Condor's Steel (1075) vs. Mora

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cm_bushman

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Oct 22, 2012
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Hi all, I'm looking into getting a Condor as a full-tang Mora replacement. After using and loving a Mora #2 for a little over a year, I just can't get comfortable with a partial-tang knife (even though the Mora has given me no reason to doubt, and I have seen them handle quite a bit of rough use, more than I would likely ever need).

I have been looking at the Sapien and the Bushlore. I just wonder about the 1075 steel at an unknown hardness.

So has anyone had experience with Condor's 1075 in a knife? How does it compare to Mora steel? I know the alloy has lower carbon, making for a tougher and softer steel than the 1095 analogue used in the Mora, but I don't know if it's enough of a difference to notice. If the alloy is close enough not to matter, I think these would make a great full-tang Mora replacement for me.
 
Full tang knives are not stronger than other types.
knife-broken-13.jpg

If you are concerned about tang strength, find a knife where the tang is wide, doesn't have holes very close to the blade and the handles are of a rigid material that are bonded securely to the blade steel.

In other words, you can downgrade your cutting ability by going down to 1075 and not actually get anything for it. Moras rarely break, and when they do it isn't as likely to cause an injury as with a heavier bladed knife.

My $.02. I just don't want you to be making a decision based on something that is largely a wives tale among knife people.
 
cm_bushman said:
Hi all, I'm looking into getting a Condor as a full-tang Mora replacement. After using and loving a Mora #2 for a little over a year, I just can't get comfortable with a partial-tang knife (even though the Mora has given me no reason to doubt, and I have seen them handle quite a bit of rough use, more than I would likely ever need).

I have been looking at the Sapien and the Bushlore. I just wonder about the 1075 steel at an unknown hardness.

So has anyone had experience with Condor's 1075 in a knife? How does it compare to Mora steel? I know the alloy has lower carbon, making for a tougher and softer steel than the 1095 analogue used in the Mora, but I don't know if it's enough of a difference to notice. If the alloy is close enough not to matter, I think these would make a great full-tang Mora replacement for me.
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1075 is not necessarily softer or tougher than 1095, that depends on how the blade was hardened/tempered. I doubt you'd notice the steel as much as the edge-preparation (i.e. sharpening).
Mora lists hardness at 58-60: http://www.moraofsweden.se/steel-quality
Condor lists hardness at 56-58 (similar to ESEE's 1095): http://www.condortk.com/section.php?seccion=3

Here is an image accompanying the woodsmonkey review of the Condor Sapien - http://www.woodsmonkey.com/condor-tool-a-knife-sapien. Comparing the handle-shape and the blade-grinds, I'd definitely take the Sapien over the mora#1.

IMG_0405.jpg
 
From what I've seen, Condor's steel seems too soft for knives. My buddy had several and after playing with them, it seems the knife steel was hardened like the machete steel. Also, he had a full-sized Bushlore (?) and busted the handle really bad, as in unusable without re-handling. Micarta maybe different, but shows full-tang isn't all that. He has yet to break a Mora handle and he's rough.
 
The main reason a full tang knife will break is because of those huge holes beneath the handle part of the tang, Ka-Bar does this to all of there knives and that is why I will never own one. I've had good luck with my Condor Bushcraft 4, been a tough little knife. I hate how knife manufactures cut large sections of handle tang out of there knives to "Lighten it up" just makes them weak and subject to breaking, I'll take a heavy "True" full tang knife anyday over any other. I prefer A2, D2 or 440C steel on my full tangs.

RX-79G said:
Full tang knives are not stronger than other types.
knife-broken-13.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Older Moras and the mostly discontinued (except the #1) Laminated steel Moras were all full tang. Might consider looking for one of those.
 
I don't know how Condor's 1075 compares to the Mora steel, but it has worked fine for me.
 
Larcivs Lepidvs said:
full-tang is overrated. I'd take a Mora over a Condor any day... I've had a Bushlore which I sold because of its poor cutting
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I agree, I have had such a great experience with Moras over the years they are my go to for most any task. Lack of a full tang will not hold it back, just use it like a knife is meant to be used.

I dressed out a nice 8pt buck I took this weekend with my carbon steel Companion, and it was like using a scalpel, it was a joy to use. Afterwards I hit it a dozen so times on a leather strop and it was crazy sharp again.
 
SAK Guy said:
Older Moras and the mostly discontinued (except the #1) Laminated steel Moras were all full tang. Might consider looking for one of those.
Click to expand...

He has one of those. He's talking about full tang vs. full length tang.
 
RX-79G said:
He has one of those. He's talking about full tang vs. full length tang.
Click to expand...

He said "partial tang" so I thought he had a newer #2 which is 3/4 tang. All the newer Classics except the Laminated #1 are 3/4 tang. My mistake.
 
knife-broken-13.jpg

Man that pic gets around. I traded the replacement for an esee-3. Oddly now I carry a Mora#1 Classic and a Bidor parang (12"Bentong). Both are rat tail tang and serve me just as well as any of my full tangs.
 
Both are good. Mora's 1095 is a little harder than the Condor 1075, but I've never had edge retention issues out of either. The grind on a Bushlore is actually a little thinner than that of Moras, so it actually cuts better.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Both are good. Mora's 1095 is a little harder than the Condor 1075, but I've never had edge retention issues out of either. The grind on a Bushlore is actually a little thinner than that of Moras, so it actually cuts better.
Click to expand...

The standard Mora grind is 23 degrees inclusive. How much more acute is the Condor? The grind looks lower, despite thicker stock.

BTW, Mora's aren't technically 1095. C100 is 1% carbon, and the laminates are O1.
 
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I'd say its all in the looks. If you like how a Mora looks, then get one. If you like some of the interesting variety that Condor offers, get a Condor. They are both affordable, proven knives. I currently own either four or five (I can't remember as they're stowed away in various places and vehicles) Moras and use one every day (Mora Electrician) but I am really itching to get a Condor Kephart with the Baryonyx regrind to use camping and hunting and such. I don't know of a Mora with the Kephart design, and I have fallen in love with the pattern since I made mine. Every broken Mora I've seen has snapped at about 1/4 inch forward of the start of the tang, and only after a ridiculous amount of lateral force.

So for me wanting a Condor over a Mora is a combination of looks and specific design features. If Mora made a Kephart pattern knife for a comparable price, I'd get it over the Condor, just because I have more experience with Moras. The attraction of the Mora is that even the HD Companion is only about $13. Its so cheap you can get a handful of them. For this reason, I like using my Moras for stuff I wouldn't otherwise do, its a marvelous combination of a really good knife at a crazy cheap price.
 
I believe that Condor is generally quite reasonably priced, so why not to try for yourself rather than relying on other people's opinion. Buy one and compare: that should be an interesting experience.
I expect that the biggest difference should come from the blade thickness and the grind, even if it looks the same.
 
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