MOAB owners

Longknife3

Longknife3

Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Messages
1,197
Lately I have been pondering the idea of getting a MOAB, especially after reading a post by RobStanley where he said, and I quote,
RobStanley said:
Life is way too short to have safe queens like this. I don't want to get to 90 years old and think "Gees what would the MOAB be like to use?" and I can't, because it's too heavy to pick up :D And then I die.
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I clearly remember hearing angels singing and feeling a warm bright light wash over me... I was inspired.:eek:

But before I got to deep into this quest, my more practical and less-fun-to-be-around side thought I should ask a few questions first:rolleyes:

I thought these relevant... How well does it balance? Is the handle heavy enough to keep the blade somewhat alive? It looks as blade heavy as a battle axe in pictures.

Seriously now, is it more fun/cool factor than useful? Would you keep it over a Satin and Black Paper Ruck? Beacuse that is exactly what I'll be selling to fund that beast.:foot:

BTW- If any reside in AZ, I would be very grateful to be allowed to handle one before I take the plunge.
 
With your forum name, owning a MOAB is probably a must.

It is a beast for sure. Not only does it have a long blade, its blade is about 0.4" thick.

Here's mine:

moab-od-bcm-1.jpg


moab-od-bcm-2.jpg


moab-od-bcm-3.jpg
 
I was hoping you would show up Dr. L, your pics are always pristine:thumbup:
Sweet MOAB! And yes, I am partial to long knives:o
 
Not many people can give you the low down on using a MOAB .... I have been on here a while and never recall anyone doing a chop off review .... Drew has an earlier one with thinner stock which he has used and has some pic's but the modern ones at .40 I have'nt seen a chop off review on .... for me they would need to be a rucksack only carry .... probably needing to extend out of a day sack or be strapped on the side .... they are a very long blade .... Drew's I briefly handled .... it was balanced and felt fast in the hand .... :thumbup:

LVC had or has one .... he might be able to give some user feedback and ofcourse there is Rob too ... but most of these are in the hands of collectors AFAIK ....
 
PeterPHWS said:
LVC had or has one .... he might be able to give some user feedback and ofcourse there is Rob too ... but most of these are in the hands of collectors AFAIK ....
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The one I owned is actually the one in the photo's above :p
I'd say that Rob Stanley is your best bet for a users review. There's one other member that I know of that's used theirs, but I don't know how extensively.

I couldn't justify having the moab instead of both killa zilla's and a b11, or any other number of Busse knives. I just don't have the money right now to keep in one knife. It's one of the models I plan on buying again when I do have the money though.
 
Last Visible Canary said:
I couldn't justify having the moab instead of both killa zilla's and a b11, or any other number of Busse knives.
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. . . Or a couple of satin Gladius', which is the conclusion I came to as well. But I still have pics of my big beauty which is good enough for now.
 
It did not feel as unwieldy as I expected in the hand. It was a big heavy chopper, but the same could be said for any number of traditional Khukri's. that are as heavy or heavier.

There is more weight in the handle than some designs. The combo of a full width tang and the scales make it more neutral that it would be with a tapered tang, or stick tang like some big choppers.
 
oeser said:
. . . Or a couple of satin Gladius', which is the conclusion I came to as well. But I still have pics of my big beauty which is good enough for now.
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Woah, Woah, when did you sell the Satin beast? Didn't you have a satin/hand shaped snake skin, and a satin Black paper?
 
I have a Piggy-Back Sheath that I carry on my side, I put the Chuckette' in the main compartment and the Little Moab fits great in the Piggy-Back side. I use it for my light work around the Camp, you know peeling potatoes and carrots for the stew pot and such...
I thought about getting 6 of the lil' guys and making a Steak Knife set out of them ;)
 
1whobuys said:
I have a Piggy-Back Sheath that I carry on my side, I put the Chuckette' in the main compartment and the Little Moab fits great in the Piggy-Back side. I use it for my light work around the Camp, you know peeling potatoes and carrots for the stew pot and such...
I thought about getting 6 of the lil' guys and making a Steak Knife set out of them ;)
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You are pure awesomeness. William Wallace is afraid to play with you. :D
 
Longknife3 said:
Lately I have been pondering the idea of getting a MOAB, especially after reading a post by RobStanley where he said, and I quote, I clearly remember hearing angels singing and feeling a warm bright light wash over me... I was inspired.:eek:

But before I got to deep into this quest, my more practical and less-fun-to-be-around side thought I should ask a few questions first:rolleyes:

I thought these relevant... How well does it balance? Is the handle heavy enough to keep the blade somewhat alive? It looks as blade heavy as a battle axe in pictures.

Seriously now, is it more fun/cool factor than useful? Would you keep it over a Satin and Black Paper Ruck? Beacuse that is exactly what I'll be selling to fund that beast.:foot:

BTW- If any reside in AZ, I would be very grateful to be allowed to handle one before I take the plunge.
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I'm glad you like my philosophy! :)

The MOAB is a huge knife. It weighs approx 2kgs (about 4.4lbs) This is only going by my dodgy kitchen scales. A 14.25 inch blade and .4 of an inch thick.

