buck or mora?

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deltawhisky

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Apr 6, 2011
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i am looking to get a mora or a buck knife for a camping knife based on the fact that they both make relatively inexpensive knives. if anyone has any input on which one might be a better decision that would be fantastic
 
Mora simply because their handles feel soooo good (at least on my HighQ Allround Stainless model). Best "cheap" knife period. It will serve you well.
 
For an affordable buck, you are going to get 420HC stainless steel. I don't personally own a 420HC stainless blade, but from what I have read on here, Buck is very good at working with this steel, and they know how to heat treat it and use it to make good knives. I think of it as a great option if you don't want to spend a lot of money.

People also really like Mora's sandvik stainless. I have a mora stainless blade that I use for food prep, and it is very easy to sharpen and to get very sharp. I can't say it holds an edge all that well, but that is to be expected of an affordable stainless steel.

Since I have heard that Buck's 420HC holds a great edge, I would give a buck like the buck lite a try over something like a mora 2000 (these are somewhat similar in price from what I have seen). The cheaper stainless moras obviously have an edge in terms of low price, however. So, when I recently wanted a cheap stainless knife, I bought a mora 7-- (the stainless brother of the 711 ... can't remember the number off hand). I haven't used it yet, but it looks very nice.

But so far I have just talked stainless steels. For general use where I don't have some specific need for a rust resistant steel, I would pick a nice carbon steel mora over all of these. I have a clipper, and I really like the way its 1095 steel sharpens up and cuts. It feels very sturdy for such a cheap knife.

I recently 'upgraded' to a mora 711 and 911 ... they have bigger handles that I like and have a more beefy blade and tang. I also got the smaller 511 since I was ordering. It also has a longer tang. I haven't given them a try yet, but they feel and look great. I personally prefer the 711.
 
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by the way, buck folders are certainly a good buy for the money, but if you want an affordable stainless folder, I would also look at Spyderco's byrd line. They are very affordable. I recently got a $50 or $60 spyderco delica along with the byrd version which was something like $20. While I'm sure that the delica's vg-10 will outshine the byrd's cheaper stainless, the make and design of the byrd was not lacking in any way in comparison to the spyderco. Unless the steel turns out to be total crap, it will be a great buy.
 
Kirk_Ferentz said:
by the way, buck folders are certainly a good buy for the money, but if you want an affordable stainless folder, I would also look at Spyderco's byrd line. They are very affordable. I recently got a $50 or $60 spyderco delica along with the byrd version which was something like $20. While I'm sure that the delica's vg-10 will outshine the byrd's cheaper stainless, the make and design of the byrd was not lacking in any way in comparison to the spyderco. Unless the steel turns out to be total crap, it will be a great buy.
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I'll always recommend a Buck 110 first, but I have a ton of Byrds and like every one of them.
 
if your looking for an awesome folder that's "cheap" get the rat-1 and then a mora carbon clipper.
 
For the same price a Mora would be better as their 12C27 steel is better than the 420HC used by Buck. Buck actually uses 12C27 too, but they price it higher than their 420HC models. If you've never used a scandi grind before, you got to try it. At 20 degrees inclusive the edge is going to be sharper than any knife you've ever owned, short of Japanese kitchen knives. It works wonders for processing wood, and obviously it's no slouch for other purposes.
 
It really depends upon what you mean by "camping knife". Mora makes great knifes for their price point. I like their Triflex or laminated blades best but their 1095 high carbon blades are no slouch either. The Sandvic 12C27 is a good steel that gives a sharp durable edge. Buck has 420HC stainless that they harden to @ 60 Rockwell. IMO their U.S. knives are better than the Moras but at @ 1/2 the price, the Moras are a price point leader. I just spent 1/2 an hour whittling wood with a Mora 911 and it is still 'shaving' sharp. The 20 degree edge angle on this Mora is a little brittle and will chip easily. For camp chores I'd probably get a Mora stainless clipper with a 2 mm (thick) blade. For packing in the woods I'd get a SAK (with a wood saw) or a Buck 303 medium stockman. I think that Bucks' 420HC is every bit as good as the 12C27 Sandvic.
 
Mora 2010 and Buck 119, with an Opinel folder. Tri Fecta of cheap, good knives!
 
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A.P.F. said:
I'll always recommend a Buck 110 first, but I have a ton of Byrds and like every one of them.
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When I got my delica and byrd combo, I wanted something in the 2.75 inch to 4 inch blade length range that was very light and compact but sturdy. When I handle the longer blade spydercos like the endura or stretch, I feel like the ratio between the blade thickness and length is off -- too long for that thickness (at least for hacking on wood and all the other hard use tasks that I wanted it for ... for slicing soft stuff, they would be great). So, I went with the smaller delica counterpart. The dimensions seemed a lot better to me

A buck 110 is a lot heavier and beefier as a folder (especially the heavy handle). I personally think of it as a great knife to throw on your belt for a hunting trip. I might take my delica or the byrd counterpart on that kind of trip, but it would be playing second fiddle to a larger fixed-blade. For a bigger knife, I'd definitely pick the buck over something like a delica.
 
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