I have cheap taste.

Dr Rez

Dr Rez

Pisser of the Couch
Joined
Jun 7, 2012
Messages
760
I have been collecting/using knives pretty avidly for about 7 years now. Really like my higher end (low end to some) folders with super steels and fancy locking mechanisms, and have had some really nice fixed blades including a few Beckers, Bark Rivers, Garberg etc...

But every single time I go into the woods or camp or anything needing a small fixed blade I almost always end out with my 15$ Mora (companion/#2/HD) Does anyone else have this happen and then feels terrible about having all these great knives that are in every way better just sitting in a pack or at home?

I rarely baton with a knife but anytime I have needed to the Mora has been just fine, and it seems to work far better for any camp tasks like filleting fish, feather sticks, carving, making a snare/trap...Am I just uneducated and ignorant of woods skills/know how for leaving a 200$ BRK with CPM3v at home and being content using my Mora Companion that weighs next to nothing for nearly everything? If I know I will need to cut or split wood I will simply make sure I have an axe/saw.

It just feels like I must be missing something having a sv30 para 2 with custom scales and pocketclip costing a hell of a lot every day and then whenever outside using a 15$ mora knife.
 
In the woodcraft community mora's are very popular. I have managed to baton wood with a slip joint, it really does not matter what knife you chose so long as you can make it work.
 
I do currently prefer a high value knife. I can see the appeal of super steels and fancyness, but i just don't require any of that to get the job done and am happy to know this.
I think it comes from the fact that as a teenager all I really had were flea market folders , when I started to learn about quality YouTube reviewers gave me the impression that good knives weren't affordable .
Once I learned this wasn't true and that you can get a great knife for under $50 if you know what matters most to you in a cutting tool that was it.

Btw why are the more expensive knives better in any way ? Is there something they'd do that your Mora isn't already doing ?
If not then they're not better just fancier and more expensive.
 
I feel exactly the same way and go through the same thing. For every time of of my ESEEs or Beckers is on my hip, a Mora has been there 5-6 times.

In fact, every time I am tempted to buy more expensive fixed blades I think about the fact that the $15 Moras are doing everything for me that one of those more expensive knives can do, and they are almost always lighter to boot.

I've said it many times before, but will say again that not only is the Mora, in my opinion, the best value fixed blade for outdoorsy bushcraft kinda stuff, but that an unbeatable woods carry/survival combo is the Mora Companion, a Bahco Laplander, and a Fiskars X7.

For about $60 you have all of the bases covered for camping and woods survival, and with a pack of tools that are lighter than anything comparable. It's a value that cannot be beaten no matter how hard you look.
 
Dr Rez said:
...But every single time I go into the woods or camp or anything needing a small fixed blade I almost always end out with my 15$ Mora (companion/#2/HD) Does anyone else have this happen and then feels terrible about having all these great knives that are in every way better just sitting in a pack or at home?
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I suspect it's about the same for most of us that hit the woods. It might not be a Mora, but it usually isn't some $1000 custom either. We use what we're comfortable with and what works for us. The steel type be damned.... as long as it's sharp and you aren't going to be living in the woods for a long time. Mine is the BK-15 although I also carry Doziers too from time to time.
 
Don't think you should feel bad ... I own some more expensive knives and I use them ... but I still own a couple Moras and the get used and perform some tasks better. I also own and love my Beckers which don't break the bank in any way.

I think alot of the newer knives and steels are great ... but I haven't found anything they do that I can't do with good old carbon steel blades ... and for some jobs the simple older knives I own are my preferance.

I love some of my newer knives and steels but I have found about where my personal "dimishing returns" vs cost line falls ... and I still use alot of high carbon mid priced knives. ... especially fixed blades.

So I'd just say you have found what works for you ... and if you have other higher dollar knives hopefully you use them for other things ... if not list them on the exchange and use what you enjoy ... no shame in that ... and no reason to feel bad about it.
 
I said in another post I like inexpensive knives, my favorite brand is CRKT for hells sake. Of course, that COULD all change if I owned something over $150...my most expensive knife is a griptilian. But I find I carry it much less than my CRKT M16; my Real Steel Bushcrafter is a TANK and I use it more camping than my Steel Will or OKC. I’d like to think I’d love a CRK...but if I have 400 bones to spend it’s either flyfishing gear or materials for learning HOW to make knives...coulda added another rod to the quiver with what I spent on my Esteem!
 
Hickory n steel said:
Btw why are the more expensive knives better in any way ? Is there something they'd do that your Mora isn't already doing ?
If not then they're not better just fancier and more expensive.
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Well I guess the main thing is edge retention. In a perfect world I would have essentially a Companion with better edge holding...something like 3v or m4 and the handle being the same shape just made with more durable materials.

I guess I just described a pretty expensive custom knife though :(


One of the main things is simply the weight. I love my Becker b16 but the extra weight seems silly if I wont need it.
 
Dr Rez Dr Rez
Different strokes for different folks.

