BK-11 or a Mora

The 14 is a tougher blade all the way around. That being said, I don't go on a trip without a mora somewhere in the bottom of a pack/drybag/pocket. They make a cheap backup and food prep knife. Get them both.
 
This is a bit of a hot thread, but a thought occurred to me...
It you're on the AT (hiking) wouldn't scout carry be covered up by your backpack and thus only handy with the pack off?
Conversely, wouldn't "ranger" carry only be handy with the pack on? I say good 'ol fashioned belt or neck carry FTW.

personally, I have a terrible habit of carrying my small fixed blades in a front pocket. To that end, when I use any of my 11/14/mora it ends up in the pocket and is really handy for me. Easy to get to with a pack on. YMMV. Just a thought.

On the knife choice issue. I love my mora. I love my 14. But if the weight/budget is not a huge issue, you might honestly look into the 16 or 17. The sheath is better than serviceable in a variety of carry positions (molle straps, belt loop), 2 sets of scales included, a little longer for batonning, etc. But I agree, you'll want both eventually (it happened to me :D)
 
I've batonned Mora's. Quite a bit, truth be told. I love those knives, and now, that a 3.2mm Robust, Black and Survival are on the market, they just keep getting tougher.

Just a question, for those that rolled the edge, did you sharpen them first? Gotta get that putty steel off the edge, or they roll and chip like no other.

Unless you have this one. :D

2012-10-16113523.jpg


This one won't roll or chip, either. :D

100_1277.jpg


Or you can just go plain out sexy with that mutha'....

100_2928.jpg


100_2927.jpg


100_2926.jpg


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's me, makin' life easier for the masses.......washed and unwashed, who cares!!!!

Knives kick ass!!!!

Moose
 
I miss the stamps. Wish my 11 was stamped. now that its customed, the sheath is the only proof it was a becker. the laser etching comes off when stripped taking the name away which i dont like. (unless you etch it) and to me the look of the stamp is way tough!
 
If you baton, get the 14.

If you do wood carving the mora all the way.. Its a very usable blade..
 
Hey Fifth Angel.........

Love my Moras, been using them for over fifty years......Great knives for the money......Still hate the blade geometry.....
I like a wide, sturdy blade that is flat and compact and will neck carry well.....a 14 with a cord wrap will do what need be done and nary a worry about how durable it is......It is under three ounces in weight and is as flat a carry as you can find...
I edc an 11 in the left front pants pocket " in town" and neck it in the woods.......Neck carry is the most convenient I have found.......Easy to get to and easy to resheath...Hands find hands.....If you insist on belt carry the KaBar clip is much flatter and the paracord X in a square is real cheap and real compact.........The tek loc in this particular application is, in my opinion like swatting flies with a two x four.....Thats a lot of attacher for a small attachee and a real pain to get on and off in a hurry.........Try the neck carry first......Then the paracord x in a square........Use the saved money for a small Norton Fine India Stone and go have fun......

All Best.....

Ethan
 
Here are my thoughts, take them for what they are worth.

Get a 16 (or 17). If you are wanting to save money and get the most knife for your dollar, one of those is going to serve you a lot better than either a Mora or a BK11/14. Don't get me wrong, I love the smaller BK's, and the Mora knives wouldn't be so popular if they sucked, but ultimately if your aim is to save money and have a very good multipurpose knife for the trip, the 16 (or 17) is going to serve you a lot better. The stock sheath is definitely worthwhile, and can be attached in a variety of ways. The 16 being a full flat grind is very light for it's size, and is going to provide a lot more utility than either of the other options. Sure, you could spend $40 on a 14, and then $12 on a Tek Lok, and then $15 on handle scales, or you could just pay $65 (less depending on where you look for it) for a knife that comes with a sheath that is just as versatile, two sets of handle scales, and a knife at the end that will do everything you want it to and then some. I know that both the 14/11 and Mora are capable of some awesome things, but all of those things can be done by a 16 easier, and if I was walking myself down a crazy long trail, while it might weigh a bit more, the added utility and versatility adds a ton in terms of peace of mind, and that to me is very much worth it's weight in gold.

When I first got started purchasing knives, my first and only thought was "bigger is better" and I bought knives according to that philosophy. I bought big knives. And then bigger. And then bigger. But I got to wondering why these different outdoorsmen all had knives about the size of the BK16. And as my skill with a knife increased, and my knowledge about the outdoors and survival and hiking increased, it slowly started to dawn on me that while a big is great, and can do quite a lot, if you have the knowledge and the skill, you don't need more than something sized like a BK16. As you go through the different stages of knife obsession you will see a similar thing happen. First you go big, and you get smaller ones that really compliment the larger knife, but then it goes on and as you get further and further you see that your choices start coming back to something around the size of the 16. Plenty of handle, plenty of blade, more than enough in terms of strength and robustness for every task you are going to need, and comfort that you cannot get out of a small knife for lack of handle, or a big knife in terms of weight.
 
Last edited:
DerekH said:
Here are my thoughts, take them for what they are worth.

Get a 16 (or 17). If you are wanting to save money and get the most knife for your dollar, one of those is going to serve you a lot better than either a Mora or a BK11/14. Don't get me wrong, I love the smaller BK's, and the Mora knives wouldn't be so popular if they sucked, but ultimately if your aim is to save money and have a very good multipurpose knife for the trip, the 16 (or 17) is going to serve you a lot better. The stock sheath is definitely worthwhile, and can be attached in a variety of ways. The 16 being a full flat grind is very light for it's size, and is going to provide a lot more utility than either of the other options. Sure, you could spend $40 on a 14, and then $12 on a Tek Lok, and then $15 on handle scales, or you could just pay $65 (less depending on where you look for it) for a knife that comes with a sheath that is just as versatile, two sets of handle scales, and a knife at the end that will do everything you want it to and then some. I know that both the 14/11 and Mora are capable of some awesome things, but all of those things can be done by a 16 easier, and if I was walking myself down a crazy long trail, while it might weigh a bit more, the added utility and versatility adds a ton in terms of peace of mind, and that to me is very much worth it's weight in gold.

