Mora-knives

While a Mora knife isn`t a sharpened prybar, it is a more than decent slicer and is also good for push cutting wood etc. Moras are relatively easy to sharpen with only a lapstone, and a carbon steel Mora (at least Frosts) will take a very keen edge if you finish the sharpening with some strokes on an Arkansas stone. They are very good knives for what they are, and especially for their low price.

Nils
 
I tend to agree with NILS on this. I have Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish blades and all are excellent cutting tools. I guess if you need a more substantial combat blade buy a bigger thicker knife. For 90% of what needs to get cut I think the Mora's will do just fine.
 
Yep, for 99% of what I need to cut, a Mora works fine. But now I know what to use the next time I need to cut up a Mora knife. Thanks.

;)
 
I'd think one would want to try a few tests before really believing. Shouldn't be expensive given the price of Moras and the lack of damage to the other blade..... maybe..
 
Yes I agree that the Mora is a very good cutter if used for its intended purpose which to me is light utility. Some people think that a Mora is the only knife you´ll ever need and if you need something bigger you should get an axe.
Personally I like the ideas of Jeff Randall: To carry two blades, one large and one small carry. Then the Mora would fit the "small" knife category well. But if pushed to select ONE blade I would never take a Mora into harms way.
Knives are like everything else in life, a matter of personal choice. There is an expression I like, " The best knife is the one you have with you! "
Carry the knife that you personally feel confident is the right one for its intended use otherwise you probably won´t carry one att all.

One knife that is highly recommended by swedish survivalexperts is the Peltonen designed Ranger Puuko available in the U.S. from Kellam Knives. That knife is a good compromise between cuttingperformance and strength. The price over here in sweden is somewhere around 80 dollars.

There will always be different ideas about what a knife should be able to do. I am probably ( to use a popular expression ) of the "sharpened prybar"-school when it comes to combat/survival/adventure-blades. Therefore my choice would go to something like ICC/Strider/Busse or the "infamous" Mad Dog.

And he did do the test once more when he came home on leave just to show his little brother what he had done. The result was EXACTLY THE SAME.
 
Jimbo :

I'd think one would want to try a few tests before really believing.
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SOG uses really thick and obtuse bevels on their larger knives, 50+ degrees included , 0.040+ " thick. The primary grinds are also very obtuse, sabre ground and shallow. A Mora on the other hand, and puukkos in general have edges ~10 degrees or less per side. The SOG blades would make better cutters or hardened metal than a Mora, however the Mora would cut far better (easily more than 10 to 1) on wood, flesh, carboard, paper, fabrics, plastic, ropes, foods etc. .

-Cliff
 
A bigger knife with some chopping ability, can do much of the work a hatchet can do. But I have heard people advice against inexperienced people using chopping tools, if they haven`t learned how to use them properly first.

I have read some posts here advocating small knives (small fixed blades and even folders)in combination with folding saws, because of the above mentioned reasons. - Less risk of injury to inexperienced and careless people. That said I think some people like cheap gear because they keep kit in several places.

Btw. the most commom knife among farmers, carpenters and construction workers in the Scandinavian countries, is some version of the Swedish mora knife with a plastic handle.

I have no argument with people who prefer big knives, and I own several knives myself that cost a lot of money.

Lastly I will agree that a used mora makes a rather poor display piece.

Nils
 
That's a cute test but how does that affect the Mora's excellent performance in real knife related tasks? My Moras have had very heavy use and I wouldn't hesitate to trust them as a full fledged survival knife. They are often used for prying and gouging at tough wood, with no damage whatsoever. Certainly they are capable of far more than 'light utility'; around my house they are the heavy utility knife of choice. I've done more damage to a CS recon Tanto than I've ever done to a Mora, and that's using them on the same tasks. I couldn't imagine a better knife for most tasks, especially considering they only cost $8.
 
After about six months he had had enough. When he was asked some stupid question about what his knife could do that theirs couldn`t he responded. He asked his teammate for his Mora who quickly gave it to him. Then he held it out in front of him while pulling his Trident from the sheath. Next he struck the knives together, edge to edge really hard.....The result?? The Moras blade was completely cut off at the impactpoint. The damage to the Trident was minimal, a small nick which was almost entirely removed with an Eze-lap rod. It did not affect the functionality of the knife at all while the Mora was destroyed.
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and then:
And he did do the test once more when he came home on leave just to show his little brother what he had done. The result was EXACTLY THE SAME.
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You'll have to forgive my slowness. I'm not grasping the concept that a light knife could be held in one hand, and the blade cut into two by a blow with another heavier knife held in the other hand.
The problems that I'm having is that the steels are of about the same hardness, and the Moras have a single bevel above which is a parallel sided piece of steel. It's difficult to induce fracture with the forces possible with knives held that way. It's also pretty hard to use blades of similar hardness to cut through each other, with one having minimal damage.
This place must be full of people who I'd believe in a moment, own the knives concerned and are anxious to give this a shot.
I'm rather anxious to hear an explanation for this - which goes against my common sense.
 
Jimbo - you ain't the only one ...

I've used my 4" blade mora for splitting wood for years , the darn thing is still going strong.
 
The test above relates what happens when you want to cut a knife with another knife..I've never had an urge to do that..but when it comes to cutting a tomatoe I know which knife would win....:D
 
Perhaps this particular knife-on-knife contest can become part of the testing for the next SEAL knife? :rolleyes: ;) :p :D
 
My martial arts instructor could probably walk up to Ron Hood or Jeff Randall, and knock them out with one really hard stroke on the chin, but I would still rather have the proven survival experts with me if I was lost in bush. :rolleyes:
(Just making a convoluted point, no offence Ron or Jeff)
 
Now Jim, you didn't take into account that if your sensei ko'd Jeff Randall, me and Simonich would have to hit him with a pitcher of beer. And one can only guess what Mike Perrin might do. ;)

(BTW, let me know when you'll be comin' down this way for some time off. I'll hook you up with the local RCMP liaison so it'll look like official business while we go out and grab a beer. :cool: )
 
Strong guys, beer, your knife collection, Blues... one of them will work on chopping the Mora. Start with the little ones and work up..
 
Jimbo,

I like my Mora's too much to chop them up. But then I haven't had to chop any of my knives up yet, from the mountains of Alaska to Wyoming to New Hamphire. Must be doing something wrong. ;)
 
The problem is that you carry too many knives! Now imagine that there were three of you lost, and only two knives and you had to divide them up.. It'd be great to be the guy with the biggest knife then, right!
 
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