Salty Dodo
Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2025 10:21 am
I've been carrying an M4 SE Dodo for 6 months now, and it has kicked everything else out of my pockets (excepting my keychain Manbug). It is such an incredibly useful tool that I'm hardly even interested in other models now. S90V Urban comes with me when fishing or when I want a non-locker, K390 LT3 LW rocks for workshop-type wood carving, and K390 Dragonfly is my crafting scalpel. But they almost never leave the house.
The SE Dodo is a phenomenal tool. Such a big handle that really locks into my hand, that I can put a lot of cutting force behind. And the deep choil makes it quite secure both in use and while holding it loosely as I use my fingers for other tasks. I did shape the handle profile a bit with files to make it fit my hand like a glove, but this was quite easy to do given the linerless G10 scales (do exercise respiratory caution).
The short blade of the Dodo offers amazing control and precision, especially with such a long handle. But the real star of this model is the beak. The downturned tip makes piercing through sheet material trivial, given the biomechanics of the hand. A rotation of the wrist, not a stab forward, allows you to pierce material with extreme precision and high force. The wide spine is comfortable for resting the thumb or forefinger for additional force or fine control.
I have long been skeptical of serrated edges and carving wood (perhaps because as a lad I had a CE Winchester with very spiky serrations). But the Dodo excels at little wood carving tasks. The handle gives high precision and ease of applying force. And the hollow grind and chisel serrations probably help as well.
I originally wanted to try the Dodo because I was looking for a short-bladed knife with lots of capability. I needed something that wouldn't alarm people when opened and used in public (which was happening with my larger knives). I originally got a Chicago, but the short handle did limit its usability. The Dodo's blade shape was a bit intimidating at first, but doesn't seem to be now that it's been bobbed a bit (I broke part of the tip off--abuse on my part). It still has the reverse-S shape, the tip is just shorter and the nose more square.
I only have two gripes with this model. One is that it's pretty loud locking open and snapping closed. Could be more fidget-friendly if it was quieter. Two is corrosion resistance. The blade is getting a nice patina, but the tang portion that's exposed through the lock window is red and pitting from my pocket sweat. The second issue has been largely solved by BladeHQ's coated SE M4 Dodo, which is currently en route.
My point in writing this is to (1) extol the virtues of the Dodo's design, and (2) to advocate for a salty version. The salty steels might not have the best edge retention, but I argue that this factor is of less importance in the Dodo than it is in other models. The bio-mechanical efficiency of the SE Dodo allows it to still cut well even when dull. The short blade, blunt nose, SE, reverse-S, large handle and deep choil make it great for fishing/watery tasks and personal food prep--it's just begging to be given the salt treatment.
The SE Dodo is a phenomenal tool. Such a big handle that really locks into my hand, that I can put a lot of cutting force behind. And the deep choil makes it quite secure both in use and while holding it loosely as I use my fingers for other tasks. I did shape the handle profile a bit with files to make it fit my hand like a glove, but this was quite easy to do given the linerless G10 scales (do exercise respiratory caution).
The short blade of the Dodo offers amazing control and precision, especially with such a long handle. But the real star of this model is the beak. The downturned tip makes piercing through sheet material trivial, given the biomechanics of the hand. A rotation of the wrist, not a stab forward, allows you to pierce material with extreme precision and high force. The wide spine is comfortable for resting the thumb or forefinger for additional force or fine control.
I have long been skeptical of serrated edges and carving wood (perhaps because as a lad I had a CE Winchester with very spiky serrations). But the Dodo excels at little wood carving tasks. The handle gives high precision and ease of applying force. And the hollow grind and chisel serrations probably help as well.
I originally wanted to try the Dodo because I was looking for a short-bladed knife with lots of capability. I needed something that wouldn't alarm people when opened and used in public (which was happening with my larger knives). I originally got a Chicago, but the short handle did limit its usability. The Dodo's blade shape was a bit intimidating at first, but doesn't seem to be now that it's been bobbed a bit (I broke part of the tip off--abuse on my part). It still has the reverse-S shape, the tip is just shorter and the nose more square.
I only have two gripes with this model. One is that it's pretty loud locking open and snapping closed. Could be more fidget-friendly if it was quieter. Two is corrosion resistance. The blade is getting a nice patina, but the tang portion that's exposed through the lock window is red and pitting from my pocket sweat. The second issue has been largely solved by BladeHQ's coated SE M4 Dodo, which is currently en route.
My point in writing this is to (1) extol the virtues of the Dodo's design, and (2) to advocate for a salty version. The salty steels might not have the best edge retention, but I argue that this factor is of less importance in the Dodo than it is in other models. The bio-mechanical efficiency of the SE Dodo allows it to still cut well even when dull. The short blade, blunt nose, SE, reverse-S, large handle and deep choil make it great for fishing/watery tasks and personal food prep--it's just begging to be given the salt treatment.
