Mora Kansbol slippery side "panels"

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fivesense

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I just received a Kansbol yesterday as it is one of the few Mora outdoor knives I'd yet to handle. It's a great knife, and while I'm a little concerned about the narrow profile grind tip, what really perplexes me is the slippery plastic of the handle.

The top and bottom part of the handle (in line with the spine and edge of the blade) is just like Garberg- nice and tacky. But the sides (left and right) are really slippery. I didn't expect this at all because I don't notice such slipperiness on Eldris or Garberg.

Is this normal? I've never read about this in any Kansbol reviews so it's got me curious.
 
I remember seeing someone with th same knife, they wrapped the handle in athletic tape. Basically the stuff they wrap baseball bat handles with. It's a thin and strong cloth tape that is pretty durable. I like the blade grind as the front half is great for slicing and making deep cuts, the back half is very sturdy for heavier cutting. Nice knife overall and has a good price.
 
RevDevil said:
I remember seeing someone with th same knife, they wrapped the handle in athletic tape. Basically the stuff they wrap baseball bat handles with. It's a thin and strong cloth tape that is pretty durable. I like the blade grind as the front half is great for slicing and making deep cuts, the back half is very sturdy for heavier cutting. Nice knife overall and has a good price.
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I'd rather not have to wrap the handle as I like all my Moras in stock configuration but it's a great suggestion.

I'm going through the typical deliberation of "what can Kansbol do that my less expensive Companion or Companion HD can't do?" But ultimately, as you say, the selling point of Kansbol is the profile grind. You can still slice and carve with the bottom part of the blade but you have the advantage for precision cutting with the profile grind. The ground spine is really nice too.

I guess part of the issue is that my Mora 2000 somehow feels less "flexy" than Kansbol, and the 2000 grip is certainly more tacky. I really want to like Kansbol but I'm having trouble justifying it (and the slick grip) next to my other Moras.
 
I like the Mora 2000, and the Companion is also a good choice. I agree that a standard and unmodified configuration is more appealing, there can be an issue of comfort that needs addressing if gloves are not available. IN any case, congrats on a nice knife. I have been eyeballing the Kansbol for some time, but had not seen a single statement on it, until now. :)
 
My favorite Mora is the Pro Flex, because of the thin blade, but I wish it had a solid plastic handle like the Basic series because the shape of the grip is as secure as it needs to be. Polypropylene has just the right amount of slip to it to prevent hot spots from rubbing in extended use. Rubber feels great if you're using a tool for an hour or less, but once you hit that wall it starts really being a problem.
 
Ofcourse the TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) on the Mora's have their use. There's a reason they made it that way. Look at a video of Joe X (Austrian with the gasmask on YouTube) where he stabs the car with a Garberg. The hand slides along the grip towards the blade. For whatever reason stabbing is needed, is another discussion. But many tools have the rubber-type, elastomer grip. Hammers, screwdrivers often are made with dual material grip . Just as the Mora Kansbol, the Eldris, the Pro series. It makes sure the hand stays put on the handle. The Companions have an Elastomer grip all around the handle.
When using a screwdriver I prefer the dual material on the handle, it makes me having better control, and I can screw the screw in faster also. Same for the knives. If you want to cut wood for hours than the polypropylene or wood is more comfortable.
 
One of my halffast "tests" for handle gription is I hold the knife point down , thumb and indexfinger on each side of the handle in a pinch grip (not a grip one would use for cutting stuff ) . I slowly relax my pinch until the handle starts to slide , then I pinch harder again.
Some handles stop / are grippy.
Some handles once they start to slip just keep on and slip quickly downward.
I prefer the ones that practically cling to my finger pads with almost no grip force.
Think Spyderco original Siren (very coarse G10).
or Cold Steel rubbery grips (may not be "durable" but I love them).

A "Case" in point is my Case Trapper with died bone scales with diamond / gun stock riffling texture. Once that sucker starts to slip through my fingers it hits the floor. I was carrying it today by chance . I modded it to have one blade and wharencliffed it = good package opener .

PS: I tried to find what the real name of the pattern is and came up with : diamond jigged pattern with bomb shield .
 
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I used the kansbol to de-limb a large branch during a heavy rain a couple years ago. No gloves, and didn't come close to slipping, as others stated, all in the handle shape
 
I have a Mora Thin here on the coffee table (to remind me to sharpen it). I tried my two finger slip test with it.
It has relatively slickish plastic in the middle
and yet
I was surprised to find it passed my slip test with flying colors.

