Mora: Tougher than you'd think!

canranger said:
Guys its a piece of steel and he stood most of his weight on the section that was closest to the tree plus the kid looks like he might be 130lbs soaking wet. ou can get a lot of steel to survive that test. I like moras sure enough but I wouldn't match it up against a tank based on that test.
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Of course a mora isn't as strong as a 1/4" full tang tank of a blade. But what the video shows is that it's more than strong enough for normal use.

If a half tang 2mm thick blade can survive this, is a 6mm thick blade absolutely necessary in a 4" knife? No. Doesn't mean you can't like a thick blade though.

The video isn't trying to prove that a mora is the strongest of knives. Just that it's stronger than most think.
 
Gadgetaholic said:
What if I only had one knife on me? What if the sky was purple with pink spots? What if gravity suddenly reversed? Some people need to stop asking ridiculous questions and use some of the knives they have on them!
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:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
I believe that knife is the 780 Triflex with differential tempering. Supposed to be one of the toughest Mora's according to Ragnar's Forge website. I've got one and it is bigger than most of them. --KV
 
Wabajack said:
As far as I see it, so long as batoning and prying aren't on your list Mora's are next to perfect. They're definitely not something I'd consider a tough knife though. Not their intended purpose. But they're light, easy to sharpen and ergonomic. Perfect for me.
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Actually I have Moras I've batoned with for years and they're no worse off than when I got them new. I had one I did all sorts of things with just out of curiosity, seeing what it could take. Batoned it through brick, steel, wood, plastic...held up to it all. I also pried with it to the point the blade was bent 90 degrees. It bent even further before it snapped. You can pry with them pretty hard, they'll bend a lot before they'll snap so it's easy to tell when it's time to let up. Mora's are very tough in my opinion. They're perfect for throwing into a backpack for a back-up knife on a camping trip, as they're super light, cut pretty well and will do everything you could ask of a knife outside of trail clearing and wood chopping. Even that they can handle, they're just horribly inefficient.
 
Gadgetaholic said:
It seems a bit silly to pose questions like "what if the only knife on me was a Mora and I needed to baton some wood for the fire" - only one knife on you, pffft, what kind of weird and unlikely scenario would that idea come from?
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then you'd be fine, battoning can be done with a slipjoint if you do it properly although you probably wouldn't try, partly because slipjoint blades tend to be a little too short for most wood.
the only reason I won't use my mora, a clipper, for batoning anymore is that it takes ages to get the edge back in shape if you hit a nail.

past that the only other issue is how big the bit of wood is (obviously a knife of a certain length can only batton wood up to a certain size, as past that there won't be enough blade sticking out to sucessfully drive the knife through the wood)
this is the only major reason I would prefer annother, larger, knife if I had to batton, as it would allow me to split larger logs.
 
Hey Guys,

I love Mora's, they are tough enough to be a life time knife when used properly.

Two things too look at, first he did not weigh a lot, and second it only showed his feet. My question is where were his hands and was he holding on to something which took some weight off the knife.

This is not said to start a war, but in a wilderness survival situation it would not be my only tool. A Mini Hatchet or larger hatchet would serve much better as would a Leuku or machete.

Look who developed the Mora, the Scandinavians. They did not just carry them as there only tool. Moras or a knife like the A.G. Russell Deer Hunter will just about out cut anything and that's what they are made for. (along with batoning small diameter wood for firers)

Could I survive with just a Mora? Yes, for a short while with the proper techniques. It's just that there would be a lot more energy spent trying to make a shelter or other chores than the extra weight carried with some tools that do heavier work.

Thanks,

Geoff
 
phaserrifle said:
then you'd be fine, battoning can be done with a slipjoint if you do it properly although you probably wouldn't try, partly because slipjoint blades tend to be a little too short for most wood.
the only reason I won't use my mora, a clipper, for batoning anymore is that it takes ages to get the edge back in shape if you hit a nail.

past that the only other issue is how big the bit of wood is (obviously a knife of a certain length can only batton wood up to a certain size, as past that there won't be enough blade sticking out to sucessfully drive the knife through the wood)
this is the only major reason I would prefer annother, larger, knife if I had to batton, as it would allow me to split larger logs.
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Yes, I would be fine:

IMG_8377s.jpg


Batoning doesn't seem all that hard when I use the right knife for the job. My Mora knives don't get to baton wood, but I can find other tasks for them to do. I very much believe in the philosophy 'the right tool for the job' and follow it as much as I can. I have spent good money to own 'hard use' knives that I would feel comfortable to baton with, so I'll use one of them when I need to chop or baton.

Even with my easier tasks I have options. I have a stainless clipper Mora for tasks that I think should be done with a stainless blade and I have a carbon craftsman Mora for jobs that the carbon steel blade is better for. I would do finer wood work with the carbon steel Mora (heavier work with my 'hard use' knives) and the stainless Mora is more for food prep. But the blades on my Mora knives are not that thin and don't feel flimsy - pretty much any normal task for a knife of that size should be fine. I don't expect to feel apprehensive about damaging my knives when I am using them in a normal manner to cut stuff. A Mora is cheap anyway so a breakage isn't going to cost a lot, but the breakage is pretty unlikely - how often do you read something like "I was sharpening this stick to make a tent peg and my Mora fell apart in my hands", because I have never heard of such a thing.

