First fixed blade for my son???

P

Plainsman

Joined
Apr 5, 1999
Messages
1,227
My son has had a knife in his hand for four years now. I started him at age 4 with a Swiss Army Knife. Now I'd like to get him his first fixed blade.

He 'really' likes my Becker Necker and I was totally thinking I'd get him one of those when they're available again, BUT I noticed the thread on the Moras and that got me to thinking...I don't own any Moras!

So which Mora would you guys recommend I think about getting him as a starter fixed blade? He's 8 y.o. and uses his knives and guns only with my direct supervision! :) I'm not worried about maturity and skill at this point, the issue is 'which knife?'!! :)

Thanks for any/all input!
 
I don't own any Moras!
Click to expand...

We are going to have to fix that. I really like the looks of the 440, which is the only double-guarded plastic handled knife Mora makes. The double guards would make it nice and safe and it has a small handle that should fit his hand nicely. If not that one, I would recommend the Clipper since it has a smaller handle with lots of grip.
 
I'm about to order a few, myself from http://ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html if you don't already know about them, they have great prices.

Heres an x-ray scan with some of their really popular models.

mora.jpg
 
Mora 780. Great knife, and It has a lower guard only which provides safety but does not compromise the function of the knife. All moras are great though.
 
I might get my son a Mini-Canadian by Bark River. It doesn't have a guard, but has nice finger notches. He really likes mine. Very sharp, easy to sharpen, nice sheath, and at a little over 2 inches of blade, he won't be too tempted to do a lot of stupid stuff with it.
 
My favorite so far is the craftsman,the clipper is a good choice as well,the 511 and 521 might also be worth looking at.
 
JRpink, I found the xray image of the various Mora models very interesting. Did you make that yourself? Thanks.
 
Try Mora Speiderkniv. About the same as Helle Speider. these knives are designed to be used by boy/girl scouts (speider=scout in swedish and Norwegian). My boys are getting one each for x-mas now that they are old enough for a fixed blades :)
 
This is the one that I'm getting for my kids. It's from Ragnar's. Blade is just under 3". They have one with plastic or leather sheath. I want to get one with some sort of guard.
kidsmora.jpg
 
Mora, the 510 model or go with the blue handle stainless version. . . or the Viking Triflex Craftsman if you want a guard.
 
Personally, I'd talk to Ragnar about it.

I believe that the wooden handled knife above is the knife that the Swedish give their children as a beginners knife. When they gain sufficient experience, the guard is removed.

I would stay away from the hard plastic grips. Slippery for inexperienced hands. The Clipper is a good starter knife too.
 
Very interesting x-ray of the tangs. Has there been any knife abuse tests to see which ones are stronger? I haven't been able to break my 760, and i've batoned it a bunch, so it's probably a moot point.
 
Depending on your personal preference and the safety of your son many Moras with gaurds would make great first fixed blades.
 
When my son was born I bought him a couple of knives that are put away until he's older. For a fixed blade, I bought him a Mora wooden-handled youth model with the leather sheath. I think it was advertised as a Scout model that didn't have the scouting logos, and I don't know whether or not it's still available. The #39 is similar.

I prefer the full-length tangs of the wooden models (the x-ray above shows how the plastic models are constructed).

Also, when the boy is older, staining and finishing the handle and leather sheath will be a nice Father-Son Project.

Happy Shopping,
-Bob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top