting edge snagged a bit, but after a few strokes on the Spyderco  Sharpmaker the original sharpness was restored. No need to say – the heat treatment on this knife is excellent.

Here is a video for additional impressions:

Conclusion

The ANV Knives M200 HT is another perfect example for a well done cooperation between professionals, who know what they are doing. From concept to production – this knife leaves no room for complaint.

picture taken after the outdoor trip

While I have a magnitude of knives, coming from different parts of the world and with different approaches for their intended use, there are not many I would carry into the wild and put my whole trust in them. ANV Knives provided me now with the second knife I would put in that category.

The M200 HT speaks for itself in performing excellently at what you throw at it. And in that sense it perfectly resembles the motto of the company.

With that being said, I want to come to an end, hoping I was able to give you yet another insight into the knives of Acta Non Verba. I want to thank Ondřej for giving me a chance to give you guys a closer look at this beauty.

Thank you for reading!

Take care!

Addendum: If you want an honest second opinion next to mine, I recommend you guys check out this great review of my dear friend Widhalmt: ANV M200HT