Bought my first Mora knives

[JasonJ]

The only "decent" knives I've ever owned have been either inherited or given to me as a gift. I really have never bought myself a knife. I had first heard of, got interested in, and then read EVERYTHING there is to know about these Mora knives everyone keeps mentioning on the internet.

I had been wanting some fixed blade knives, as well as something to perform basic camp chores and maybe start learning some simple bushcraft type skills. So I figured, why not, not a lot of cash invested whether I like them/use them or not, and if they are half as good as the internet says (and the internet is never wrong, is it?) then I'd have a winner.

Received them two days ago. And wow. this is a lot of capable knife for the $10-$15 cost. I bought the Companion MG in Heavy duty, and I thought I bought the standard Companion in black, with carbon steel blade. I was surprised when it arrived that it was a stainless blade... then I rechecked and saw that I did in fact order the Companion in black w/ stainless. Turns out the non-heavy duty with carbon blade is not available in basic black. That's ok, I'll just order more. I will say, these blades are razor sharp from factory, and keep an edge well. Very impressive.

Now for the fun part, pictures ... ya know, so my thread is not worthless.

 

[Alatriste]

Quality at good price :thumbup:

 

[abcdef]

I think you'll be good with the stainless. Cut up that food and wash it all you like.

 

[JasonJ]

That's what I was thinking, use the stainless for food prep and such. A lot of guys say they'll use the stainless if they go fishing or to the coast.. but I live and stay in Michigan.. which duh, has all fresh water. So a moot point.

I look forward to actual use in the field with these knives, perhaps this weekend to field dress a nice deer, if I'm lucky.

 

[sunandsteel]

I have a Mora Companion carbon and love it. I was just using the knife to cut some thick cardboard and it did very well and almost like through butter. I like the handle also which gives me a nice grip when power cutting. I have to say that it's much easier for me to cut cardboard with a straight blade like a Mora than it is using a folder. One of the best deals out there. :thumbup:

 

[austexjg]

They are great knives for the price - I own a Companion in stainless, Bushcraft Orange (ss), Bushcraft Black Survival, 2000, and the Camp Axe (all orange in color except for the Black). They are like Lays Potato Chips....

 

[JasonJ]

Funny you should say that, I was just eating some Lays as i read this.. lol.

But yes, I agree on all points.. The first thing I noticed was when I withdrew the Companion HD from its sheath, the handle had amazing grippiness. It swelled in the hand and filled it well, and I felt like I had absolute control over the blade. This was my first experience holding onto one of these knives. After that I handled the Companion SS and found the thinner handle also good, but not as great as the HD, but the handle and thinner blade seemed like I had finer control over how and where the blade went when cutting.

Quite shocked honestly and what you get for the price. As to the sheaths themselves... not awesome, but not bad by any means. Mine seem to hold quite tight (almost too tight). They're functional, which I guess... is the whole point of a Mora.

It makes me excited to eventually try newer, "higher end" knives and see what else is out there. My blade exposure in life has been rather small.. mostly SAK's and the single Buck 121 I got from my dad.

 

[manowar669]

I've been using them to field dress deer for years (stainless), just put it in the dishwasher afterwards to get all the gunk/gore off of it. I usually get through about 3 deer before it won't shave, but really just a few swipes on a stone (I use a red DMT diamond, then a green on the patio railing) and it's a razor again, the beauty of a bevel blade, easy to field sharpen with minimal equipment. Truly a good knife for a modest price. Get a good sheath, and get a spare knife. The knife is easier to replace than the sheath.

 

[link2derek]

Howdy neighbor! Great images of some classic blades.

I bought a couple Mora's when I first discovered them years ago. After using one for only a few days, I quickly bought 10 more - a mix of Clippers, Companions, HD's. I have carried and used these things for years, and they continue to impress. I've also given them as gifts to knife buddies of mine, and they have always been impressed with the amount of performance you get for the price. Excellent...

 

[David From NC]

The HD is now my pick...may pick up some more on my next trip to New Graham Knives... I never break down and ORDER one but I buy them on site though. As stated, can't beat the price to performance ratio.

 

[JasonJ]

I actually have been using both of these Mora knives in my yard for brush cleanup and minor wood whittling, branch removal, trimming a Lilac tree/bush, etc... they work fantastic! No need to baton wood logs, or anything of that sort...