When I first got started purchasing knives, my first and only thought was "bigger is better" and I bought knives according to that philosophy. I bought big knives. And then bigger. And then bigger. But I got to wondering why these different outdoorsmen all had knives about the size of the BK16. And as my skill with a knife increased, and my knowledge about the outdoors and survival and hiking increased, it slowly started to dawn on me that while a big is great, and can do quite a lot, if you have the knowledge and the skill, you don't need more than something sized like a BK16. As you go through the different stages of knife obsession you will see a similar thing happen. First you go big, and you get smaller ones that really compliment the larger knife, but then it goes on and as you get further and further you see that your choices start coming back to something around the size of the 16. Plenty of handle, plenty of blade, more than enough in terms of strength and robustness for every task you are going to need, and comfort that you cannot get out of a small knife for lack of handle, or a big knife in terms of weight.
Click to expand...

Couldn't have said it better.

+1 for the BK16.
 
Friend, you came to a nest of fanatics for becker ask which is better? Hahaha

Just kidding ... the Moras are great knives but in my opinion just for carving and food. I think the BK 11 more robust and great cutting and more resistant to abuse...
 
If you're wanting examples of carry without the tec-lok, I have a fairly recent thread "How do you EDC your BK14" in which folks have posted all manner of carry styles, from very simple to uber-deluxe. Might help you decide whether you need to spend the extra bucks on a mounting system or not.
 
Ethan Becker said:
Hey Fifth Angel.........

Love my Moras, been using them for over fifty years......Great knives for the money......Still hate the blade geometry.....
I like a wide, sturdy blade that is flat and compact and will neck carry well.....a 14 with a cord wrap will do what need be done and nary a worry about how durable it is......It is under three ounces in weight and is as flat a carry as you can find...
I edc an 11 in the left front pants pocket " in town" and neck it in the woods.......Neck carry is the most convenient I have found.......Easy to get to and easy to resheath...Hands find hands.....If you insist on belt carry the KaBar clip is much flatter and the paracord X in a square is real cheap and real compact.........The tek loc in this particular application is, in my opinion like swatting flies with a two x four.....Thats a lot of attacher for a small attachee and a real pain to get on and off in a hurry.........Try the neck carry first......Then the paracord x in a square........Use the saved money for a small Norton Fine India Stone and go have fun......

All Best.....

Ethan
Click to expand...

Something makes me think your a little bit biased. But anyhow thank you for replying to my humble thread.
 
5thAngel said:
Something makes me think your a little bit biased. But anyhow thank you for replying to my humble thread.
Click to expand...

Well, only sort of -- Ethan's quest for the "perfect knife" is what started him on the road to designing blades in the first place.
The first Campanion (AKA BK2) was made by him by cutting the shape out of a British MOD knife and putting functional bevels & handles on it back in 1985
 
Hey Fifth ......

of COURSE I am biased.......Every guy on here brings a certain amount of bias to the table.....I would and do reccomend other peoples knives because I DO like other knives.......I got moras, I like.moras and they are a great choice....I would reccomend an ESSE 3 over a mora and if it fits YOUR hand better than say a BK16 then that is the blade for you....I know that the 16 fits MY hand better because it was designed for MY hand and it utilises my biases in handle design........I really do prefer a full or partial flat grind.......I know they work better for me......Yeah, yeah it IS all about me....LOL.....

Pleasa read Dereks post above.....It is the post I should have made to begin with.....LOL.....Just before the last Spirit of Steel show I was going thru my knives and realised that and and in fact said to myself.......Good lordy Ethan you have got enough 3 to 6 in utilty blades to start a freaking museum........I forgot my words to myself and the ONLY new blade I brought back home was a 4 1/4 in utility hunter/ bushcrafter/ survival blade........It lives wth about twenty others and unlike the moras it is not likely to be used.......

All Best.....

Ethan
 
I don't have a mora, and do not know what they are like, but if they are (in blade thickness) close to the buck 110 i would have no problem battoning it. I use a buck 110 as an EDC and i batton with it frequently while in the bush. I have never had it fail on me and is still solid.
 
mora's are thin (like .098" thin) scandi (as in Scandinavian) ground blades made in Mora Sweden.
My personal favorite is the older style #2 with the red stained barrel shaped handle, no guard, and an exposed, peened over, stick tang.
The most common ones have molded plastic handles, cost under $15, and come in a variety of eye-searing colors.
 
Personally, I think the BK16 suggestion was a good idea; but you can definitely baton a Mora. I've batonned the cheapest, thinnest Mora (not even full tang) into seasoned pecan until it got stuck (a bit wider than the blade was long) as it turned out) and then pulled it back out with some work - the edge was not rolled. The great thing about a Mora is I don't think twice about doing horrible, horrible things to them because they are so cheap - and they always surprise me with how well they hold up; but pretty much any of the Beckers are going to be a lot more solid.
 
My advice? Get a Mora Craftline Robust. I got one on that auction site for $15 shipped.
You'll have plenty of knife for your money, and then you can save up to get an EsKabar.
That's right. I prefer the EsKabar to the Necker, but either one will serve you well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top