Moore Maker observations

msiley said:
If a $21 Vic SAK can do it, I really expect a $50-$80 knife to do it as well.

Exactly. I realise tha SAKS are churned out by the tens of thousands, but if they can do it, I figure that others can.
It's not like all your American 'makers' actually manufacture them small scale in individual workshops - they're almost all made by Queen or Camillus! :eek: :mad:
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freezergeezer said:
msiley said:
If a $21 Vic SAK can do it, I really expect a $50-$80 knife to do it as well.

Exactly. I realise tha SAKS are churned out by the tens of thousands, but if they can do it, I figure that others can.
It's not like all your American 'makers' actually manufacture them small scale in individual workshops - they're almost all made by Queen or Camillus! :eek: :mad:
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Basically the point I was trying to make, thanks!

My experience so far has better than some on the Queen and Schatt Morgan. My Queen and Schatt Morgan knives have been very nice. Even though Moore Maker is made by Queen, I would like to see them make improvements to their knives. My experience has been the quality and pricing has been better on the Queen
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msiley said:
Anyone have any experience with the Boker's?
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In my experience, quality is hit and miss. I've had better luck with the barlows and copperheads than the stockmen. Out of four or five stockmen two had really flimsy springs. The others were fine. Out of two copperheads and three barlows, quality was first rate on all.
 
Ok, this one caught my attention because I really wanted a MM yellow bone knife. I have the Mountain Man bug, thanks to the Last Confederate. I also like smooth bone and to me the Moore Makers look awesome. But even the pictures on their site show poor fit and finish and scratches on the blades. And their price... $20plus more for the name with poorer fit and finish - makes me take pause.

As for Boker, I ordered a tortoise shell 1095 Barlow from Ebay this year. It is now my #1 EDC. The springs are stout. knife has a nice solid feel. FF is awesome. I will by more, but finding the handle material with the steel that I want often causes problems. Also, I want to try a Queen/Moore Maker next. I just like smooth bone and 1095.

Maybe I'll get a lower priced MM, not the Moutain Man, to check out.

Thanks shipwreck for a great article.

tjg
 
Pinetree,

Look, again, I like their knives. The past few knives MM knives I've received have been fine. I have asked the people the knives have been purchased from to check out the knives with my particular concerns. Don't actually know if they did or did not but the MM knives quality has been fine since I asked. It also helps to buy from people who have a satisfaction guarantee!
 
msiley said:
I have one queen small stockman that has weak springs and
the main blade has some play. It also came very dull.
Because of this it took forever to sharpen... since it is D2.
The F&F was average.

I have a really old Schrade in carbon steel that still
has snappy springs... and this thing is like 40+ years old.
Also, the half stops on the Queen are also weak.
The Scrade has great half stops.

That being said I have a small Case serpentine jack. Weak springs,
the blades rub up against each other. Steel Sucks!

I carry a Vic Soldier daily and it has the best springs I've ever used.
Talk about a half stop! The half stop on the large screwdriver is awesome!

I really really want to buy more slipjoints. But I feel jaded now.
Only the SAK has met my quality needs.

I think I'm going to try a S&M (hoping the quality is higher)
and maybe Boker.

I don't ask for much. Strong springs, no bladeplay, no rubbing.

If a $21 Vic SAK can do it, I really expect a $50-$80 knife to do it as well.

Anyone have any experience with the Boker's?
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For a moment I thought I was reading something that I wrote myself. I feel the same way. I have a couple Victorinox swiss army knives and they have better fit and finish that most of my $40 - $60 traditional pocket knives. I have owned a few queens that the blades rubbed and left scuff marks. I have never owned a SAK that had rubbing blades, and I have never had a SAk with weak springs. I agree that the half-stops on them are awesome too.
 
I just received my Moore Maker Buffalo Horn stockman (made by Camillus) purchased from an eBay vendor (see image). I've recently purchased several traditional production slipjoint knives and so far the Moore Maker quality is just about the best. Others I've purchased recently: Russell Barlow(Green Bone made by Boker), Case Canoe (Red Bone), German Eye Canoe(Yellow Composite), Two Boker Copperheads (Washboard and Grand Canyon Bone), Bulldog Sowbelly (Stag), Queen Large Congress Stag, Imperial Stockman (black Delrin), Lone Wolf City Knife(Green Micarta not very traditional slipjoint).

The Moore Maker, Lone Wolf City Knife and Queen Congress (stag) have the best fit and finish overall. Lone Wolf City Knife($88) was perfect out of the box! The Queen Congress ($98) had the best tight fit of the traditionals, but the blades were dull as butter knives. The Russell Barlow ($34 Green River Works barlow) had fairly sharp blades but the green bone is missing saw cut marks on one scale and there is a tiny gap betwen the scale and liner on one side. The Boker Copperheads were very good values ($23 ea.) and very nice with minor imperfections. The Case ($66) was okay but worse overall than the Bokers. The The German Eye ($43) and Imperial($12) paid very little attention to fit and finish but they sharpen up nicely. The Bulldog Sowbelly ($65) is one of the worse knives I've ever owned. It lookes pretty but talk about shoddy workmanship.

The Moore Maker stockman I received has nicely polished, perfectly fit horn scales, smooth blade operation with plenty of snap (all 3), no blade rub, shaving sharp polished evenly ground blades out of the box, springs even with liners open and closed. Overall it's a very well made knife for $47. The only knives that came close in fit and finish were the Queen, Russell and Lone Wolf knives.The most impressive thing about the Moore Maker Stockman is the elegantly shaped main blade. it's quite different from every other Stockman I've seen. Overall I'd say it was well worth the money. I look forward to giving it plenty of pocket time.
5e_1.jpg
 
biggest problem I have had with Moore Maker is deciding which of these two to carry.

mms.jpg
 
yes, the equal-ends are too pricey, but they are a hard-to-find and essential catch in my "every different kind of trapper imaginable" accumulation.

They call the other one a moose, but really it's a "sowbelly muskrat trapper"
 
Hey Zip; why not call it a Sowbelly spey half-whittler?? Or a Moosebelly??
I'm just FOOLIN" around ;-)
But it is interesting how one's point of view colors how they think about knives!!
 
I have my eye on the MM regular buffalo horn trapper too and after looking at that good looking short spey moosewhittle-trapper that augustus88 posted, I may have to go ahead and get one.
 
Okay, I guess we're busting out with the Moore Maker porn.

I forget the model number, but these are the huge 4 1/2 stockman pattern. The whie one is from 1996 and the green one is 1998.

IMG_0226.jpg

IMG_0232.jpg


Fit and finish on both is exquisite.
 
Zip7 said:
They call the other one a moose, but really it's a "sowbelly muskrat trapper"
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In my eyes it actually is a moose (the one with jigged bone scales).
A sowbelly moose.
But liking the moose pattern a lot, maybe that's just me wanting it to be one. :D

/ Karl
 
Zip7 said:
biggest problem I have had with Moore Maker is deciding which of these two to carry.

mms.jpg
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Say, are these with carbon steel blades, or am I being fooled by some photographic trickery?
Any which way, the look excellent!! :thumbup:

Did you put that edge on them yourself?
Looks much better than the out-of-the-box ones that I've received from Moore Maker so far.

/ Karl
 
They are indeed carbon, and I have sharpened them on bench stones. I am never satisfied with the out-of-the-box edge, so if I am going to carry them I sharpen them first.
 
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