= I held it in the middle at the fattest / bulged outward part of the sides and let my pinch relax until it started to slip.
I was able to slip and stop two and three times with good control . Part of this is the molded in lettering on the slick plastic but the plastic in itself does have some traction.

This little sucker is right up my alley and I have pushed it very hard cutting rectangles out of the sides of quadruple wall corrugated shipping crates. I do this several times a day ; I cut out that part of the box that has the specifications / serial number for machines I am unboxing and assembling and leave the cutout with the machine.
 
SwissHeritageCo said:
It's crazy how people don't understand this.
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I just HATE the feel of a slick / roundy handle on a knife and will never like that no matter how swoopy the surfaces are shaped.
e.g. I see fixed blade knives that BBB makes and I am aware that they are the cat's meow for everybody . . . hunters what have you . . . and that he KNOWS all about what he is doing .

I also know when I pick up a knife like that I will put it back down because I don't like it.
I have paring knives I have owned for forty years like that; I have basic Buck fixed blades like that.
I get better . . . feed back/control/registering my hand to where the edge is . . . while using the knife if it has flats on it like say a Buck 110
or
grippy grips like a Cold Steel Pendleton Hunter.
Granted I don't use it for hours and often I wear very thin mechanics gloves generally for my work which does not include processing animals.

I'm just "crazy" I guess . . .
but there you have it.
 
I've had my Kansbol for several years. They were still new to the market when I got mine. it's on the short list for favorite knives to use. it's been used to clean a couple caribou, make dozens of fires, build shelters, and a thousand tasks in between. Winter, Summer, snow, rain, heat, salt water...pretty much all conditions Alaska can throw at a knife. The handles have never once been a concern.

I would respectfully suggest that If hockey tape is not an option, you might try putting some actual hard miles on it to determine whether you have a real problem, or a hypothetical problem.
 
I will add a little more on this subject.
I've done my share of stabbing tests. An example. When stabbing wood or many layers of cardboard, the Mora 511 slips in the hand, where the Mora Pro C does not .
So yes, the texture DOES matter. A lot.
There's a reason tools have rubber/grippy handles. They will not slide in the hand.
The worst was the Cold Steel Smatchet handle and the CS Black Bear Bowie machete. Wide slick handle. When stabbing with those the handle slides forward.
Though I've had this happening with the Glock knife also. Stabbing in hammer grip, hand sliding forwards. The Becker's are slick as a "Skisprungschanze".
These handles do keep the hand more in place due to the handle shape, as is mentioned of importance also . But it's nowhere near as good as with the elastomer type of grip.

The Kansbol is grippy enough, despite the slick side panels.
It has the same handle as the Mora Pro series, without the more protruding guard as is seen on the Pro C, Pro S and Pro Robust. It has the elastomer on the front and back of the handle. That is plenty to keep the hand in place.

In a combat situaton I would always take the Kraton handled Ka-bar 1213 over the Leather USMC 1217. Back then it was what it was. But now there's better options.
 
Yet another consideration is that the firm, rigid, textured grip that enables one to more safely stab at stuff is also the same grip to cover you up with hot spots when just plain cutting notches, feather sticks, and random what nots.

I have used my Kansbol to stab at frozen ground while foraging for late season devil's club. it did well for the stupid way I was using it.

Truth is, I love the design enough that I'm tempted to build me a new knife inspired by it's blade and grip.
 
Wowbagger said:
I just HATE the feel of a slick / roundy handle on a knife and will never like that no matter how swoopy the surfaces are shaped.
e.g. I see fixed blade knives that BBB makes and I am aware that they are the cat's meow for everybody . . . hunters what have you . . . and that he KNOWS all about what he is doing .

I also know when I pick up a knife like that I will put it back down because I don't like it.
I have paring knives I have owned for forty years like that; I have basic Buck fixed blades like that.
I get better . . . feed back/control/registering my hand to where the edge is . . . while using the knife if it has flats on it like say a Buck 110
or
grippy grips like a Cold Steel Pendleton Hunter.
Granted I don't use it for hours and often I wear very thin mechanics gloves generally for my work which does not include processing animals.

I'm just "crazy" I guess . . .
but there you have it.
Click to expand...

Wasn't a slight against you, everyone has their own preference. I for one don't enjoy cold steels super grippy grips and find them to be uncomfortable with extended use. I'm a puukko user (knives without guards) and it's interesting to note the grip security definitely comes more from the shape of the handle vs the texture. Mora's barrel shaped handled classics are a thing of beauty in this regard.
 
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