I also just ordered a Mora Robust and standard Companion in carbon steel for my brother. He doesnt know yet. He has really gotten into primitive camping and bushcraft style fieldwork.. so hopefully he finds them suitable. He's not a knife guy.. but I think that may change!

 

[the-swexan]

opinel and mora hate these knifes, no matter what i spend these two outcut them all.i have spent more than 50 years and more money than i care to think abought looking for a better cutter,but woe is me i havent found them yet

 

[jdk1]

It makes me excited to eventually try newer, "higher end" knives and see what else is out there. My blade exposure in life has been rather small.. mostly SAK's and the single Buck 121 I got from my dad.

Funny thing is, as many here can attest, after a few years and many $1000's in steel, a lot of folks return to the Moras and SAKs (add whichever low cost/high value blade you've discovered does everything you need). Throw machetes in there as well. There's a reason our dad's and grandpas used and handed them down to us. Enjoy them and be in no rush to "move up"

 

[JasonJ]

That's a good point. My dad was a marine and his father army infantry. Both saw serious action in active duty wartime. They both carried Swiss Army knives of some sort after their service years. My dad used the buck 121 while camping in the 70s and 80s.

There were plenty of "high end" knives available at the time, but two seasoned soldiers stuck to simpler knives that couldn't chop down trees or survive a nuclear war, but did get the job done.

 

[cchu518]

Jason do you have a favorite of the two you picked up?

 

[pinnah]

I love my Mora Companion HD. I followed the advice of Virtuovice and convexed mine as described in this video. I did not make mine asymetrical but I did see the improvement in making feather sticks.

Note to fans of expensive knives. Avert your eyes. The $15 Mora keeps up with the $300 Bark River Aurora.

http://youtu.be/sLlxWbce4iE

 

[JasonJ]

Jason do you have a favorite of the two you picked up?

Actually... I like points about both knives. I dont have super large hands, average large, long fingers, etc. I really enjoy the robust (pun intended) handle on the Companion HD. However the thinner blade on the standard companion slices and cuts with a lot less resistance. If I could have the standard Companion with the Robust/HD handle, that would be perfect.

Still dont know how I feel about the SS vs Carbon Steel. The Carbon seems nicer at first, but then there really is nothing wrong with the SS. I stropped the two knives that I have last night and MAN did that make a difference. Went from very sharp to the famed scary sharp. I'm missing a lot of hair on my left arm to prove it. I think the Carbon Steel took an edge easier, which if I read the internet correctly, is one of it's characteristics.

I am definitely going to compare these to the Robust and std Companion in carbon steel that I ordered for my brother, and will be for sure ordering the std Companion in CS for myself at the very least. I was thinking of also picking up the SS Companion in fluorescent orange for those times you need a high vis knife.. I often am out in teh woods of Michigan in the snowy winters, and sometimes late at night during the summer... be nice to not lose a new knife, even if it was only $13.

 

[cchu518]

Another question if you don't mind, did they both get to scary sharp or just the carbon? Pinnah a member of the forum argued that the Scandinavian grind makes all the difference. He's usually super believable with his advice? I'm going to order one or the other as soon as I get into my office, lol.

 

[The Zieg]

You'll start wanting to dress them up. I put mine in a leather sheath.

Considered drilling a lanyard hole but that seldom works out as well as I visualize.

Zieg

 

[JasonJ]

I thought about lanyard holes too.. I'm going to use the blades for a while before I go hacking them up.

Zieg, the stainless and carbon both reached the same level of sharpness for me. I'm not really comparing them fairly because the HD is 30-odd% thicker than the SS one I have. I think that affects cutting characteristics more than anything. The thinner blade slices cleanly and really glides through the cutting media. The thicker blade, which just happens to be carbon in this case, still cuts and slices through, but you can feel more resistance and it fells less "gliding through" than it does forcing its way through.. if that makes sense.

I do feel as though I had to strop teh SS blade more than the carbon to reach a comparable level of sharpness however. but it also seemed as though the thinner SS blade didn't really NEED to be as sharp either.

The real test will be when I can compare SS vs CS blades of the same thickness.