Mora knives, which one, and why?

S

sar5

Joined
Jan 15, 2011
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Hi all. I have some nice knives but never got or handled any moras. I'm taking my nephews an nieces out for a week trip and was thinking about giving each of them a knife, an early Xmas gift:)

I need suggestions for a first knife for five year old,

Ten year olds

And for adults new to bush craft.

I would also like to get a bush craft for myself to play with as well.

Thank you all. I have always gotten great info here and I appreciate your time.

P.s. Any one use the curved moras for making spoons, bowls, etc.?
 
ihttp://www.kolumbus.fi/harri.merimaa/ My ex-bro-in-law got one that his significant other brought back from Sweden or Denmark or (???) recently, a beautiful work of functional art, both knife and sheath. Go to the Cloudberry site for details in English. 'Twon't be cheap but it will be the very embodiment of quality.
 
Re: Mora
And... I have one from this outfit, Karasuando, plain, simple, tough, dependably razor sharp, lives in my pack, spreads peanut butter, cuts liverwurst, slices cheese, meets all my usual survival needs in other words, with ease, helluva piece of high carbon, love it!! Check 'em out: http://shop.textalk.se/en/artgrp.php?id=5583&grp=112219 I just don't understand the appeal of the dangling belt hanger for the traditional sheaths on knives of the Mora people. I know... suppposed to let the sheath swing out of the way when one climbs aboard one's sled or snowmobile, but.... The drifts must be full of lost knives.
 
I like the HighQ Series. Also the Bushcraft Force and/or the Bushcraft Triflex. The force is probably the better choice because it has a more-deeply set tang than the triflex. Mora 2000 is also good but the blade has a quirky grind. The Erikson 711 is a good choice too. The most modern is the going to be the Bushcraft Force which is Sandvik 12c27 I think...certainly one of the Sandvik stainless steels. Black handle, green plastic sheath with a rubber belt loop. The HighQ has kind of a neat clear sheath and comes in both Sandvik stainless and Udenholm carbon steel...a real bargin at about $12 - $15. I have all the above mentioned except the 711 which I've been intending to get.
 
plenty to look at here: http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

you really can't go wrong with any mora but i prefer the "craftline" and "companion" models for their very ergonomic handle and very grippy rubber coating. i have/had/handled a lot of knives and in terms of handle ergonomics it tops them all except the bark river bravo-1 and spyderco bushcraft.

search for these #s on the site linked above for the ones i prefer.
#11672
#11675
#11863
#11824

i've handled moras with handles similar to the #511 but i find that the plastic-only handle is slippery with the slightest hand sweat due to the lack of rubber.
 
I prefer the wood handled models, and for the kids I would suggest one with the guards. Maybe model #73-164 which is a smaller children's knife with guards and a full leather belt sheath (instead of the slip-in plastic sheaths).

For yourself, you might prefer something from Ahti, Helle, or Karesuando, which are a step up in quality (and price) from the Mora-brand knives. Of course there's nothing actually wrong with the Mora knives... Model #137 is the Mora I would choose for myself to carry and use. In fact I'm pretty sure that I do own a #137. :)
 
You really cant miss.

Every Mora knife has a great steel, a great grind, and great ergonomics.

The only real differences between models are:

Handle material
Handle shape
Steel type -stainless, laminated, or plain carbon
Tang build -full stick tang or partial stick tang

My favorites are the classic wooden handle versions (see my avatar picture). The reason I like these so much is for the simple and effective ergonomics. The scout models are meant for younger children and have guards on the handles.

I was started with a classic wooden model, so I may be a little biased:D.

Have a good one!:)
 
I'm a little bit (OK I'm a whole lot :D ) of a Mora junkie. (these pictures aren't even close to all of mine) :)

Probably my all time favorite is the Clipper model. (top knife with red and black handle)
Frost-Groupshot.jpg


Just got a new version today from Ragweed Forge in Orange.
Orange-Clipper-2.jpg


I've not found a lot of things in the general camp/outdoors usage, that these can't handle, and at about $12 each, they are hard to beat!