When I need a knife I just grab whatever I think is most suitable out of the knives I have at hand and use it. I don't waste time wondering if it will break because that would be pretty damned unlikely.
 
If I stood on that mora it would break for sure......what was that kid maybe a buck fifty?
 
Skimo said:
This was originally posted by the guy that made the video.

The type of tree is pretty soft and he used soft blows.

I think the consensus was that Mora's are cheap, and that this technique is viable.
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I believe a better description would be inexpensive rather than cheap/

Jay
 
I've used moras A plenty... I've used them as my primary woods knives for some time....
They are tough and will do anything you'd want a knife to do, however they are not stand alone tools...I wouldn't want to build a log cabin with one.. but for whittling a tent peg or cleaning a sunny they are fine... so keep the mora on your belt and the hatchet in you bag, and don;t lose any sleep over it...
 
g123 said:
Hey Guys,

I love Mora's, they are tough enough to be a life time knife when used properly.

Two things too look at, first he did not weigh a lot, and second it only showed his feet. My question is where were his hands and was he holding on to something which took some weight off the knife.

This is not said to start a war, but in a wilderness survival situation it would not be my only tool. A Mini Hatchet or larger hatchet would serve much better as would a Leuku or machete.

Look who developed the Mora, the Scandinavians. They did not just carry them as there only tool. Moras or a knife like the A.G. Russell Deer Hunter will just about out cut anything and that's what they are made for. (along with batoning small diameter wood for firers)

Could I survive with just a Mora? Yes, for a short while with the proper techniques. It's just that there would be a lot more energy spent trying to make a shelter or other chores than the extra weight carried with some tools that do heavier work.

Thanks,

Geoff
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Hi Geoff,
Noone's suggesting that anyone should only take a mora in the bush. Team it up with a leuku or hatchet and it makes a great team for wood carving.

But if we're going to talk silly "what would you take on a survival situation" scenarios, I'd be more likely to be carrying a mora if something unexpected happened. Few people walk round with a hatchet on their belt when hiking.

If you're planning on using the hatchet and knife for woodwork or firebuilding, it's not survival, it's playing in the bush. I love playing in the bush, but there's absolutely no need to limit yourself to one all jack of all trades knife.

If people want to walk around 2 miles into the bush with a 10" hacker on their belt praying that some calamity occurs so they can hack stuff to bits, why not just hack stuff to bits anyway AND carry a mora for fine carving/ food prep?
 
Cool, someone found a good outdoor use for a mora!!



:eek::p [runs for cover...]
 
Hey Beef,

I guess I would not be in a survival situation then. I always have a day pack on my back or at minimum tuck my GB Mini Hatchet into my belt. My key chain has a small magnesium and fire steel on it.

I have never understood how someone could be lost without tools. I guess the reason I always have them is that I love to play with them. A walk in the woods or any where close to the woods means play time starts.

Geoff
 
Vivi said:
Actually I have Moras I've batoned with for years and they're no worse off than when I got them new. I had one I did all sorts of things with just out of curiosity, seeing what it could take. Batoned it through brick, steel, wood, plastic...held up to it all. I also pried with it to the point the blade was bent 90 degrees. It bent even further before it snapped. You can pry with them pretty hard, they'll bend a lot before they'll snap so it's easy to tell when it's time to let up. Mora's are very tough in my opinion. They're perfect for throwing into a backpack for a back-up knife on a camping trip, as they're super light, cut pretty well and will do everything you could ask of a knife outside of trail clearing and wood chopping. Even that they can handle, they're just horribly inefficient.
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Overall I would agree with you. I've done a little batoning with mine, but it's not something I'd like to rely upon them for. I've never found it necessary, so best to avoid it just in case it were to give up the ghost on me. My 510 started to loosen up in the handle and make a clicking sound after the first time I pretty lightly batoned some small firewood, this is it and the wood it batoned:


280px-Mora_knife_01.jpg

I'm guessing there was a lot of air trapped around the tang in the molding process. I could probably just rip it out in a vice and fill it with some good epoxy and it would be fine. My #1 might do a little better, haven't felt it necessary to try. They're not as great a froe surrogate as my F1, but then again they don't carve on par with a house brick. Haven't broken one yet!
 
g123 said:
Hey Beef,

I guess I would not be in a survival situation then. I always have a day pack on my back or at minimum tuck my GB Mini Hatchet into my belt. My key chain has a small magnesium and fire steel on it.

I have never understood how someone could be lost without tools. I guess the reason I always have them is that I love to play with them. A walk in the woods or any where close to the woods means play time starts.

Geoff
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I would. I'm usually not nearly as prepared as that. But, I do have some bare standards. I won't go in the woods without a flashlight (they use their cell phones to light up the trail) a fixed blade knife (a few times it's been a mora since it's what I had in my car at the time, or an old hickory), a lighter, and a bottle of water or Gatorade etc.

I have used mora more times at home then I have in the woods. In the woods I just prefer something else to play with. But I feel confident in my mora.
 
Just got a box of 4 moras yesturday...3 for the bro and one for me. :)

I'm pleased with them...very nice handles and they look very capable. His will get a lot of use boating and fishing... I look forward to hearing what he says...
 
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