Clarification of why everyone loves the Mora

I think the Moras make a knife that I would be happy to have in a pinch, and are light enough to be kept as a backup.

I personally carry the Brusletto Profileringskniv, which is like the Troll but not quite as fancy, as EDC. When I go out, it is my primary knife.

If I could change anything about the knife, I would like a slightly thicker blade, and a full tang. I don't have a problem w/ the steel, in fact I like it. The handle is largely immaterial as long as it is comfortable and works.

So while I might not buy a 760 for 80 bucks, it would not have to change much for it to be worth whatever.
 
sasha said:
Thats an intrsting Q.. Would you buy a Honda if it were priced same as a Farrari??? Heck no i wouldnt buy the Honda. On the other side its not priced the same and a Honda is a great buy. Same with a Mora if you make it expansive enough it wont sale. BUT it would do 90% of what a Knife that cost 20 times would do. Price IS part of the knife you buy. If all knifes were priced same you would only see busse and custom on everyone belts. I just see no way to compare them. I dont think one person on here would say that a Mora is better then a busse. But even a busse owner would have a Mora. My knife to carry with me on hikes and even packpacking is always a Mora. Why cause it works and its cheap in case i lose it. For a back up i got another Mora.

Sasha
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That's where you're wrong. There's a lot of people who wouldn't buy a Busse over some other knives, even if all knives were priced exactly the same. Design is an important issue when it comes to choosing which knife to carry. And quite a lot of people wouldn't carry the type of knife Busse typically makes, being an American tactical knife, typically heavy, thick and filled with choils and all that actually hinder performance in precise work, especially on smaller models. But hey, that's all a matter of opinion and technique.

As for the guy that said Moras shouldn't be anyone's primary knife out in the woods, well, that's quite frankly ridiculous. Unless you're really obsessive about constantly abusing your knives, then a Mora will most likely do just fine outdoors, even for longer periods of time, and certainly Moras are more reliable than most folding knives and multi-tools.
 
Moras do an excellent job at many or most real world tasks without costing a bloody fortune. It's the KISS Principle at work. End of story.

If you want cooler or prettier or shinier or fancier or scarier or more expensive just for the hell of it, you have a vast selection to choose from. Pick your poison.
 
Well, people should understand that not all Moras are created equal.

Most of the Mora knives with the injection molded plastic handles seem to be made with a finite lifespan in mind, and are pretty much disposable.

Other Mora blades, like the full length tang wooden handled variety, are as good in blade quality as the high dollar Scandinavian knives, it's just that the handles and plastic sheaths are cheap. The full length tang laminated blade I made a custom handle and leather sheath for I'd stack against any production knife of it's size any day of the week.

The only thing about Moras is that most models available are small utility blades, so they should be coupled with something like a machete, axe, or hatchet for long term use in the bush. Mora knives are designed primarily for what a knife is supposed to do - cut. If you want a prybar, chopper, or log splitter you need something else.
 
runningboar said:
How so, not arguing, just curious.
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The thing I liked about the Mora's the most was that they were great slicers and they took a heck of an edge. Personally though I think they are to flimsy for a survival situation. They work great for food prep or smaller tasks but the just wont last as long as some of the better knives out there. I wouldn't stake my life on it.
 
mblackfu said:
the mora is a good basic knife and that's it!!!!! It should not be the primary knife of anyone hitting the woods for over a couple of hours. it is a great (!!!!!) inexpensive knife for daytime hikers , fishermen, and anyone who wants an extra lightweight knife. REMINDER- THIS SHOULD ONLY BE A KNIFE AN EXTRA KNIFE AND SHOULD NOT BE THE PRIMARY KNIFE FOR ANYONE UNLESS THEY ARE ON A PIC NIC
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Boy, I could not disagree more. I have used a lot of moras for a lot of work, and I have never found them lacking at all. What is it that you do that keeps wrecking them? Mine will do anything from fine carving to limbing trees, and Mors Kochanski uses them for falling small trees. Good enough for him = good enough for me! I would be totally comfortable using one as my primary knife indefinitely in the bush.
 
I agree very much with misanthropist. I've taken each of my Moras on several backpacking and camping trips, and just used the heck out of them in general. They've prepped food in a dozen places, carved tools, batoned through hefty wood, carved bowls, etc.. They've done anything I've asked without breaking, bending or failing in any way.

I don't intend to suggest that these are 'super knives' capable of accepting any abuse and surpassing the longevity of something like an F1 or Bark River, but when used with respect to very fair limitations they are excellent blades. But for what tool is this rule not true?