The Classic #1 and the Ericksson 510 are great to, but if I were gonna give one to a 5 year old, I'd go with a model that has at least some guard on the handle.

Classic #1 (although I prefer the 5" bladed version)
Erick-1.jpg


Ericksson 510
Eriksson-510.jpg


The link that JV3 gave you, is where I bought virtually all of my Moras from, there are lots of great choices on that page.
 
Agree with the Bear Claw above. For the money, there isn't a lot the Moras can not do. I also agree with the Clipper recommendation; the handle fits my hand quite well and is functional when wet.
 
Why not ask them which ones they would like? Especially the parents - are they OK with you giving the young ones these gifts? I like the Mora Triflex Bushcraft. Although I made a sheath for mine.
 
Bo T said:
Why not ask them which ones they would like? Especially the parents - are they OK with you giving the young ones these gifts? I like the Mora Triflex Bushcraft. Although I made a sheath for mine.
Click to expand...

Thank ou all for our help, you have given me a lot of ideas.
Bo, yes the parents are ok. But kneed to get them prior to going I won't be able to ask them all,e are coming from diff states fr this get together
 
I'm realy quite fond of my Mora 711 allround it's an incredibly affordable model that has a high degree of ergonomics I'd also take a hard look at the new companion model as well.
 
I'd go with the Clipper. It has a nice slim handle with perhaps better fit for small hands and a small guard to protect the unexperienced hand.
The handle has a rubbery grippy feel to it and it isn't overly contoured or shaped for specific ways of holding the knife. This is useful when instructing different blade manipulation.

I wouldn't let novices pick what they like, I feel the experienced person giving the knife has to sell the knife he wants to give.
Make the knife sound cool to use and own, especially for the younger kids.

Just make sure the size is useable. It might be beneficial if you used the same knife you gave when showing the use of an edged tool.
 
For the 5-year old: is there a version with a blunt tip? I remember that I've seen special folders for young children from Opinel and some other manufacturers. It is possible that there are similar Scandinavian knives.
Personally I would be hesitant to give a Mora to a 5 year old, unless (s)he is continually watched.

(UPDATE)
For example, I found this clever children knife by the always excellent Roselli:

http://www.roselli.fi/1/eng/products/PN.html

With a blunt tip, and when they are comfortable with using the knife , then the tip can be sharpened as well.

And here are similar (and probably cheaper) solutions from Marttiini:
http://www.marttiini.fi/in_English/Marttiini_Shop/Marttiini_Junior.iw3
http://www.marttiini.fi/in_english/Marttiini_Shop/Verkkokauppa.iw3?shopUrl=/Marttiini_Junior-list.aspx?CultureID=1
 
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Dagon said:
For the 5-year old: is there a version with a blunt tip? I remember that I've seen special folders for young children from Opinel and some other manufacturers. It is possible that there are similar Scandinavian knives.
Personally I would be hesitant to give a Mora to a 5 year old, unless (s)he is continually watched.
Click to expand...


There are blunt tip Mora knives. Also puukkos in Finland are made with blunt tips for young ones. Im sure a five year old novice user is supervised by an adult when using a knife.
 
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PatriotDan said:
There are blunt tip Mora knives. Also puukkos in Finland are made with blunt tips for young ones. Im sure a five year old novice user is supervised by an adult when using a knife.
Click to expand...

Yes I just saw the "woodcarving knife for children" on Ragweedforge's page. But I think that they still have a sharp tip.
Personally I would probably not risk it with 5 year olds.
 
Guys thank you I got a lot of great choices from you all. I appreciate it.
Thankd
 
thumbs up for the mora clipper....and i just got a mora force....wow its amazing!! Wish i had ordered it sooner!
 
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