Mora Knives

HornyToad

HornyToad

Joined
May 2, 2008
Messages
961
I've seen so many advocates of Mora knives as a useful and very inexpensive field knife, I thought I would get one. After checking several online sites there is a bewildering variety, all for $10 to $15. All the blades look the same to me. The best I can tell is choose stainless or carbon steel blade, handle of wood or plastic (& color), and sheath style (& color). Ben's Backwoods seems to have quite a few. Any reason to pick one over another other than you like orange knives? :confused:

A link to your favorite would be helpful.
 
My favorites are the Triflex Craftsman and the Mora 2000, but i have a Clipper, River knife, and two mora kit blades as well.
They are all good!
Buy a kit blade from bensbackwoods or ragweed forge and you can make/customize a handle to perfectly fit your hand.
 
For a beginner, there isn't a nickel's worth of difference among them. If you pick up a few with different characteristics, you may come to appreciate a particular model, but they all share 95% of what makes them a "Mors" -- strong slim sharp blade in a minimal handle.

If you have no problem with carbon steel, try one of those with a traditional round wooden handle and a stainless one with plastic.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
For a beginner, there isn't a nickel's worth of difference among them. If you pick up a few with different characteristics, you may come to appreciate a particular model, but they all share 95% of what makes them a "Mors" -- strong slim sharp blade in a minimal handle.

If you have no problem with carbon steel, try one of those with a traditional round wooden handle and a stainless one with plastic.
Click to expand...

How does the stainless hold an edge compared to the carbon model?
 
EB nailed a lot of it, they're largely quite similar. The handles, to me, are where differences come out. My favorite Mora and one of my all-time favorite knives is the 510:
MORA%20510.JPG

http://www.bensbackwoods.com/servlet/Detail?no=13

It's a super comfortable handle with a pretty substantial tang, for the Moras. Carbon steel. You can check Ragweed Forge (dot com) for a mora selection as well.

Just to throw it out there, Ben'sbackwoods has a really cool kit they are selling that includes a mora, either the 510 or #1 (I think), and it comes with some very cool basics:
jack%20mountain%20kit%20w510.JPG
 
carbon steel 780 triflex--differential heat treat-bigger blade and handle--KV
 
kdstrick said:
How does the stainless hold an edge compared to the carbon model?
Click to expand...
The stainless is Sandvik 12C27. Good stuff. Becoming popular over here. It's been a hit in Europe for a while now. Gets very sharp and holds the edge nicely.

I have the SWAK, Swedish Army Knife, a carbon Mora which will rust on me if I'm not careful. I'm careful :)
 
I have three. The most utilitarian is my "Swedish Military" sold by Sportsman's Guide, $9.99. It is a clipper with olive drab handle and carbon blade. I also picked up a SL-1, a laminated #1 with natural colored wood handle. It is very cool with a stout blade. I like this knife better than the Clipper for aesthetic reasons. I also have the 1260 and while I like the slender in height blade, the handle was too bulky. I have whittled it down and use it extensively in the garden.

Clippers are good all-around knives. #1's are a good classic knife.
 
This thread is getting my excited about the order I just placed at Ragweed. I hope he's quickly filling the orders that were placed when he was away. I'm excited to craft some handles for the three laminated Mora blades I ordered.
 
HornyToad said:
A link to your favorite would be helpful.
Click to expand...

I like the 711 very much and use it for practising bushcraft and even for the kitchen.
This is what it looks like:
kienspanmv4.jpg



The grip feels very comfortable and won't become slippery. The sheath isn't bad for the price. ATM I carry it in my right front pocket, fixed to my belt - it's quite comfortable and almost invisible.

Why I bought it? I saw the 711 at gun shop with no other models available and liked the combination of carbon steel, scandi grind (new to me), secure grip, open sheath (new to me) and low price, so I bought it.
It's razor sharp, easy to resharpen, won't rattle in the sheath and it's a pleasure to use.
I think whatever choice you make, you can't pick the wrong one.
 
As other people have recommended. Go with the 510, 780, or MK 2000.

I'm really surprised that nobody recommended the clipper yet. Great handle and a carbon blade. The sheath is a clip on type which I would watch so you don't loose it.
 
DocArnie: I have 4-5 of those 711 lying around. comfortable grip. my 10yo uses one when we go camping. my 6yo likes the 511, and I EDC a mk2000. I also like the 440 (sportsknife).

-jontok
 
Esav Benyamin said:
The stainless is Sandvik 12C27. Good stuff. Becoming popular over here. It's been a hit in Europe for a while now. Gets very sharp and holds the edge nicely.
Click to expand...

To try them out, I bought a 740, 760 and 780.

The 740 and 760 are identical, except the 740 is 1095 with a red handle and the 760 is 12C27 with a blue handle. So far they seem to behave similarly except the 740 needs to be kept oiled.

Of the 3 my favorite so far is the 780. Oddly enough, the main reason I like it best is that I find it easiest to sharpen- wider bevels.

I am far from an expert shapener, but with all 3 of them after just a minute or two on medium stones (Sharpmaker, flip it over and you can use it as a benchstone) and a bit of stropping I can whittle hair held under tension. So yeah they all take a good edge and are easy to work with.
 
I have a Classic # 2,a Clipper Rescue and a 2000.For bushcraft I only use the Classic # 2.Great knife!Gonna get the 711 and the Classic #1.I like carbon steel,not a big fan of stainless,but 12C27 is nice too.
 
I can buy the Mora 2000 for 10€ from the insurance company Gothaer. The Name is printed on the blade, but I think it can be polished away.
Maybe I should try one of those, but I'm really satisfied with my 711 and I might buy the stainless version next.
I also have the Mora #1 and it's great. The grip feels more secure than it seems on first sight - it's safe to use! :thumbup:
 
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