With that in mind, it is a very well designed knife. For it's size, it is well balanced and very quick in the hand. It's not as blade heavy as you might think. Keep in mind the stock is on it's way to being nearly half an inch thick and there is a lot of steel in the handle to counter the weight of the blade. The knife blade is a full height grind, this helps in reducing its weight. Goodness knows how heavy it would be if it was a saber or full convex grind!!! :eek:

The fun and cool factor of using it is obvious, but the real world practicality of it shouldn't be disregarded either. I have used it for chopping up old hardwood chairs, cutting up bones for my dog, trimming branches off trees and serious hardcore work like spreading basil & parmesan dip on a cracker. It excels at everything, it's just very BIG!

It would be right at home being used as a tool for splitting hard firewood. Batoning it though a chunk of yellowbox or ironbark would not be a problem. And probably easier than using a block splitter or heavy axe. It would be awesome as a large bush knife or heavy machete too, it cuts through tree branches like butter.

The only drawback (for me at least) is it's a serious workout when using it (I'm a namby pamby wuss) and if I used it all the time I would have popeye arms. When chopping things, I'm a little afraid of missing the target or chopping right through, as the knife builds up an incredible amount of inertia in a full blooded swing. The obvious risk of serious injury doesn't need to be spelled out. Respect the MOAB and it will be your best friend!

I don't own a black paper and satin ruck, but my MOAB is the same combo and it's BLOODY AWESOME!!!

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CHEERS MATE ;) :thumbup:

MOABWineTime1.jpg



EDIT: I have a KZII on it's way, so when it get's here, you can guarantee a chop off review will follow.
 
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Very well balanced for the size. Due to the weight, however, once you swing, you gotta commit. I'm not going to lie, it's a great chopper, but there are better, primarily due to the edge geometry. It's really thick.
 
Bigfattyt said:
Woah, Woah, when did you sell the Satin beast? Didn't you have a satin/hand shaped snake skin, and a satin Black paper?
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I only had a snakeskin . . .

I just couldn't justify a $2000 mantle piece especially with a bunch of Gladius' on order. INFI in INFI out. :thumbup::D
 
I've got a Ruck I haven't used yet, but I have used my MOAB a bit. Rob sums it up pretty nicely. Best test I had for the MOAB was when a large (@12" across) pine fell & hit our house. I used several of my large blades and an axe to cut a few rounds to test them out. I also cut some smaller stuff that was damaged (@6"-8" across).

I used my KZ TT, AK, Waki, Gransfors Brux 19" axe, & the MOAB. The AK needed to be sharpened and wasn't really the best choice, wanted to bounce, so did the Waki. The KZ TT did a good job, but I always felt like it was trying to get away from me. The axe did a little better than the KZ TT. The MOAB chopped about as well as the KZ TT, not quite as well as the axe. The MOAB's biggest short coming, IMHO, was that when you got deeper into the V it tended to bind more due to the thickness of the blade. All you had to do was take a few extra whacks to make the V a little wider.

The MOAB balances a little handle heavy, which makes it much more controllable and lively than any blade .40" has a right to be. I've traded the KZ TT since, but have kept the MOAB and as much as I like my GB axe, it just doesn't put a smile on my face like the MOAB does. The MOAB is a better user than you'd think. I really need to get a sheath for her. I've toyed with the idea of selling the MOAB and "making do" with smaller, cheaper Busse choppers, but I haven't been able to talk myself into it yet:D

The MOAB is the biggest baddest chopper (*aside from the Chuckette*), made from arguably the best steel for hard use/abuse, by a company with the best warranty & customer service in the industry. What else could you ask for (besides finding one on the cheap:rolleyes:)?

If you can get over the price tag, which was a huge hurdle for me personally, I think you'll really enjoy it. Also, I don't think it's a bad investment, like most INFI.

P.S. Rob, looking forward to the Zilla II v. MOAB chopoff. My money's on the MOAB:)...

GregB
MUG (MOAB Users Group)
 
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Rob,

I always enjoy this photo, because you're enjoying wine, but perhaps more importantly, because it is the right color. :thumbup:

MOABWineTime1.jpg
 
Liu Kang- I'm all hooked up, thanks again:thumbup:

PeterPHWS- I was thinking the same, strap it to a rucksack, and/or let Chuck at Chuddybear work his magic:D

LVC- The fact that you had one, sold it and want another speaks volumes. I appreciate that:thumbup:

oeser- I was debating between a Gladius and MOAB, but I love the big Bowies:D

Bigfattyt- That is what I wanted to hear. The balance and control will be the deciding factor no doubt.

1whobuys- Adam hit the nail on the head. If any could pull off that claim Iam sure it would be you... if you haven't already:p

RobStanley- Liked your philosophy? Hell no, I LOVE it!! No point in having such cool toys if your not going to play w/ 'em!! More balance points from another user, I like what I am hearing:foot::D I am anxious for the MOAB vs KZII chop-off, that will be a fun day no doubt! BTW- I love the BP/Satin combo. Cheers to you my brutha down unda!!

gkpfingsten- Another point for balance. Excellent!

Crafft- Sweet link, thanks for the reference!! I love the action shots.

Fritz24- I am w/ you 100% brudda!

GregB- I was hoping the founding father of M.U.G. would weigh in. The MOAB would definitely make me smile too;) I was originally thinking of getting a SHBM for a user, but I like the idea of a full factory warranty. So I figure, GO BIG!! Unless of course I can pry a Hood BM from Lil Foo (I'm watching you Wayne:p) But even then the lack of coverage worries me a bit.

Thank you to all who have given their opinons and suggestions, I appreciate all of the information!!
 
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