Morakniv

[average-Joe]

Surely a Morakniv HD Companion is a orange compared to apples here. Just wondering if anyone here likes them. People usually appreciate Spyderco because of known quality. I find Moras amazing quality for $20 +/-
I don't mind beating it doing things like batoning. Not as hardcore as my Ka-Bar for bushcraft survival asks but the mora HD companion is my favorite knife under $20 I live off the electric grid in the AZ mountains and knives are tools I really appreciate.
Anyone else carry Moras?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Aside from Spyderco, Mora knives are my favorite. They have excellent steel and quality and low price balanced perfectly.

Try the Top Q and the new Moras. I have a post on here about the new Moras.

[TomAiello]

I love my Moras. Amazing value.

[awa54]

I'm a big fan of all the Scandinavian stuff, Mora/Frost (nothing to do with China Frost's) make amazingly functional cutting tools for very affordable prices. It's amazing the performance they get out of boring old 12c27!

Check out Helle, Iisakki Jarvenpaa, Brusletto, etc.

Plus, if you're crafty, there are blades available from many manufacturers to make your own knife, for even cheaper!

[PM1]

Mora are very good knives, especially for the price. My favorite is the Mora Bushcraft Forest. I have plenty of more expensive and fancy fixed blades (like Bark River and Fallkniven) for hunting, but the Mora Forest still frequently gets used. As you said, I'm not afraid to beat on it, and they just work. In addition, the Bushcraft Forest has a very comfortable handle, and a nice blade shape.

[average-Joe]

Hum... I'll have to check out the new mora knives. I own two of the HD Companions one in orange one in black/green. And that's it. I would like to learn more about them however. It amazes me the quality for do cheap. My head hurts when I read negatives about them for things like batoning. If I break a $18 Knive so be it. But yet I've never seen one break. They aren't full tang but the tang goes down to the end of your fist. It's pretty darn close. Plus the way I understand they make the tang it's pretty much indestructible under "normal" abuse. I have no problem carrying one as my only bushcraft. Yet for serious servival which I'm not even qualified to do I'd carry my Ka bar combat marine knife. I sell them (you make hardly a dollar so that's no plug to sell here trust me) they are very ugly too me, not practical, but built like tanks. My Moras a better slicer by far.

[awa54]

On a side note, how many of you strictly adhere to Scandi sharpening technique?

Most commercial/factory Scandinavian grind knives (and some hand made ones as well) come with a small secondary bevel at the edge, with steel that is at minimum 57 C Rockwell and more often 59 or higher, re-setting the bevel to be truly flat all the way to apex can be a serious PITA... The payoff however is that as long as you don't damage the edge (or let it go too long between touch-ups), bringing a Scandi grind blade back to razor+ sharpness is comparatively quick and once you're familiar with the technique, it requires very little skill, unlike most freehand sharpening.

I find that small-ish relatively thin diamond stones are the best tool for sharpening this style of blade, though bench stones can work well too, but keeping the bevel flat is easier for me moving the stone on the blade as opposed to the blade across the stone.

[araneae]

I have a nice collection of Moras. I like the Companion a lot and have a few of the HD version too. It's rare now a days to get more value than you pay for and Mora certainly delivers that. I have a new Craftline Pro en route currently. I use a Mora at work and have been very pleased with how well they hold up. They sharpen easily and I tend to maintain the edge on a Spyderco double stuff with in between touch ups on a high grit wet dry paper I attach to a flat plastic paddle via double sided tape.

[average-Joe]

True, I certainly think they are more worth more then you pay. Wonder how they do that?

[awa54]

True, I certainly think they are more worth more then you pay. Wonder how they do that?

Simple (but very effective) designs, using modest materials, with acceptable (but no more) F&F, and a lot of injection molded plastic!

Collectors don't lust after the newest Morakniv release, it won't be pretty or even very innovative, but when it comes to having a sharp blade on your belt every day to get work done, at a price that anyone outside the poorest third world nations can afford, that's a whole different story.

[average-Joe]

True but they use a good chunk of steel and even import it over the ocean and still keep it under $20
If I recall wages there are pretty high even.

[awa54]

Wages in Sweden are pretty darned good from what I understand, but the way that these knives are made, most of the labor is in process monitoring, rather than hands-on crafting. So a few skilled machine operators can turn out a lot more knives than in a company like Spyderco where final fitting and cosmetics are to a higher level and require more hand work.

To see the high end of this style knife look at Helle of Norway, no $8 knives there, but much prettier handles and sheaths!

http://www.helle.no/products/knives/

https://youtu.be/1cuYnbWmEMY

[Brock O Lee]

I only recently discovered the Moras. They are not very common in South Africa. You are lucky if you see a Companion at an outdoor store, but that is basically it.

Last month I found a local online dealer who sells a bigger range, and bought an Outdoor 2000, Pro S and a revised Basic 511, all delivered to my door for 60% of the price of what I would locally pay for a Ladybug! Amazing value for money.

Grips are very comfy, sheaths are ok, and they get scary sharp without a fuzz. The humble Companion outperformed my ESEE 3 and Koster MUCK on a hardwood feather stick test the other day.

There is no reason not to have a few of these all over the house, in your bug out bag, car, workshop or outdoor pack.

[jmh58]

Got a Helle Harding on it way here!! John

[Ruarch]

I have an orange bushcraft in ss. I love the **** out of that knife and baton/beat the crap out of it.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

The Chinese have made cheapo knock-offs of Mora knives that are absolute CRAP. Its ridiculous: You get one of these for 9.99 and you can get a good Mora for the same price or a few dollars more, go for the real Made in Sweden Mora, friends.

[average-Joe]

I never knew they made fakes of Moras! That's idiotic when someone would buy one for $10 and a standard companion I think is $15 and the HD is $18
I guess I never thought of how they are made. I'm sure there's little hands on keeping costs down a lot. I really like them. Sheaths I hear good and bad on. I think again for the money they are amazing. I heard if they become lose a hot hair dryer can reshape them quickly.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

joe: Excellent point man, excellent point. Thank you and others for your interest and use of Mora-made knives.

Yes check this out: The "wahoo killer" is a copy-knockoff of a Mora:

http://www.budk.com/Wahoo-Killer-Knife-1038" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That one is 1.99. But better to get a couple of Moras than that.

I've seen others for 9.99 and such, the copies.

[average-Joe]

1.99 wow it's amazing any product on earth can cost 1.99 retail

[SpyderEdgeForever]

1.99 wow it's amazing any product on earth can cost 1.99 retail

I know! how do you think they can sell a knife like that for 1.99 retail? The actual cost of materials and production must be ridiculously cheap, it has to be at most 50 cents or a little more, because it is marked up to almost 2.00 for profit. Unbelievable. They must have some factory that produces thousands of them a day and the labor cost of those people on their assembly lines must be rock-bottom. Unless they do it with robots.

Also, I would like to see someone do a field test with one of those Mora copies and see how well it holds an edge and how well it gets through monofilament line, fish meat, and scales and bones. How do you think it would hold up?

Surf Gringo: What are your thoughts on this discussion and that "wahoo killer" knife?