I have a few customs, productions, folders and fixed blades. My production knives range from a Mora Companion and a Mini Svord to a CRK made on my daughters birthday (1 of 7 made on that day, and irreplaceable).

I bought them to use, and I use them all. There is not one knife that I own that I don't enjoy using. If I didn't enjoy them, they would be sold.
You enjoy your Mora, cool. I hope you find more blades that you like to use.

How about you distill down what exactly it is that you like best about the Mora (weight, ease of maintenance, etc) and see what a higher end knife has to offer in advance of that.

If you like light weight and stainlessness** try looking for a stainless Bluntcut Metalworks (hard, stable edge, thin, Very light, especially with a stick tang).

If you like ease of edge repair and maintenance, look for a more simple carbon steel and carry some carmex lip balm in your pack (good for lip anf knife care, as well as fire starting).
----
Try to target exactly why you like the Mora, and see if there is an upgrade. There may not be, and you might find out that you have lucked out more than 95% of the people here and your grail user costs you less than a tank of gas...

Best of luck and enjoy.
 
There's probably about 1000 years of evolution ending in the humble Mora. Roald Amundsen carried something similar on his Polar expeditions.
In the right hands, it's all you really need. (I do like today's super powder steels and exotic, well-designed mechanisms, tho...)
 
Moras are like a cheat code in the knife world.

It is essentially the same as getting an overpowered item for very cheap at the very start of a video game which then breaks the balance of the entire game.

Moras are that knife.
 
Dr Rez said:
Am I just uneducated and ignorant of woods skills/know how for leaving a 200$ BRK with CPM3v at home and being content using my Mora Companion that weighs next to nothing for nearly everything? If I know I will need to cut or split wood I will simply make sure I have an axe/saw.

It just feels like I must be missing something having a sv30 para 2 with custom scales and pocketclip costing a hell of a lot every day and then whenever outside using a 15$ mora knife.
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I dont know you but no, a Mora is not symptomatic for those being uneducated and/or 'woods ignorant.'

Humble Moras have been used with succes in the woods for generations and in many countries.

Its just that most of us here on BF also owns and use other more fancy knives.

Its hard not to be drawn to other knives of different execution and with more valuable materials than a Mora.

In the nature of things, these knives are more expensive than a Mora.

Leave now or succumb to the same affliction.

Resistance is futile - you will be assimilated.

I dont use any Mora or Frost knives and havent for a long time.

But even though I, like most here, have several other knives useful for the woods, I bought a Terava Puukko and a chopper.

These are made in Finland, they are cheap and very industrial looking - even more so than a Mora.

Ive used the combo quite a bit and they perform just fine. Very rugged.

You wont impress anybody at a wilderness gathering.

Your buddies with their Busse and Fallkniven will scoff at your knives.

But you will be smug in the knowledge, that whilst your Puukko and chopper are not as sexy as the other knives, they will do just as well for most ordinary tasks, that people will need blades for in regards to clearing brush, setting up camp, skinning and food prep.

With the humble and ugly but effective combo from Finland, you cover A LOT of bases.

For less than a 100 bucks for both, they are hard to beat.
 
Those Terava Puukko and Chopper look sick actually. I think they look way better than some Moras.

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Especially this chopper. It is called Skrama
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Dr Rez said:
Really like my higher end (low end to some) folders with super steels and fancy locking mechanisms, ..
But every single time I go into the woods or camp or anything needing a small fixed blade I almost always end out with my 15$ Mora (companion/#2/HD)
Click to expand...
no offence, but that sounds more like being cheap :-)
we're all guilty of leaving the costlier material home
at one time or another.
but you're absolutely correct to let Mora do the dirty work
seeing that its perfectly priced at taking all the nasty hits.
and probably end up buying more Mora's because
it makes perfect sense to do so.
such cheap taste runs deep with folks in the know ;-)
it's the right choice!
 
Lapedog said:
Those Terava Puukko and Chopper look sick actually. I think they look way better than some Moras.

Especially this chopper. It is called Skrama
Click to expand...

It is called a Skrama after the old 'Skramasax' or seax, to which it looks vaguely similar.

Manufacturers specs:
  • Total length: 430 mm.
  • Weight: 525 g (knife only).
  • Blade: length 240 mm, width 46 mm, thickness 4,2 mm.
  • Edge: 34° for chopping, 25° at the base for finer work.
  • Steel: Carbon steel 80CrV2, 59 HRC
  • Grip: Moulded rubber, rough texture for a good grip.

These can be had with sheaths or just a liner - something I really like.

I ordered both blades with heavy duty plastic liner only and made some quick and dirty sheaths, which works the way, I want them to.

The chopper can be attached to the Molle on my backpack or be worn on the belt, though its seldom worn in the latter manner.

Though both the Teräva and the Mora blades are all ugly IMO, I prefer the former.

And yes, they might be better looking, though looks wasnt really a factor when buying them.

I also got the mini Puukko for the pocket.

All three carbon steel. Some or all of them come in stainless but that holds no interest for me in rgds to these blades.

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