Moore Maker Knives....Any Opinions or Thoughts?

N

Nalapombu

Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
303
Hey all,

I have been thinking of picking up a couple of folding knives for hunting purposes. Case had been my first choice and then someone told me about a brand called Moore Maker. I looked at them and they look like really nice knives. I have never heard of them before or even seen one.

Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions on them? I would be looking at the Folding Hunter type knives and maybe a BIG Stockman or Moose.

I did notice that quite a few of their models were more expensive that their Case counterparts.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

Nalajr
 
One of my hunting acquaintances has a couple Moore Makers and he likes them a lot. He is particularly impressed with their large stockman pattern. He says the knives are tight and he likes the fact that he was able to get traditional carbon steel blades (he already had enough stainless slipjoints).

I personally would not be all that excited about using these knives for hunting because they take some work to clean. However, my friend doesn't mind the effort.

DancesWithKnives
 
I know Camillus used to make Moore Makers. I think current ones are made by Queen, but don't hold me to that. They were only made in 1095 steel as far as I'm aware of. 1095 is a non-stainless carbon steel, so it'll discolor with use and rust if you don't take care of it. You can find them on eBay, both new and old manufacture. The new ones seem to be more expensive, while the old Camillus made ones were more economically priced.
 
^Yep. When Camillus was around, they made the budget line, and Queen made the better line. Now Bear & sons makes the budget line (and Queen still makes the better models).

I have a Moore Maker 5301 Stockman I really like. It's a very nice knife, and I have no complaints.

Queen and Great Eastern Cultery are two other traditional makers that have nice knives for hunting.

I think the general consensus is:
--Case has hit-or-miss fit and finish on their regular lines. There's a big thread in the traditionals forum with a few people stating they won't buy regular production without seeing it in person first. They seem good about replacing or repairing things if you contact them, though. They also have some very nice knives, however, like the Case/Bose yearly collaboration.
--Queen has nice working knives that may, though, have cosmetic problems like bolster or spring gaps, and they often come dull. Their D2 is run hard so will hold an edge a long time, but since they often come dull, you'll first have to deal with sharpening it. Moore Maker, since it's by Queen, will have the same fit and finish. MM's 1095 sharpens easier. If you want 1095 but don't like the MM patterns, Queen uses it in other lines including QCCC (Queen City Cutlery Company) and Queen City. They also use ATS34 and 420 HC in their Schatt and Morgan line, which has really nice fit and finish.
--GEC is the best of the bunch in fit and finish (Schatt might be equal or better, depending on who you ask). They are known for large patterns and tough springs. Most are in 1095 under the label Northfield or Tidioute, but they run 440c under their own name (Great Eastern).

The crew over at the traditionals forum (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=773) are very knowledgeable, so it might be worth asking about any models you're interested in over there.
 
kreole said:
^Yep. When Camillus was around, they made the budget line, and Queen made the better line. Now Bear & sons makes the budget line (and Queen still makes the better models).
Click to expand...

Thanks for clearing that up for me. I was piecing my information together from various eBay listings.
 
The Queen-made Moore Maker knives are very well made. I have a 5301 stockman and it has great fit and finish.
100_1333.jpg


I have not heard as many good reports about the Bear-made budget line. Look for crisp grinds and three pins on the scales to make sure it is Queen-made. IIRC, the Bear models have only one pin in the handle, and the blades are tumbled. And the price will probably make it easy to figure out which one you have.

Another great option is Great Eastern, they are very well made, too. A good hunting pattern would be the larger version of this #73 (the larger one is the #23 Pioneer).
1-18-08004.jpg


Great Eastern offers a few different larger folders, including lockbacks. And they have a huge variety of handle materials.
 
I have a few of their Stockmen.
Probably the best fit and finish of all the slipjoints I've owned.
The large one has beautiful rust colored bone scales.
The medium one has beautiful black water buffalo scales.
The blades sharpen up nicely.
Realize, that the blades are not SS, and will discolor with use.
Finally, Dave Moore is a pleasure to deal with and honestly cares about his customers.
Lenny
 
For the record, Moore Maker knives are made by four companies, currently. The budget lines are made by Bear and Utica. The higher end knives are made by Queen and Canal Street. Queen makes the stockmen, and Canal Street makes the trappers.
 
Peruna1998 said:
For the record, Moore Maker knives are made by four companies, currently. The budget lines are made by Bear and Utica. The higher end knives are made by Queen and Canal Street. Queen makes the stockmen, and Canal Street makes the trappers.
Click to expand...

Canal Street's knives are made by Queen (although it's my understanding that Queen does the main manufacturing, and CS finishes them - at least in the case of CS branded ones).
 
I know this is old and I hate to bump it, but I just have to ask. How can you know who made which model? There is a gorgeous knife on their site with brass pins and liner and 1095. Link is below. I'm betteing Queen made it. And how does the whole sub-contract thing work. Does Moore Maker design the knife and have someon else make it? or do they just put their label on knives others deisgned and made?

http://catalog.mooremaker.com/viewProduct.cfm?item_id=742602
 
I remember seeing a post previously that described blade marking as a way to determine the maker, but I don't remember exactly. Maybe someone will come along and provide details or you could try searching Moore Maker threads. I don't think there is many of them.
 
Moore Maker does not design knives, they use stock production patterns with their choice of covers. People usually identify the maker by the pattern's "family" characteristics. For example, their double lockback was a Cammilus patent, thus Camilus-made. One thing you can be sure of, they ain't made in Texas or by Moore Maker.

I'd guess the knife you linked to is Queen as well. I've only handled Moore Makers at shows, could never pull the trigger for a variety of reasons such as being a little higher priced than the standard production conterpart, fit/finish issues (mostly Cammilus and Bear made knives) or the pattern was not interesting.
 
This is likely a Queen built knife. The blade designs and general shape resemble those made by Queen. The better (more expensive) Moore Maker knives are all made by Queen I think. I own a couple of their Queen-built Stockman pattern knives and they are excellent in every way. They even surpass Queen's own brand Stockmen patterns I own.
 
I was looking at a Moore Maker MM-2202 Trapper. Anyone know who makes these? or what the quality generally is like?
 
From the stock picture, I do not believe the 2202 is made by Queen. I'm not sure which of the other MM contract manufacturers make it, but it sure looks like lower quality than the Queen-made knives. For comparison, look at the 5202 http://catalog.mooremaker.com/viewProduct.cfm?item_id=392446, which is most likely Queen-made. Notice the difference in how cleanly the blades are ground.

I have a couple Queen-branded stockmans, and my Queen-made Moore Maker 5301 is definitely better in the fit & finish department, and has nice thin edges, unlike their standard Queen-branded knives in D2.
 
I've had a Moore Maker trapper for several years now. It's a nice knife and is very well made. The only issue I've had with it is some minor rusting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top