I understand that in a 'survival' situation you want to have that comfort zone of knowing that even moderately heavy use is well inside the safe-function zone for the blade. In fact, these days there is a good chance that a Mora isn't what you'll find on my hip on the woods, only because I've got other blades I love using too. I say this to reiterate that I'm not touting the Mora as the end-all woods blade. What it is, however, is a very respectable and trustworthy bushcraft knife that I would have faith in to carry me through a rough situation.

If you're not on a budget should you go ahead and spring for the F1/Bark River/whatever? Of course, they're great blades and have some shining features over the Mora. If you are someone without a lot of extra cash are you taking a foolish risk by taking a Mora into the woods as your main blade? Hardly.

If we each spent (myself included) half as much time practicing with our blades (any blade!) rather than deciding which to use, we'd all laugh at these arguments. Of course, we all get lots of pleasure out of discussing the finer points of such fun and cool tools.:thumbup: :D
 
For the price of a few soft drinks you get a Knife with a capital K, a blade that lasts and you don't mind abusing it.
I've used a carbon steel Mora Craftsman as a drawknife (hammered a piece of spade handle onto its point) and shaved a selfbow from a maple staff. After rendering about a pound of seasoned hardwood into shavings, the knife was still in working-sharp condition. And I paid 3 dollars from it, taken rusted form a bargain bin. Needless to say, since then I've been a fan, have more Moras, including fancier laminates - but those do not seem to get any work, as the red-handled workhorse does it all.
 
misanthropist said:
I would be totally comfortable using one as my primary knife indefinitely in the bush.
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See the breaking knives thread. Wouldnt last 2 mins with the abuse I give my blade under hard realistic working conditions. Thus I gave the 2 I owned away. Less than useless away from the kitchen. Granted they are better than nothing and for the price you get a smidge more than you paid for.

Skam
 
I seen many guys on this forum and some on other forums make primetive tools and some including even flint knifes. They all seem to feel well prepared for the wilderness. They just use what they have they way its meant to be used. Would a steel knife do a better job yea im sure it will. I guess the bottom of the line is that we all know that if you use the tool properly for what it was made to be used. The tool would last you a long time. For some jobs nothing less then a chain saw would do. One of the reason we have a jury of 12 is that everyone of us has diffrent experience in life and thats how we judge others. If you need a have blade that can pry a tree trunk open. Then thats what you need. A Mora or an F1 just wont do it for you. If you clean fish and make dinner a Mora would do fine. I did get my self a bushman and i love playing with it. Now im thinking about a larger blade. For what i use a blade for a Mora is my favroit.. I guess one of my big things i just dont have that extra money to spend on a knife when i got others things i want even more.

Sasha
 
Okay, so we have established that the mora is a very cost effective knife, but really haven't explained the love afair in terms of the "if I had all the knives in the world, I'd take a mora first" mentality. At least, coming from the angle of "if a mora were of comperable cost to a more expensive knife, would you buy it over the more expensive knife." Perhaps a more informative question would be, if an F1 or other high dollar knife were priced in line with a mora, would you choose a mora over the high dollar knife and why?

I've never handled a mora so I really don't have an opinion on the subject. It is an interesting question though.
 
hlee,

Not to be flip or anything but $10 buys you a Mora and you can make your own mind up as to its suitability for what you do. I think I have more than a dozen of them now and they are very good knives.

I just took my 6 year old son and 8 year old daughter on their first "survival hike" and issued them each a Mora #1 with finger guard. I have found these knives to be excellent for teaching knife skills.

If you want a knife that works natural materials very well then a four inch carbon steel scandi grind knife is extrememly useful. They range in price from about $10 to hundreds depending on materials and workmanship. The high end scandi knives don't necessarily do the job better they are just better made and more durable IMO.

They don't pry stuff. I've never seen a 4 inch prybar for sale. Then again I've never seen anyone try to make trap parts with a crowbar. I've tried it with my BK-7 and its a royal pain, for such a task I would vastly prefer that little red #1 my six year old was using.

You have forgotten most $10 bills you have spent in life. You won't regret dropping 10 on a mora. Many people find them well suited to a wide variety of wilderness tasks. Mac
 
pict said:
hlee,

Not to be flip or anything but $10 buys you a Mora and you can make your own mind up as to its suitability for what you do. I think I have more than a dozen of them now and they are very good knives.

I just took my 6 year old son and 8 year old daughter on their first "survival hike" and issued them each a Mora #1 with finger guard. I have found these knives to be excellent for teaching knife skills.

If you want a knife that works natural materials very well then a four inch carbon steel scandi grind knife is extrememly useful. They range in price from about $10 to hundreds depending on materials and workmanship. The high end scandi knives don't necessarily do the job better they are just better made and more durable IMO.

They don't pry stuff. I've never seen a 4 inch prybar for sale. Then again I've never seen anyone try to make trap parts with a crowbar. I've tried it with my BK-7 and its a royal pain, for such a task I would vastly prefer that little red #1 my six year old was using.

You have forgotten most $10 bills you have spent in life. You won't regret dropping 10 on a mora. Many people find them well suited to a wide variety of wilderness tasks. Mac
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Very well said :thumbup:.
 
It's an amazing knife for the price, plain and simple. For wood carving it excells. It's easy to get shaving sharp, even in the dark, just lay the bevel flat on the stone. I've used one as my only knife on a multi day survival trek. Yeah, I've got expensive knives and pretty knives and cool knives and bad assed knives and pretty much a whole lot of knives. But I still love my ugly little mora's for what they are are, a real bargain in the knife world, that work well as a knife (cutting tool). Kind of like the ugly mutt that you got at the pound, not a purebred, but still part of the family.
 
About once a year, I hear people singing the praises of Moras here in W&S, so I go over to Ragweed Forge and have a look.

Takes about 30 seconds of looking at those handles to realize I just don't care for the aesthetics. They're inexpensive knives and it shows. Doesn't mean they won't work well, but I prefer and can afford a slightly better looking and better built knife. For me, the look and feel of knives are two big parts of the pleasure involved in buying and using them.

If I feel like I missed a bargain, I go out and beat on my $6 Tramontina. :D
 
To add my tiny .02 to this, I own 2 clippers, a SS and a carbon, and they have a rather attractive flow to them, and are a true joy in the hand. I cannot speak for any of the other models, but the clippers are "mucho ergo sweetness". I will admit that my family asked what kind of stubby fillet knife it was when I first showed them off, but aside from the ribbing of the uninitiated, my experience has been great!:D:D
 
coote said:
Pict.... lots of people pay $100,000 or more for sex. You get married and the cash drain starts. Paying the occasional $100 for a commercial bonk is cheaper than handing over your whole pay check every week.
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I didn't read this thread until tonight. I generally find threads of this nature tiresome. When I read coote's post it broke me up. :D Coote, some day you got to come to Canada, and we'll get out and play in the bush together.

Anyway, since I had to stick my nose in, I own 3 Moras, I don't know what model they are, and I don't care. When I need a knife (as compared to a chopper) it's what I grab, and they work better than any other knife I've tried, up to now. I do a lot of bushcraft stuff like fire making, messing around with traps, arrowmaking, basketmaking, well, you get the idea - I've never felt underknifed with a Mora.

Having said that, would I want something prettier? Yes, indeed. Has anybody had any experience with a Charles May Big Hand Scandi?

As far as would I trust my life on a Mora? I wouldn't trust my life to any knife. In a SHTF situation, I want the biggest, toughest SOB knife that was ever made, and that still wouldn't be enough. The reality is, I would have to trust my life to whatever knife I had with me at the time and whatever little bit of skill I've picked up along the way. Hopefully, that would prove to be enough.

Doc
 
Hey Guys....

Pitdog..

pitdog said:
Here is another hypothetical for ya.....

Buck Diamondback or Mora ?

Which would you trust the most in a survival situation ?
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Hands Down...

Mora....


I use to think like alot of you do about Moras.. $10-15 POS Cheap-assed knife..
Then someone gave me one and told me to use it...

Then I awoke from my daze....

Although Yes the mora is an inexpensive knife.. Is it worth the same price as an $80 FI.. no obvoiusly not,, it's not the same knife.. The FI is nearly in a class by itself...

I do think the Mora is a bargin at it's price point.

However keeping in mind that it is a $15 knife, you would be Hard pressed to find a better bushcraft knife for the same price...

I've also found that some people that scoff the $15 Mora have never really used a $15.00 Mora...That's not everyone,, but some...

If the knife is used properly and not abused it is a Very valuable tool that will serve you well in the bush...

No matter what anyone thinks or says I will still suggest a Mora to a person who doesn't have alot of money to spend and still wants a good quality knife...

The Mora I would guess next to the SAK is the most used knife in the world.. Millions of users and how many years in business Can't be wrong!

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
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